Part 59: Gameplay

The Link Navigator



This menu shows the date, time, location and primary character of each stage, including movie stages. We'll be using it to select each mission. Blue is for mission stages, green is for movie stages. When a mission has been completed (or a movie seen) the box will darken. Blue boxes that are half dark and half light mean the primary objective has been completed, but not the secondary one.
Completing a mission will usually unlock another one. However, almost every stage has a secondary objective which, when completed, will unlock yet another mission. Interestingly, these secondary objectives themselves have to be "unlocked", usually by picking up an item or altering the landscape in the same area but as a different character earlier in the timeline. Many of them are extremely unintuitive, though not so much as in the first game. In SIREN 2 the player must select which objective to attempt before beginning the stage.

Combat

Characters can carry up to two weapons at a time, and can collect new weapons from defeated opponents. There are a number of different kinds of enemies in SIREN 2, which will be added below as they are encountered. In general, enemies can never be completely destroyed, only subdued for a short period ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes. If the player or an ally is killed, it's Game Over.

New features:
There are quite a few more guns in SIREN 2 than in the original, including automatic rifles and SMGs. Of course, these are in the hands of the enemies as well as the player. This time around a "sniper mode" has been added when using rifles that allows the player to zoom in first-person and adds a crosshair. Characters carrying firearms can also execute a secondary melee attack. Melee weapons now have three-step combos, the final part of which is slower and does extra damage. Most allies will also pick up weapons and help the player fight when possible.

Archives

As before, there are 100 Archive items to collect, and we'll need to gather them all to truly complete the game. This time around many of them are in the form of audio or video recordings, so be sure to check the archives section of each update for the links.

Secondary Objectives

Each stage has two versions and two missions. Essentially, the character plays a stage again with another goal and different, usually more challenging, obstacles. Companions may be added or subtracted, new archives may be available (and old ones unavailable), new locations are likely to be visited, and the number and strength of enemies are sure to increase. The maps may even change and previously inaccessible areas may open up.
The term "Secondary Objective" is somewhat misleading, as these scenarios are the SIREN 2 story canon, and thus tend to contain more clues and reveals. Skipping them is strongly discouraged.





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