Fiona, the game’s protagonist, wakes to find herself in the dank cellar of a castle. Confused and frightened, she begins to investigate other rooms, menacingly dark corridors and grounds looking for answers. The more secrets the castle reveals, the more Fiona learns about her past and even more worringly, her future…
Haunting Ground cleverly lets the player feel Fiona’s state of mind as she explores the castle. Not knowing who they are and the plans they have in store for her when Fiona encounters its other inhabitants, she naturally becomes frightened and the control pad mimics the pounding of her heart. Fiona will also become much more difficult to control and will stumble and fall. To add to the experience, Fiona’s fear is also represented graphically with colour fading from the screen to be replaced by stark monochrome. By running away or hiding, Fiona’s heart rate and actions will return to normal and colour will be restored.
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Fiona is aided in her search for answers by Hewie, an Alsatian dog, which she befriends by releasing from a trap. Just as in real life Hewie does not at first obey all of the commands Fiona gives him, but as his trust for his new mistress grows so does his willingness to do as she bids including fetching objects and even attacking assailants. The success of this partnership is crucial if Fiona is to solve the castle’s mysteries and stay alive.
Capcom has enlisted the assistance of Naoto Takenaka, a renowned Japanese film director and actor to direct Haunting Ground’s cut scenes and bring an unprecedented sense of foreboding and atmosphere to the game which brilliantly compliment its graphical style.
Haunting Ground includes the following features :
- Compelling storyline which is unveiled to the player as Fiona makes her own realisations about her past and future.
- Highly innovative representation of the character’s state of mind
- Ability to give Hewie orders such as stay, fetch and attack
- Cut scenes directed by Naoto Takenaka
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