FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water

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Photograph the drowned dead of a sacred mountain before they pull you under.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (83% of 6,549 reviews)
Players: 1
Controls: Controller recommended; mouse and keyboard supported on PC.
Made by: Koei Tecmo
Released: 2021

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store (PS4 and PS5)Xbox Nintendo Switch

What frightens On Mt. Hikami, a sacred mountain where people come to die, pale drowned spirits drift out of the dark and reach for you. Your only weapon is an old camera: you have to raise it, frame the ghost's face and wait until it is almost on you to take the strongest shot, while the dead whisper and the water keeps rising around you.
Content: suicide, self-harm, violence, jumpscares.

Maiden of Black Water is the fifth main game in the Fatal Frame, or Project Zero, series of Japanese ghost horror, remastered in 2021 for PC and consoles. Three protagonists search Mt. Hikami, a mountain of shrines and suicides, and fight its vengeful spirits only by photographing them with the Camera Obscura.

About FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water first came out on Wii U in 2014 in Japan and 2015 elsewhere. Koei Tecmo remastered it for the series' 20th anniversary in October 2021, bringing Fatal Frame to PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch for the first time, with sharper visuals, new outfits, an updated ghost list and a photo mode.

The story follows three people, Yuri Kozukata, Miu Hinasaki and Ren Hojo, across chapters set on Mt. Hikami. The mountain was once a holy place where water was worshipped as a god, and it has a long history of gruesome deaths and disappearances. Using a power called Shadow Reading, the characters follow the lingering memories of people who vanished there, deeper into the forest, shrines and abandoned houses.

The Camera Obscura is everything. It can reveal hidden things and lost items, but mostly it is how you fight: when a ghost comes at you, you look through the lens, frame it and wait for the moment it lunges to land a Fatal Frame shot. After a spirit is defeated, a Glance shows you its last moments. Rain and water play a part too, making spirits stronger the wetter you are.

It is slow, sad and frightening in the way of Japanese ghost stories, and its store page warns of suicide and self-harm themes. It suits players who want horror built on ghosts rather than monsters.

How to play FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water

Buy the game on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox or Switch.
Play each chapter as the protagonist it gives you, exploring Mt. Hikami in third person.
Use Shadow Reading to follow the traces of people who disappeared.
When a ghost attacks, raise the Camera Obscura, keep it in frame and shoot when it is about to strike.
Pick up film, healing items and lens upgrades, and finish the story to unlock extra missions.

Screenshots

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water screenshot: a pale, wet ghost with black tears leans close to a frightened girl's face

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water screenshot: Yuri on the ground at night, holding up the old camera

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water screenshot: Miu holds the Camera Obscura in a dim old Japanese house

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water screenshot: a white-haired girl in a black kimono before shelves of traditional dolls

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water key art: Yuri beside a hooded, blue-faced spirit by a stone lantern

Tips

Wait for the red Fatal Frame moment just before a ghost attacks; the shot does far more damage.
Dry off when you can; getting soaked makes ghosts more dangerous.
Use your strongest film sparingly and save it for tough spirits.
Photograph passing ghosts for the ghost list; some appear only for a moment.