Dementium: The Ward

Did You Know?

• The game was originally planned as a Silent Hill title for the Nintendo DS before Konami turned down the pitch.
• Atooi released a Windows version on Steam on October 25, 2025.

Plot

William Redmoor awakens in a medical ward with amnesia, finding the hospital abandoned and filled with creatures. He descends from the seventh floor, collecting weapons and discovering newspaper clippings and staff notes about a man who murdered his wife, whom authorities believe is Redmoor. He sees visions of his daughter Amanda and a man in black called the Doctor. After defeating the Doctor in the basement, Redmoor appears to reunite with his family in a dream, but the scene cuts to him being lobotomised by the Doctor, who declares phase 1 complete and phase 2 ready.

Reception

Dementium and Dementium Remastered received mixed or average reviews on Metacritic. Craig Harris of IGN praised the visuals as outstanding given the DS's capabilities, noting the flashlight effect was better than anything on similar hardware. Pete Sellers of Deeko offered a positive parody of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, highlighting the game's visual ambience. Criticism focused on the short length, lack of replayability, the save system, and enemy respawning that left players short on items and ammunition, discouraging exploration. In Japan, Famitsu scored the DS version 30 out of 40. The Japanese Association of Psychiatric Hospitals protested the DS version in September 2008, objecting to its use of psychiatric imagery depicting attacking patients. The DS version sold over 100,000 copies worldwide.

Legacy

After the sequel Dementium II, Renegade Kid lost the rights due to licensing agreements. A spiritual successor, Cult County, failed a 2014 Kickstarter campaign. Renegade Kid regained the rights in September 2014 and released Dementium Remastered in 2015 with checkpoints and improved graphics. After Renegade Kid dissolved in 2016, co-founder Gregg Hargrove held the rights under Infitizmo until his death in 2018. Jools Watsham's company Atooi later acquired the rights, hinting at sequels and ports. Atooi released a Nintendo Switch port in October 2023, PlayStation 4 and 5 versions in April 2024, and a Windows version on Steam in October 2025.