Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
Update: Also just noticed the official Nintendo UK Fatal Frame 5 site is live.
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Release for Fatal Frame 5: Maiden of Black Water is about two weeks away (releases in American in October 22nd for $49.99 USD, Europe on October 30th, Australia on the 31st) across the digital WiiU eShop platform, and a physical limited edition in Europe. Nintendo has been mighty quiet on the release, but it stands as one of the only bigger horror games releasing this October. Review copies have been sent out and footage has been allowed, and some outlets have released some English gameplay footage to gawk at.
NeoGAF's own NateDrake took close to 20 minutes of gameplay from Mount Hikami, one of the earlier more atmospheric locations for his own site.
And GameXplain has uploaded the first 10 minutes of the game, the opening prologue.
And NinEverything has uploaded the first 30 minutes of the final English build of the game as well.
There's also an opinion article from the above, saying the game is a high-quality great horror game and questioning why it doesn't get a US physical release or much advertising.
But I have been playing the game for a few days now, and quality is not an issue. At all. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, so far, as been a stellar experience with some of the best GamePad usage so far on the system. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my time with this title, and think it has a lot going for it in terms of presentation, amount of content, game play, and visuals. While my full review will be released soon enough, from what I’ve experienced in my time with Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, I can easily say this has been one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences, especially in the horror genre, that I’ve had all year.
Of course, in a smarter move, Nintendo has made it so that the game 'free to start', so you can play the first three chapters (The Prologue, and Chapters 1 & 2) for free, which isn't a bad move to let people, excuse the pun, test the waters for those who have never tried the franchise or want to get a taste first. It also works as Fatal Frame 5 is supposed to be the longest entry in the series, being a total of 16 chapters long (including the prologue), and estimated to be around 16-24 hours long.
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Thoughts on the English dub, the bits of gameplay on display, holding out for the prologue, think it's going to bomb or be a surprise success as it doesn't have much competition? Fatal Frame has always been a series that's been underlooked a bit, think this will change tides, or be more the same? Review embargo apparently is a few days before release, so we should have some reviews on it soon as well.
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EDIT:
Examiner's impressions of the game: One of the best games in the franchise.
German Site has uploaded an hour of gameplay also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueMdRMqdbSQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD8cxN2Qz68
Nintendolife impressions:
On to one of the biggest questions - ss it scary? We've been playing Maiden of Black Water at night whenever possible, with the lights off and the sound turned up for maximum effect. Do the same, and we're fairly certain you're in for a chilling time. We're also happy to report that there haven't been any loud jump scares so far, nor a sudden violin shriek designed to give the player an artificial jolt of adrenaline. There's an elegance and subtlety to the horror of Fatal Frame which allows an unsettling atmosphere to take center stage; slowly building a sense of dread over the course of each chapter. Faces appear in windows and bodies shuffle past your line of sight without fanfare, allowing the moment to mingle with a sense of self-doubt.
Solid visuals are complimented by extraordinary sound design, as ghosts wail in an otherworldly tone that borders on mechanical. It's creepy to hear them lament their actions with their final whimpers, and the stronger "boss" ghosts have even more character to them. One such example took the form of a hanged man, who repeatedly threw himself out of the window before landing right back in front of our eyes. Notes scattered about the environment often give background information on these poor souls, and slowly reveal the influence of a mysterious presence. The English voice acting is also perfectly serviceable so far, but we've still got a way to go yet before completing the story and giving a full opinion.
So far, we feel that Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water could manage to both please fans and intrigue newcomers by doing enough differently without sacrificing that morose atmosphere in the process. It's shaping up to be perfect for the Halloween season, and we're very much looking forward to the rest of our trip to Mt.Hikami. In fact; we're dying to stay here as long as we can. Won't you join us? Forever?