Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

Fatal Frame as a franchise never really saw the mainstream popularity spikes that both Resident Evil and Silent Hill had. It has its dedicated fanbases in Japan and in the West, but I think you need only to look at American pop culture today to understand why a series of games tied to themes based around Japanese occult motifs would never catch on like one based around a zombie apocalypse set in America. Thankfully, I think Nintendo has realized that, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to write this review for Fatal Frame 5 after the abysmal sales of Spirit Camera on the 3DS. Sales and Popularity don’t necessarily equal quality though, and even as what I’ve seen other people call a “weaker entry,” saying that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy myself in my play through of Maiden of Black Water would be an outright lie.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water takes place around Mt. Hikami, a place where an order of shrine maidens would ease people’s minds before death by taking on their painful memories and emotions. Overtime, tragedy after tragedy struck the mountain and now it’s haunted by the lingering spirits of those same maidens. All of the main characters have their own specific ties to the events on the mountain. Yuri Kozukata shares the same abilities that the shrine maidens had, Ren Hojo has an interest in the events of the mountain, using it as inspiration to write a book, and Miu Hinasaki is looking for her mother who went missing on the mountain before the events in the game take place. It’s a lot to take in, and while each character does receive resolution in some form or another, the path there might not be one that’s enjoyable. Much of the characterization is done through scrap journal entries as the game’s cutscenes don’t do much to define the characters or their motives. The only somewhat well-defined character is Ren, and he’s honestly one of the few characters I felt invested in.

What Maiden of Black Water lacks in characterization though it more than makes up for in themes and undertones. Loneliness and companionship have been huge parts of the Fatal Frame narrative since the first game that came out over a decade ago, and I feel like this most recent entry explores those concepts the most. Yuri is distraught by her unique power to sense and see ghosts to the point that she is driven into an isolated depression, Miu feels rejected and alone after her only family abandoned her at age 3, and Ren’s plotline eventually evolves into him wanting to help one of the ailing spirits of the mountain. Even the minor characters and many of the ghosts have ties to these themes, it’s pretty crazy how consistent the writing team was about keeping everything tied together this way. Loneliness makes for a theme that lets the player easily empathize with game’s characters, it’s just a shame that the rest of the narrative and characterization feels weaker and downplays this.

The story in Fatal Frame has never really felt like its major selling point, at least not for me. Much of the game’s charm comes from its unique gameplay about exorcising ghosts through a camera lens. Over the years of the series development the combat is the one thing that continually sees evolution and improvements, and Maiden of Black Water easily has one of the most rewarding and fun. The game makes specific use of the WiiU’s gamepad, and honestly I think it would be a sin if it didn’t. Using a combination of the controller’s gyroscope and the analog sticks, you’re given a multitude of ways to set up your shot and the game rewards you for being more creative with how frame your enemies. Tilting the controller adjusts the frame, but analog functions don’t take into account that you’ve rotated the pad, which can sometimes lead to awkward target losses until you get used to the fact that the controls will always be set to you holding the controller “horizontally” even when rotated “vertically.” There’s also a lock-on function that helps keep track of the ghosts attacking you, but you still have to do the work of getting them in the frame first. There’s certainly a learning curve to the combat, but it’s not frustrating to master and you really do feel like a better player by the end of the game.

There is one noticeable downside to the gameplay though, and that’s movement outside of using the Camera Obscura. Movement tends to be an obstacle in Survival Horror games, but never enough that it impedes actual progression. Characters turn like they’re drunk, which is vastly different from other entries in the series where speed was an issue, but not maneuverability. This mostly becomes a problem later where there are more tight corridors with ghost encounters. You can do a quick turn with by hitting back on the left analog and hitting the run button. The problem is if your finger lingers just a little too long your character will go bolting off, typically right into the face of whatever it was you were trying to turn to see. Much like combat, it’s something you get used to, but movement shouldn’t have a learning curve. All these points though bring me to my final observation.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water does not feel like a survival horror game. Combat was certainly the focus this time, and things like the over-the-shoulder camera and a fluid targeting system help support that aspect of the game. What’s gone is tension building though. Very rarely did I find myself in a position where I was scared or offset by things happening in the game. The mood is all there though. Creepy and unsettling environments push for playing carefully rather than running through them, but they lose their shock factor after you’ve retread the same areas four or five times. I personally hate seeing Japanese-style dolls in anything horror, and there is a whole section of the game that makes use of them. While that was the only time I actually put the game down from not wanting to play out of fear, I eventually got so used to it that it stopped bothering me. This is the unfortunate problem with Fatal Frame 5’s length and repeated use of the same areas for different characters.

Don’t take this to mean that the game doesn’t have its moments though. Underneath it all, Maiden of Black Water has one of my favorite encounters in the form a very tall (we’re talking like two stories at a minimum in height) ghost woman you encounter halfway into the game. Her design is unsettling and lanky, and unlike the other ghosts she’s the only one you cannot interact with to learn about her passing. She has a creepy smile and will always slowly turn towards the camera. It’s great, and I love it, but I wish the game could have had more unsettling spirits like her.

Despite the change in tone and focus on combat over building fear, I really enjoyed Fatal Frame 5. Combat is its strong point, and the developers zeroed in on that aspect and put it at the forefront. The mission style layout and scoring system of the game gives it plenty of replay value along with a bunch of unlockable costumes and accessories. There's even an extra set of levels that have you playing as Ayane from the Dead or Alive series. Unable to wield a Camera Obscura, she's forced to sneak past ghosts a la Metal Gear. If you enjoyed games like Resident Evil 4 and have wanted something similar to it, the Fatal Frame 5 has you covered. It might not be a purely Survival Horror game, but it certainly has the heart of one.