Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a survival horror video game developed by Koei Tecmo and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It is the fifth main installment of the Fatal Frame series and was released in Japan in September 2014 and worldwide in October 2015. As in the previous games in the series, players navigate through areas full of hostile ghosts that must be fought by taking pictures with the Camera Obscura, which is controlled directly with the Wii U gamepad. A post-game story featuring Ayane, a character from the Dead or Alive series, is also available and features altered gameplay mechanics. Set on the fictional Mount Hikami, the story revolves around three protagonists who are drawn into supernatural events that take place in the area. This includes an ancient ritual to seal Yomi, a malevolent force that corrupts the spirits of the area and is linked to the fate of the titular shrine maiden, Ouse Kurosawa. Planning for the game began in 2011, during the projection of the Wii remake of Crimson Butterfly. The game was first proposed by series co-creator Keisuke Kikuchi when he saw the Wii U hardware and the gamepad's camera obscura capabilities. The game was jointly produced by Koei Tecmo and Nintendo Software Planning & Development. Kikuchi and his co-creator Makoto Shibata returned as producers and directors, along with staff from the predecessor Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and new developers to the series. The cast underwent several revisions during development, while the staff experimented with the possibilities of the new hardware. As with the previous games, there is also a theme song by Tsuki Amano. Upon release, the game was critically acclaimed for its use of the gamepad and gritty atmosphere, while opinions were divided on the story, the portrayal of the female characters, and other aspects such as the pacing and controls.