Maiden Of Black Water is the latest entry in the Fatal Frame series. This game was actually a Japanese exclusive as the Fatal Frame franchise is not as popular as Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Ipurchased the Switch version since it was recently ported on other consoles. Maiden of Black Water focuses on a group of people investigating a strange paranormal mystery on Mt Hikami and who are determined to find the cause of these extraordinary events. It is a horror game and definitely not for the faint of heart.
Thereis a lot of pacing issues with so much repetitive back and forth in the same location. It was annoying and caused the game to drag on longer than necessary. The graphics were excellent, and the art design was also very well done. The voice acting was decent and the atmosphere was appropriate for the game.Another annoying aspect is that ghosts will randomly grab you while collecting an object instead of simply pressing x to get the item you need, sometimes the ghost tries to stop you from getting it.
Gameplay wise, it is the most accessible one in the series as it has a very easy mode which is especially helpful given the awkward control system. You explore around certain areas of Mt. Hikami solving puzzles and looking through all kinds of objects to figure out what is really going on. You are graded at the end of each level, so you get points based on your performance. You use a camera called “Camera Obscura” while fighting ghosts and to also capture certain moments that give depth to the story. You can upgrade and customize your camera as time goes by and score combo points based on quickly you capture the ghosts to defeat them.
Overall, it was a decent horror game.
It gets 3 out of 5 stars.