Game #4: Haunting Ground

Japanese imported games are really really creepy, lets just get that straight. From the creepy lullabies to all the incredibly gorey ways to die, Japan has it pegged. And Haunting Ground is no exception.

 

Haunting Ground is the creepy story arc of Fiona Belli, who wakes up, barely clothed, in a small cage. Where is she? How did she get here? And who took her clothes?! Anywho, Fiona manages to open the cage and starts to explore the world around her. Sadly, the world around her is fraught with blood, mysterious chunks of meat, and lone dog collars. One collar, in particular, has the name "Hewie" etched into it. You'll find out that it's an important element very soon.

 

So off goes Fiona, leaving the depressing room behind her and into a much more depressing castle. Fiona finds her way into a well kept bedroom and meets up with a purple haired maid named Daniella. You figure that Daniella is the one who took Fiona's clothes, because she gives Fiona a much skimpier version of the pair she lost. Favoring it over the bedsheet she had just previously woke up in, she puts it on and begins her REAL investigation. That's when the real gameplay comes in. You walk aorund for about 2 minutes before you run into this really creepy version of Quasimodo-a guy named Debilitas. And guess what? Little miss Fiona looks mighty tasty today!

 

So that's pretty much the entire storyline of Haunting Ground. Evil people want to k-i-l-l you, and you run away. Simple right? Actually no. Fiona's best attack is a girly little kick that does nothing more than make the guy stare at you in total dumbfoundedness. Fortunately, the resolution comes to you in the form of a white German Shephard who's name you found on that collar-Hewie. From the moment he saves your skimpy butt, he because an incredibly nesseary staple of the game. Hewie is used to attack and possibly knock out enemies. However, he won't keep it up forever--you have to continually praise him or else he'll stop defending you. However, certain times call for scoldings, so don't be afraid to get harsh with him when nessesary.

 

Along the way you'll meet worse eneimes Debilitas, and Hewie is your only hope. In fact, he's more your hope than ObiWan-Kenobi.

 

The story line is epic, and that is enough to fill up any hardcore gamer. Sadly, Haunting Ground does have a weak point, and that is it's repetitiveness. If you haven't figured out the best ways to avoid your stalker, then their motions and actions repeat themselves often. While it's a good thing to know in other games, it takes the challenge out of running away. For example, Debilitas will continually shout "DOLLY!" if he's confused. While it's creepy the first four or five times, six or seven gets a tad annoying. Another example is these creepy white things called "hommunculi". Smack them three or four times and they'll either smack you back or scream at you. And trust me, neither is a good thing.

 

Past players of Clock Tower 3 will recognize the next feature: the Panic Meter. Fiona acts like every other dippy heroine and comes across super scary situations. Sadly, unlike the other less-dippy heroines, how scared she is will affect gameplay. If your Panic Meter rises, the screen will start to pulse. The scarier things get, the faster the screen pulses and the faster colours wash out. If Fiona's anxiety reaches it's peak, she'll let out an ear-piercing shriek and begin to run around. This fun (not) state is called Panic Mode. In this mode, the screen is completely gray and everything is pulsing. Fiona will trip over her own feet and run on her own. You can't access the screen with all the nerve calming items. My favourite (again, NOT) is if she meets a wall. If Fiona runs into a wall while in a state of Panic, she falls and can't get up for a certain period of time. This moment is called Vulnerability Mode. During this time, if the bad guy you've been working so hard to get away from catches you, he/she will KILL you. As in, stab, smack, shoot, or beat you to death. And the death sequences...well...they don't show anything, and it's a good thing they don't. The sounds alone are enough to make your stomach churn.

 

On a not-so-gorey note, gameplay visuals are incredible. Blood looks freshly spilled, Hewie's coat has a slight shine, and..was that a drop of sweat I just saw? While they aren't God of War scary good, they certainly can whet any gamer's appetite. Also, real life survival skills apply. For example, the sound of running footsteps can and will attract the bad guys, so it's best to keep it down. And Hewie's constant barking will certainly attract attention. Therefore, it's a good idea to shut him up with a nice big piece of bribe--I mean, beef jerky. Yeah, thats what I meant...

 

As if the whole hommunculus thing wasn't ripping off of Fullmetal Alchemist enough, we run into a another cool feature: the Alchemist Room. In this room, you can transform medallions you find into items for later use. Better yet, to really tick of Hiromu, Fiona can make Philosopher Stone earrings. Not only does this make this a total FMA ripoff, but it really ticks off a certain Edward Elric.

 

Besides showing a couple of brothers that their lives arent that meaningful, Haunting Ground has it's own brand of originality.

 

The story line, the characters, and the idea of "Azoth" is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Except for repeated motions, nothing is predictable. A good game, and a scary one as well.

 

KODA'S RATING:

 

GRAPHICS: 1010

 

ORIGINALITY: 810

 

GAMEPLAY: 910

 

OVERALL: 910

　

　

KIRRAH'S RATING:

 

GRAPHICS: 1010

 

ORIGINALITY: 1010

 

GAMEPLAY: 1010

　

OVERALL: 1010

Author's Note

Reviews

[Autumn Alvira]

wow kirrah loves haughting ground huh?