During E3 2021, Koei Tecmo stunned everyone by confirming that Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water would be released on the PC platform. As the first Fatal Frame game to be released on the PC, this isn’t exactly the most anticipated title in the franchise. It was also a Wii U-only title that heavily relied on the second screen of that platform.
But it’s on the way, and we now have an official release date: October 28. In addition to the PC, it will be available on the Nintendo Switch, as well as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms. The new trailer, which you can see above, gives you a good idea of what to expect. One of the most noticeable differences is that the graphics are significantly clearer than they were in 2014.
Following in the vein of the series’ central conceit, Maiden of Black Water places you in command of a Camera Obscura—basically, a camera that is capable of seeing ghosts and other eerie things. That’s convenient, but even more convenient is the fact that the camera serves as your weapon, because photographing phantom enemies incapacitates them, allowing you to approach closer to them and examine their memories.
The new edition of Maiden of Black Water, in addition to detaching the Camera Obscura from the Wii U’s second screen, now has a photo mode, which allows you to recreate any ghost you’ve already encountered in the main game by using various backgrounds, filters, and other flourishes. As well as the previously mentioned costumes and accessories, there will be new ones to model in that photo mode, including Yuri’s “Cutesy Goth Ensemble” and Miu’s “Miku Hinasaki Outfit (The Tormented). It’s a lot of fun. We’re crossing our fingers that the port turns out well when it launches on Steam in October.
