History VideoGame / DementiumTheWard

* ChunkySalsaRule: Subverted. Beheading a zombie does just as much damage as a regular attack. [[OneHitKill hitting the heart, on the other hand...]]

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Chest-Maws, the most common enemies in both games, are often mistaken for zombies. [[VaginaDentata They]] [[BeatStillMyHeart are]] [[HumanoidAbomination not]] [[YourMindMakesItReal zombies]]

* UnwinnableByMistake: In the second game, 4 of the 5 bosses are readily beatable with what you're given immediately prior to the boss fight. The final boss, however, can only be harmed with ranged attacks, and the game gives you very little ammo and no healing items for the 40 minutes leading up to that point. If you didn't save up enough ammo and at least a few healing items over the course of the game to fight the final boss, you can be stuck at the end. The relic boomerang doesn't use up ammo, but is an absolutely awful weapon to use against the final boss. [[spoiler: Thankfully, the Buzz Saw can deal significant damage if you're able to get close enough, [[AwesomeButImpractical and if you can handle its horrendously long overheat cooldown]] ]]

* RedshirtArmy: The Bright Dawn Security Guards in the sequel. Whether its against [[OneManArmy you]] or the monsters, they tend not to last very long. Late in the game, you come across some more powerful guards with assault rifles, but even some of them end up getting chumped by a giant demon in a cutscene.

* TragicMonster: In ''Dementium II'', a woman turned into a Wendigo after eating human flesh when she was told of her husband's death.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Chest-Maws, the most common enemies in both games, are often mistaken for zombies. [[VaginaDentata They]] [[BeatStillMyHeart are]] [[EldritchAbomination not]] [[YourMindMakesItReal zombies]]

* TragicMonster: In ''Dementium II'', a woman turned into a Wendigo after eating human flesh when she was told of her husbands death.

* BottomlessMagazines: Rather than implement reloading animations, the first game gives this ability to each weapon.

* AbandonedHospitalAwakening ''Oh my yes....''

* CheckpointStarvation: Somewhat averted in The first game, as it autosaved upon entering each room, [[AwesomeButImpractical but only in case the player decided to shut the game off. Dying forces you to restart after the last boss battle, or restart the chapter entirley.]] The games use a save game system similar to the old ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games, where you can only save in certain rooms. There's an average of about 40 minutes of gameplay between each save point, although you can always backtrack and save at a previous save point since enemies generally don't respawn.

* CheckpointStarvation: Somewhat averted in The first game, as it autosaved upon entering each room, [[AwesomeButImpractical but only in case the player decided to shut the game off. Dying forces you to restart after the last boss battle, or restart the chapter entirley.]] The games use a save game system similar to the old ''ResidentEvil'' games, where you can only save in certain rooms. There's an average of about 40 minutes of gameplay between each save point, although you can always backtrack and save at a previous save point since enemies generally don't respawn.

A SurvivalHorror game for the Nintendo DS portable system. You play as William Redmoor, a man accused of murdering his wife and subsequently condemned to an insane asylum run by the mysterious Doctor. One night, after experiencing a disturbing nightmare, Redmoor awakens to find the asylum deserted, blood covering much of the area, and the PA system droning about an emergency. It doesn't take long to realize that something has gone very, ''very'' wrong, and soon enough Redmoor is forced to fight for his life as legions of zombies and other monstrosities have invaded the asylum. It was remade for the 3DS in 2015, but missed a Halloween release due to publishing complications.

** A third type was added in the PC version of the second game, though it was just an ice reskin of the ghosts encountered earlier [[spoilers: Although they are averted, since they can be killed with the flamethrower]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: ''A lot'' of things were cut from both games. There was a mummy like enemy that was cut halfway through the first game for being "Not scary enough," as well as an entire boss encounter having to be shafted due to technical restraints. The aforementioned cult notes above, existed in the DS version of the second game, but were [[Dummiedout left out]] due to an entire subplot involving them being cut. A boss, known as the Priapic, as well as a hellish version of the armed guards. WordOfGod stated that whatever technical problems didn't hold back, ExecutiveMeddling sure as hell did.
** Also, the PC version of the second game shafted the survival mode because of instability, due to [[ExecutiveMeddling the publishers deciding it would be cheaper to drop it, rather than fix it]]

* AbandonedHospitalAwakening

* AttackItsWeakPoint: Zombies can be instantly killed by striking their exposed heart.

* BoomHeadshot: Averted. You can shoot the zombies' heads off, but it doesn't slow them down.

* CheckpointStarvation: The games use a save game system similar to the old ''ResidentEvil'' games, where you can only save in certain rooms. There's an average of about 40 minutes of gameplay between each save point, although you can always backtrack and save at a previous save point since enemies generally don't respawn.

* {{Cult}}: In the HD version of ''Dementium II'', several notes can be found that clarify that the town where the psych hospital is located has a religious sect that worships some supernatural force tied to the various monsters. The Doctor and Chaplain are hinted to be members of this sect. Noteably, they are apparently ''not'' a ReligionOfEvil and (with the exception of the Doctor) view the monster outbreak as a bad thing.

* MadnessMantra: ''GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE''

* TomatoInTheMirror: Done literally in the second game's GainaxEnding. [[spoiler: As he's about to escape the hospital, Redmoor passes by a mirror and sees his reflection, realizing that ''he'' is the Doctor. And then he's suddenly tackled by a leech. Smash to Black.]]
** [[spoiler: What actually happens is the Doctor tries to pull this, dragging William through the mirror once he gets close enough]]
* TragicMonster: [[spoiler: In ''Dementium II'', William's dead wife has become a Wendigo Witch because of the supposed murder of their daughter, Amanda.]]

* UnwinnableByMistake: In the second game, 4 of the 5 bosses are readily beatable with what you're given immediately prior to the boss fight. The final boss, however, can only be harmed with ranged attacks, and the game gives you very little ammo and no healing items for the 40 minutes leading up to that point. If you didn't save up enough ammo and at least a few healing items over the course of the game to fight the final boss, you can be stuck at the end. The relic boomerang doesn't use up ammo, but is an absolutely awful weapon to use against the final boss.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Doctor's "saner half" has one brief scene at the beginning of ''Dementium II'', and then disappears for the rest of the game. Another example is "Craig" from the first game, who appears only to drop a gun and be dragged off

* MindScrew: When you're not fighting for your life, you're wondering what the hell is going on.

* BreatherBoss: The Gorgamesh, the third boss of the second game. Not only is it slower than the player and only has one attack that is very easy to avoid given its arena, but in the HD port there's a GoodBadBug where the boss completely lacks CollissionDamage and its attack doesn't hit the area in front of it, allowing the player to stand directly in front of it and just beat on it. Later in the game, when it becomes a DegradedBoss, the player can choose to just spare it [[spoiler: both times]] instead of fighting it, even.

* DegradedBoss: In [[ThatOneLevel Chapter 4]] of the second game, the Gorgamesh is not only degraded but [[spoiler: reappears for a total of two times]]. Thanks to a GoodBadBug involving its CollisionDetection, the player doesn't have to kill it [[spoiler: both times]] if they don't want to.

* DegradedBoss: In [[ThatOneLevel Chapter 4]] of the second game, [[spoiler: the Gorgamesh]] is not only degraded but [[spoiler: reappears for a total of two times]].

* [[spoiler:AllJustADream:]] The first game turns out to have been [[spoiler: a hallucination brought on by Redmoor's brain surgery.]]

* [[spoiler:BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: One possible interpretation of the first game.]]

** BiggerBad: ''Dementium II'' indicates that [[spoiler: the Doctor is just the host being used by Malatesta to break into the physical world.]]

* [[spoiler:CruelTwistEnding: The entire reason you are in the hospital is due to the suspicion that you murdered your wife in a psychotic rage, but before the last segment of the first game, it was revealed that your wife was dead by the time you found her]]

* HyperSpaceArsenal: YOU'RE WEARING A FUCKING HOSPITAL GOWN! YOU'RE WEARING PRISON UNIFORMS IN THE SECOND GAME! YOU HAVE TWO BROKEN LEGS!

* [[spoiler:OrWasItADream:]] Immediately after the fact that [[spoiler: all of this is a dream is revealed, not only is [[BigBad the Doctor]] shown to be real]], but he says that this was only "Phase 1"...
*** The sequel takes it a step further. Early on, [[spoiler: the Doctor's "sane half" reveals that the monsters Redmoor fought in the first game were "in his head" (which explains the hallucination), and were inadvertently released into the real world by Redmoor's brain surgery.]]

A SurvivalHorror game for the Nintendo DS portable system. You play as William Redmoor, a man accused of murdering his wife and subsequently condemned to an insane asylum run by the mysterious Doctor. One night, after experiencing a disturbing nightmare, Redmoor awakens to find the asylum deserted, blood covering much of the area, and the PA system droning about an emergency. It doesn't take long to realize that something has gone very, ''very'' wrong, and soon enough Redmoor is forced to fight for his life as legions of zombies and other monstrosities have invaded the asylum.

A HD update of the second game was released for [=PCs=] through UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in December 2013. The basic engine and gameplay are the same, but the visuals have been noticeably upgraded (including replacing all the FMV movies with high-quality pre-rendered ones). Overall, the look is of a good-looking Playstation 2 game with current-gen lighting effects. There are also more notes scattered around expanding certain aspects of the story, and the Colossus boss fight has been updated to feature a corridor filled with deathtraps instead of a simple block maze.

* [[spoiler:CruelTwistEnding]]

* HyperSpaceArsenal: YOU'RE WEARING A FUCKING HOSPITAL GOWN!

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Freaks, the most common enemies in both games, are often mistaken for zombies. [[VaginaDentata They]] [[BeatStillMyHeart are]] [[EldritchAbomination not]] [[YourMindMakesItReal zombies]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Doctor's "saner half" has one brief scene at the beginning of ''Dementium II'', and then disappears for the rest of the game.

* GoodBadBug: The second Cleaver fight is supposed to involve weaving through the room and avoiding his attacks while unleashing your own. However, as LetsPlay/{{supergreatfriend}} learns, you can stay in the elevator. The boss is ''too big too get through the opening'', allowing you to blast him to oblivion. He becomes an AntiClimaxBoss because of this exploit.