Dementium II on the Nintendo DS is the follow up title to Renegade Kid’s Dementium that was released a couple of years ago. I must admit, for a handheld survival horror- first person shooter game, the first Dementium somehow gave gamers the scary atmosphere they’ve come to expect from the genre. It’s not as scary as players as say a Silent Hill game but it does its job. With Dementium II now available for the Nintendo DS, how does the game improve and live up to the survival horror genre?
Let’s take a look on the HOTs and the NOTs of Renegade Kid’s Dementium II on the Nintendo DS.
HOT
Presentation
The most important things in creating a scary atmosphere in a game are the graphics and the sound it produces. In Dementium II, those two components are executed perfectly, therefore making this sequel worthwhile. For a DS game, it gives us a good presentation as the monsters the player will be killing and running away from are decent and animated well. For fans who played the first game, expect to see returning monsters with a little bit of gore on the side. For the most part, the game is fully voice-overed, equipped with cut scenes that will make your jaw drop. The action in Dementium II is flawless. With 60 frames per second, expect no hiccups or lags and that are one of the reasons that makes Dementium II a great addition to the library of great survival horror games.
Same Gameplay Mechanics
In addition to being a survival horror game, Dementium II has the elements of a first person shooter and offers a similar experience the first game has to offer. Players will be going through a lot of scary places from the asylum, sewers and the snowy wasteland. Ammunition will be very limited and most of the time, players will have to rely on a knife. Controls are somehow retained; players move via the stylus and do the action on the shoulder buttons. At first, it will be hard to get used to but once the player manages to get the hang of the controls, expect a pretty smooth ride.
Impressive Boss Battles
Throughout the game, the player will meet some interesting bosses. They are easy to kill but the designs and ways to kill them are amazing. For a DS game, expect the difficulty in finishing the bosses similar as to what you would do on a console game. It is challenging and it is highly recommended that the player will keep a lookout for the patterns as to how a boss will attack.
Interesting Story
Without spoiling much of the story, the game starts off on a confusing note. Dementium II is not connected in any way to the first game. However, the monsters that spawn in the game will be pretty much familiar. The player will start off in an asylum waking up without any idea on where you are. Upon waking up, the world will shift into a different perspective where monsters will appear. Overall, the story is somewhat decent as the game doesn’t really need a deep story but instead, it is all laid out to the player. The goal of the game is to pretty much learn who the character is and escape the nightmare he is in. With the world shifting back and forth from normal to evil, players will wonder if the character is insane or something wrong is happening in the game.
NOT
Five Chapters? That’s it?
Players looking for a lengthy adventure will not be able to find it in Dementium II. The game contains five chapters and they can be finished in less than an hour for each. For experienced gamers, expect to finish it in around three hours or so. For younger audiences, it can take up to five to six hours depending on how much exploration the player does.
Backtracking… Where’s the Save Point?
Despite the game being short, players will have to spend time backtracking a lot. Similar to any other survival horror game out there, the player will go to a locked door, go to one place to get the key, go back to the locked door, proceed and do it again for the next area. It gets frustrating at times going back and forth especially when the save points are hard to locate.
VERDICT
Dementium II is a pretty solid title overall. The game is indeed short but the scary atmosphere the player will experience cannot be found in any handheld game out there. Compared to the first game, Dementium II has a slight improvement and gamers who played and enjoyed the first game should definitely give this title a go. For $29.99 game, players will experience one of the best survival horror games mixed with first person shooter. Just don’t expect this game to be as scary as Silent Hill. Dementium II certainly does has its moments.
