Survival-horror works fine on DS, says DS survival-horror dev

Renegade Kid owner Jools Watsham reckons the DS is as suitable as any platform for a survival-horror game.

He was talking to Eurogamer about his upcoming scarer Dementium: The Ward, and said he wasn't worried that he may be pitching to the wrong audience.

"We're huge fans of the survival-horror genre, and we think a game of its type will fit perfectly into the Nintendo DS's library - there's still plenty of room for variety on the shelf," Jools Watsham told Eurogamer.

"Does the fact that the majority of DS games are geared towards a young audience alienate potential owners who are looking for mature content? The Nintendo DS is not just a kids' console. We're all old gits at Renegade Kid and it's our favourite system to play games on."

Dementium: The Ward is a run-and-gun game designed to make you fill your underpants. It's being touted as the first mature and gory game on the platform and is promising to push the hardware further than most.

You play the role of a man who wakes up in a weird hospital seemingly frozen in time. As you jump into his shoes and wander the halls of the infirmary you'll soon be confronted by all sorts of mutated and disfigured nasties.

And you shouldn't let the friendly nature of the DS distract you, because Watsham believes The Ward will be as scary as you let it.

"A handheld survival-horror game can be as scary as you allow it to be. It has been our goal to push the limits of what you may expect to see and hear on the Nintendo DS in terms of quality and variety. We recommend wearing headphones and visiting the toilet before playing Dementium: The Ward," Watsham continued.

"The Nintendo DS has a tremendous amount to offer technically, it is a very powerful console. We hope the Nintendo DS sticks around as Nintendo's main handheld system for a long time so we have the opportunity to really take advantage of its power."

Dementium: The Ward won't feature multiplayer, unfortunately, and has yet to be given a firm release date in any territory.

Head over to our Dementium: The Ward gallery for the latest screenshots.