Open the door. Solve the puzzle. Sit! Good boy!

Haunting Ground isn't like other survival horror games. If you love finding huge guns and blunt objects in whatever creepy place you're fighting your way out of so you can pummel your otherworldly foes, Haunting Ground's style might have you flinging your controler through your screen. Capcom has refined the clumsy and extrememly frustrating "hide and evade" style which made Clocktower 2 so remarkably similar to Chinese water torture, and created something much more gamer friendly. Barely legal and barely clothed Fiona Belli awakens in a cage with nary a thread on her back or any clue how she came to be in what appeares to be a very large estate. Later you discover that Fiona *owns* this place, and she is the sole survivor of a tragic car accident which killed both of her parents. It soon becomes clear that althouhg you may own this place, the help have no intentions of letting you leave. Debilitas, the huge, malformed groundskeeper with the IQ of a 5 year old, thinks you're his personal dolly, and is the first of several severely disturbed foes you'll have to face if you want to escape Belli Castle alive. Sounds easy, right? You'll find lots of great things to hit the bad guys with, right? Sorry. Fiona is just what you'd expect an average 18 year old girl to be in this kind of situation. Completely defenseless. She can kick...but if she takes too much damage and there's nowhere to hide, she falls into a state of panic, making her impossible to control and the vision terribly blurry. So what are you supposed to do!? That's where Hewie comes in. Hewie is your best friend, your loyal companion, and your only hope of surviving. He's a beautiful 4 year old white German Shepherd. It takes a while for him to be completely obedient, but when he is he kicks so much butt you'll understand why you don't have any real weapons. Visually, Haunting Ground is GORGEOUS. Rich colors, elaborate architecture and creepy alchemic rooms make for a...well, *haunting* setting. The character designs are detailed and fit the setting so perfectly, you almost don't mind Fiona's breasts bouncing at your every move. Upon beating the game, game music is available as well as concept art and any cinematics that have been viewed. There are also some extra costumes for Fiona and Hewie. Fiona's extra costumes may give you a clue as to what the designers were doing after hours, but thankfully they also give you some neat extra abilities (like guns!!! and extra stamina). I've even heard rumors of an extra costume to make Hewie invincible, which would be nice. Overall, Haunting Ground works well. Hiding spots are scattered fairly well, and medalions found throughout the castle can be made into very useful items. Haunting Ground deserves a bit more attention, and is really worth at least trying. Even if you don't get any really big guns.