Haunting Ground

Written by Chris Reiter  on March 14, 2005

First Impressions: Capcom's going to the dog pound with Haunting Ground. And somewhere I can imagine that sellout Snoop Dogg saying, "Everyone needs a sidekick."

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Horror is a dominating force in people's lives. Be it the smallest or the largest thing that is making us tremble, horror can do things no other emotions could ever do. Horror can make people cry, or scream, or run away; it can even make our pants feel like we're sitting in porridge. The one company who first introduced that fear, that terrible, awful fear into the gaming mainstream's mind is coming back again with what they do best. Capcom, fresh off of the heels of their latest Resident Evil iteration, is stirring up a delectably delightful dish that is seemingly prepared to put the "horror" back into the genre of "survival/horror" (this was definitely a nonexistent element within Resident Evil 4). From the bold, to the beautiful, to the just plain butt ugly beings inside the depths of a ghastly manor: Capcom is presenting to the gaming world this May with a newness in the horror vein of games -- Haunting Ground.

Cars are deathtraps for some people. For others, vehicles are merely a vessel to get you from point A to point B, to find out that your parents inside the car have just been killed in an automobile accident. This would be a sad day for any 18-year-old orphan who has just discovered that due to her parents' demise, she has just inherited a mysterious castle based on a European island under their former ownership. What's even sadder for Fiona Belli now, is she's trapped inside that same castle. Naked but not alone, Fiona awakens from her hazy nightmare to find another before her very eyes. A robust demon man of some kind, called Debilitas, greets the pure lass by chopping meat and fondling Fiona inside her cell. Frightened away by something, Debilitas leaves Fiona be to give her the opportunity to explore the demented dungeon of this castle she's now stuck inside. A lot of questions remain left to be answered by Fiona. Like, how did she end up inside the castle, and why are there creatures inhabiting its walls? One thing's for sure though...the answers aren't going to come easy.

Think back to 1997 in the early days when the PlayStation was still gaining momentum. Final Fantasy VII had released, and business was now booming for Sony's most talked about system. Then in between the cracks of fame and fortune, a couple of interesting looking titles followed. One in particular was a new type of horror experience in the then Resident Evil centered genre. Unlike Resident Evil, Clock Tower wasn't about fighting enemies. It was about trying to escape danger using the environment around you. Playing as a lady journalist, you'd move around different parts of a level finding places to hide and ways to foil the scissor man's attempt to trim you a new "look." Compared to Clock Tower, Haunting Ground appears to have a similar following to the once ASCII-owned franchise (in which the third title was published by Capcom).

The reason why Haunting Ground can be likened to the Clock Tower series, is because Fiona is a weakling when it comes to combating supernatural forces she cannot control. Fiona's no gunner. She's just a blonde bombshell whose only ability in battle by her lonesome will be to run away from her attackers.. That same deranged fat ass figure, Debilitas, will often chase Fiona throughout different sections of the castle. Using a multitude of hiding spots, the idea in the game will to let Debilitas guess where you are until he can't find you any more. But, hide in the same spots again, and it'll be easier for the fat and the fearsome to catch up. Coming in contact with the horrors of the game isn't the best idea to go, though. For, Fiona starts to lose stability when this happens. Again, like 2003's Clock Tower 3, danger can brush up against Fiona and force her to lose her composure. Controlling Fiona will be more difficult. She'll wobble around, limping, while the screen will go bonkers with a black filter clogging it. In this state, it'll be easier for enemies to feast on Fiona's fresh flesh. Keeping Fiona safe and sweet will be the idea here instead of drunken and decayed.

Naturally, Haunting Ground isn't in the same franchise as Clock Tower is. That means Haunting Ground can make up rules of its own. The unique feature the game's going to go with here is a partnership. This isn't a human bond though; rather, it's with man's (and now a woman's) best friend. Named Hewie, Fiona soon finds this white German shepherd dog being choked to death by a wired leash. Freeing him, Hewie decides to befriend Fiona and face the evils Fiona simply can't defeat. Though Fiona can't fight for her own life, oddly enough Hewie will be able to do so by you inputting commands via the right analog stick. Push up and Hewie will fight off enemies or investigate the mansion's surroundings. Press right instead, and Hewie will be coddled for his good behavior. Contrasting that action, the left direction will do just the opposite and scold the dog for any wrong behaviors. Down, in last, will tell Hewie to sit still. These basic commands alone are not the most interesting element of Hewie, though. It's actually that, since Hewie is an animal, you'll need to continue to earn his trust more so than you would with any human companion. Disciplining Hewie too heavily will put Hewie into a state of mind where he'll become immune to your trusting nature. Who wants to kill for someone that's not very friendly to begin with? With Fiona, you'll need to make balance of the directions you'll be liable for applying to Hewie. This mechanic will also come into focus with the many puzzle solving habits the game will present -- from being able to tell Hewie to lie on top of switches, to inputting alchemist text into a typewriter for uncovering a secret passageway.

Creepy games like Haunting Ground get what's coming to them -- a creepy atmosphere for the horror to exist within. Haunting Ground's visuals seem to be progressing rather well in the game's own gothic-centered dimension. Darkened, grayish environments will be lit up with bright red torches and fireplaces. From big to small, Fiona and Hewie will both travel through indoor and outdoor settings ranging between larger and lesser settings. But probably the best part of all are the character models of the game, which will be fleshed full of texture details. Lush in appearance, Fiona won't just appear soft and innocent, but she will also express a range of motions from authentic fear to joy when close to enemies or friends. Besides that, another interesting thing of note will be the sound aspects of the game, which will alert Fiona and more importantly Hewie from a distance. Music will change according to an enemy presence, and Hewie will alert Fiona of the trouble before of its arrival, giving Fiona time to prepare.