DS Review–Dementium: The Ward

by Josh Pankratz on November 2, 2007 at 8:06 pm

Dementium is a horror title, and I was afraid of a lot of things while playing through this game, unfortunately none of them were intentional. For instance, I was afraid that I would soon suffer from carpal tunnel due to the game’s control scheme. If you’ve ever played a first person shooter on the DS you’ll know exactly what I mean. You have to keep your left thumb on the D-pad while tapping the shoulder button with your middle finger to fire. Hand fatigue sets in faster than those lonely nights playing with your waggle wand.

The controls are frightful, but what had me completely terrified were the graphics. Now, this is purely subjective, and I know the DS can’t put out decent 3d graphics. But that’s just it– the DS can’t put out decent 3d graphics. Why would they shoehorn in a 3d FPS on a console that lends itself more to a stylized art deco?

Like the art direction, the story is another source of mystery for Dementium. Just what the hell is going on? The argument could be made that any good horror story has an element of the unexplained, but the narrative is damn near inexplicable.

On the plus side, Dementium runs at sixty frames per second, which is something you have to see to believe on the DS. The thing runs very smooth. Granted, there isn’t much to render, but the feel of controlling the cursor with the stylus is spot on, and should be shamelessly copied by any other prospective DS developers.

Equally suave are the puzzle elements incorporated into Dementium. Playing a tune on a piano using the touch screen to unlock a key resonates as one of the most intuitive usages of the DS functionality to date.

Renegade Kid’s DS debut was an ambitious one to say the least, and I for one will continue to hold out hope for their next installment. That said, if you’re looking for a survival horror game on par with PSP’s Silent Hill Origins, Dementium: The Ward is not it.

Shrouded in darkness, as black as the sanitarium’s corridors without a flashlight, is the game’s potential. It’s there; it’s just hiding in a gimmicky monster closet along with every other enemy in this game.

What does this score mean? Read our review scoring breakdown here.