Forbidden Siren

Platform: PlayStation 2
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
Release Date: 06.11.2003 (JP), 12.03.2004 (EU), 20.04.2004 (US)

Forbidden Siren tells the story of mysterious events in the small Japanese village of Hanuda.

One summer day, this quiet place suddenly becomes the real embodiment of a nightmare. A sound of siren begins to roar over the village, bloody rain pours from the skies, and the villagers go crazy and turn into deadly monsters.

Who will be able to escape from this cursed village alive?

Key Features of the Game

10 playable characters
In Forbidden Siren, events are shown from the perspectives of several different people. During the game, we will be able to play as a small defenseless child, an old hunter with a rifle, a surgeon from a local hospital, a schoolgirl, a church priest, and other characters. Each character has his own story and gameplay features.

Stealth Horror
In the world of Siren, there are no super heroes with bazookas and machine guns. All characters are ordinary people. And the gameplay here is as close to reality as possible - we have to hide and run away from monsters. The stealth mechanics here are quite deep - there are many interesting subtleties and original ideas that cannot be found in other stealth games.

Immortal monsters
Throughout the game, we will be chased by monsters called "Shibito". The unusual trait of these creatures is that they cannot be killed. Even a shot from a gun will only knock out the monster for a while - and then it will come back to life again and try to take revenge. Over time, Shibito will evolve, taking on more and more grotesque forms - becoming like spiders, dogs, or flying insects.

Sight-Jack
A unique feature of the gameplay is the "Sight-Jack" system, which allows the players to see the world through the eyes of other people and monsters. With the help of this system, we will be able to study the behavior of our enemies, explore locations, and learn useful information.

Original setting
The game takes place in a small Japanese village, whose appearance is gradually changing into a surreal and nightmarish "Shibito Nest".

100 archive items
During the game you can discover many different diaries, notes, books and other materials that contain important story information. There are 100 of them in total, and some are hidden really well. Can you find them all?

Deep and complex story
What caused the terrible events that happened in the village of Hanuda? By collecting information piece by piece, like a puzzle, we will gradually realize the truth about these events. Siren's story is very carefully crafted, it is one of the best stories in horror games.

Hardcore difficulty level
Tired of games built on the "Press X to Win" principle? Do you want really challenging gameplay where you have to work with your head and think through survival tactics? Then "Siren" is for you. This game will be a serious challenge, even for an experienced gamer.

Unusual visual style
The developers used a very unique idea - they projected the faces of real people onto 3D models of characters and monsters in the game. It looks quite interesting - and sometimes it creates the effect of the "uncanny valley", enhancing the surreal feeling of being inside a strange nightmare.

Dark and oppressive atmosphere
Siren is permeated with a very eerie atmosphere of despair and hopelessness. This is one of the scariest games of its time.

The spiritual successor of Silent Hill
Forbidden Siren was created by the real masters of the horror genre - the developers of the psychological horror Silent Hill. Siren continues the traditions of the previous game. And in some ways, it is the "reimagining" of SH1.

Forbidden Siren Trailer

And here you can watch 10 other trailers for the game:

>> All Forbidden Siren Trailers <<

Main Creators of Siren

Forbidden Siren was created by several developers from "Team Silent".

Keiichiro Toyama was the director and scenario writer for Silent Hill. Then he left Konami and created a new horror game - Siren. In the new project, he also became the director and worked on the scenario.

Naoko Sato was the monster designer for Silent Hill (and most likely helped Toyama with the scenario). And in Forbidden Siren, she became the second scenario writer.

Isao Takahashi was the main designer of Silent Hill town in the first SH game. And in "Siren”, he became an art director and was responsible for the visual design of the game.

Information for those
who haven't played Siren yet

(without spoilers)

>> Forbidden Siren Characters <<

In this section, you can read the profiles of the main characters.

>> Shibito Monsters <<

Here you can see different types of Shibito that will chase you during the game.

>> Different versions of the game <<

In this article, I will explain the differences between the Japanese, American, European, Chinese, and Korean versions.

>> PS4 Version of Siren <<

In 2016, Siren was re-released for PlayStation 4. This version has new achievements\trophies, and it can also be played on PS5.

Information for those
who have already finished the game

(with spoilers)

>> 100 Archive Items <<

This section contains all archives with story information. Diaries, notes, and other files. In English language.

>> Secret Websites <<

Here you will find all information about the secret "fake websites”, links to which were hidden in the game. And also a small bonus :)

>> Flash game with Prologues <<

Information about the flash game, which was playable on the official European Forbidden Siren website. This game contained the backstories of four characters in the form of an interactive point-and-click adventure.

>> Shibito Language <<

A complete decoding of the mysterious hieroglyphs that can be found in the game.

>> Censorship in the USA Version <<

In the American edition of the game, some scenes were censored, and the ages of the characters were changed. The localizers also made some changes to the text of several archive files.

>> Siren Maniacs <<

English translation of a large Japanese guide, which contained story analysis of Forbidden Siren and other interesting materials.

>> Strange Tales of Hanuda <<

Five short stories that reveal many interesting details about the mysterious events that occurred in the small village of Hanuda.

>> Inspirations <<

Information about books and movies that inspired the developers of Forbidden Siren. All info is translated into English.

Music

>> Soundtracks <<

Here you can find the official Siren soundtrack and an unofficial "game rip" with music from the game.

>> Song Lyrics <<

Original lyrics in Japanese and translations into English.

Forbidden Siren 1 - Manga

>> Demon's Voice <<

A short story from the famous mangaka Junji Ito about a terrible incident on a fishing boat.

>> Siren: Call of the Red Sea <<

Backstories of characters, retold as a manga.

>> Tamon Takeuchi's Research Notes <<

Together with Professor Tamon Takeuchi and student Yoriko Anno, we will visit the small village of Koshigoe, which is associated with strange legends.

>> Siren ReBirth <<

A remake of the Forbidden Siren 1 story in manga form.

Exhibitions and Events

>> Siren in NamjaTown 2023 <<

Report about the event in a Japanese amusement park, where the Siren-themed attraction was opened. This article is available in English and Russian language.

>> Siren Exhibition 2019 <<

Our report from the Forbidden Siren exhibition in Japan. It's in Russian, but we plan to translate it into English (or you can read it now through google translate).

>> Siren Exhibition 2018 <<

Videos from the exhibition, which took place in 2018.

Interviews about Forbidden Siren 1

>> Keiichiro Toyama Interview (2023) <<

A great interview that Keiichiro Toyama gave in honor of the 20th anniversary of Siren. Translated from Japanese into Russian.

>> Messages from the Developers <<

Messages in honor of the 20th anniversary of the game from more than 30 members of the "Project Siren" team. Translated from Japanese into Russian.

>> Keiichiro Toyama Interview (2004) <<

A detailed interview about the creation of the game, published in the book "Siren Maniacs". Translated into English language.

>> Naoko Sato Interview <<

Interview with Siren's scenario writer, published in 2004. Translated into English.

>> Isao Takahashi Interview <<

Interview with the art director about the visual design of Siren. In English.

>> Eriko Azuma Interview <<

Interview with the sound director. In English.

>> Takafumi Fujisawa Interview <<

Conversation with the producer of "Siren". In English.

Miscellaneous

>> Forbidden Siren Quiz <<

Quiz with 40 questions about the Forbidden Siren series. In Russian language.

>> Developers and Actors Photos <<

A cool photo album where you can see the developers and actors.

>> Unusual "Let's play" of Siren <<

In 2020, actor Mitsuyoshi Shinoda (who played the role of Kyoya Suda in Siren) made a series of "Let's Play" videos on YouTube with some cosplay elements.

>> Siren: Unforbidden Re-Animation <<

Series of fanmade anime cartoons based on Forbidden Siren 1. All cartoons have English subtitles.

>> Shibitoro Figure <<

In honor of the 15th anniversary of the game, Sony has released a creepy Siren figurine.

>> Forbidden Siren T-shirts <<

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Siren, a collection of weird T-shirts was released in Japan. Here you can see photos of all these T-shirts, and I will also explain the meaning of each design.

>> Yakushi: SlitterHead <<

A new horror game from the creators of Forbidden Siren and Silent Hill.

>> Fan-Art Archive <<

Here you can find a huge collection with more than 3,000 fanmade pictures.

>> 200 Best Fan Arts <<

This section contains two hundred of the most beautiful Forbidden Siren fan arts.