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'''''Haunting Ground''''' known in [[Japan]] as {{nihongo|'''''Demento'''''|デメント}} is a [[survival horror]] [[video game]] developed by [[Capcom Production Studio 1]] and published by [[Capcom]] for the [[PlayStation 2]] games console in [[2005]]. The game shares many similarities with ''[[Clock Tower 3]]''.<ref name="JA">{{cite web | url = http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/HauntingGround/HG.shtm | title = "Haunting Ground Review" | author = Aya | work = Just Adventure | date = [[2005-07-18]] | accessdate=2007-04-25}}</ref> |
'''''Haunting Ground''''' known in [[Japan]] as {{nihongo|'''''Demento'''''|デメント}} is a [[survival horror]] [[video game]] developed by [[Capcom Production Studio 1]] and published by [[Capcom]] for the [[PlayStation 2]] games console in [[2005]]. The game shares many similarities with ''[[Clock Tower 3]]'' and was originally supposed to be a sequel to that game, but the idea was ultimately scrapped.<ref name="JA">{{cite web | url = http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/HauntingGround/HG.shtm | title = "Haunting Ground Review" | author = Aya | work = Just Adventure | date = [[2005-07-18]] | accessdate=2007-04-25}}</ref> |
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==Gameplay== |
==Gameplay== |
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Fiona, the [[player-character]], must be guided through Castle Belli, its grounds and outbuildings until she can find a way to escape. Along the way, players must solve puzzles, unlock doors and evade, hide or attempt to fight back against the castle's inhabitants. Fiona is accompanied by Hewie, a [[White Shepherd Dog|white German Shepherd dog]]. The two must work as a team to solve certain puzzles and outwit their pursuers.<ref name="JA"/> |
Fiona, the [[player-character]], must be guided through Castle Belli, its grounds and outbuildings until she can find a way to escape. Along the way, players must solve puzzles, unlock doors and evade, hide or attempt to fight back against the castle's inhabitants. Fiona is accompanied by Hewie, a [[White Shepherd Dog|white German Shepherd dog]]. The two must work as a team to solve certain puzzles and outwit their pursuers.<ref name="JA"/> |
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During the game, the castle's inhabitants chase and attack Fiona, and if evaded long enough will cease for a set interval. While it is possible to retaliate with kicks, Hewie's bites or alchemically created weapons, the game's focus is on the player evading enemies long enough to find a hiding spot. The castle's staff chase Fiona individually until defeated in a [[Boss (video games)|boss battle]], after which a different enemy will pursue Fiona.<ref name="GT">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=4425|title="Haunting Ground PS2 Review"|author=Reiter, Chris|publisher=Gaming Target|date=[[2005-06-30]]|accessdate=2007-05-02}}</ref> Two enemies exist in addition to the castle's keepers, neither are dangerous to Fiona but can alert Fiona's pursuers to her location and cause panic. The first are small floating orbs of blue light known as Luminescents, which follow Fiona and emit a loud noise if they come into contact with her. The other enemy type are fetus-like disfigured [[Homunculus|homunculi]], who attach themselves to Fiona's legs while letting out a piercing yell. |
During the game, the castle's inhabitants chase and attack Fiona, and if evaded long enough will cease for a set interval. While it is possible to retaliate with kicks, Hewie's bites or alchemically created weapons, the game's focus is on the player evading enemies long enough to find a hiding spot. The castle's staff chase Fiona individually until defeated in a [[Boss (video games)|boss battle]], after which a different enemy will pursue Fiona.<ref name="GT">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=4425|title="Haunting Ground PS2 Review"|author=Reiter, Chris|publisher=Gaming Target|date=[[2005-06-30]]|accessdate=2007-05-02}}</ref> Two enemies exist in addition to the castle's keepers, neither are dangerous to Fiona but can alert Fiona's pursuers to her location and cause panic. The first are small floating orbs of blue light known as Luminescents, which follow Fiona and emit a loud noise if they come into contact with her. The other enemy type are fetus-like, disfigured [[Homunculus|homunculi]], who attach themselves to Fiona's legs while letting out a piercing yell. |
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Hewie joins Fiona early in the game, following different player-issued commands to perform actions like barking or growling when he detects a trap or threat. He can be commanded to stay, follow, attack, fetch and to shake hands.<ref name="JA"/> In order to maintain a good relationship with her new companion, Fiona must issue commands to Hewie, praising or scolding him depending on whether or not he obeys. Praising or healing him when he becomes injured also maintains his interest.<ref name="PALGN">{{cite web|url= http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=2181|title=Haunting Ground Review|author=W, Karl|publisher=palgn.com.au|date=[[2005-05-14]]|accessdate=2007-04-21}}</ref> Hewie will ignore Fiona's commands and wander off if not given enough attention, and if he is repeatedly mistreated he may even attack her. On easier difficulty settings, Hewie can be knocked unconscious from sustaining too many injuries but can be revived. On the hard difficulty setting, he is slain after receiving the same level of injuries, [[Game over|causing the game to end]]. |
Hewie joins Fiona early in the game, following different player-issued commands to perform actions like barking or growling when he detects a trap or threat. He can be commanded to stay, follow, attack, fetch and to shake hands.<ref name="JA"/> In order to maintain a good relationship with her new companion, Fiona must issue commands to Hewie, praising or scolding him depending on whether or not he obeys. Praising or healing him when he becomes injured also maintains his interest.<ref name="PALGN">{{cite web|url= http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=2181|title=Haunting Ground Review|author=W, Karl|publisher=palgn.com.au|date=[[2005-05-14]]|accessdate=2007-04-21}}</ref> Hewie will ignore Fiona's commands and wander off if not given enough attention, and if he is repeatedly mistreated he may even attack her. On easier difficulty settings, Hewie can be knocked unconscious from sustaining too many injuries but can be revived. On the hard difficulty setting, he is slain after receiving the same level of injuries, [[Game over|causing the game to end]]. |
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Revision as of 08:07, 9 February 2009
| Haunting Ground | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom Production Studio 1 |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | JPN April 21 2005 EUR April 29 2005 NA May 10 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Survival Horror |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Haunting Ground known in Japan as Demento (デメント) is a survival horror video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 1 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 games console in 2005. The game shares many similarities with Clock Tower 3 and was originally supposed to be a sequel to that game, but the idea was ultimately scrapped.[1]
Gameplay
Fiona, the player-character, must be guided through Castle Belli, its grounds and outbuildings until she can find a way to escape. Along the way, players must solve puzzles, unlock doors and evade, hide or attempt to fight back against the castle's inhabitants. Fiona is accompanied by Hewie, a white German Shepherd dog. The two must work as a team to solve certain puzzles and outwit their pursuers.[1]
During the game, the castle's inhabitants chase and attack Fiona, and if evaded long enough will cease for a set interval. While it is possible to retaliate with kicks, Hewie's bites or alchemically created weapons, the game's focus is on the player evading enemies long enough to find a hiding spot. The castle's staff chase Fiona individually until defeated in a boss battle, after which a different enemy will pursue Fiona.[2] Two enemies exist in addition to the castle's keepers, neither are dangerous to Fiona but can alert Fiona's pursuers to her location and cause panic. The first are small floating orbs of blue light known as Luminescents, which follow Fiona and emit a loud noise if they come into contact with her. The other enemy type are fetus-like, disfigured homunculi, who attach themselves to Fiona's legs while letting out a piercing yell.
Hewie joins Fiona early in the game, following different player-issued commands to perform actions like barking or growling when he detects a trap or threat. He can be commanded to stay, follow, attack, fetch and to shake hands.[1] In order to maintain a good relationship with her new companion, Fiona must issue commands to Hewie, praising or scolding him depending on whether or not he obeys. Praising or healing him when he becomes injured also maintains his interest.[3] Hewie will ignore Fiona's commands and wander off if not given enough attention, and if he is repeatedly mistreated he may even attack her. On easier difficulty settings, Hewie can be knocked unconscious from sustaining too many injuries but can be revived. On the hard difficulty setting, he is slain after receiving the same level of injuries, causing the game to end.
When faced with certain scripted events or prolonged enemy attacks and chases, Fiona becomes fearful. If allowed to remain fearful for too long she will enter panic mode and run. Panic mode causes blurriness of the screen, saturation of the surroundings and a freeze-frame effect, and the control pad vibrates in time with Fiona's heartbeat. The player is unable to stop Fiona running and must try to prevent her from running into walls and objects. Running into scenery causes her to collapse and crawl away; at this point further damage will kill her. Hewie can only be called for help during panic mode, encouraging him to attack any pursuer and prevent Fiona from being killed. If enemies are avoided long enough panic mode ends.
Story
Fiona Belli has somehow found herself in a strange castle, which appears to be somewhere in Europe. She has just been involved in a car accident; her memories of this accident are vague. When she awakens, she finds herself in some sort of large butcher's room. Noting that the cage that keeps her prisoner was left unlocked, she steps out but is startled by a large, fierce animal snarling and then running past her. She quickly begins searching for some answers and a way out of the castle. Along the way, she befriends the animal that initially frightened her, who is a white German Shepherd named Hewie, and who turns out to be a valuable ally. As Fiona's predicament gets more and more disturbing, she learns that she is the carrier of the Azoth, which is what the castle's residents are after.
The first enemy is Debilitas, who thinks Fiona is a big doll. Debilitas chases Fiona around the castle and is stopped by Riccardo. Fiona meets Riccardo and Daniella and finds letters and memos given to her by a man named Lorenzo who wants her to escape the castle. Fiona and Hewie are chased by Debilitas to the chapel. The way in which the player ultimately eliminates Debilitas influences the outcome of the endings.
Soon after Fiona has rid herself of Debilitas, her new enemy, Daniella, is reintroduced to the game after her short appearance in the game's early scenes. Daniella becomes jealous that Fiona can smell, taste, touch or "experience pleasure". This foreshadows her later intimation, immediately before her boss battle, that she cannot engage in sexual intercourse. Daniella wields a large shard of broken glass (unless the player approaches Daniella while she is kneeling near a fire place which then replaces the glass with a hot poker; this deals twice as much damage).
After Fiona kills Daniella by impaling her with a large shard of glass broken from the ceiling, the third villain is reintroduced, Riccardo, who wields a handgun. For a majority of the game Riccardo keeps his face hidden under a hood. Riccardo reveals his face and his plot to Fiona after cornering her in the woods. He has the same face as Fiona's father, Ugo, and reveals that they are clones and that he is now the original. Riccardo murdered Ugo after attempting to kill him in the car crash as revenge for leaving the castle and marrying Ayla, Fiona's mother. He plans to use Fiona (by means of her womb and use of her Azoth) to help him be reborn so that he may live forever. Hewie rescues Fiona (unless the player's bond with Hewie is weak and results in one of the game's several endings) and assists in their escape from the tower in which Riccardo keeps Fiona imprisoned.
The final boss of the game is Lorenzo, who menaces Fiona in several different forms. The player first meets Lorenzo as an old, crippled man. He tells Fiona how Riccardo was always the problem child, and that he created both Riccardo and Ugo in attempts to find a body with an azoth he could use. Ugo had the Azoth but left the castle to marry Ayla. Now that he knows Fiona is finally his, he can take the azoth she inherited from Ugo. He rids himself of his wheelchair and crawls on the floor in order to chase Fiona. After crushing the elder Lorenzo in a machine, Fiona encounters a resurrected, youthful Lorenzo; azoth allows him mastery over his own aging process, as well as the ability to teleport. Fiona eventually, with the help of Hewie, causes Lorenzo to fall into a pit of lava. Immediately after defeating young Lorenzo, the castle begins to shake and collapse, and Lorenzo returns a final time as a flaming skeletal version of his former self. He chases Fiona, but finally dies as she escapes the castle.
Characters
Fiona Belli (voiced by Cornelia Hayes O'Herlighy) is the eighteen-year old player character of Haunting Ground. She had only recently moved away from her parents to attend college and was visiting with them when the car accident occurred. Her mother Ayla was killed instantly, and while her father Ugo survived the crash, he was almost immediately murdered by a man with a knife. Although Fiona is not very athletic, she makes up for this with her quick mind.[4]
Hewie(voiced by Rars and Dietgart), a four year old White German Shepherd, soon joins Fiona on her quest. Hewie becomes attached to Fiona after she saves him from captivity in the early stages of the game. He seems healthy and was apparently well cared for at one time. Hewie is fiercely loyal and will not hesitate to attack Fiona's pursuers when trained correctly. He is her only hope of escaping the castle alive.[4] He also makes a guest appearance in Resident evil 4
Debilitas (voiced by Lex Lang and Clement Von Frankenstein) is the castle's gardener and handyman. Upon encountering Fiona walking in Castle Belli, he is compelled to chase after her. Despite his hulking size and massive strength, he has the mental capacity of a young child. He can only seem to understand simple language and is only heard speaking short, garbled phrases. He plays with dolls, and believes that Fiona is also a big doll. His origins are unclear. He can kill Fiona by putting her in a massive bearhug.[4]
Daniella (voiced by Moira Quirk) cooks and does the household work around the castle. She appears to be around her late twenties and is stunningly beautiful, but her movements are machine-like and her behavior is unnerving. She is eventually revealed to be a homunculus, a man-made human. Initially, Daniella seems unemotional, but to Fiona's despair, she notices that she's prone to erratic mood swings and maniacal laughter. Daniella appears to be insane, alternating between murderous intent and ignoring Fiona altogether, stopping to quietly clean parts of the mansion. Despite her beauty, she hates looking at herself in the mirror, and will start shrieking at the sight of her reflection. Daniella chases after Fiona out of envy that Fiona can bear children and possess the Azoth, which Daniella believes will make herself human, and "complete".[4]
Riccardo (voiced by Greg Ellis) is the castle's groundskeeper. He claims to be a great alchemist and believes that nothing can kill him. A monk-like figure, it initially appears that he is the person in charge of the castle when in actuality he is just another servant. Riccardo is searching for Fiona's Azoth because he needs it to be reborn. Lorenzo created two clones: Ugo Belli and Riccardo Belli, but only Ugo was given the Azoth. Riccardo failed in getting the Azoth from Ugo, but realized that Ugo's daughter Fiona had the Azoth from her father's traits. Unlike the other stalkers, he seems to have no intention of killing Fiona, instead merely punching, slapping and kicking her. However, if Fiona gets too close to him during a chase he may get carried away and kill her with his gun. He is clever and persistent and will frighten her by firing his gun in the air.[4].
Lorenzo (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes as young/middle aged and old Lorenzo is voiced by Enn Reitel) , a shadowy figure in the background for most of the game, does everything in his power to help Fiona. Little is known about him initially except that he is extremely old. Once Fiona defeats Debilitas, Daniella, and Riccardo, she meets Lorenzo, who reveals his true intentions--he needs the Azoth to attain immortality, and was helping Fiona in order to bring her closer to him. His true name is Aureolus Lorenzo Belli. Lorenzo is endlessly persistent and will not cease pursuit, returning to life each time Fiona attempts to kill him.[4]
Reception
The game received mixed reviews, with a Game Rankings aggregate of 73%,[5] and Metacritic giving a score of 67 out of 100.[6]
References
- ^ a b c Aya (2005-07-18). ""Haunting Ground Review"". Just Adventure. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Reiter, Chris (2005-06-30). ""Haunting Ground PS2 Review"". Gaming Target. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ W, Karl (2005-05-14). "Haunting Ground Review". palgn.com.au. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f BradyGames, (2005). Haunting Ground Official Strategy Guide. BradyGames. pp. 18–23. ISBN 0-7440-0525-6.
{{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ "Haunting Ground Reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
- ^ "Haunting Ground (PS2:2005) Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-03-10.