Haunting Ground
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| Haunting Ground | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom Production Studio 1 |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Release date(s) |  2005 April 21 29 April 2005  May 10, 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person Adventure, Survival, Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature PEGI: 16+ CERO: 18+ OFLC: MA15+ |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Media | 1 DVD-ROM |
Haunting Ground (known in Japan as Demento) is a video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 1 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 games console in 2005. It was originally designed to be part of the Clock Tower series of video games, but this was scrapped early into its development. The game is a puzzle-adventure, similar in many ways to the Resident Evil and Clock Tower series.
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[edit] Gameplay
Throughout most of the game, Fiona is accompanied by Hewie, a large white dog. The two must work as a team to solve various puzzles and to outwit their pursuers. If not given proper attention, Hewie will ignore Fiona's commands; if treated rudely, he may even turn on Fiona and attack her.
Assuming the relationship with Fiona is strong, Hewie acts as Fiona's bodyguard and will also hunt and obtain far out-of-reach items at Fiona's request. His attacks range from bites to the hand to the more damaging neck-biting if Fiona commands him to ready himself before striking. Hewie will bark when he detects a trap or a stalker. He can die from sustaining too many injuries from the stalkers, causing the game to end.
Two enemy types exist in addition to the castle's keepers, neither are physically dangerous to Fiona, but serve to alert Fiona's persuers and bring them to her location. The first are known as luminessants - these are small floating orbs of blue light which follow Fiona because of a special odor her Azoth gives off. Until stopped by a solid wall or door (they also disappear after a while), upon contact with Fiona they will emit a loud high-pitched noise and disappear. The other enemy type are fetus-like mutant babies(disfigured homunculi), who attach themselves to Fiona's legs while letting out a piercing yell, though they can be kicked to death before this happens.
[edit] Story
Fiona Belli has somehow found herself in a very creepy castle, which appears to be somewhere in northern Italy or perhaps Switzerland. She has just been involved in a car accident; her memories of this accident, however, are vague and incomplete. She finds herself in some sort of large kitchen. 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 large animal that initially frightened her, who happens to be 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.
[edit] Endings
[edit] Ending A - Fortes Fortuna Juvat
Fiona struggles to get the key into the lock. Hewie calms her fears and she manages to unlock the door. However, Hewie begins barking which catches Fiona's attention. From the double doors, Debilitas comes out with hedge clippers. In a tense and awkward moment, the camera zooms into their eyes as they stare at each other. Debilitas however simply bows to Fiona. With that, she and Hewie walk into the darkness of the forest. Debilitas looks at the overgrown trees in the garden and begins clipping the trees. Fortes Fortuna Juvat is Latin for "fortune favors the brave".
To get this ending, the player must defeat Debilitas using the chandelier. This does not kill Debilitas, but rather causes him to retreat and thus no longer poses a threat for Fiona during the remainder of the game.
[edit] Ending B - Ignis Aurum Probat
The same as Ending A, except that Debilitas does not appear. As Fiona is opening the gate out to the forest, she stares at the castle for a few moments, before turning and following Hewie into the forest. Ignis Aurum Probat is Latin for "fire tests gold".
To get this ending, the player must have Fiona kill Debilitas, either by using Hewie or repeatedly attacking him with several explosive chemicals and minerals she encounters.
[edit] Ending C - Dona Nobis Pacem
Essentially the same as Ending A except there is no Debilitas and there is a special scene at the end. Lorenzo calls out to Fiona not to go. But he falls down the stairs, loathing the fact that she has left. Dona Nobis Pacem is Latin for "give us peace".
To get this ending, the game must be completed once. Then it has to be played a second time, but Debilitas must be defeated with the chandelier. Then, Fiona must go visit Debilitas in his hut, where he will give her a key to one of the locked bathroom stalls, which reveal a hidden cellar. Then, in that cellar, Fiona finds the key to the castle's main gate.
[edit] Ending D - Tu Fui, Ego Eris
Fiona wakes up in a glass box where Riccardo taunts her and says she belongs to him. She screams in frustration. The scene cuts to her castle bedroom, where Riccardo enters the room as Liebestraume No.3 is playing, and tenderly strokes a sleeping Fiona's head and her bulging stomach, as she is now heavily pregnant. As he walks away, she wakes, gives a faint smile, and issues a hollow laugh. Tu Fui, Ego Eris is Latin for "what you are, I was. What I am, you will be".
To obtain this ending, Fiona must have a weak relationship with Hewie. Then, Hewie does not recover from Riccardo's gun attack in the Chaos Forest level, and hence does not rescue Fiona, thus ending the game.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Fiona Belli
Eighteen-year old Fiona is the player character of Haunting Ground. She had only recently moved away from her parents to college and was visiting with them when the accident occurs. Although she is not very athletic, she makes this up with her quick mind. She rarely shows emotions and appears more mature than her actual age suggests.
[edit] Hewie
A four year old White German Shepherd, Hewie becomes attached to Fiona after she saves his life in the early stages of the game. He seems healthy and was apparently well cared for at some time. Based on a note that Fiona finds at a certain point during the game, it is vaguely implied that he once belonged to Riccardo. Hewie is fiercely loyal and will not hesitate to attack Fiona's pursuers when trained correctly; he is Fiona's only hope of escaping the castle alive.
[edit] Debilitas
Debilitas 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 also plays with dolls, and apparently thinks Fiona is one. His origins are unclear, but he may be one of Lorenzo's failed "creations". Debilitas is easily outwitted by Fiona, but he is persistent and powerful.
[edit] Daniella
Daniella 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. She is 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. 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 jealousy that Fiona can bear children and possesses the Azoth, which Daniella wants to make herself human. Out of all the stalkers, she is the physically weakest and easiest to outrun, but is also the cruelest; she attacks Fiona with either a hot poker or a broken piece of glass, and if she can't find Fiona, she has a tendency to attack Hewie.
[edit] Riccardo
Riccardo is the castle's butler. A monk-like figure, he acts like a servant though it seems that he is the person in charge of the castle. Unlike the other stalkers, he has no intentions of killing Fiona, but he will punch and slap her, putting her into panic mode. He is also clever and persistent and will frighten her by firing his gun to the air. The real danger in dealing with Riccardo is that he can shoot and seriously injure Hewie, leaving Fiona to fend for herself.
[edit] Lorenzo
A shadowy figure in the background, Lorenzo does everything in his power to help Fiona. No one knows anything about him except that he is extremely old. The last chaser in the game, Lorenzo reveals the reason why Fiona is trapped in the castle should the player fulfill the requirements of the alternative ending.
[edit] Reception
The game received lukewarm reviews, with Game Rankings giving an average of 73%,[1] and Metacritic giving a score of 67 out of 100.[2] The game received a somewhat stronger fan base in Europe than in North America.
[edit] References
- ^ Game Rankings Staff. Haunting Ground Reviews. Game Rankings. Retrieved on March 10, 2007.
- ^ Metacritic Staff. Haunting Ground (PS2:2005) Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on March 10, 2007.
