I played Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly even before Silent Hill or Resident Evil, and while I don’t play the franchise as often, it’s always been the one that scared me the most. After exactly ten years without a new title in the West (other than the 3DS spin-off, Spirit Camera) I am so, so very happy to say that the new title, Maiden of Blackwater, is almost perfect.

Unlike previous entries in the series, we play as three separate characters all looking for answers, connected by a mountain known for claiming the lives of the suicidal. The game stars Yuuri Kozukata, who has a mysterious power that allows her to be able to pull objects and people out of the spirit world into our reality.

Her boss at the antique shop has gone missing, and she has ventured out on her own to find her. Next on the list is Miu Hinasaki, who has gone searching for her lost mother, is the second playable character, and has seemingly no connection to Yuuri. Finally, there’s the author Ren Hojo, who is friends with Yuuri. Research for his latest novel is what drives him into the mountains, looking into a mysterious tradition local to the area. The story unfolds like a classic Fatal Frame title, complete with the jarring black and white memory moments that had left me scarred as a teen. It’s a great story, and it even has a few connections to the previous titles, although I won’t spoil what those are or how much they impact the universe.

The first thing that will jump out to any fan of the series is how much it sounds and feels like a Fatal Frame game. The menus make the same sounds the music sounds the same, and the controls are almost identical to the way they worked in the original games.

Tribez wiki quest