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HAUNTING GROUND IS A new title from Capcom, well known for their survival horror tiles such as Resident Evil and Clock Tower. Capcom's rich history in the genre bodes well for a game made even more interesting by the apparent vulnerability of the main character and relative lack of weaponary, compared to that found in a game like Resident Evil.

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 worryingly, 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.

Whether players will feel a greater connection to the main character through this use of emotions remains to be seen, but it points to an interesting direction for the game. As well as her emotions players will have access to Fiona's thoughts as she progresses through the game, providing clues to puzzles along the way.

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. The addition of Hewie in Haunting Ground is yet another possible innovation that could really work well. Gaining trust, giving praise and treats at the right times, as well as scolding, adding an extra element to set Haunting Ground apart.

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.

We're looking forward to seeing how Haunting Ground comes together when it is released here soon. The combination of Fiona and her emotions, her interactions with Hewie and the greater prominence of stealth should make for an interesting game, and one which could push the genre forward a little more.

Features

• In order to succeed, players must foster the complex connection between Fiona and Hewie which evolves as the game progresses

• Hewie was created using motion capture and studying a real dog to convey true behavior and movements in the game
• Classic commands including attack, come, go, sit, stay and more
• Hewie displays a variety of reactions to each command
• The stronger the bond between Fiona and Hewie, the more likely he will be to obey her commands

• Control pad mimics Fiona's pounding heartbeat
• Fiona becomes more difficult to control the more time is spent near an enemy
• If Fiona is not able to escape a threatening scenario, the screen becomes grainy, changing to black and white and eventually sending her into panic mode
• Only by evading the perils can everything return to normal
• Music adapts to gameplay, changing relative to the enemies' proximity and threat level to Fiona
• Enemies can hear and will react to sounds in the game, so Fiona must be careful when treading near them
• Likewise, Hewie can hear noises and alert Fiona to impending danger

• Players must cleverly hide behind objects to escape from enemies and utilize objects in the vicinity to solve puzzles

• In order to provide the right sense of fear and a haunting atmosphere, Takenaka, a Japanese film director and actor, has enlisted to manage the in game cut scenes

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