Dementium II First Look

The chilling DS first-person shooter is getting a sequel early next year, and we check out some of the big differences you can expect to find.

While console games have been scaring players since at least the early days of Resident Evil, it's hard to say that handheld systems boast quite the same library of chilling titles. For Nintendo DS owners specifically, you'd be hard-pressed to think of any besides 2007's Dementium: The Ward, a stylus-driven first-person shooter that earned praise for a remarkable sense of atmosphere despite being played on a three-inch screen. Now you can add at least one more game to that list, with Dementium II set for release early next year. We recently had a look at Dementium II behind closed doors at GamesCom 2009.

The SouthPeak rep guiding our demo was quick to point out that the developers at Renegade Kid have taken fan feedback into heavy consideration for Dementium II. For example, one of the original game's most criticized features was a stingy save system that forced players to restart a level any time they died. Now, you'll find easily identifiable save points mounted on walls that should limit the frustrations of going through entire levels all over again. They seem to be placed in pretty intelligent locations, too. We noticed a pair of save points that preceded and followed a boss battle against a nasty four-legged beast whose entire face was just a gaping mouth and that frequently jumped up to the ceiling to spew poisonous vomit from on high.

Another critique of the first Dementium was the repetitive levels. While the game earned praise for its chilling sense of atmosphere, reviewers called out the fact that the levels felt monotonous after a short while. To help alleviate that, Renegade Kid has added some variety to the environments. You'll start the game in a monster-infested insane asylum similar to the first game's hospital, but now you'll make trips outdoors to a snowy village reminiscent of Silent Hill in addition to entering into alternate hell dimensions that maintain the same layout as the asylum but add a much more horrifying visual look.

To help navigate these areas, you're given a new type of map on the bottom screen as you play. It's similar to what you'd find in a Super Metroid or Castlevania type of game, showing a grid of rooms that you've been to while leaving color-coded cues to let you know which doors were locked because you didn't have the right ability or weapon to get past them at the time. For example, running into a door you can't get past will turn it red on your map, but the second you pick up the right ability to get past that area, the door will turn green on your map.

A few of the other miscellaneous enhancements include the ability to jump and crouch, dynamic music that builds up when enemies get closer to you, and the fact that enemies will no longer infinitely respawn. All of this is added to a game that SouthPeak promises is twice as big as the original, in terms of both length and the amount of content in the game, like voice acting and music. You can expect to see Dementium II arrive in early 2010.

28 Comments

  • RealFabioSooner

    Posted Apr 7, 2010 11:54 pm GMT

    Seems like they tackled everything that was bad with the first game, but I can't help but wonder... Was it necessary to go the alternate-dimension route to minimize the repetitive level design problem? That can take the Silent Hill inspiration a little to far.

  • zoombiemaster93

    Posted Oct 25, 2009 1:41 pm GMT

    dang looks good. the first was alright, but then again who's first game isn't just okay? this could be amazing. for now its a might buy

  • o0darkcloud0o

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 5:48 pm GMT

    YESSS!!!KICKAASSS!!!dementium always gives me nightmares!!!I LOVE IT!!!!(and ppl are complaining that the DS has no mature games!!??!!

  • o0darkcloud0o

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 5:47 pm GMT

    YESSS!!!KICKAASSS!!!dementium always gives me nightmares!!!I LOVE IT!!!!(and ppl are complaining that the DS has no hardcore **** psp fans

  • JeremyDG

    Posted Sep 12, 2009 7:33 pm GMT

    Yeah! This is going to be my next DS game I purchase... unless Gauntlet DS comes out before this. I loved the first Dementium, and this one sounds like its going to be even better.

  • QWERTYCommander

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 6:07 pm GMT

    @AnimeAttack

    Of course the game has pixellated graphics, it's a DS game! That's like saying you hate pizza because it's greasy.

  • pato-666

    Posted Sep 5, 2009 2:15 pm GMT

    nice, the first one had some mistakes, but still good...
    i can't wait 4 this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • FarisAdhalam

    Posted Sep 4, 2009 6:13 am GMT

    great >>>very great game

  • AnimeAttack

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 1:16 pm GMT

    sounds awesome. great storyline, crappy pixel graphics.

  • QWERTYCommander

    Posted Aug 30, 2009 11:48 am GMT

    I might get this, but their last game, Moon, was such a royal screw-up that I'm still going to say "might" for now.

  • Xzaxs

    Posted Aug 28, 2009 10:16 pm GMT

    I hope it will be as awesome as it sounds.
    Early 2010 not bad!

  • GondorMage

    Posted Aug 28, 2009 9:25 am GMT

    this game sounds like it will be interesting

  • vinrock101

    Posted Aug 27, 2009 9:25 am GMT

    i guess it will be arrite- hopefully the graphics approve than the first one... make me surprised dementium!!!!

  • Nelhew

    Posted Aug 27, 2009 3:37 am GMT

    Thank you clever developers of the game for hearing us out. Can't wait for this game. Tried the first one. Was fun..... and a bit freaky. But hoping this time.... Zombies won't spawn when you come back to the same room. I went out of bullets and had to melee the zombies for god knows how long.

  • randomnugget

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 2:23 am GMT

    looks awesome. i thought the first was great, although it is true that the saving was annoying and once you go back into the room enemies respawn. Its great to hear that fixed that up. So looking forward to this!

  • Zabimaru1

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 11:17 pm GMT

    It sounds really awesome, and it's really great they're fixing the bugs. I didn't play the first one because I heard it isn't that good, but this one sounds like a game worth picking up.

  • hipgangsta

    Posted Aug 24, 2009 6:08 pm GMT

    Wow, I also read in Gameinformer that instead of enemies showing up in closets, they spawn through "hell portals."
    Hope that this time there will be sorta like cops in the asylum level if you have to escape a cell or something and they're trying to get you back in....

  • Deranged_Devil

    Posted Aug 24, 2009 4:28 pm GMT

    I love a developer who actually cares for what the players want and then does it, to satisfy not only them but themselves. Renegade is up there on my favorite developers list for this reason. Also the game is looking great and I love a horror game, gonna have to pick this one up.

  • nicktarist

    Posted Aug 24, 2009 3:24 pm GMT

    Wow, I have to agree. Development companies *should* take fan critics into heavy consideration. That's how you become successful. xD

  • Will47

    Posted Aug 24, 2009 11:04 am GMT

    Not much of a horror person, the first game just about killed me. But I'm going to have play this . Why am I going to do this to myself????