Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
A survival horror game set on a mountain of suicides.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a survival horror game from Koei Tecmo, first released by Nintendo for the Wii U in Japan in September 2014 and globally in October 2015. It is the series' fifth main installment. A remaster by Koei Tecmo for eighth and ninth generation consoles and Windows arrived worldwide in October 2021.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Nintendo (Wii U), Koei Tecmo
- Director
- Makoto Shibata
- Producer
- Keisuke Kikuchi
- Toshiharu Izuno
- Toru Osawa
- Akira Otani
- Designer
- Makoto Shibata, Yuki Sakamoto
- Writer
- Makoto Shibata
- Toru Osawa
- Toshiharu Izuno
- Composer
- Ayako Toyoda
- Series
- Fatal Frame
- Platforms
- Wii U
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- Windows
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X/S
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
The game is set on the fictional Hikami Mountain, a place known for suicides and spiritual events tied to local bodies of water. In the past, shrine maidens used mind-reading abilities to guide people to a peaceful death, but their emotions would overwhelm them, leading to their sacrifice as Eternal Flowers to contain a malevolent power called the Black Water. The story follows three protagonists: Yuri Kozukata, who can bring people back from the shadow world due to her descent from the Hikami shrine maidens; Ren Hojo, an author researching a new book with his assistant Rui Kagamiya; and Miu Hinasaki, daughter of earlier protagonist Miku Hinasaki. Ghosts they encounter include Shiragiku, a sacrificed shrine maiden, and Kyozo Kururugi, a man who killed many maidens and priests before committing suicide. The central story involves Ose Kurosawa, a shrine maiden chosen as an Eternal Flower after a near-death experience gave her powerful sixth sense abilities. She fell in love with Kunihiko Asou, creator of the Camera Obscura, but her emotions and Kururugi's rampage caused the ritual to fail, unleashing the Black Water and turning Ose into a hostile spirit. Miu, initially helping Yuri, sees a vision of her mother on the mountain and learns her father was Miku's dead brother Mafuyu. Two endings occur depending on Miu's actions: in the bad ending, Miku goes to the afterlife with Mafuyu; in the good ending, Miu saves Miku.
Development
The game was inspired by series co-creator Keisuke Kikuchi's reaction to the Wii U GamePad, which he saw as a way to use the Camera Obscura. He proposed the concept to Nintendo, leading to a joint production between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo SPD. Staff included Kikuchi as producer, director Makoto Shibata, and Nintendo's Toshiharu Izuno and Tohru Osawa. Planning began in 2011 during development of the Wii remake of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly. Key themes are water and the fear of being wet, with black as the key color, inspired by Shibata's 2008 visit to Los Angeles, where the dry summer lacked the dampness he associated with ghost encounters. Shibata made the game thinking it might be the final series entry. The theme song "In This Cage" was performed by Tsuki Amano, who had contributed to the series since Crimson Butterfly, and a second theme song "Higanbana" by AuJu was included to create something new and show the game's high-end status.
Release
The game was announced in April 2014 alongside a Japanese live-action film, novel, and comic. Its title and release date were revealed in a Niconico livestream in July. The digital version's large size required an external drive for non-Deluxe Wii U owners. Koei Tecmo's European branch initially claimed the game would not release outside Japan, but a Western release was hinted at by Tomonobu Itagaki and confirmed in a Nintendo Direct in April 2015, with the titles Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water in North America and Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water in Europe. It released in Europe on October 30, North America on October 22, and Australia on October 31. The localization was suggested to be due to fan requests. In Europe and Australia, it was available as a Limited Edition at retail and a free-to-start digital version with a prologue and first two chapters free. In North America, only the digital version was available, prompting a fan campaign by Operation Rainfall for a physical release. Western releases included Nintendo-themed costumes based on Princess Zelda and Samus Aran, replacing lingerie and swimsuit outfits from the Japanese version. Yuri Kozukata later appeared as DLC in Nights of Azure 2 and as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Reception
The Wii U version received "mixed or average" reviews on Metacritic with a score of 67 out of 100. Game Informer's Tim Turi disliked the cast and said the drawn-out structure harmed the premise. GameSpot's Alexa Ray Corriea found the story unimpressive, with early revelations and backtracking hurting pacing, and underdeveloped characters. IGN's Daniel Krupa praised the atmosphere and backstory. Nintendo World Report's Andrew Brown found the cast relatable and easy to sympathize with ghosts. Game Revolution's Ryan Bates enjoyed the creepy atmosphere but found the early character introductions confusing. VideoGamer.com's Tom Orry praised character and enemy design but faulted the English dub and revealing outfits. Eurogamer's Aoife Wilson called the story "half-baked" and faulted characters. Famitsu criticized female attire for disrupting atmosphere. Dengeki praised the use of Japanese horror elements. Corriea praised graphics and lighting, though noting they were not the sharpest. Brown noted blurry textures but cited lighting as a high point. Dengeki noted graphic quality and realistic character movement. In its opening week, the game debuted at #7 in Media Create's sales charts with 27,505 units, dropping to #11 the next week with 7,105 units, for a total of 34,610. Total 2014 sales reached 46,099 units, ranking #142 for the year.
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