Topic: Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

@Magician : They did the same for the Atelier Mysterious trilogy release, while Atelier Dusk was all Version 1.0 on the cart, which really p'ed me off that they would issue one gold-class release and another in such a pathetic fashion.

Play-Asia have also been wrong about the odd detail before. They originally stated that the Atelier Dusk Trilogy release would require a separate download for the DLC content, but this was not the case.

With that said, I am not terribly optimistic, but unless there is a mandatory download or an obscene amount of DLC available at launch (rather than baking that content into the cartridge), I shall reluctantly persist with my purchase (which has since received a substantial price cut), but Koei are walking on thin ice.

Has this been doubly confirmed? I actually emailed Play-Asia the other day and still waiting for a reply. In their JP physical page for the game (as well as the Asian version) they updated the product info that the dub and sub will be patched in at November 30th. So I'm hopeful that regardless of what you pick you still get the JP dub and sub.
"Please note that English voice and subtitles are available via patch update in November. 30, 2021."

https://www.play-asia.com/fatal-frame-maiden-of-black-water-e...

I actually want to buy the JP version so that all my Japanese games DLC is in one place since I have my PayPal connected there and I don't want to add it to another [asian] eShop but I got worried that it might just get the eng dub and no subs. Unless I can access the JP eShop even if I have the Asian version as some games do have cross-region/region-free DLC.

EDIT:
Play-Asia just got back to me and they said:

"Thank you for reaching out to us and we are sorry for our late response. We
are currently receiving a high volume of emails today.

Upon checking, I confirmed that it will have English language and subtitle.
However, they are available via a patch update in November. 30, 2021. I
hope this information would help."

So great news for people like me who plans on getting the JP version rather than the Asian one. 👍

Started playing this tonight after some post-patch Dying Light and some Voice of Cards.

It plays really well, looks great on Switch, and the gyro is incredibly well done. It’s such a great fit on handheld and looks especially great on the OLED due to the heavy use of blacks in the dark.

We’re spoiled silly with Switch. So many quality games that you can enjoy on your TV and as an HD handheld with table top. Just a few short years ago I was buying this on Wii U. It’s really cool having this on an OLED handheld with gyro.

@damien33ad
It’s good. But it is different than most other games. Even other horror games.

It’s not like Resident Evil where you’ve got weapons and guns and are taking out zombies. This is more of a slower pace, creepy atmosphere, and based around the camera obscura, which you use to take photos of ghosts to damage them, and it can be used to find hidden items that don’t manifest in the real world until you photograph them.

The map is designed in such a way that, you don’t get a zoomed in mini map or anything, just the overall birds eye view map on a macro level. You can hold a certain button to see a spirit lead you to where you need to go, and that is woven into the gameplay purposefully.

I really like it and I think it provides an experience that no other games really provide (and I’m not really a big horror fan, though I do like Resident Evil). So I definitely advise checking some gameplay to make sure it’s the type of game you think you could enjoy, because it is different enough that I’m not sure everybody’s going to dig it. But I play a lot of different games in virtually every genre so I’m always looking for a quality experience that can give me something other games can’t.

It’s a looker though. The game is downright gorgeous on Switch. It feels close to AAA in production values (by Switch game standards anyways). I think that really adds to the atmosphere. There’s a lot of games I play where I really don’t think visuals matter as much but for this game I think they really are integral to the experience.

I bought the Wii U version (physical limited edition) just a week before the Switch version was announced.
I'm curious how it compares to the Wii U version.

I know the Switch version got rid of all Metroid and Zelda references which is kinda turning me off. In my mind it's an incomplete/cut version. But what about graphics and performance? Is it just as great as the Wii U version, maybe even better in some regards, or more along the lines of a quick cheap port?

Not sure when I'll get to this due to other games coming out these recent months, still not ready to play this, because...you know...horror. lol

Honestly don't care too much about the Nintendo outfits, so...eh. But yeah...is this game considered jumpscarey? I heard that it focuses less on that and more on atmosphere and stuff. I KNOW there's a jumpscare here and there in the game, but if it's constant, then, yeah...no thanks. lol

It has jumpscares. Intentional and unintentional/natural ones. Even the ghostly silhouette of something undecipherable in the distance and its sound can be scary. It's not a game about jumpscares though. However there are many. Things can sneak up from behind in silence.

The atmosphere is thick and some of the ghosts and locations could be from my worst nightmares.
I was able to pull myself through Project Zero 2 on Wii, but this here is filled with even more unexpected horrors and phenomena and man, I dread going back to some chapters to find some items I missed. Don't play too much or it will haunt you long after shutting it off.

Yeah, the dread in Maiden of Black Water is real.
Metroid's dread is kindergarten in comparison.

@SKTTR ...Ummm, yeah Dread was never scary to begin with, the EMMI grow old quick and are just infuriatingly annoying instead. xD

Anyways yeah this may end up being my first horror game, most I've played was the demo for the first FNAF. I didn't even die and survived both nights but I was still shaking hard, lol.

The other game being Knock Knock, I wouldn't exactly call this scary, it was more like, creepy.

...Apparently Thumper is categorized as horror for some reason, lol...

...Anyways yeah, my first true horror game will be this. xD

I have always loved Fatal Frame, but they’ve never been the best games. I feel the same about this one, so far.

I am having a lot of fun but the basic movement controls feel awful. Fatal Frame was always a good idea and the camera is a lot of fun, but some good, basic movement controls would help a lot.

All in a all it’s what I expected. A good buy for me, but I wouldn’t recommend this one.

Controls are a bit tanky & slow, however I've never played anything in this realm before (that, and the lighting is extremely lush) so I'm finding the experience pretty interesting so far.

For full disclosure I'm not playing it on Switch though.

I’m on Switch and the controls take adjusting but are okay. The motion control while in the camera is actually pretty fun. I find the start to be a little rocky in terms of the pacing, but once I got going and a few levels in, it’s been a lot of fun.

I’d still hesitate to recommend this to someone. All we need is some basic, sensible movement controls in place of this sluggish crap. It’s not a problem for me, but I don’t think they really hold up in 2021.

As always the Camera Obscura makes it all come together. I’m taking a lot of screen shots. It’s not the best looking game but it gets the job done.

For me, it was a good buy. It’s got relay value for me, too. I like going for those ranks and catching all the spirit pictures.

@Joeynator3000 Definitely a game I recommend playing in the dark with a good sound system for the best experience. There are many horror games I can't recommend playing the same way just because of the amount of jump-scares put into the game without adding anything of value to the atmosphere.

Outlast is definitely one of those games. Once you remove the shock value and screaming jumps at the camera you get a game with alright atmosphere, shallow gameplay and poor writing.

Ugh, so annoyed that I can't do surround sound without the speakers acting all weird and cutting out with the Switch. -.-

Anyways yeah, still unsure about getting this or Mario Party Superstars first...kinda want Mario Party more because of obvious reasons...gah! xD

So yeah, gonna wait on this game for now...too many other games out now and more coming. It 100% has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with that it's a horror game and I'm too scared to play it. lol

Anyways maybe I'll get it in December since Advance Wars was delayed anyways, and I imagine Big Brain academy I won't be constantly playing all the time. lol

Two thoughtful reviews here:

http://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2021/10/review-project-zer...

https://www.shindig.nz/games/game-review/project-zero-maiden-...

I love the support it's getting now because the others (excluding the 3DS spin-off) must be re-released on modern consoles!

It's the subtlest entry! EDIT: ...if you mean Maiden of Black Water, I haven't read the whole conversation.

Thank goodness this game has checkpoints, as these missions are getting a bit longer than I had anticipated. Based on the Push Square review, which said the missions go by too quick to get fully immersed in the world, & have a "just one more mission" feeling, I was thinking they'd maybe be around 30 minutes each, but they've on average been taking me just over an hour each, and the current one I'm on has lasted me over an hour & a half & I'm still not done with it (& I'm sure it's been even longer considering the few times I've died).

Think I'm gonna need something else to play when I don't have much time to commit.

This one has a reputation for it. I have all the rest of them, so this is a natural. I’ll get a Switch physical copy from Play-Asia.

Just finished up "Drop 6" (the mission I was talking about last time). That one took me nearly 2 hours to finish, and I'm sure that doesn't count the time spent the few times I died.

I'm still early on in the game. Only had about two-three hours free time to play it. I have to say first impressions are really positive. I'd heard this was a massive downgrade from the originals but I just don't see it, at least not yet. The atmosphere is palpable and the characters each have their particular interesting quirks. The theming is well thought out. Each of the lost souls are deeply tragic individuals who struggled with self worth and meaning.

In docked mode I had problems with it, in handheld it’s personality changes and I really have fun with it.

A massive downgrade from the originals? Yeah, no way. There are some people running around with some serious rose tinted glasses on.