Renegade Kid is apparently working on a kid-friendly platformer for the DS while it develops a sequel to Dementium. The developer showed IGN that its other new project is Maximillian and the Rise of the Mutant Mudds. Players will use a water pack (think Mario Sunshine) to double-jump chasms of doom and squirt the baddies to death.

Renegade Kid plans to push its already impressive technical knowledge with the DS even further with Mudds. The developer doesn't know if it'll go the retail route or check out DSIware, and there isn't so much as an inkling of a release window. Check out a video of the game after the break.

Developer Renegade Kid apparently stumbled across some leftover brown paint, and is currently working up a sequel to Dementium: The Ward. The game is set to continue the story of the first game, which had players stumbling through the darkened grimy halls of an abandoned hospital trying to discover a way out. Or at least some morphine to dull the pain.

Notes Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham, "We were extremely satisfied with what we accomplished with the original Dementium, but knew we could do even more given the chance to develop a sequel." Little is known about the return trip into portable madness, though publisher SouthPeak promises even more hospital scares when Dementium II ships for the DS in the first part of 2010.

At last, forgotten souls in Europe will be able to wander Dementium: The Ward's grainy, dimly lit halls. After scaring up modest reviews in the US and sending Japanese hospitals screaming, Southpeak announced that it will publish Renegade Kid's spook-tastic freshman effort in Europe on April 17.

The Nintendo DS survival horror title was first released in the US in 2007, and casts players in the role of an amnesiac stuck in a grimy hospital full of puzzles and the occasional not-so-friendly monster. Finally, survival horror fans in Europe will have something to keep them busy on the commuter train besides the latest Jamie Oliver, though honestly both are probably just as frightening.

Before even getting its upcoming sci-fi action-adventure Moon out of the airlock, Dementium: The Ward developer Renegade Kid has announced that it is already at work on its next project. And now you know everything we know about the game, which Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham describes as "the game that I'm most excited about ever in my career."

The studio's owner and game director teased the project in a video posted on his personal blog, noting only his enthusiasm and that the game has nothing to do with Dracula, the rumored subject of an upcoming Wii project from the company. More information about the mysterious project is expected to be released at a later date, though Watsham concedes that it's likely "going to be a while." Until then, we await Renegade Kid to set off on its slightly delayed trip to the Moon on January 13.

[Via DSF]

Dementium: The Ward hit Japan this year (along with a colorful launch event for the game), yet is now enduring its first public outcry in the country. According to Yahoo! News (and Google's translation tools), the Japanese Association of Psychiatric Hospitals has requested that the title be removed from shops instantly, arguing that the game could instigate "discrimination and prejudice" against sufferers of psychiatric disorders.

Interchannel distributes the game in Japan, and has yet to comment, but Mike Wilson of [U.S. publisher] Gamecock did proffer a view to MTV Multiplayer, stating that the criticism is down to a "lack of understanding or appreciation (and therefore fear of) games outside our little sub-culture." He also confessed to being "thrilled" by the extra attention the game has enjoyed as a result; as the game failed to penetrate the Japanese top 30, we know what he means.


[Via MTV Multiplayer]

Dementium: The Ward launches in Japan today, and Japanese publisher Interchannel-Holon could not have found a more perfect venue to promote Renegade Kid's horror title*. "Alcatraz E.R." is a novelty restaurant in Tokyo's Shibuya ward with a mental asylum theme where patrons must announce their blood type before entering. They are then handcuffed by girls dressed as nurses who serve up food in surgical trays and drinks in hospital drips.

In other words, it's a totally amazing and ideal place for a Dementium promotion. Hit the break for more gory pics of the press-only event (our invites must have got lost in the mail).

* Admittedly, they could have used an actual abandoned psychiatric asylum, but that probably comes with its own issues.

GameStop's annual "Gamedays" sale starts next week, and the list of sale items has been posted on CAG. We've excised the more choice options here, and there are some tempting games indeed. For 10 bucks, Worms is almost irresistible, especially if you happen to know any communities that frequently gather for online DS games.

Apparently, games marked down for Gamedays are also being shipped out to stores. At least, this is true in the case of the PS2 Katamari Damacy (which you should already own, but buy it now for $10 if you don't). That means you have a shot at buying some of these, maybe! And don't forget to bring the 10% off coupon that was helpfully scanned and posted by a CAG member.

• Dementium: $14.99
• Digimon World: Dawn/Dusk: $19.99
• Diner Dash: $14.99
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: $14.99
• Nervous Brickdown: $14.99
• Sega Superstars Tennis: $14.99
• Worms: Open Warfare 2: $9.99

[Via CAG]

Renegade Kid's Dementium: The Ward is something you know we enjoyed. It was a very unique title on the DS, striving to provide a moody atmosphere full of scares. We think it succeeded, overall, and apparently so did Gamecock, as the title was chosen to release in Japan.

Now, the game's Japanese site has launched and it's an incredibly effective platform for advertising the title. Just checking out the site makes you think J-horror, in the likes of Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. It's a great way to market the title, we believe, so be sure to hit up the site for the goods.

[Via Insert Credit]

Fans of Dementium (see: uh, DS Fanboy), you should pay attention. The game is headed to Japan in a few months, as it will see a release to the region on June 26th. It will retail for a price of 5,040 Yen. Other than that, Japanese gamers should pretty much know what they're in for.

The game was, in our eyes, an under-appreciated gem and a very competent FPS on a system lacking them. We can't wait to see what Renegade Kid has in store for us with their next game.

You all know we dug Dementiunm. It was a fine title and a decent FPS on a handheld that is seriously lacking in that department. Now, Renegade Kid is preparing their second FPS for Nintendo's handheld in Moon. What should we expect?

Well, Renegade Kid's owner and creative director, Jools Watsham, spoke with Joystiq about the new project and reassured us it's going to be something we'll want to play. It's a pretty interesting read, if we may say so. Head on over and check it out already!

When independent developer Renegade Kid first announced its follow up title to last year's Dementium: the Ward, few details were offered as to what it was exactly that the studio was up to.

Titled simply Moon, the game was said to again be played from the first-person, but beyond the vantage and supposed setting, we were left wondering. It didn't take us long to tire of the guessing game however, so we arranged to speak with Renegade Kid's owner and creative director Jools Watsham to find out more about the company's latest offspring, how it differs from Dementium, and why the studio opted to go with a different publisher, in this case Mastiff, rather than Dementium publisher Gamecock. Read on to see what he had to say.

Dementium: The Ward, developer Renegade Kid's debut release for the Nintendo DS, certainly pushed the frontier of what we expect from handheld gaming, but it was far from perfect. Company co-owner Jools Watsham conceded as much to us during a recent interview, but added that Renegade Kid's next project, the recently announced DS title Moon, will be even "more ambitious" than the studio's freshman effort.

"We're being much more ambitious with the environments, particle effects, enemies and cinematic cut-scenes," commented Watsham. "Even though we pushed the DS with Demenitum, we were still being slightly cautious due to our time frame and growing experience with the platform. This time around with Moon, we are being a little less cautious while still be expressive and ambitious."

He also took a moment to reflect back on Dementium, noting that the survival horror title's save system was a particular sticking point among those who played the game. "Most people hated the save system in Dementium... Moon is structured very differently than Dementium. The game is presented in episodes, and within each episode there are checkpoints that save your progress."

For more from Renegade Kid's Watsham on Moon, including Moon's possible future for the Wii and why the company's decision to go with publisher Mastiff instead of Dementium pub Gamecock is really much ado about nothing, check out our full interview on Monday and the first screens from the game below.

From the fetid halls of Dementium to the vacuous surface of the moon, developer Renegade Kid has proven that it isn't shy about taking its first two projects into uncharted territories. Publisher Mastiff has revealed that the dev's second project, previously known as "Project M," is in fact a futuristic action title for the Nintendo DS simply called Moon.

While we'll continue to wait for a simulation of that timeless Saturday night ritual of flashing our bare posteriors to cars on the freeway, Moon instead will take us to the lunar surface in 2058 for a first-person adventure that according to Mastiff's hilariously titled "Head Woof" Bill Swartz is "frequently violent" and "always disturbing." We'll have to take his word for it, as neither screens nor a release date have been released, leaving us to replay Dementium and squint at the screen while mentally replacing crazed mental patients with equally crazed aliens -- we should do all of our previews this way.

Wherever you are this week, there's not a lot to choose from. That isn't to say there aren't a few worthwhile titles hitting the shelves, but the key words here are "a few." As in "not many." As in, "not a big burden on your wallet." Considering everything we've got coming up for the DS, around the world, that's probably pretty good news.

• Corvette Evolution GT
• Miami Nights: Singles in the City
• Nanostray 2

For the rest of the world's major markets, see the release lists after the jump.

Each day, between now and the 26th, we're going to look at a different piece of the DS Fanswag End of the Year giveaway as a reminder of exactly why you need to hightail it over there and enter -- and today, it's another piece of the Grand Prize pack. Specifically, Dementium: The Ward. Did you waffle on buying Renegade Kid's debut? No worries -- go throw your name in the hat and you might just score one for free, along with a matching skin. Remember, you can enter once per day. And if you're having any trouble with the comments, check here for a handy walkthrough.