A Demented Review Dementium is one of the rare few Survival Horror games that the DS had. It isn't very scary but it has the traditional spooky vibe. It's comparable to Silent Hill and other psychologically spooky games of the genre. I originally had this on the original DS model before playing it on the 3DS. By this I mean both this original game and the remastered version from the 3DS store. The remastered version is another review though. So let's get started!
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Graphics: The graphics are nothing that will win awards but they are crisp and clear and make 10x better use of the systems capabilities than the GBA did. While the GBA had some good first person shooter games, most of them were still rather pixally when viewing objects close up and Dementium is in 3D (for the system.. it still doesn't even come close to the 3DS) It makes usage of darkness effects, lighting and other spooky things to great effect. It may not be your cup of tea, but if you like the genre, it will interest you.
Sounds: This has a minimalist soundtrack with the same sounding piano tune, but it fits the mood, and it doesn't detract from the experience at all. Monster's make noises if you are close and it has a hopeless feel to it. The soundtrack adds very well it just doesn't have variety.
Addictiveness: This is one of those games you play once and leave alone. However if you are me and can repeat games every now and then I can easily see myself playing constantly. If you like the game, then you can repeat it and try to challenge yourself to beat it quicker. It offers enough to keep you invested! Whether or not you are as crazy as I am and play it repeatedly is up to you. It isn't a bad game by any means.
Story: This is one of those games with a very minimal story. William Redmoor (you find out his name in the collectible notes) is lost in the mental hospital and horrible, spooky, monsters chase, harass, and torment our poor protagonist. Everything else is found in notes or through the environment. It isn't the best, but it gets the job done. This isn't a story heavy game so if you care, you won't like this game!
Depth: This game is short and can be beaten quickly. If you know what you are doing, can fight/ignore the enemies really well, this game can beaten in an hour and 45 minutes or less. The sequel is even worse and can be beaten even quicker than that if you know what you are doing. For what these games offer you, it is very much worth it and a lot of fun. But it really is too short for it's own good.
Difficulty: This game is really not all that hard. This version of the game doesn't come with difficulty levels. That would come later for the 3DS Remastered version. But some enemies are tough to kill and some bosses can give you trouble (like the Gatling Gun Boss and the final boss himself) but if you are good at dodging hits or playing careful, it isn't that hard. The final boss is really the only huge difficulty spike and is the only boss in the game that takes effort to beat. Most of the bosses can be beaten by relying on a glitch of the game. The Cleaver, which is the first boss in the game can be beaten if you stay near the beginning of the area as his big size won't let him get to your little corner. Try not to move all that much and dodge his long range attack by moving as little as possible and ducking. This is unfortunately fixed in the 3DS version and he will be able to follow you. I found this out the hard way :D Some enemies are annoying, but nowhere near as hard as the final boss.
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This isn't the greatest Survival Horror game. I find the sequel a little bit better. It isn't a bad game though and if you have a DS or 3DS and some time to kill, I suggest you pick it up. I have pretty much every copy of this game. I have 1 and 2, the 3DS remaster, and Dementium II HD on Steam, so I clearly hated this game :P
It's one of the few horror games on the DS but it is in my opinion, horror in name only. This game isn't going to be Dead Space. It's mild. NO jump scares... though some enemies in the beginning like to pop out of and break through doorways. I don't know what triggers this, but it's the only jump scare of sorts in the game. It takes place in a mental hospital but Outlast it is NOT. It's a fun shooter on the DS and it's a cool horror game on a system that isn't normally known for them! That is reason enough to check it out.
For that, I give it a 9.9! This is generous. You might consider it weaker. I like a lot of games and overly generous to games I have a lot of fun with. If I find it particularly fun or addicting, I rate it high, cause hey, I had a lot of fun with it. It isn't Game of the Year or worth writing home about.
Graphics
9 Sound
6 Addictive
9 Depth
2 Story
5 Difficulty
6
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