Dementium: The Ward
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Critic Reviews for Dementium: The Ward
I like Dementium a lot. This and Renegade Kid's next DS release Moon were staples of this era for me. While I appreciate that I can access it on a new platform, seeing it dumped here so unceremoniously without even an adjustment to the internal resolution is very disappointing.
Dementium is not even slightly entertaining and all the developer has achieved with this re-re-release is broadcast that their original game wasn’t ever anything more than a gimmicky novelty. What an incredible own goal when Dementium did actually have something of a legacy from people nostalgic for the DS.
Dementium: The Ward runs pretty short and has very little replay value. The puzzle solutions and bosses are identical to the prior versions, and the overall campaign takes place in only one location. Its value is a tad overstated, this is a recommended classic that does come highly polished and has some legit creepiness to it, thanks to the gritty and foreboding atmosphere. The controls feel very tight and it's incredibly responsive, though it could use more features like gyro or a weapon wheel. A survival mode or a randomiser would also add value and more of a reason to return to Redmoor. These are the kinds of additions Dementium: The Ward needed, not a 'retro' filter.
All in all, I was very pleased with Dementium Remastered. For $14.99, you get a fantastic horror title worthy of any console. I’m still shocked it made its way to Nintendo again, especially given how prone the company is to sticking with more well known properties lately. While the game isn’t perfect (and I am still irritated by some features), it is a great game, and one that aptly shows what the 3DS is capable of. If you want a real freaky treat, turn on that 3D slider and play the game. Now, I just have to wait patiently for Dementium III to answer all my burning unanswered questions…
Even if nothing about Dementium: The Ward felt inherently broken (no crashes, no framerate drops, no game-breaking glitches), I just wasn’t having fun with this port of an old DS game with very unimpressive visual or content enhancements. This game was already mostly a novelty back in 2007, a proof of concept, a showcase of what that portable was capable of rendering. On the Switch, on a larger screen, with more horsepower, and in a library filled with other horror titles, Dementium has nothing that makes it stand out.
