| Demento review |
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There’s a strong probability that everyone, at some point in their life, will wake up badly hung-over and aching, with no idea of how they got there. Chances are they’ll also be in a ditch in the middle of nowhere, covered in their own vomit (or even worse someone else’s) and hugging a traffic cone as if their life depended on it. But even in this discombobulated state, there’s small comfort in knowing that these circumstances are the result of your own excesses. Poor Fiona Belli doesn’t even have that consolation.
Waking up alone and confused, she has only fragmented memories of what happened the night before. A horrible car crash and a mysterious man are the only uncertain, shaky memories she can piece together. Slipping free from her strangely unlocked cage and draped in nothing more than a flimsy piece of cloth, she is certain of only one thing - she must escape from the confines of the horrible and mysterious castle and its freakish inhabitants.
Demento is Capcom's latest Survival Horror venture and a game that adheres very much to the traditional style of fixed viewpoints. However rather than feeling like a step backwards, in this case these are deliberately employed to add to the tension and claustrophobia. That isn’t to say the control method doesn’t still cause those niggling problems when the viewpoint switches, however this nuance should be old hat to fans of the genre by now. During the course of the game players will explore narrow musty corridors, grand carpeted hallways and even the open, airy castle grounds, all of which are portrayed in a realistic and atmospheric style that almost allows you to feel the dust on the furniture or the chill in the air.
Quite early on Fiona comes across the lumbering and disfigured Debilitas, a hulking brute with seemingly little intelligence. It is clear that this simple-minded man-child has some kind of nasty reaction in his head every time he sees poor Fiona, losing control and giving chase; with nasty bone-crushing results if he actually catches her. To this end, Fiona is no all-star action hero and the player is quickly made aware of their onscreen character's frailties and limitations. Demento is clearly an extension of the Clock Tower series, requiring players to play a twisted game of hide and seek, with murderous results if they are unsuccessful.
Cupboards, beds, furniture and other surroundings must be utilised fully if Fiona is to survive. Those who are used to dashing through Survival Horror titles may also find themselves coming to a quick end if they do not take the time to shut doors behind them, giving Fiona vital seconds to slow down her pursuers. Capcom have done a good job of making the player feel as if the game's occupants are alive and actually hunting them down, and unlike similar titles they do not simply disappear when they exit the room. Unwary players are guaranteed to be caught out as they emerge from their hiding place only to find that their pursuer is actually heading back towards them. Audio cues are the key here and the game does an excellent job in utilising them to instil a sense of foreboding as the player dares to emerge from their hidey-hole. The illusion of intelligence is also furthered by the fact that antagonists will soon cotton on if the player uses the same places to hide; meaning that in Demento’s eyes variety is most certainly not the spice, but the necessity of life. All this means that the player is required to quickly familiarise themselves with the surrounding areas and that backtracking around in circles is vital to survive.
The tension is also heightened by Fiona’s fear level. While not displayed in a quantifiable gauge, shocks and injuries will cause Fiona to panic and lose focus accompanied by a disorienting washed-out effect onscreen. When panicked Fiona is more likely to stumble and even fall over, giving her pursuers a chance to catch up and adding to the suspense and thrill of the chase. While it’s a nice touch which does a good job of flummoxing the player, it can be a little frustrating when the fear-addled Fiona simply refuses to get up and flounders around on the floor at the mercy of her pursuers.
As mentioned Fiona’s abilities tend to be more evasive than offensive, with her feeble-booted kick giving little worth against opponents that get within striking distance. Thankfully then, she is not entirely alone in Demento’s mixed-up world, teaming up with Hewie, a canine companion and the only one that she seems able to trust during the course of the game.
Hewie acts in some respects as an extension of Fiona, reaching areas she is unable to and even fending off or stalling attackers. However he is certainly not indestructible and the player needs to take care of Fiona and Hewie in equal measure if they are to succeed. Hewie is certainly one of the most impressively animated canine representations in a game to date but it is a shame that the same cannot be said for his audio which does get more than a little repetitive with the same monotone bark being overused. While not directly controllable, having Hewie to command can be quite fun once the player familiarises themselves with the relatively simple commands assigned to the Right analogue stick. These are context sensitive depending on the presence of enemies nearby and range from searching the surrounding area, staying put, attacking and even praising or berating the mutt on his level of obedience.
The controls and host of actions available are something of a daunting prospect for players who may feel bewildered when they start to play the game. Just as they begin to get to grips with Fiona’s controls, they are quickly given control over Hewie too, and while not the most complicated of set-ups it can feel daunting to try and remember everything when the action kicks in and may lead to some frustration early on.
During the course of her adventure Fiona will amass a number of different items with varying uses. These include flora and various meats which are used to heal both her and Hewie or reduce panic levels. These certainly feel more appropriate to the game's alchemical theme than Resident Evil’s Arklay mountain herbs. Other items include minerals and totems that can be used against attackers to distract or even disorient them, allowing a chance for escape. The inventory system and the use of objects will feel familiar to those who have played any of Capcom's other Survival Horror titles. The same applies to the game's puzzles, which consist of variations on the typical "push the block, rotate the statue and match the colour"-type affairs.
Demento does feature more than a few sudden-death moments, but these tend to be easily identifiable by the visual and audio cues. These areas will tend to present themselves by either sticking out like a sore thumb or just looking and feeling 'odd'. The designers have also put Hewie to good use here, as his canine senses are able to pick up on the impending danger meaning he will bark or growl to warn Fiona. The clues are all there and the onus is on the player to notice them.
Part of Demento’s appeal can be attributed to its storyline which skirts around some very mature themes; obsession, misogyny, voyeurism, surrogacy, masochism and cannibalism are all guaranteed to lead to some uncomfortable and chilling moments for any player who is able to pick up on the undercurrents. For example the human eyes that watch Fiona from behind an austere painting as she gets dressed, while certainly clichéd and tastefully done, make for unpalatable viewing until you are able to remind yourself that Fiona is not as young as she first looks. And this is just one example of a host of events that have a genuine ability to get under the skin.
The game ultimately feels anchored in a very traditional Capcom style, with its fixed viewpoints and the stalwart, somewhat clunky control system, though admittedly it is one of their better efforts. Demento certainly has enough appeal and individual features (such as Hewie and the twisted plotline) to keep you interested for its duration and during its more memorable moments is sure to leave a lasting impression, even if there isn’t much to keep you coming back.
One word of caution: while the game's audio is all in English (quite literally as most of the characters have some pretty ropey Middle England accents) the game is the standard text-heavy affair for puzzles and notes meaning that it isn’t totally import-friendly. However the easy availability of the NTSC and PAL conversions (entitled Haunting Ground) mean this shouldn’t present too much of a problem in tracking down a fully playable version. |
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System: Sony PlayStation 2
Genre: Survival Horror
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Players: 1
Version: Japan
Reviewed: Aug 2005
Writer: Jamie Davies
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Pros:
- Scary in an 'escape from the axe-wielding maniac' kind of way
- Twisted and engaging storyline
- Hewie is an interesting addition
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Cons:
- Sudden-death puzzles/combat can frustrate
- The backtracking required to escape may grate on some
- Controls are a bit confusing at first
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Demento Video: 4.7MB
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