I haven't been playing survival horror games for too long, about a year, give or take. Silent Hill was the first series to get me hooked, then came Resident Evil, then Fatal Frame, and finally, Haunting Ground. Well, this game really does take the survival horror genre to a whole new level. I'd already watched a friend play it beforehand, and initially I thought it was going to be an average game about some girl trapped in a castle. Oh, how wrong I was. I bought the game a mere few days ago and from the moment I began playing I was hooked. The characters, the storyline, and the creepy setting all made this game what it is: a true work of art. Yeah, it's cheesy to say it like that but it's the honest truth.
What makes Haunting Ground superior to most survival horror games (yes, even to my beloved Silent Hill) is the fact that it's so realistic. Well, not completely realistic, I mean you don't see large disfigured giants in your average day to day life, but besides that, the game is pretty realistic. Also, the weapons system. There are no weapons. When you see an enemy, what can you do? Stand there and fight? No, sir. You have to run. There's no other choice in the matter. You can't just whip out your handgun like on Resident Evil or Silent Hill and KO the enemy, you just have to run and hide and hope to God that they don't find you. Yeah, all these things make this game worth playing. But now onto the storyline.
You play as Fiona Belli, a young girl recently involved in a tragic car accident that supposedly killed her parents. Sometime after, Fiona wakes up, naked with only a white sheet to cover herself, alone in a strange and unfamiliar place. She soon realises that nobody there is going to help her and that she alone must find a way out. Well, not completely alone. A dog named Hewie soon comes to your aid and proves to be a great help throughout the game. It is up to Fiona and Hewie to not only find a way out, but to also discover the truth about why Fiona herself is there in the first place.
All in all, Haunting Ground is one amazing game. It seems to be incredibly underrated, which is so unfair as in my opinion it is just as good as Resident Evil or Silent Hill. There should be more games like Haunting Ground out, and I hope there will be. I also hope that people read this review and decide to buy this game, therefore realising how truly amazing it is just like I did. Oh yeah, and if you're still not convinced that this is a great game, I should tell you that one of the best things about this game is that when Fiona is attacked by an enemy, she flies into a panic-like state which causes the screen to go white and makes things even more difficult. It really makes things even more terrifying and, even better, makes the player feel like you're there and in Fiona's shoes. Just buy this game and I promise you that you won't regret it. Not for a second.
