TheFatal Frameseries has always been a must-play for fans of Japanese horror. Every game tells a different story with a different main protagonist, but what brings all the games together is photographing ghosts with the Camera Obscura. This simple photography mechanic made the series one of the spookiest of all, making players have to let the ghosts get close to deal enough damage with a good snapshot.
However, theFatal Frameseries took a downwards spiral in terms of game releases' afterFatal Frame 3.Mask of the Lunar Eclipsenever left Japan, the spin-off game,Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoirfor the 3DS was a disappointment for fans and critics alike, and the remake ofFatal Frame 2never was released to North America. In 2014,Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Watercame and fans were excited to finally play a non-spinoff title that was not region exclusive. This excitement changed to disappointment when it was revealed thatMaiden of Black Waterwould beexclusively released on the Wii U. This month begins a new start for theFatal Frameseries though.Maiden of Black Wateris coming to the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on October 28th in Europe, North America, and Asia.
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The Limitations Of Handhelds And Horror in Fatal Frame
Theoriginal 2014Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Watersuffered from some of the same faults as the spin-off predecessor,Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoirbecause both were on consoles that are not meant for horror games.Spirit Camerawas particularly a poor game because it placed ghosts in the real world with the 3DS’s camera function. Such a mechanic ruined the immersion to which previousFatal Framestreated their players. The negative reviews for the 3DS game did not teach enough of a lesson though, as shown whenFatal Frame: Maiden of Black Waterwas released on the Wii U.
WhileMaiden of Black Waterdid better in terms of graphics, storyline, characters, setting, and much else in comparison toSpirit Camera, it still suffered from a lack of immersion. Players were not scared, and that was due to the gimmick of the Wii U console that made players have to look away from their TVs and towards the handheld portion of the Wii U for the scariest parts of the game:taking pictures of the ghosts inFatal Frame.
When taking pictures of ghosts,the handheld part of the Wii Uwas used as the Camera Obscura and the player would then use the handheld like they would an actual camera in their living room. To those that had to play with this gimmick, they would go from exploring a haunted mountain to suddenly become blatantly aware that they are just playing a video game in their living room. During every camera combat situation, the immersion would be broken and it would be difficult for players to get scared.
Themost popular horror gameshave never been on handheld consoles, except forLuigi’s Mansionwhich is a more playful, child-friendly version of horror. For the horror genre that wishes to actually scare its players, immersion is everything. The scariest experiences will always be in VR and the least scary will be on the Nintendo Switch, with the PC, Playstation, and Xbox consoles being in a sweet spot in between the two.
Back To Original Scares in Fatal Frame
With the originalFatal FrameandFatal Frame 3still stuck on the PS2, theFatal Frame 2remake not available in North America, andFatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipseexclusive to just Japan, the re-release ofFatal Frame: Maiden of Black Waterto other consoles is a gift to survival horror game fans (and just in time for Halloween).
The series producer, Keisuke Kikuchi, said in an interview with Famitsu that the response to this digital re-release has been more positive than he ever expected. While there is no news on whether there will befutureFatal Frametitles, it is possible that if the upcoming re-release ofMaiden of Black Watergarners enough attention that the creators will be inspired to make the fans see what else lies in the future of the Camera Obscura and the characters who are ill-fated enough to use it.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Waterwill release for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 28th.
