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{{Infobox video game
| title = Deadly Premonition 2:<br>A Blessing in Disguise
| image = Deadly Premonition 2 cover art.jpg
| alt = 
| director = [[Hidetaka Suehiro]]
| producer = Tomio Kanazawa
| artist = {{ubl|Syuhou Imai|Yukiya Matsuura|Suzuka Imamura}}
| composer = Satoshi Okubo
| programmer = Hideto Suzuki
| writer = {{ubl|Hidetaka Suehiro|Kenji Goda}}
| developer = Toybox Inc.<br />White Owls Inc.<br />[[Now Production]]<ref name="Credits">{{cite video game|title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise|date=July 10, 2020|publisher=Rising Star|developer=Toybox Inc., White Owls Inc., & Now Production Co., Ltd.|level=Credits}}</ref> <!-- Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAqRKQwVw9s&t=4m52s -->
| publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|Toybox Inc.|AUS|[[Nintendo]] (NS)|WW|[[Rising Star Games]]}}
| engine = [[Unity (game engine)|Unity]]
| platforms = {{Unbulleted list|[[Nintendo Switch]]|[[Windows]]}}
| released = {{Unbulleted list|'''Nintendo Switch'''|July 10, 2020|'''Windows'''|June 11, 2022}}
| genre = [[Survival horror]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
}}

'''''Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise''''' is a [[survival horror]] video game developed by Toybox, White Owls, and [[Now Production]] for the [[Nintendo Switch]]. It was released on July 10, 2020 by Toybox in Japan and [[Rising Star Games]] internationally. It is both a prequel and sequel to ''[[Deadly Premonition]]'', which has garnered a [[cult following]] since its release in 2010. ''A Blessing in Disguise'' follows [[FBI]] Agent Francis York Morgan as he works to solve a murder mystery in the fictional American town of Le Carré, [[Louisiana]].

==Gameplay==
{{Cleanup|date=July 2024|reason=Section should include gameplay information not just a short synopsis of the plot|section}}
''Deadly Premonition 2'' divides its gameplay between two sections. In the first, the player assumes the role of FBI Agent Aaliyah Davis, who interrogates Francis Zach Morgan in his apartment about his handling of a case involving the murder of a teenage girl. The gameplay of these sections consists mostly of [[visual novel]] style dialogue and [[Point-and-click Adventure|point and click]] exploration of Zach’s apartment.

In the second, the player guides a younger Francis York Morgan through the fictional American town of Le Carré, Louisiana, fourteen years prior, as he investigates that case and its connection to a drug ring.<ref name="Euro" /> These sections are [[open world]], and include [[side quests]] alongside the main story. Traversal of the open world is done via [[skateboard]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blondeau |first=Bella |date=2020-07-21 |title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise Review: FK In The Coffee, Hate In The Heart |url=https://www.thegamer.com/deadly-premonition-2-review/ |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> During these sections, York has a gun that he can use to shoot Louisiana wildlife. There are interstitial combat levels during the main story.

==Plot==
The [[frame story]] of ''Deadly Premonition 2'' takes place in Francis Zach Morgan's apartment in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], in 2019, a decade after the events of ''Deadly Premonition''. There, FBI [[Special Agent]] Aaliyah Davis ([[Mela Lee]]) and her partner Simon Jones ([[Christopher Corey Smith]]) interrogate a sickly Zach (Jeff Kramer) over his involvement in a murder case of sixteen-year-old Lise Clarkson, the granddaughter of the influential Clarkson family, in Le Carré. Zach narrates how he and his alternate personality York, created from his childhood trauma, came to Le Carré to investigate the connections between the murder and an addictive street drug, Saint Rouge.

During his investigation in Le Carré, York is periodically aided by riddles from the supernatural entity Houngan and Patricia "Patti" Woods ([[Cassandra Lee Morris]]). Patti is the young adopted daughter of the town's sheriff Melvin Woods ([[Ogie Banks]]), whose biological mother is his wife, Candy Clarkson. Returning to the scene of Lise's murder, York discovers that she had been dismembered by her mother Galena ([[Kate Higgins]]) in the presence of Professor R ([[Billy Kametz]]), whom York suspects to be involved in the production of Saint Rouge. York then enters the Otherworld, where he battles a monstrous version of Galena, who claims to have done it in pursuit of creating a new world. Returning to reality, he arrests Galena and takes her to the town's jail.

The next day, he finds that Galena has been murdered and tracks down Professor R, revealed to be a [[trans woman]] named Lena Dauman. She had been born the heir to the Clarkson family and later became an [[apostle]] for the goddess of fertility after meeting the supernatural entity Forrest Kaysen (Joe Hernandez), using Saint Rouge to transform the bodies and mature the souls of selected human offerings to the goddess. York enters the Otherworld again to examine a scene of violence between Lena and her father, P.J. Clarkson ([[David Lodge (voice actor)|David Lodge]]). P.J laments his family's fading prestige, and in a plot twist reveals Lena had an incestuous affair with her elder sister Candy - which then resulted in a child, who is Patti. York then battles a monstrous form of Lena and returns to reality as the bomb Lena planted detonates, killing her and her father. After Melvin and then Patti go missing, York eventually tracks them down to a boathouse. Corrupted by Saint Rouge, Melvin confesses his love for Lena and plans to finish Lena's plan by sacrificing Patti. Melvin, however, changes his mind, and dies along with Candy in an ensuing fire, as Patti escapes with York.

Back in the present, Zach enlists Simon Jones's help to track down Avery Smith (Armen Taylor), a developmentally disabled man infatuated with Lise. Zach returns to Le Carré, to the place where Lise's corpse was found, and confronts Avery in the Otherworld. Zach defeats Avery, but when he attempts to free Patti, he sees a vision of Patti admonishing him for not letting her die back at the boathouse as well as his inability to save Emily, his love interest in ''Deadly Premonition''. Overwhelmed by his guilt over Emily's death, Zach gives into his anguish and is transformed into a monster by Kaysen. Aaliyah confronts Zach and fatally shoots him. When Aaliyah, influenced by Kaysen, tries to shoot Patti, York intervenes to save her and breaks Kaysen's supernatural hold over Aaliyah. Patti, distraught over Zach's impending death, makes a deal with York to prolong Zach's life. In the post-credits scene, Patti [[video call]]s Zach, as Zach and York communicate via text.

==Development==
According to [[Hidetaka Suehiro|Swery]], he was "being ghosted" during the final months of development. He is quoted as saying that "there were so many fixes needed that he submitted approximately 2,000 tickets and not only does he say they were never addressed, he also claims he never had a chance to talk to anybody from the publisher and the studio. I found out the game had been released thanks to a message I received from a fan", he alleges.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hidetaka 'Swery' Suehiro still wants to work in an office|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/hidetaka-swery-suehiro-still-wants-to-work-in-an-office|website=Games Industry.biz|date=24 November 2022|access-date=13 July 2025}}</ref>

==Release==
''A Blessing in Disguise'' was announced in September 2019, with [[Hidetaka Suehiro]] (Swery65) as director and writer.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/deadly-premonition-2-announced-for-switch-original/1100-6469637/|title=Deadly Premonition 2 Announced For Switch, Original Creator Confirmed To Return|date=September 5, 2019|author=Espineli, Matt|work=[[IGN]]|accessdate=July 12, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620220931/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/deadly-premonition-2-announced-for-switch-original/1100-6469637/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was published as an exclusive for the [[Nintendo Switch]] on July 10, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/top-new-game-releases-on-switch-ps4-xbox-one-and-p/1100-6479267/|title=Top New Game Releases On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Week -- July 5-11, 2020|date=July 10, 2020|author=Wilson, Tony|work=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=July 12, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620220930/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/top-new-game-releases-on-switch-ps4-xbox-one-and-p/1100-6479267/|url-status=live}}</ref> A Windows port was released on June 12, 2022.<ref name=":0" />

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
<!-- Aggregators -->| MC = 56/100 (Switch)<ref name="Metacritic"/><br>54/100 (PC)<ref name="Metacritic-PC"/>
| Destruct = 8/10<ref name="DS">{{cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/review-deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise-595477.phtml|title=Review: Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise|author=Carter, Chris|date=July 12, 2020|work=[[Destructoid]]|accessdate=July 13, 2020|archive-date=August 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811075036/https://www.destructoid.com/stories/review-deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise-595477.phtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
| GI = 5/10<ref name="GI">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/review/deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise/chasing-its-own-shadow|title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise – Chasing Its Own Shadow|date=July 8, 2020|author=Cork, Jeff|magazine=[[Game Informer]]|access-date=July 13, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620215427/https://www.gameinformer.com/review/deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise/chasing-its-own-shadow|url-status=live}}</ref>
| GSpot = 5/10<ref name="GS">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise-review/1900-6417493/|title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise Review|date=July 9, 2020|author=Indovina, Kurt|work=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=July 13, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620215427/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise-review/1900-6417493/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| HCG = 3.5/5<ref name="HG">{{cite web|url=https://hardcoregamer.com/2020/07/08/review-deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise/382326/|title=Review: Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise|date=July 8, 2020|work=Hardcore Gamer|author=LeClair, Kyle|accessdate=July 13, 2020|archive-date=November 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125222453/https://hardcoregamer.com/2020/07/08/review-deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise/382326/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| IGN = 5/10<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise-review|title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise Review|date=July 8, 2020|author=Ogilvie, Tristan|work=[[IGN]]|accessdate=July 13, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620215427/https://www.ign.com/articles/deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise-review|url-status=live}}</ref>
| NLife = {{rating|7|10}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/deadly_premonition_2_a_blessing_in_disguise|title=Review: Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise - A Fun Game, in Disguise|date=8 July 2020|access-date=29 October 2022|archive-date=29 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029021943/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/deadly_premonition_2_a_blessing_in_disguise|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
''Deadly Premonition 2'' received mixed reviews upon release.<ref name="Metacritic">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch|title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise for Switch Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=July 12, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Metacritic-PC">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/deadly-premonition-2-a-blessing-in-disguise/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise for PC Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=July 21, 2020}}</ref> Some critics concluded that the game did not reach the same heights as ''Deadly Premonition'', with the other elements of the game unable to compensate for the technical performance, as had previously happened in ''Deadly Premonition''.<ref name="IGN"/><ref name="GI"/><ref name="Metro">{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/07/08/deadly-premonition-2-review-francis-york-morgan-strikes-back-12963095/|title=Deadly Premonition 2 review – Francis York Morgan strikes back|author=Game Central|date=July 8, 2020|work=Metro|accessdate=July 13, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620215427/https://metro.co.uk/2020/07/08/deadly-premonition-2-review-francis-york-morgan-strikes-back-12963095/|url-status=live}}</ref> Others wrote that, while not quite as enjoyable as ''Deadly Premonition'', it was still a serviceable sequel with an intriguing storyline and characters.<ref name="DS" /><ref name="HG"/><ref name="Verge">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/21319867/deadly-premonition-2-review-nintendo-switch|title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise review|author=Byford, Sam|date=July 20, 2020|work=[[The Verge]]|accessdate=July 13, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620215427/https://www.theverge.com/21319867/deadly-premonition-2-review-nintendo-switch|url-status=live}}</ref>

The characters generally received praise as enjoyably eccentric,<ref name="GI"/><ref name="Metro"/><ref name="HG"/> though some reviewers felt that the relatively smaller cast, as compared to ''Deadly Premonition'', limited the narrative range of the murder mystery.<ref name="IGN"/> York was similarly highlighted as a major strength of the narrative,<ref name="IGN"/><ref name="GS"/><ref name="DS"/> with one reviewer describing him as "undoubtedly ''Deadly Premonition 2''{{'}}s saving grace".<ref name="Euro">{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-07-10-deadly-premonition-2-review|title=Deadly Premonition 2|date=July 10, 2020|author=Wales, Matt|work=[[Eurogamer]]|accessdate=July 13, 2020|archive-date=January 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119020147/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-07-10-deadly-premonition-2-review|url-status=live}}</ref>

A major point of criticism focused on the game's technical performance. Reviewers often criticized the [[frame rate]] as slow and considerably detracting from the experience of the game, particularly when exploring the outdoor portion of ''Deadly Premonition 2''{{'}}s open world.<ref name="IGN"/><ref name="Verge"/><ref name="GS"/><ref name="DS"/><ref name="HG"/><ref name="GI"/> The absence of an option to invert the game's camera along the Y-axis was also criticized, as it had been present in the 2019 port of ''Deadly Premonition'' for the Switch.<ref name="IGN"/><ref name="Verge"/> The graphics were similarly panned by some critics.<ref name="GI"/><ref name="Metro"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.risingstargames.com/games/deadly-premonition-2 Official site]
*[https://toybox-games.jp/dp2/ ''Deadly Premonition 2''] at Toybox Inc. {{in lang|ja}}

[[Category:2020 video games]]
[[Category:Detective video games]]
[[Category:Federal Bureau of Investigation in fiction]]
[[Category:Horror video games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Switch games]]
[[Category:Now Production games]]
[[Category:Open-world video games]]
[[Category:Survival horror video games]]
[[Category:2020s horror video games]]
[[Category:Video games about police officers]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Video game prequels]]
[[Category:Sequel video games]]
[[Category:Video games set in 2005]]
[[Category:Video games set in 2019]]
[[Category:Video games set in Boston]]
[[Category:Video games set in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Rising Star Games games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related video games]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in video games]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:White Owls games]]
[[Category:Murder mystery video games]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise|access_date=2026-03-02}}