Koei Tecmo have announced the release date of Japanese horror game Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water launches digitally October 28th on Windows, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Physical Asia-English version will be available for import via Play-Asia.
As previously reported, the game takes place on Mt. Hikami, a sacred mountain that is nonetheless haunted by incidents bizarre and unfortunate, and the water is said to be home to vengeful spirits. Three people now venture there to uncover the mountain’s mysteries, and find what happened to those who went missing there.
An enhanced version of the 2014 Wii U game, players are armed with only a flashlight and the Camera Obscura; the latter which can take pictures of spirits to exorcise them. The game also boasts improved visuals, the nee Photo Mode to set up their own dioramas, and new costumes.
The new gameplay trailer reveals more about the main characters, and their reasons for heading to the mountain, along with gameplay mechanics. Once again, players must let ghosts get as close as possible to maximize damage from the camera, then learn how the person perished once their spirit is beaten.
You can find the overview trailer below.
As shown at the very end of the trailer, players unlock a special chapter after beating the game; featuring Ayane from Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden (as they could in the Wii U original).
As explained on the official website, while Ayane cannot use the Camera Obscura, “However, she is able to make full use of her ninja abilities and is adept at working under the cover of night. She can hide from view and avoid the ghosts in order to accomplish her mission. Enjoy a fresh kind of playstyle through this unique chapter.”
UPDATE: The official Japanese website states at the foot of the main page “Yuri ‘Swimsuit’ and Fukaba ‘Gravure Swimsuit’ from the Wii U version are not included in this game” (translation: DeepL). With the original release, Fukaba did not have this costume, including in a flashback.
This was in spite of the character having been a gravure model at that time, and having Fukaba discussing her feelings of being restrained and “doing whatever she was told.” While uncensored in the original Japanese release, it seems this will not be the case this time around. It would be surprising if the west had an uncensored release, while the Japanese version was censored.
You can find the abridged rundown (via the official website) below.
Mt. Hikami was once worshiped as a sacred place where a unique religion was taught.
The water on this mountain is believed to house spirits, and there is a teaching from this region that “humans are born from water and return to it at the end of their lives.”
As a result, “people looking for death” come to this mountain and experience their last moments while they come in contact with the mountain’s water. They believe this is the proper way to end their lives.
Several peculiar rituals and customs still exist on this mountain, and many bizarre and unfortunate occurrences have supposedly taken place here.
This story takes place on Mt. Hikami, a mountain believed to be a sacred place, and revolves around Yuri Kozukata, Ren Hojo and Miu Hinasaki who act as the three protagonists whose stories are interwoven in this mysterious and dream-like tale.
