Project Zero (Fatal Frame): Maiden of the Black Water Review

Overview:

Only one year after it's initial release in Japan Nintendo finally decided to bring Project Zero 5 (Fatal Frame for our american friends) to the west. After the Japan exclusive 4^th part and the remake of the second, which was only available in Japan and Europe, this is the first time that Nintendo players all around the world can experience the creepy series. But can Project Zeros approach at horror still shock gamers, after the rise of games like Outlast and Five Nights at Freddys?

Story:

The story follows three different characters, and revolves around the cursed Mt. Hikami. The mountain is widely known as suicide mountain, attracting many people, who wish to end their lives. This also turned it into a gathering place for countless evil spirits, which haunt the lonely forests and forsaken buildings of Mt. Hikami. Miu Hinasaki is a young girl searching for her mother. Ren Hojo is a writer, researching the mountain for his newest book, but he also tries to find the truth about a repressed memory, connecting him to the mountain. Finally Yuuri Kozukata is, what you could call, the main protagonist of this game. She has the ability to see ''shadows'' and bring back people and objects from the spirit world. She looks for her mentor Hisoka, who has gone missing on the mountain. The stories of these three characters are, of course, intertwined.

Gameplay:

Project Zero 5 was my first entry in this series, so for me it was all fresh and new, but if you're a veteran, you won't have to learn any new tricks. The core gameplay of the series hasn't been changed since the first part and number 5 follows this tradition. In the shoes of your characters you'll explore different locations on Mt. Hikami and battle it's evil spirits with the help of the Camera Obscura. This mystical Object not only allows you to see hidden objects and make them visible, it also allows you to combat ghosts and thus survive the mountain. It's an universal tool to solve puzzles and generally progress upwards on the cursed mountain.

Using the camera works via the Wii-U Gamepad. The screen of the pad serves as camera lens and by moving the controller you'll target ghosts, items and the boobs of your boss... It works very intuitive and, for me, marks one of the best uses of the Wii-U Gamepad so far. However some players may have problems playing for long periods, because after a while the weight of the Gamepad comes quite apparent.

The Camera itself works just like in previous entries, with the slight difference that you're now able to move, while taking pictures. This makes the battles a bit easier than in previous games.
Most ghosts take more than one hit, and taking a picture of them releases several ghost fragments which work as weak points. Capturing five focus points (Faces, ghost spheres) on one pictures buffs the damage of it quite significantly and awards you with a lot of points. Better pictures provide more points, which can be used to buy items and upgrade the Camera Obscura.

Of course the ghosts won't let you just vanquish them. They have several ways of attacking, teleport around and generally try to ambush you. If a Ghost manages to grab you, there is a small time window, where you're able to counter attack, saving you and giving you a small time frame to take pictures without any penalties.

Because normally there is a waiting time after taking a picture, which leaves you completely vulnerable to ghost attacks. This period differs with the film you use in your camera. The standard film, which is the weakest, but has infinite charges, takes the longest to reload. Then there are three stronger films, but their charges are limited and you should use them wisely. Especially when a boss comes up soon.

There are also several lenses which you can use with you Camera. Each lens provide a special ability, like stunning or shooting 4 pictures at once. Using these lenses wisely and combining them with the films provides essential in taking down stronger ghosts and especially the bosses.

These boss battles are a nerve-racking change from the slower approach the game normally has. They'll put you in a state of constant stress and therefore are a great refresher.

Generally speaking Project Zero is a little to easy on the lower difficulties. Before each chapter you can buy items to help you, but I never had to do this, because the amount you received automatically proved to be more than enough.

Now this are all things that veteran players are familiar with, so what new features does the game contain? Not too many, I'm afraid. Apart from the new controls for the Camera Obscura there are only two notable changes. First on your character now can run through the press of a button. This increases the mobility in fight situations, but still wont let you run away from your attacks. The always present water on Mt. Hikami will slow you down. This also ties directly into the other new feature. The Wetness gauge. Walking through water, under Waterfalls or just outside in the rain will make your character wet. This makes the more susceptible to the spirit world, increasing the damage they deal with the Camera Obscura, but also opens them up to ghostly attacks. Their defense is lowered and they'll encounter more ghosts on their way up the mountain.

The Wetness gauge can be cleared with a new item called the Purifying Flame. This item is also important to remove the ''Yomi Nure'' Status effect. Certain Ghosts can afflict you with this curse which will result in lowered defense, reduced vision and a gradual loss of health.

Presentation:

The Presentation of a Horror game is an important part of the experience, because it determines if the game is successful in building an atmosphere. First let me say that Project Zero does succeed, but also that the graphics are nothing to brag about. The character models are the only thing truly next gen about this game. They look great and extremely detailed. Koei Tecmo once again succeeds in designing beautiful protagonists. The game uses the same engine as Dead or Alive 5, which is obvious through the breast jiggling of the female heroines. Some people may find this distracting in a horror game, but for me it didn't do much. Neither in a positive nor negative sense. Still it should be pointed out that a lot of emphasis is put on showing the females off to the player.

The Ghosts sadly don't receive the same amount of detail. While some of the special ghosts are looking really good (Good in a spooky kind of way, of course) and detailed, the standard enemies often look like they haven't changed since the PS 2 days.

And while not as bad, the areas and surroundings are also not completely up to date. Many textures look blurry and modern things like Anti-Aliasing are also not present. But still the game creates an eerie and dark atmosphere. Especially when played in the dark.

Project Zero takes its time in building an atmosphere. Sound is used sparsely but effectively. The Set pieces are well designed and fit the overarching theme of water and death. Especially the abandoned shrines on Mt. Hikami filled me with an uneasy feeling that I couldn't shake off. However there was never a moment where I didn't want to progress further.

Lastly the voice acting in the game was sufficient. It was nothing memorable, but it didn't impact the game in any negative way, in both, the Japanese and English version.

Bonusround or the game after the game:

Spoiler Warning:

After finishing the game the first time around, you'll unlock nightmare mode. This new mode allows you to play the game again on a higher difficulty. Nightmare mode is quite challenging and if you didn't sweat much on your first play through it certainly will test your skills on this difficulty. Apart from nightmare mode, you'll also unlock the Zero Suit Samus and Princess Zelda outfits for your heroines. This outfits replace the lingerie costumes that you got in the Japanese version.

Lastly you'll unlock a bonus episode staring Ayane from Ninja Gaiden. The Kunochi enters Mt. Hikami to find a girl name Tsugumi Katashina.

Ayanes gameplay is radically different from the other characters in the main game. At the start Ayane get's injured, which takes away her normal movement capabilities. Also she has no way to fight the ghosts. This leads to a different approach in this bonus episode, because she has to rely on stealth. A cloaking spell through on of the Tattoos on her back, hiding her from the Ghosts perception. She also wields an item called the ''Spirit Stone Torch'', which allows her to knock back and stun ghosts.

Conclusion:

Project Zero is a nice change from other actual horror games, which often rely on putting the player in a state of constant terror. It takes it's time in building an eerie atmosphere and doesn't bombard the player with shock moments. Still it is the most action oriented entry into the series. You'll also only find real challenge in the unlockable nightmare mode, because healing items are available in ample amounts.

The graphics are, apart from the characters, not really up to date, with some ghosts looking like they still come from the PS 2 era. The set pieces and environments, while lacking some detail, still create an intense atmosphere and offer enough variety for the game to not become stale.

Some new additions, like the wetness gauge and the ability to run, shake the gameplay up a bit, and generally push the game towards the action route.

Lastly the integration of the Wii-U Gamepad is one of the best to date. It feels very intuitive and is easy to use, but some people may find it hard to hold Gamepad in front of them for longer periods of time.

Conclusion (One Sentence):

Project Zero is a slower and more classical approach to horror games, which will need some time to drag you in, but then reveals a good horror game, without to many innovations.  

Source of all Pictures: Nintendo