Unlike the other characters, she does not have access to a Camera Obscura, so she must avoid ghosts. In addition to the three main characters' story arcs, a special episode features Dead or Alive protagonist Ayane. The ailment is only lifted by defeating all the enemies in the area or using an item to remove all wetness. In addition, characters can be inflicted with a status ailment from dark-colored ghosts or from a special attack: this ailment decreases vision and defense, and deteriorating health. The amount of wetness has positive and negative effects on the character: being wet increases the damage done by the Camera Obscura while increasing the number of ghosts present in an area and attacks causing more damage. A wetness meter tracks how damp the character gets when navigating environments. Characters can also concentrate on items in the environment related to missing people, generating a shade that leads them to the person's location. The characters can glimpse pieces of a ghost's past upon defeating them or when they launch a special attack. Īside from the Camera Obscura, other factors are present in play. During combat, after a shot is taken, fragments of a ghost will appear around them. The most damaging is a "fatal frame", which hits a ghost's weak spot. The camera is controlled using the Wii U Gamepad, with shots of varying proximity and angles affecting how much damage the ghost takes. The only means of defense and attack for the characters is the Camera Obscura, an antique camera that is used from a first-person perspective.
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If a ghost grabs the character, they can either dodge or break free from their grip. During exploration, the characters are confronted by hostile ghosts that attack and damage them through touch. Characters navigate environments using an interactive map, and can either walk or perform a sprint. An attacking ghost is repelled using the Camera, which registers the hit as a "Fatal Frame".įatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water puts the player in control of three different characters traversing a number of environments across Hikami Mountain from a third-person perspective, including ruined buildings and dark forests. Reviewers greatly praised its use of the gamepad and dark atmosphere, while opinions were mixed on its story, pacing and controls. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews. Japanese singer Tsuki Amano returned from earlier entries to perform the theme song. The cast went through several revisions during development, while the staff experimented with the capacities of the new hardware. Kikuchi and fellow co-creator Makoto Shibata returned to their respective posts of producer and director, together with staff from Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and developers new to the series.
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Series co-creator Keisuke Kikuchi proposed the project when he saw that the Wii U GamePad could be used as the Camera Obscura. Planning for the game began in 2011, during production of the Wii remake of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly. The story, which is set on the fictional Hikami Mountain, focuses on three protagonists who are drawn into supernatural events revolving the area, including an ancient ritual to seal away the Black Water, a malevolent force corrupting the surrounding spirits that is tied to the fate of the titular shrine maiden Ose Kurosawa. A post-endgame story featuring Ayane, a character from the company's Dead or Alive series, is also available featuring altered gameplay mechanics. A remaster for eighth and ninth generation consoles and Windows, this time published by Koei Tecmo, was released worldwide in October 2021.Īs with previous games in the series, players navigate areas filled with hostile ghosts which must be fought by taking photographs using the Camera Obscura, which is directly controlled using the Wii U Gamepad. The fifth main entry in the Fatal Frame series, it was originally published by Nintendo for the Wii U in Japan in September 2014 and worldwide in October 2015. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a survival horror video game developed by Koei Tecmo.