Dementium: The Ward

Anyone who's already played the prior versions of Dementium: The Ward won't find any new content or substantial features to warrant this upgrade. An extra chapter would have been appreciated since the game ends rather abruptly, and there are no new modes or levels. This is still a perfectly competent and polished horror game and sometimes still manages to be creepy despite how sparse it is. Hopefully, the sequel can get an equally polished redux and there can finally be a proverbial Dementium 3.

Dementium: The Ward is a classic FPS survival horror game that all fans of the genre need to experience. From its eerie psych ward environments to its superb 3D audio, it's a genuinely creepy and intense adventure. The new 4K visuals, 60 frames per second and 28 new trophies are nice additions that make this cult classic feel modernized, and the retro option is great for those who prefer old-school horror.

Even if nothing about Dementium: The Ward felt inherently broken (no crashes, no framerate drops, no game-breaking glitches), I just wasn’t having fun with this port of an old DS game with very unimpressive visual or content enhancements. This game was already mostly a novelty back in 2007, a proof of concept, a showcase of what that portable was capable of rendering. On the Switch, on a larger screen, with more horsepower, and in a library filled with other horror titles, Dementium has nothing that makes it stand out.

Dementium is not even slightly entertaining and all the developer has achieved with this re-re-release is broadcast that their original game wasn’t ever anything more than a gimmicky novelty. What an incredible own goal when Dementium did actually have something of a legacy from people nostalgic for the DS.

I like Dementium a lot. This and Renegade Kid's next DS release Moon were staples of this era for me. While I appreciate that I can access it on a new platform, seeing it dumped here so unceremoniously without even an adjustment to the internal resolution is very disappointing.

All in all, I was very pleased with Dementium Remastered. For $14.99, you get a fantastic horror title worthy of any console. I’m still shocked it made its way to Nintendo again, especially given how prone the company is to sticking with more well known properties lately. While the game isn’t perfect (and I am still irritated by some features), it is a great game, and one that aptly shows what the 3DS is capable of. If you want a real freaky treat, turn on that 3D slider and play the game. Now, I just have to wait patiently for Dementium III to answer all my burning unanswered questions…