It’s hard to describe what is going on, but the camera whilst moving around the game’s areas can be a bit finicky and in combat it falls apart completely. Even an action as simple as turning around takes a bit more effort than one would imagine. Upon picking up the game for the first time, I was told the controls were bad so I expected this going in, but goddamn they are really bad. Thankfully, this optional and I found myself switching between the two modes. This certainly won’t be to everyone’s liking, having to basically wave your console around, but I had a lot of fun with it, and it’s always nice to see a clever use of a gimmick.

By doing this, you can move the Obscura’s frame to get more in the shot. You can keep the mechanic while playing on Switch by tilting and moving around your system with the joycons attached. Whilst this is gone on most newer systems for obvious reasons, the Switch does retain it, in a way. Maiden of Black Water‘s trick is that, being a Wii U exclusive, it made use of the unique design of that system by using the gamepad to control the Camera Obsucra. Shrine Maiden design is haunting and kinda cool.

Mix in the different film types and lenses, and you’ve got a combat system that is both complex and incredibly simple if a bit repetitive, rarely evolving beyond the first couple of hours. Time your photo to their attacks and you will trigger the fatal frame, which allows you to spam several photos for a couple of seconds to deal massive amounts of damage. Eventually, small spirits start floating around, and the more you have in frame, the more damage you will do. When a ghost starts to attack, you want to bring out the Camera Obscura and line it up in frame this will do some basic damage. Think Phasmaphobia with a Devil May Cry style scoring system, and you are pretty much there. The camera-based combat is definitely the franchise’s unique selling point, and here it’s taken to the next level. Whilst this is a mostly standalone experience, there are some major ties to previous games. I did very much enjoy unravelling Maiden of Black Water‘s story, even though one particular plot point just didn’t stick the landing at all, coming off as weird even for an already weird franchise. I was constantly wanting to get to the bottom of the twisted mystery that explores themes of suicide and sacrifice in one of the darkest settings I’ve ever visited in a horror game. Whilst not the most memorable characters in the genre, their personal stories are told throughout, which kept me engaged. It’s an immediately enthralling premise that starts off with a tense encounter with the maidens and spans across three individual characters. Then there’s Miu, who has journeyed to Hikami to search for her mother, who also went missing in said place. Ren is focused on researching the strange happenings in the area. Yuri has the special ability to see memories of ghosts seeing their final moments as well as visions of the living. Yuri and Ren run a small café, but also have been investigating the mysterious disappearances on the mountain. The story of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water takes place on Mount Hikami, a mysterious place holding a dark secret where people come to die.

Fatal frame 6 ps4