Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water Reviews
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is so deeply Japanese that you’ll come away from it learning a bit about the wonderful horror storytelling tradition that the culture has. While some might find themselves at odds with a game that is so steadfastly traditional about how a horror game should play (especially on the back of the very modern Resident Evil: Village this year), if you go in with an open mind, understanding the cultural context that has lead to the game turning out this way, then you’re going to find it to be a really remarkable and enlightening bit of art. It’s not unlike going to an art gallery for a yurei exhibition, really.
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is just what horror games need right now. Zombies are such an oversaturated idea and they are everywhere. So it is nice to have something truly scary in a paranormal survival horror. It is a great game to introduce new fans to the series who possibly weren’t even born when it came out. Though controls are a bit finicky, it is very unique and stands out well in a slew of subpar horrors that rarely even raise a whimper, let alone have you losing sleep at night. The drab setting, story, lore, and atmosphere created would fit snuggly amongst other J-horror media. With jump scares here and there, it’s the subtle ones that got to me. What you think you saw, you did not see…or did you? If it raises my heart rate a little, that’s a good thing because horror doesn’t usually get to me. A job well done! Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water gets a Thumb Culture Platinum Award from me!
Instead of the in-your-face outright scare without substance, Maiden of Black Water goes for a sense of dread paired with an insatiable curiosity to know what happened next. It's a welcome re-introduction to the franchise in the West, a hit for the Wii U, which is still trying to prove it can appeal to "Mature" gamers. It will make you wonder just what was that sound down your dark hallway at 3am, and just when did your bathroom faucet start leaking?
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a uniquely thrilling horror experience. Armed with only a camera and your wits, the tension is palpable and oozes out of every nook and cranny of Mt. Hikami and the surrounding areas. The camera serves to be as trusty of a weapon as a gun and adds a distinct tension to the action that few games could replicate. The atmosphere, level design, and story all work in tandem to create a surprisingly tense and beautiful experience, despite relying a bit too much on backtracking and having a rather thin story.
With all this said, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is easily one of my favorite Wii U games to date. It feels like an old-school horror game but has the modern twists such as GamePad use and HD graphics to make it stand out in the gaming world today. It's a shame that this game didn't get a physical release, because I fear that it might hurt sales for this game. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a must own title for Wii U owners, and horror fans in general might want to pick up a Wii U just for this game – it's that good.
The new version of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water comes with improved graphics and some new content, but it would be a game worth playing even without them. Although it's occasionally more frustrating than scary, the clever gameplay and its dedication to tone and story make it one of the best survival horror games available for the Switch.
We take a look at the newly remastered version of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, now available on all consoles and PC.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a heart-racing, immersive survival horror experience thoughtfully tailored for Wii U. The perfect treat for Halloween.
The Survival Horror of Koei Teco Games leaves Wii U to stay on the rest of the platforms and make us live an unforgettable experience. It's not an experience for all audiences, but it's perfect for lovers of Japanese horror and the world of photography. Although it can become complex, the pace of adaptation becomes fluid.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water finds a wildly effective new way to utilize the GamePad as the Camera Obscura, and builds some great story and atmosphere. Barring an odd control scheme and some tedious missions, this is a stellar horror title for any Wii U owner.
[I]t's got an interesting story. It's got some really wicked visuals. The ghosts are creepy as shit. Some of the jump scares are pretty bad. And it just has this sense of creepiness that all the Fatal Frame games have had. So if you're familiar with this franchise, you're gonna be right at home. If you've never played 'um before, it's okay. The games kindof connect via some of the characters, but it's usually a completely new story, so you can jump right in this and still have a great time with it.
Despite these nitpicks, this game is a triumphant revival of a series that has remained dormant in North America for several console generations, and for those who did get to play the Wii iterations there is much new spooky fun to be had. Fatal Frame is still the crowning king of the genre, and Maiden of Black Water holds the best representation of everything that makes the series great. The fact that an English release of this game exists at all is cause for celebration, and should definitely not be missed by fans of survival horror or Japanese ghost stories. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is good to the last drop.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water reminded me why I love this series so much. It has its flaws, but they are minor compared to what the title does really well. There is a genuine sense of creepiness that permeates almost all of the game, and those brief times of respite help to build up the interesting story at the heart of the game. Horror fans will want to give this a go. Meanwhile, I will impatiently await my remake of the original trilogy.
Using the GamePad as if it were the Camera Obscura we liked a lot, although it is better used in Off-TV mode. Otherwise it does not bring novelties to the saga, but perfects the formula to offer a worthy delivery. Too bad it arrives in English.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is undoubtedly a excellent horror game, sexy and beautiful characters, interesting plot. It inherited and optimized the unique battle style--using camera fighting with ghosts. The Janpanese-style horror atmosphere shaping makes the game have a very outstanding performance in the horror game genre.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water brings a world of nostalgia and pleasure for old gamers who grew up with Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is a refreshingly traditional survival horror game that's genuinely scary.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is going to be a tough sell for those who aren't familiar with the franchise. It's got a lot of questionable design decisions and feels like a more bare bones experience than past games of the series. But it's Fatal Frame, these games only come along in a blue moon these days, so savor them while they still exist.
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water (Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water) just pulls you in and then never lets go. And it really works through great atmosphere, powerfull sound design, stylish artwork, interesting plot and an interesting combat.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Overall, Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is a superb return for the series, and while it will undoubtedly frustrate most players with its archaic and downright atrocious control scheme, it makes up for its shortcomings with a fun and intuitive combat system, a scary and obscure story and stunning sound and art direction.