Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir (2012)

An augmented reality experiment that went awry, courtesy of Nintendo. Five stars for originality, but a deduction of four for poor execution. This game is akin to a horror version of Pokémon Go, though it lacks in fright factor, with a playtime of approximately an hour and a half. The requirement to use a book (included with the game) is a flawed concept, as the camera frequently fails to detect said book.

Platform:

3DS version.

Graphics/Sound:

So it is 3DS, the graphics are a bit better than the usual DS title, but the presentation is still underwhelming. I mean sure, it's augmented reality, so things always look a bit inconsistent, but still. Some of the effects with the printed diary are nice, however.

Gameplay:

It's a very experimental game to say the least. I haven't played anything like it. The game is set in the world of Fatal Frame (which is what got me interested in it). But gameplay wise it's more or less a series of augmented reality minigames. Slapped on top is a linear story line which offers some non-choices at times. The main campaign last only 2-3 hours, and most of it is clicking through text boxes. The ghost chasing however is fun, but I felt there wasn't enough of it. The best part of the game is actually the extras where you could photograph your friends and chase them as ghosts. It's way funnier and creepier than the campaign itself.

Difficulty:

It's more a proof of concept, and the difficulty is barely fleshed out. As said the story is linear, progressing only when you make the right choice and not punishing you for the wrong one, so it's easy in that respect. The puzzles with the printed diary are all relatively easy to solve. The main difficulty lies in technical limitations: You need to have the exact lighting in your room to make it even work, and you need to be very exact with the distance between the console and the printed diary.

The game is interesting to try out once. But there is numerous issues, both technical and from a game design view. The technical issues are the most annoying, and ultimately this game is not a recommended buy. But it's interesting to see it once if you can borrow it somewhere.

This was a game that I was determined to get, but only for a very low price for two reasons: I wanted a horror game for the 3DS that wasn't "Dementium" (which I dropped) and specifically because I do want to play "Fatal Frame" at some point. I ended up finding it for $10 somewhere and figured, what the hell? Overall, the total gameplay took about 3 hours, give or take, and I was pretty let down. The idea of the game is that you utilize your 3DS as both a playing device and interactive camera (hence the title) depending on the action needed to perform. It's a horror game, so there are elements included meant to fill you with dread or cause jumpscares.

Story: You play the unnamed protagonist where, upon receiving an unmarked package of a book entitled "Diary of Faces," and brought into a spirit world that exists in an old house. A character named Maya stops you from falling into the trap of the "Woman in Black" and proceeds to investigate the book with you to figure out why it exists. The purpose of the game is determine the true identity of the book, why it was created (and cursed), as well as Maya's true past and what does she have to do with it. Without spoiling the story, you will discover the rather gruesome nature of the past that involves Maya.

Gameplay: The primary function of the 3DS is when a ghost appears and wants to attack you, you will use the camera to "see" the ghosts in your environment (through the 3DS lens) and attack them before they kill you. It's kind of strange because you physically have to stand up and move in a circle to find the attacking ghosts as well as finding Maya when she wants to talk to you. You enable the attack by taking their photographs with the L and R buttons. You will have to win all of your battles to proceed further in the game. There are additional features, Haunted Visions and Cursed Pages, where you can play other challenges and mini games, but they don't directly affect the story.

Characters: You don't really connect with any of the characters except for Maya; the other characters require brief interactions, in which you learn more about how they got involved, but beyond that, Maya and eventually the Woman in Black are your primary focus. I don't have much else to say actually without spoilers, but I wouldn't get too concerned about attachments (or caring).

Overall: I was disappointed. I knew it wasn't a GREAT game, but I was hoping for a bit more than what I received. The challenges were easy to accomplish and beating the ghosts didn't require a lot of effort. You have to spin around a lot, so if you're prone to dizziness, you may get frustrated at this requirement. The story, despite the darker tones, wasn't all that interesting... and quite frankly, I was disappointed with the end. I honestly felt like they could have developed a more concrete explanation that appeared a little more reasonable, but perhaps I am naive about the (mythical) ancient Shinto rituals. If you find this game for super cheap and just want something quick to play, this isn't a bad choice. However, if you're intentionally looking for horror, I would stick with the "Fatal Frame" series as the closest in comparison of gameplay.