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So, recently, Atooi (formerly Renegade Kid), a company formed by the developers of the Turok series and Shadow Man, released the latest port of their magnum opus, the horror game Dementium: The Ward, for PC. The Turok DNA is very noticeable, from how it was originally developed for a Nintendo console (the DS), to the N64-like graphics, to the lust for gore that would make the Fireseed clan and Michael LeRoi happy. However, Dementium is also a really competent horror themed FPS with enough of its own charm to carve out its own legacy.
Dementium is inspired by games like Doom 3 and the Silent Hill series (so much so that there was a rumour floating around that Atooi tried pitching it as a SH game): The gameplay sees you managing your ammo as you confront squads of monsters at a time, and the horror is very psychological with a deliberate build up to intense scenes, a grimdark atmosphere and a reliance on sound. The story is very minimalist, involving a haunted asylum and silent protagonist William Redmoor's attempt to escape it and find out why he's here in the first place. It's very much an experience/gameplay-first style of game where the gameplay and frights are the raison-d'etre for existing.
And it's also, really, really good. The guns feel punchy, the enemies are nicely varied, the bosses are disturbing, and the environments are surprisingly really good for a game that debuted on the DS. It's a really strong horror shooter, and definitely worth a buy. Here's hoping that Atooi can maybe one day give the sequel, Dementium II, the similar amount of love they show the first game.
Dementium is inspired by games like Doom 3 and the Silent Hill series (so much so that there was a rumour floating around that Atooi tried pitching it as a SH game): The gameplay sees you managing your ammo as you confront squads of monsters at a time, and the horror is very psychological with a deliberate build up to intense scenes, a grimdark atmosphere and a reliance on sound. The story is very minimalist, involving a haunted asylum and silent protagonist William Redmoor's attempt to escape it and find out why he's here in the first place. It's very much an experience/gameplay-first style of game where the gameplay and frights are the raison-d'etre for existing.
And it's also, really, really good. The guns feel punchy, the enemies are nicely varied, the bosses are disturbing, and the environments are surprisingly really good for a game that debuted on the DS. It's a really strong horror shooter, and definitely worth a buy. Here's hoping that Atooi can maybe one day give the sequel, Dementium II, the similar amount of love they show the first game.
