Haunting Ground
| Haunting Ground | |
|---|---|
North American cover art
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Director(s) | Kazuhiro Tsuchiya |
| Producer(s) | Koji Nakajima |
| Designer(s) | Yukio Ando |
| Programmer(s) | Jun Takahashi |
| Writer(s) | Makoto Ikehara Noboru Sugimura |
| Composer(s) | Seiko Kobuchi Shinya Okada |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Aggregate score | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 67/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | C+ |
| Edge | 7/10 |
| EGM | 6.17/10 |
| Eurogamer | 7/10 |
| Famitsu | 31/40 |
| Game Informer | 4.75/10 |
| GamePro |   |
| Game Revolution | C- |
| GameSpot | 7.2/10 |
| GameSpy |  |
| GameZone | 7/10 |
| IGN | 7.7/10 |
Haunting Ground, known in Japan as Demento, is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The story follows Fiona Belli, a young girl who wakes up in the dungeon of a castle after being involved in a car accident. She quickly befriends a White Shepherd, Hewie, and begins to explore the castle with his aid to seek a means of escape and unravel the mysteries of it and its inhabitants. The game shares many similarities with Capcom's earlier survival horror title Clock Tower 3, and has been described as a spiritual successor to the Clock Tower series.
The player controls Fiona as she explores the environment, evades and hides from enemy pursuers, and occasionally fights against the castle's inhabitants. Sometimes Fiona will panic when in danger, in which case she begins to run on her own and the player loses some control. Hewie is a central part to the gameplay, and accompanies Fiona throughout the game. He can be given orders to explore the environment, attack enemies, and otherwise aid in Fiona's survival. Capcom added the dog mechanic during development thinking retailers and players alike would not enjoy a survival horror title with a lone female protagonist.
Haunting Ground was first revealed in September 2004, and was released next April garnering mixed to average reviews. The graphics and presentation were praised, but critics found the gameplay somewhat repetitive, predictable, and derivative of previous horror titles. The sexual objectification of Fiona was highlighted by some critics as one of the game's best elements. They found that by illustrating her as an object of desire, the game makes Fiona and therefore the player feel more fragile and endangered, building a more disturbing atmosphere. The fluctuating degree of player control over Fiona has made Haunting Ground a key subject in the study of avatars and their relationship with players in video games.
Haunting Ground is a survival horror game with similar gameplay elements to Clock Tower 3. The player controls Fiona Belli directly and gives commands to her canine companion, Hewie. Fiona can run and perform a backstep maneuver, both of which reduce stamina. She can also crouch down to hide from enemy pursuers. Fiona can kick and tackle enemies as well, but tackling also reduces stamina. Losing too much stamina will result in Fiona becoming exhausted, causing her movements to slow down or possibly stop altogether. Exhaustion can be revived with certain items or with time. Fiona can interact with the environment by checking items, opening doors, and climbing ladders. The player can utilize hiding spots to evade pursuers. Other areas act as retaliation points that allow Fiona to use her environment to counterattack against her enemy, although some of these locations can only be used once.
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