Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water” may be the best game in the series since the original, but it’s far from a perfect fit on the Wii U.
With plenty of ambiance, beautiful visuals and some of interesting usage of the Nintendo Wii U GamePad, “Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water,” is the most intriguing survival horror offering on the system. The lack of real polish hurts the overall package enough however to make it more of a middling entry to the Wii U catalogue.
The biggest problem with this game is its presentation. While it offers legitimate scares, the lack of real voice acting during the cut scenes just doesn’t get it done. It’s almost like watching a film the likes of “Paranormal Activity,” with captions. There’s simply not enough ways to want to get invested in the story, despite the fact that there’s plenty of intrigue there. built around the disappearances of several people. the cut-scenes are eery. The shot selection is awesome as well as the scenes are brimming with frightening potential. But with no way to truly connect with the characters, the narrative isn’t nearly as scary as it could have been. 20 years ago when the series was in its heyday, sure, captions would have been fine, but in 2026, horror survival gamers expect better- even on the Wii U.
With the release of the indie hit “Year Walk,” the Wii U has proven to be a place where scares are more than possible, they are a reality. While comparing “Year Walk” and “Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water” makes sense because they share the same genre, Fatal Frame is on entirely different level from the start due to its wonderful visuals and better use of the console. But where “Year Walk” forces you to think and uses its indie label to its own benefit, “Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water” never takes full advantage of its graphical and audio superiority- or at least not enough to put it in a league by itself.
“Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water” does have its moments though. From the sound of rushing water, to the vibrations from walking and the provocative visuals and story, it’s a game that mature gamers on the Wii U have been waiting for. Using storytelling devices made famous in Japanese horror flicks, it’s oozing with charisma.Right from the beginning of the story, the GamePad shakes and the grim, shadowy visuals will put you on edge. While it would have been better to have less text on the screen and voiceovers, the atmosphere is dark and creepy. At times you’ll want to stop playing because you know a jump scare is coming, but you trek on. While some of the frightful moments are obvious, some will force you to press pause and collect your thoughts.
The thing that brings you in the most is the controls. The fact that you use the GamePad to take photos is such a perfect fit and although the game takes its time to develop in terms of story, walking around levels and using the camera is seamless. As a result, it’ll be a cult-favorite on a console that is starving for solid third-party titles that delve far from the fun, platforming aura Nintendo provides.
The sad part is, it loses its cool factor fast.
As a matter of fact, the control is ultimately a novelty. Having to move the thing all around to capture ghosts is exhausting at times. Although it’s not like playing a game of “Wii Sports,” there’s too much energy required, on top of thinking your way through puzzles. On top of that, the control is finicky at best. The shoulder buttons feel fine, but the dual analog is clumsy and reveals the weak camera. With control issues and a lack of sexiness in terms of the way the story is presented, this game gets stuck in the shallow end of the pool despite looking good and having a solid story.
So while you may want to play “Super Mario Maker” with your kids during the day, the scare tactics in “Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water” make it a great game to play once the babies are in bed. With a lack of mature titles on the console, this is probably one of the only games adult gamers can really sink their teeth into that hasn’t been released already on a console.
With a nice amount of graphical appeal and clear homages to Japanese horror, the latest edition of the Fatal Frame series will definitely appeal to hardcore fans of the series, the few who own a Wii U. Those looking for a scare-fest on the Wii U may have better options in the form of “Year Walk,” but on name recognition and some of the prettiest third-party visuals on the console to date, it deserves your attention even in spite of its dated weaknesses.
The Good:
Solid Visuals: The facial expressions of the characters is enough to captivate at times and the environments are plain creepy.
Legitimate Jump Scares: Simply put, this is the scariest game on the Wii U.
The Bad:
Weak Control: The Wii U GamePad was made for games like “Super Mario Maker” and it shows. Walking around levels is a chore.
No Voice-Acting: It’s hard to get scared playing a video game when you’re too busy reading and not paying attention to what else is on the screen.
Final Thoughts:
Although it’s not a terrible game, the Wii U’s edition of “Fatal Frame” feels awfully dated, with sloppy controls and the type of presentation you would have expected a few console generations ago.
The post Retro Review: Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water: Treading Lightly appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.
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Old School Gamer Magazine