Dementium: The Ward

"If you are looking for a good horror game for the DS, you won't be dissapointed"

Dementium: The Ward is one of those games that you will really like or really hate. It is a first-person/horror game and it is actually a pretty good mix. It was first meant to try out a new graphics engine for the DS, and it was never actually meant to be a game. However, don't be fooled by that.

Dementium is really fun to play but can get really difficult at times. The enemies respawn every time you enter the same room, so you will often run out of health and ammo. The controls are really simple. You can use the stylus to look around, and press either L or R (depending on which control scheme you use) to fire your weapon. There are a variety of weapons and most of them are very fun to use. There are a total of 16 chapters with a boss every couple of chapters. The bosses range from easy to hard, but you will never find yourself stuck on one single boss. One problem of this game is the save system. While it saves every time you enter a door, if you die, don't think you will start at the last door. This can be very frustrating at later chapters.

Unfortunately, the story is very muddy and shallow and may detract from the overall experience. Your character, who has no apparent name, suddenly wakes up in a hospital with no explanation. Further added to the mystery is a woman who is sometimes alive and sometimes dead. Also there is a little girl who is constantly running away from you. The story is very confusing due to the lack of info, and is one of the few downfalls of this game.

Being on the DS, you would think the graphics would be mediocre. However, with Dementium, this is not the case. In my opinion, the graphics are the best part of the game. The atmosphere is scary. The hospital is very dark, and the flashlight helps illuminate the dark corridors. The enemy designs are pretty cool, as are the boss designs. The main flaw of the graphics is the repetitiveness of the hallways. You may suddenly find yourself lost, and the respawning enemies really don't help. The bosses often come back for second rounds, meaning not much variety in bosses. Despite these minor quirks, the details in the environment overcome all expectations.

Play time can be really short or really long. An average player can complete it in a couple of days, as the chapters aren't really that long. As I mentioned earlier, the bosses aren't really that difficult and the puzzles aren't hard either. The game itself doesn't have much replay value, but you may find yourself coming back to it.

Dementium is a great experience for any one looking for a good horror experience on the DS. While I wouldn't call it perfection, I would suggest that you buy it to replay it as you might enjoy it more the second time around. However, if the replay value turns you off, you might just think off renting it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/18/08

Game Release: Dementium: The Ward (US, 10/26/07)