Haunting Ground: Very Adventure-Like

[BerserkerTails]

I'm posting this in Gen-Gen because while the game is very adventure like, it's probably different enough to not be classified as an adventure by everyone.

So the game I'm talking about is Capcom's new Survival Horror game "Haunting Ground" for PS2. I just picked this up on Friday, and I'm about 6 hours into it, and I must say, it's amazing.

Unlike the Resident Evil (Biohazard) games, Haunting Ground is true survival horror. You play as a young college student named Fiona, and she's the typical horror movie Damsel in Distress. She doesn't have a gun, she isn't super strong, so basicaly any attempt to atack something chasing you will result in your death.

She does, however, have one powerful way to defend herself, and his name is Hewie. Hewie is a dog you befriend early on, and besides helping you solve puzzles, he can attack Fiona's enemies, allowing Fiona valuable time to escape.

And escape is the main plot of the game. You have to escape this castle you're stuck in. If you're being chased, there are tons of hiding spots around the castle. But if you use one over and over, the person chasing you will catch on.

There's no health bar in the game. No stamina bar. You instead, have to figure out how tired and hurt Fiona or Hewie is by their actions. For example if you're running slowly, clutching your side, that'd be a good indication you need to rest. If Fiona gets too paniced, her vision becomes inpaired, and she starts to trip if running too long.

The game, besides it's emphasis on action, has a lot of adventure game elements in it. It reminds me a lot of Sierra's old games, because of the constant fear of death. In paricular, the running part reminds me of "The Dagger of Amon Ra". There's also a few times that you'll die automatically by not doing something correctly. However, there are usually save points right before these moments, plus there are many warnings if you're observant, and Hewie usually will alert you (By barking) of danger.

Speaking of being observant, almost everything in the castle can be examined by Fiona, who describes and gives her thoughts. It really adds a lot of atmosphere, something lacking even from a lot of "pure" adventure games these days. You really get enthralled in the game, and feel the need to escape from the castle.

And since you're so attached to Fiona due to the game's great atmosphere, you tend to get scared like Fiona too. Walking around the castle is just always frightening, and that moment where suddenly you hear two pars of footsteps (And dog footsteps) instead of one, you start freaking. Hewie starts growling, and out of a doorway pops one of the inhabitants of the castle. It's not cheap scares like the Resident Evil games (Ooooh, dog jumps through window. Didn't see THAT one coming!), but instead it's true fear. You just do not want to get caught (Even when you know you just saved 5 minutes ago).

The puzzles, of course, are not very muhc more sophistcated than your run of the mill "This door is locked" and "Push the boxes" puzzles. Though having Hewie adds a new level. Some things can only be reached by him, and you'll have to make sure Hewie likes you enough to do what you ask. You can praise and scold him, even play fetch. It's quite neat.

I know graphics aren't really the a big part of how much enjoyment is taken from a game, but this is one of the best looking PS2 games I've ever played. The chaacter models are truly great, and the animation are very fluid and lifelike. It just adds that much more to the game experience when Hewie just stops for a second, wags his head a bit, scratches himself, and continues on.

Anyway, I'll stop brown-nosing up to Capcom now, but let me just say that this game is really good. I would recommend it to any fan of adventures or survival horrors. Just remember to play it in the dark.

[edmundito]

Well, survival horror genre came out Alone in the Dark, which was an adventure game of some sort. Actually, you could play it as an adventure game or as an action game or both, depending on how you wanted to solve things. It was a truly remarkable game way ahead of its time...