Offbeat detective game Deadly Premonition 2 surprise launches on Steam

In a surprise cameo at the Future Game Show, Deadly Premonition creator Swery65 announced the immediate launch of Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise on Steam, bringing the game to PC from Nintendo Switch for the first time.

More than a decade ago, Deadly Premonition asked the question, "What if we took Shenmue and mixed it with Twin Peaks?" The result was janky, surreal, and unforgettable. Its formerly Switch-exclusive sequel upped the ante, presenting the conundrum, "What if we took Shenmue and mixed it with True Detective?"

This latest surreal distillation of the last prestige cop show Swery65 watched is a simultaneous prequel and sequel to the original game, adopting the framing sequence of a washed up, modern day Agent Morgan recalling the case he took just prior to the events of Deadly Premonition 1 in the late 2000s. You could almost look at this as Deadly Premonition's own Fire Walk With Me.

We'll have to see if getting unshackled from the Switch's puny Tegra X1 processor is enough to cure Deadly Premonition 2 of its performance woes, but I can already confirm that, stylistically at least, it's a worthy successor to the first game's goofy, creepy murder mystery. If you share the same brain disease that makes me love these games and don't have a Nintendo Switch, Deadly Premonition 2 for PC is currently on sale for $28, 30% off.

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch. You can follow Ted on Bluesky.