Dementium 2 Nintendo DS Review

Dementium 2 is a first person survival horror game exclusively for the Nintendo DS. While there are definite improvements from the first one, the game still suffers from some flaws. I enjoyed the concepts of the game, but never really felt engaged. It's available now and is rated M for Mature.

Dementium 2 Story
Players are William Redmoor, a patient at Bright Dawn Treatment Center for the clinically insane. The game starts right after William wakes up from brain surgery. He can not remember much, but it looks like he may have killed his wife and child. There is also the Doctor, a shady character that can't be trusted. Demons that William thought where gone keep attacking him, as well as nightmarish images from his past. William is trying to escape the Center. Much of the background story of Bright Dawn and William is told through flashbacks and files scattered through the game. The story sounds interesting, but it failed to keep me excited.

Dementium 2 Gameplay
The controls are a bit awkward and took awhile to get used to. The L button is used for attacking. Moving is done with the D-pad and the stylus controls the camera angle. The control scheme could have been streamlined a bit better. It was frustrating trying to attack and walk at the same time. On the touch screen, I would accidentally bring up the items menu when looking around with the camera. This was annoying, especially during fights with multiple enemies. Once you get the hang of the controls, it wasn't hard to aim and bring the enemy down.

The enemy variety is improved over the first game, as are the environments. The enemies also don't respawn when you leave a room, which makes all the backtracking easier. The maps are improved by marking where you have been and where you have yet to explore. The soundtrack did induce a creepy, foreboding feeling. Although, there was times it became overbearing and distracting.

Dementium 2 Replay Value
With only 5 levels, the game is short at about 8 hours. Once each level is complete, Survival Mode is unlocked. The goal of the Survival Mode waves is to kill every enemy. Dementium 2 is good for a rental. The replay value is pretty low, even with the Survival mode.

While there are great improvements over the original video game, Dementium 2 still needs some work. The controls should be streamlined, as that was my biggest obstacle to overcome. The amount of backtracking was tedious at times, but at least the enemies didn't keep respawning. Dementium 2 could be a solid First Person Shooter if it was a bit longer and more polished. It's good for a quick, weekend rental.

Sources:
Personal Experience

Dementium 2 on ign.com