Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is a boldly unique and innovative take on Survival Horror, honouring the series traditions while further refining and building upon the prolific game design that makes them so distinctly disturbing and beloved by many. Ready your Camera Obscura and defend yourself against the nightmarishly abrasive and malevolent spirits of Mt. Hikami in the photography based combat as you uncover the hauntingly dark secrets that now desecrate a once sacred location.

Warning: Heavy use of gore and themes of suicide.

Developers: Koei Tecmo Games, Koei Tecmo

Publishers: Nintendo, Koei Tecmo Games, Koei Tecmo, KOEI TECMO AMERICA Corporation, Nintendo of America

Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch

Review Code Provided

Written by: Gabriel Sewell

The Project Zero series (also known as Fatal Frame) is an incredibly renowned but somewhat underground franchise here in the West, first debuting on the Playstation 2 back in 2001. Over the years it has gone on to amass quite the cult following among horror fans due to its unique Japanese setting, innovative Photography based combat and incredibly disturbing themes, spanning across five spectacular main entries and two spin-off games. Although you wouldn’t be blamed for not knowing or even hearing about the series as it has the tendency to fly below the eyes of mainstream popularity, but with such a long and well developed lineage it’s to no surprise that the latest re-release of Maiden of Black Water is an exemplary addition, proving that the series still has plenty of life left and even more scares to give.

Originally receiving a worldwide release for the Nintendo Wii U back in 2015 (was released previously in Japan 2014), Maiden of Black Water was one of the best games Nintendo's flagship console had to offer, fully utilising the console's Gamepad to create a shockingly immersive experience. However, due to the Wii U not being a commercial success, the game sadly fell into obscurity. Now available for modern systems, it finally has the chance to become the success it rightly deserves to be.

After a devastating landslide, the once sacred Mt. Hikami was abandoned, now the only ones that dare to venture up the mountain are those with a death wish or psychic abilities. It’s often said that those who travel up the mountain, especially during a sunset, become mesmerised by the “Dark Sun” and run the risk of being spirited away. The mountain itself has a rich history of disturbing and horrific events that really stick with you long after learning about them. Taking place on Mt. Hikami, players will experience the story from the perspectives of the three protagonists; Yuri Kozukata, Miu Hinasaki and Ren Hojo. Each with distinct and varied personalities, strengths and motivations. Because the story itself is heavily linked to the previous titles through the use of recurring characters, there's a lot of in-depth lore to uncover that might otherwise go unnoticed. So although you don't need to play the other titles to fully enjoy the story, players who are familiar with the previous games' events will benefit significantly. I was surprised at just how well delivered the intricate story and details were throughout my roughly 15 hour playthrough. I was constantly left in a state of suspense, excited but also apprehensive to learn more as I pieced together the fragments of the many deeply disturbing events. And judging from the lore, I’d take an educated guess that the story was largely influenced by the Japanese religion of Shintoism, and the infamous suicide forest known as Aokigahara. These real world influences only help to create an even more disturbing and authentic experience. Although the game goes far more into the mythological and spiritual side of things, keeping everything feeling unique and hard to predict.

From the moment you set foot on Mt. Hikami, you can't help but feel like you don’t belong. You’re filled with an overwhelming sense of dread as you anxiously creep down the narrow corridors of dilapidated buildings, wade through deep water, or explore the decaying ruins of sacred shrines and the remnants of a village that once was. Not to mention the woeful sorrow that permeates the air as you learn about the sinister events that transpired on the very grounds you walk, it adds a whole new level of depth to your fear. I really appreciate how the environment is creatively used to help deliver this story and lore, from the many notes and documents scattered around each area, to the brief encounters with the non-hostile spirits (be sure to snap a pic). While each area is unique and consistently well designed, exploration can feel somewhat linear. However, this does help to create a more directed and evenly paced experience overall. Players are still routinely given the chance to explore each area more openly, sometimes with little to no guidance of how to progress, making for a nice challenge that helps to remedy the lack of puzzles. And since you’ll often visit the same location more than once but under different circumstances, the world starts to feel much more cohesive with every location feeling connected and far more significant.

The Camera Obscura (a series staple) is an extremely rare antique that can interact with the spiritual realm and is primarily used to exercise spirits. This Camera will be your only form of defence, you’ll also find a variety of lenses and film that come with different stat boosts and bonuses. On paper, using motion controls to aim the Camera Obscura instead of the Wii U’s Gamepad might sound like there would have to be a trade off, but to my surprise it works perfectly with a pro controller, and in handheld mode, it feels the exact same. With such an immersive mechanic in play it’s very easy to find yourself “spirited away” and fully immersed, although at times I did feel like the combat dragged on for too long, taking away any suspense that had built up. Because the game takes a very cinematic approach to game design with heavy, realistic movement and stiff controls that keep basic traversal slow. I could easily see how some people might find this, and specifically the weight of the characters movement to be off putting at first, I know I did. But after playing for a couple of hours I realised how much more immersive it made everything feel, something as simple as turning a corner or opening a door is suddenly filled with suspense and anticipation as you get lost in the fear of ambiguity. Pair that with the dark environments that are dimly lit by your torch and it creates an incredibly cinematic and almost traumatising experience. Although, I personally found the camera controls while moving around to feel a bit unresponsive but this was easily fixed by turning up the sensitivity in the settings.

We all love a good wet T-shirt competition, am I right fellas? Well be careful not to get the characters too wet or you’ll be tainted by the Black Water and drastically lose health until you either die or use an item called Purifying Embers. Admittedly this mechanic isn’t fully utilised within the game but makes for a nice additional feature, keeping an eye on the gauge in the bottom right hand corner when walking through water submerged rooms can actually make combat in certain areas a lot more hazardous. That’s not the only quirky mechanic though, at the end of each chapter you’re presented with a rating and the total amount of points you accumulated from taking pictures but you’re probably wondering; should I even care about points or ratings? Well, yes. There’s a lot of unlockable costumes and accessories to spend your points on as well as items to use within the next chapter. It also helps to add replay value for those of you that care about getting the highest rating or best score possible.

I’m sure we can all agree that the backbone of any good horror is always the sound design, in this case it’s very reminiscent of classic horror games from the 90’s, with a constant ambient drone that creates an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere. During certain actions like picking up items the ambient noise will actually swell and grow in intensity, helping to elicit an overwhelming sense of panic within the player. Not to mention the horribly distorted and disfigured screams of the spirits you encounter that are just genuinely terrifying, overall I was very impressed by the use of such simple yet effective techniques. Outside of the ambient soundscapes there isn’t a whole lot of music for me to comment on, which is a shame, but I suppose there doesn’t need to be.

It's actually hard to believe how good the game looks, especially running on the Nintendo Switch. Graphically it’s far more superior than anything we’re used to. The character models are stunningly detailed and gorgeously rendered, and although some textures throughout the environment might look a bit low-res, everything else looks visually stunning , especially the water. Running at a target of 30fps you will notice occasional dips, especially when loading into a new area while sprinting but for the most part it isn’t too noticeable, or at least doesn’t detract from the experience as a whole. I do however own the Wii U version which seems to run much better, it’s a bit of a shame but will hopefully be patched in the future.

Conclusion

The extremely distressing and graphic story that carries the enjoyable but sometimes excessive combat, derived from real world events, folklore and religion is one that I won’t forget for a long time. For this alone, I think it deserves a place among the best. And although some people might find the game a bit too slow, its sense of individuality and bold design choices help to create an experience that’s unlike any other. If not for the moments of tedium and occasionally frustrating controls, it’d be one of the best horror games I’ve played in a long time. From the shadows emerges a wonderfully unique and boldly innovative Survival Horror that’s sure to scare even the toughest of spirits, treat yourself to this gruesomely scary game this Halloween and maybe don’t use your camera for a while.

2/3

Good Game, Worth Your Time And Money.

Pros

Amazing Story

Genuinely Scary

Incredibly Unique

Cons

Combat occasionally feels drawn out

Author: Gabriel Sewell

Published: 27/10/2021 - 23:01