Fast forward to today and it’s like Fatal Frame has been forgotten. The last we heard about a proper Fatal Frame (we’re not talking about that pachinko game announce last Spring) was back in 2014 with Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water releasing for the Nintendo Wii. Coincidentally enough, the same game will be re-released for modern consoles, including the Nintendo Switch, as per Nintendo’s announcement at E3 2021.
Fatal Frame Returns to Scare a New Generation of Gamers
Seven years is a long time in the video game industry. This is true even for a franchise that was once as well-known as Fatal Frame. Most people probably don’t remember the last Fatal Frame game that was released. This is especially since it was exclusive to the Nintendo Wii. Thankfully, Nintendo decided to fix that with one of its recent announcements. At the Nintendo Direct showcase at E3 2021, Nintendo announced that Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water will be headed to modern consoles like the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and the PC as part of the franchise’s 20th anniversary. Fatal Frame made its debut on the PlayStation 2 back in December 2001 before being ported over to the Xbox. Since then, Fatal Frame has established itself as one of the most unsettling if underrated horror games ever released. Each iteration of the Fatal Frame games has featured a unique gameplay mechanic where your only means of defending yourself against apparitions and ghosts that are based on Japanese folklore. Maiden of Black Water is no different. Although Maiden of Black Water did receive a special episode later on with Ayane from the Dead or Alive series as the protagonist. The additional content switched things up by giving Ayane the ability to conceal herself temporarily and stun ghosts so she can escape. With that said, it’ll be interesting to see if this means that Koei Tecmo is planning on reviving the Fatal Frame franchise. In addition to video games, there was a Fatal Frame movie released in 2014. It was directed by Mari Asato and starred Ayami Nakajō, as well as Aoi Morikawa. A Hollywood film adaptation of the Japanese horror series has also been planned since 2003.
