Dementium: The Ward (DS) Preview
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 10.08.2007
Hands-On: A mature, gory FPS that's shaping up to provide some Halloween scares.
I took a trip out to San Francisco this past week to get some hands-on time with Renegade Kid's "Dementium: The Ward" (published by Gamecock) for the Nintendo DS.
Up until now I had not had the opportunity to touch the game though word around the bonfire was that this was a title to look out for. Needless to say I stepped into the studio with high hopes and expectations.
The guys in-studio turned off the lights and hooked up the DS to a surround system to give me the optimal setting. As I dove straight into the game I quickly found myself immersed in the environment. You awaken yourself in a dark and creepy hospital without a clue in the world as to what is going on. As I roamed the halls I had a sense of urgency and panic as I found blood splattered all over the place. The audio only heightens your fears as you can hear screams and bone-chilling sounds of what's to come around every corner.
I managed to play through a few chapters in the game which allowed me to get a sense of how the controls work and what I can expect from the story. "Dementium" plays like a first-person shooter and controls very well. Much like in "Metroid Prime Hunters" you can walk forward and backward with the D-pad while strafing from left to right. The stylus allows you to turn your head every which way allowing you to check out every nook and cranny for clues as well as giving you a quick way to react to the evil that inhabits the hospital. Switching weapons is as easy as tapping the touch-screen to the item of choice while shooting or striking is mapped to the left shoulder button.
I must admit that running into the first creature scared the bejeezus out of me which is saying a lot especially from a handheld game. Kudos to the composers of the in-game music as it really sets the mood for the whole experience and made me somewhat paranoid. A game's soundtrack can easily be overlooked or go unappreciated but from what I've heard so far, the music has been chosen perfectly.
I bumped into all sorts of eerie looking creatures and some clearly experiments-gone-wrong. Choosing the right weapon will make or break you so it was nice to see a cool array of weapons at my disposal.
I won't delve too much into everything I discovered as not to ruin the experience but I was shown two different bosses that played out very differently. One of them was this ogre-sized thing that was wielding a meat cleaver. This thing gave me chills and I had to run away from him on many occasions before he ultimately turned me into chopped liver.
As my time with the game came to an end I found myself wanting to continue. The experience was unlike any other DS game I've played to date and realized that this is what Resident Evil could have been. "Dementium: The Ward" releases on October 31st just in time for Halloween and I'll be anxiously awaiting to review this game. If what I played is any indication to what I can expect, gamers are in for a spine-tingling treat.
Stay tuned for 411mania's full review in the coming weeks.
The guys in-studio turned off the lights and hooked up the DS to a surround system to give me the optimal setting. As I dove straight into the game I quickly found myself immersed in the environment. You awaken yourself in a dark and creepy hospital without a clue in the world as to what is going on. As I roamed the halls I had a sense of urgency and panic as I found blood splattered all over the place. The audio only heightens your fears as you can hear screams and bone-chilling sounds of what's to come around every corner.
