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Dementium: The Ward ds Game Reviews
Dementium: The Ward
Critic Score
Metascore: 72 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.1 out of 10
based on 47 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 18 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Dementium: The Ward tells the tale of a man who awakens to find himself alone in a mysterious, derelict hospital that is frozen in time. Confronted by the deadly, grotesque surgical experiments that wander the halls, a series of challenging puzzles and a cast of peculiar characters, he must face his deepest fears, unlock the mysteries of the hospital, and escape with his life. A completely new experience on the Nintendo DS, Dementium promises to creep you out with gory visuals and bone-chilling audio that brings the world screaming to life. [Gamecock]

PUBLISHER: Gamecock Media Group
DEVELOPER: Renegade Kid
GENRE(S): First-Person Shooter, Action, Horror
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: October 31, 2007

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
Deeko
Visually, Dementium's divine and every facet is designed / To create a sense of ambience that offers frights galore.
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90
Zentendo
Dementium is definitely easy to interact with, and it flows quite nicely.
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86
Cheat Code Central
Dementium is a riveting title which expertly straddles the line between survival horror and first-person shooter - two genres vastly underrepresented on the DS.
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85
Nintendo Power
This is one genuinely frightening experience, and the brave of heart will want to play in the dark, with headphones, for maximum scares. [Holiday 2007, p.84]
85
Destructoid
There's nothing like Dementium for the DS out there, and for me personally it's always a thrill to see the first game of its kind for a portable make a debut.
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83
Gamer 2.0
Dementium: The Ward is a terrific experience. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
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83
Vandal Online
Dementium: The Ward is a very noteworthy title within the Nintendo DS portfolio, not just for being a good game in the first person action genre -not so crowded in the console-, but also for its interesting plot and an intriguing, full of tension atmosphere.
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80
GamerNode
Everything about Dementium: The Ward is polished and clean, in a very dirty sense. While you won't be jumping from your seat in fear, there's no other portable that will scare you as much. Hopefully a sequel is in the works.
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80
Games Radar (in-house)
Dementium: The Ward is almost perfection, performing as a fantastic feat of first-person survival, and oozes with a truly, truly frightening aesthetic. Even if it's not the first in its genre, it's the most satisfyingly original game we've seen on the DS in some time.
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80
GamePro
A cohesive game with the sum of all of its parts adding up to a frightening whole.
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80
IGN
It's appropriately gory (it is a shooter, after all) but also adds an element of mystery to the whole thing. Some design issues do get in the way a tiny bit, but not so much that you'll hate on the game…and unless you've got the expectations of a PC shooter fan, it's hard to not be impressed.
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80
GameDaily
It doesn't push the horror genre forward, as most of its features pop up in the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises, but Dementium still offers up a few genuine frights, and stands out as one of the DS' most under hyped but entertaining video games.
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80
ZTGameDomain
The FPS genre is extremely rare on the system which means that the amount of quality titles is even rarer. Dementium sets a new standard on the system for presentation and visuals as well as delivering the first truly engrossing horror title for Nintendo’s micro-console.
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80
Modojo
At the end of the day what you can hope for is what we actually got, an extremely noteworthy effort that bodes well for future releases from this company.
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80
VideoGamer
A lot of fun and a highly accomplished debut.
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80
Cubed3
Dementium: The Ward is a good start to what will hopefully spawn a sequel or two - a solid shooter, presented fantastically well on Nintendo's DS.
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79
Games Master UK
One of the better first-person efforts on DS, and a good survival horror game too. [Sept 2008, p.79]
79
NGamer UK
Genuinely atmospheric and unnervingly scary - a grown up treat for your DS. [Jan 2008, p.60]
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79
Official Nintendo Magazine UK
A decent suspense-filled horror game that looks good for the DS but would probably be more at home on a console. [July 2008, p.98]
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76
My Gamer
Dementium is a respectable game. However, it seems that for every step in the right direction this game takes, it takes one back as well. But even with all the flaws that this game has, it is still an entertaining DS experience.
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75
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Turn off the lights. Put on your headphones. Hear that? Wait—turn down the cheesy music. Now do you hear the screech of metal against the walls? Yep, that's scary.
Read Full Review
75
GameSpot
Dementium is a handheld mixture of Doom and Silent Hill that is about as scary as a game played on a 3-inch screen on the bus can be.
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75
Nintendojo
It’s difficult to recommend this title wholeheartedly, but Dementium does just enough to warrant it.
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75
Multiplayer.it
Dementium: The Ward demonstrates that you can make a good survival horror game even on the Nintendo DS. The graphics are impressive, really fluid, and the controls work great (but only if you don't play for too much time). The game seems to be a little too linear and the difficulty is low, but it's worth a try if you want something different for your DS.
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75
Meristation
We've been waiting too long for Dementium in Europe. After dealing with its American version, the only thing that we can tell is we're facing a very good game here, mixture of survival horror and shooter adventure. It's a good game if you don't mind its strange gameplay mechanic and the lame story that offers. At least you can enjoy with the superb graphics and its creepy atmosphere.
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75
PALGN
Dementium is an ambitious and solid portable horror effort, and is an interesting diversion for any fan of the genre.
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74
3DJuegos
Dementium: The Ward has an amazing atmosphere, a necessary game in the lineup of the Nintendo DS. The visuals are notable but with some problems in the playability. The first steps with the game give us good impressions but later the game shows a repetitive way, an annoying save system and a strange gameplay mechanic.. A great game mixture of FPS and survival horror.
Read Full Review
70
Level7.nu
A first person shooter in 3D combined with puzzle elements, set in a dark and horror themed world doesn't really sound like a typical game you'd find on a Nintendo system, and certainly not a portable one. But developer Renegade Kind has actually managed to pull off such a game where both presentation, gameplay and puzzles together work as a foundation for an atmospheric and thrilling experience. There are flaws though. The game is a bit short and when you've played through it once there are no incentives to take it for a second spin. Still, a worthwhile purchase if you a fan of the genre.
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70
n-Revolution Magazine UK
Combat can get a bit repetitive, but the spooky atmosphere is spot on. [Issue#23, p.79]
70
D+PAD Magazine
In spite of some medium-sized annoyances, there are no game-breaking problems here, and there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had for players who like a sprinkle of terror on their gaming pie.
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70
Teletext GameCentral
The best portable Silent Hill game never made with great first person combat and impressive presentation.
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70
SpazioGames
Dementium the Ward is indeed a good game. A shame it won't last too long, and the saving system is still annoying, but solid gameplay mechanics and good graphics make it the perfect choice for everyone who's looking for a good shooter experience on Nintendo DS.
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70
Eurogamer
In its newly 'remastered' form, Dementium is easily one of the most interesting games to appear on the DS in some time, and certainly should have a great appeal to anyone looking for a decent horror offering.
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70
NintendoWorldReport
The game certainly has some flaws (like the loose aiming and overly complex map), and I find it hard to forgive the "die and start over again" philosophy, but Dementium is definitely something different, and it's something I think people will generally enjoy.
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70
GameSpy
As much as you'll wish for more variety in setting and situation, what you do get is so smooth, creepy, and darkly pleasurable that you'll be left with a smile and a twitch, if not necessarily satisfaction.
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70
Pocket Gamer UK
Dementium: The Ward comes in a pretty wrapper, offering an entertaining first-person adventure light on fright. Not the best candy in the basket, then, but it's certainly still worth a bite.
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65
Worth Playing
It's very scary, but it's held back by an annoying save system, limited inventory and respawning enemies.
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65
Gaming Target
These factors, combined with a lack of special features, makes Dementium an undeserving purchase for all but the most die-hard survival horror fans.
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60
Video Game Talk
There’s no denying Dementium is a solid first effort for the Renegade Kid development team, and a sequel would certainly be welcome. The visuals are quite good, the sound is immersive, and the gameplay is above average.
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60
1UP
It's clear the team at Renegade Kid has plenty of talent and potential, and the creepy atmosphere and unique controls make the game worth a look for survival-horror fans with lots of patience -- there's not really anything else like it on the DS. Just be aware that the most of the screams the game elicits have nothing to do with the onscreen horror.
Read Full Review
60
Thunderbolt
It makes a brilliant case of “show, don’t tell”, but unfortunately, it just doesn’t show a heck of a lot.
Read Full Review
58
Game Revolution
There’s some repetition in the layouts for the rooms and floors, and frankly, there’s not much incentive for replay, but it’s a solid, challenging and surprisingly atmospheric, creepy ride while it lasts.
Read Full Review
58
GameShark
With this game, Renegade Kid has shown that they’re able to pull off some very impressive technical feats on the DS, however there needs to be some equally impressive design choices married with the technology to make whatever they do next a stand out title.
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58
Game Informer
It’s not frightening or disturbing. It’s just extremely frustrating.
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50
Edge Magazine
There are nice touches – cockroaches that scatter under your flashlight, the occasional puzzle, effective cutscenes – but there is little that you won’t have found implemented in a vastly more satisfactory form elsewhere. [May 2008, p.99]
50
Gameplayer Sweden
An amazingly smooth-running game that stumbles upon story and makes a nose-dive when it comes to combat and sound. Unfortunately the scariest thing about The Ward is it’s extreme repetition. Its’ not a bad game per say, it’s just so helplessly behind its time and fails to make use of the unique abilities of the NDS.
Read Full Review
30
Eurogamer Spain
It will make you scream, but not because of fear. It will cause you pain, but not in a figured way. And it will give you nightmares, but for motives that are not even related with its storyline.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

DJ T gave it a4:
At first it was okay. But then after the first chapter, the lock and key mechanics really started to take away from the overal atmoshere. You found yourself cursing why you can't climb over a simple desk to get to a part on the map rather than scared because some shrieking worm is coming after you thru the vents.

Sheila C. gave it a6:
Hard on the hands and has save game issues.

Wil gave it a9:
I asked myself how the hell did I managed to wet my pants looking at a 2.5 inch screen. Laughing? You try it at mid-night and see! A master-piece.

Robert gave it a10:
This game is truly scary, great sounds add to the creepiness. The use of the stylus here is second only to a pc, controls are very good. It looks really good for the ds as well. Good storyline, it's both horror and thriller, good plot twists. A GREAT entry in the horror genre.

Adrian M. gave it a9:
This game is really good and scary, but you have to play it at night with all the lights off and hooked up to your surround system to scare the heck out of out. Honestly, under these conditions, I don't think I've played a scarier game than this one. So if you're a fan of horror games and own a DS, then this is the game for you. I loved it. 9/10.

Anthony Z. gave it a9:
It's actually a pretty good game... It's got good atmosphere, good gameplay... The only thing it's lacking is variation.

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