Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water Reviews
A bland and formulaic affair that's more likely to bore than it is to horrify. Compared to its cult-hit predecessors, it's a damp squib.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a disappointing Wii U exclusive horror story that is more likely to put players to sleep than it is to scare them.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a disturbing tale well told. While the GamePad brings the series' camera-as-a-weapon concept to life in a way that feels very natural, the combat lacks real mechanical variety, which, combined with overly repetitive encounters, undermines the impact of its most terrifying enemies. Fortunately, there's an abundance of darkness to be found, with some of the most unsettling and stylish scares I've experienced in a while.
Enjoyable combat and bold enemy design can't save Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. With a dull, repetitive story that abandons any sense of horror, it's a shadow of what it could have been.
The introductory hours captivate with an authentically chilling vibe, but that entertainment eventually gives way to grating repetition
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a well-intentioned addition to the Wii U's mostly family-friendly library and does an excellent job of transporting you to another place and time. That's about it, though. Its story and characters are not compelling, and the GamePad-as-camera controls are frequently unreliable. These prevent the game from attaining any real sense of excitement or drama. With too much out of sync--from wildly variable handling to the way you use items to the unconvincing character relationships--Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water isn't anything more than a mediocre experience.
After a few hours with Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, I know I'll be returning upon its release ... It's a clever twist on the classic formula, with an inspired use of the Wii U hardware, and a spooky, pitch-perfect Halloween game in its own right.
Maiden of Black Water polishes an old formula almost perfectly, though the game itself isn't so polished in spots. Buy it anyway.
As should probably be expected of what's basically a port of the Wii U version, this iteration of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water offers a decidedly average horror experience.
There's a lot to like about Maiden of Black Water; while we didn't find it overly scary, it is very good indeed at being eerie. You'll see ghosts out of the corner of your eye and when you check, they'll be gone. It's oddly cosy and non-stressful for a horror game, because your camera is such an efficient weapon and the combat it propogates is too action-packed to really let any dread sink in. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though we found the earlier PlayStation 2 instalments of the series were more interested in actively frightening the player. If you get absorbed in the storyline - which is easy to do as the episodic structure makes "just one more area" a compelling prospect - you'll find a good 15 or so hours of game here, and much more if you decide you need to get higher ranks as you improve your Camera Obscura with upgrades and other boons. Performance problems aside, this game's a real winner and worth snapping up if you're a horror fan who missed it on Wii U.
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water has been put through a wringer of doubt and speculation in the run up to its release, but manages to come out the other side still just as drenched with atmosphere and intrigue as ever. Innovation should give fans that spark of renewed excitement, while newcomers are eased into an excellent horror adventure with plenty of time to learn the mechanics. A bit too much repetition and a few rough edges do mar the experience a little, but that absolutely shouldn't stop you from taking the plunge regardless. The water is lovely.
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is a refreshingly traditional survival horror game that's genuinely scary.
A compelling thriller that makes great use of the GamePad, but fails to truly scare or shock.
If you're bored of relentless jump scares in horror games, you'll probably get a nice kick out of this paranormal adventure.
Project Zero: Maiden of the Black Water is the new installment of the Project Zero saga exclusively for Wii U. Japanese terror, bloodthhirsties ghosts and a mysterious camera as the only weapon to combat them.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It may not be the most compatible game to navigate, but Maiden of Black Water’s sound design, lore, and general aesthetic brings the horror of Japan’s real-life Aokigahara forest to life and will at least leave you churning with insomnia this Halloween.
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is back. That's good news, and while it's not the best in the series, I've enjoyed it like crazy. It still retains the authenticity of the franchise, which makes it a more than valid option for anyone who wants to approach a slightly different survival horror that has a unique approach, but at the same time tastes like a classic.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If Nintendo realizes that a large enough audience still exists in the West, the next entry in the franchise might be released in the west without such a long wait (and possibly a physical version for North America as well), another incentive for supporting Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. For now, I'll just sit back, turn all the lights off, and enjoy the game.
An unasked for remaster of a tedious, badly written survival horror that is even less effective now than it was seven years ago.
Koei Tecmo with Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water, fixes the bare minimum to please the fans, giving us a game far too backward and slow to take root on a new audience.
Review in Italian | Read full review