Project Zero 3: The Tormented (PS2)

The Project Zero series first flew onto the Playstation 2 in 2001 re-igniting the Horror Survival scene and capturing the attention of many gamers around the world with its terrifying scenarios and storylines that not only rival the brilliant Silent Hill series but also delves deep into Japanese superstitions and brings everything to life. In the declining life of the PS2 though can the release of Project Zero 3 really do anything different or again ...
.../> Released in early 2006, Project Zero 3: The Tormented (Fatal Frame 3 in the US) follows the character of Rei, a freelance photographer in search of taking extremely high quality photos and her latest trip to an abandoned mansion proves difficult for her especially since the death of her fiancée. Being continually drawn into a dream state where she revisits two different locations, Rei allows herself to be drawn in deeper and deeper each time ... more

The Project Zero series first flew onto the Playstation 2 in 2001 re-igniting the Horror Survival scene and capturing the attention of many gamers around the world with its terrifying scenarios and storylines that not only rival the brilliant Silent Hill series but also delves deep into Japanese superstitions and brings everything to life. In the declining life of the PS2 though can the release of Project Zero 3 really do anything different or again bring a great horror experience to the dry pool of titles of recent years?

Released in early 2006, Project Zero 3: The Tormented (Fatal Frame 3 in the US) follows the character of Rei, a freelance photographer in search of taking extremely high quality photos and her latest trip to an abandoned mansion proves difficult for her especially since the death of her fiancée. Being continually drawn into a dream state where she revisits two different locations, Rei allows herself to be drawn in deeper and deeper each time she falls asleep in hope of seeing her fiancée again.

Though, as to be expected this isn't a nice fairytale. Along with her in the mansion lurks evil soul's waiting behind corners and doors to capture her and act out all the evil tortures of their past. Armed with nothing but a camera, Rei tries to unravel the mystery of the locations in her dreams whilst still in pursuit of her beloved.

The storyline in Project Zero 3 is nothing new or original for that matter, but that still doesn't stop it from being interesting and confusing both at the same time. We've travelled the road of evil malice inside Japanese culture and myth in the previous instalments, but whether it's the malevolent little girl who loves to stab dolls or the story of the shadowy monks, Im afraid you just can't help yourself being drawn into this lavish detail and playing just a little bit further.

The great thing about Project Zero 3 is that there are three storylines involved that all mix together into a final conclusion. Rei's story is about finding her fiancée whilst dreaming but as she awakes both reality and the dream state start to fuse together. Her assistant and house mate Miku again has a story to play. Fans will recognise her as the heroine in the original Project Zero and will relish the chance at re-visiting the house from the game and following new leads and starting points. Finally a friend of Rei's fiancée who writes to her is suffering from the same dreams. He is actually the uncle of Mio and Mayu, the twin sister characters from the second Project Zero and in fact fans again are treated to a little section of his story where Mio returns.

This may sound all basic and to be honest in the first few hours of Gameplay it is, but as you play further into the darkness, the game exceeds itself in terms of a horror experience very much like the original Japanese horror films and as the storylines intertwine and the real world starts to mix with their dream worlds, the whole gaming experience is truly amazing. True Project Zero fans will love the Easter egg appearances from past characters and the chance to relive some of the better moments of the past games.

Visually, Project Zero 3 I must say is acceptable and detailed enough to do the job. Not much is really improved upon from Crimson Butterfly (Project Zero 2) and though the game works well in its original style, certain background objects seem bland and ordinary. This is reasonable though as more detail is included in other aspects but on the whole of background aesthetics, more could have been done to create a richer atmosphere that other Horror Games have.

Characters are designed in the usual Japanese style and though sometimes a little rough around the edges, generally works well for the game. Your main three characters all look superior I must say to NPC's, but you'll find that with most games. Facial features are designed and animated enough to urge a response but im afraid it's pretty weak in terms of emotion. Sometimes you just don't feel for your characters because they don't react graphically to the turmoil's around you. Occasionally they do in cutscenes, which happen at random intervals I must say.

However, the ghostly apparitions and black and white cutscenes showing the past are nothing short of astounding. It seems like all the main detail has been saved for this. Ghosts and spirits often flicker and fade through walls and light up or dim down in terms of light creating different shadows around the room meaning at this point, the atmosphere is so tense you can't help feeling lost yourself. The black and white cutscenes which have appeared throughout the Project Zero games again strengthen the tension and mixed with their eerie sound effects showing occurrences of torture and dismemberment really do start to scare you and really that's in fact what a horror game is all about, the ability to scare the gamer through different aspects of the game really moulds itself apart from other games and offers a truly frightening experience.

Mix that with sound effects and really that's the job done in terms of a horror game. Project Zero 3 really does set itself apart from other horror games that are really a little feeble, when it comes to timing. Most of the time only little noises and laughs and heartbeats amplify the games silence. But it is used to such great effect that a petrifying atmosphere is created. Well placed thuds and groans enhance the stillness further and you spend a lot of your time looking all around you just in case you are surprised by a ghost.

What these little sound bytes do, though simple, in retrospect create such a build up in tension so when the bigger occasions occur you are scared out of your seat and jump inside which not only scares you at the time, but really embarrasses you later on. These bigger occasions are in fact when you get attacked by a ghost etc where the real music of the game blasts into life with full orchestral sounds that echo out of tune or quick beats of organ music. Trust me this isn't your cheesy type of 'DUH DUH DUHH' either, it really creates a fast paced experience quickening the tempo of the Gameplay to such great effect.

However, I must say that I was truly disappointed by the voice acting. I know many will judge me a lot when it comes to voice acting because I take such great notice of it but for me it really does set a game on fire with the right combination of things and one of them being script reading.

Kimberley Brooks plays the voice of Rei and though I must admit I have never played one of the other games she has voiced from her long list (EverQuest II, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) I was really disheartened from her lack of emotion. She does try but to me I feel it's more of a cold approach rather than someone desperately trying to find their fiancée.

Kim Mai Guest as Miku (Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror) doesn't do a much better job with her robotic responses and lame attempts of being scared. Unless you notice it or pay attention to it, it really does let the game down.

Despite the lack of emotion that voice acting gives, the Gameplay fairs a little better, with the engine being taken straight from Crimson Butterfly. Not very many changes have taken place really with the only real focus on the Camera Obscura that has been featured in all of the Project Zero games. To be honest it isn't original but works well enough and is the heart and soul of the Project Zero series.

The camera seems to be able to seal a ghost soul whether that is a friendly spirit or an evil one. With the introduction of a three main characters, each person has their own abilities with the Camera Obscura, such as Rei can scare ghosts with a flash ability, Miku can use stones to slow down ghosts and Kei is rather limited with the Camera altogether meaning he must run and hide most of time which really mixes up the Gameplay well taking away the repetitiveness that can becomes apparent when taking pictures all the time.

As fans will know it simply isn't about clicking the button on the camera as timing and movement is a key feature to killing off a ghost and now with extra features such as core shots and shutter releases the Gameplay revolving around the Camera Obscura has never been so detailed. Points scored from exorcising ghosts can be collected to power up the features available to each person.

The Gameplay is pretty random at times where it may seem slow and uneventful but at others it can be of high tempo with lots of ghosts appearing at one time surrounding you. This at times can let the game down due to its mix of speeds because certain gamers will become fed up and tired at first without really seeing that the whole game can offer. Especially at the beginning of the game, both the storyline and Gameplay moves off at ridiculously slow speed and as a starting point it doesn't drag you in much, leaving you somewhat bored. However when the chances arrive to upgrade the camera, play as other characters and as the dreams themselves merge together with Rei's real world it all becomes highly exciting and weirdly addictive.

I must say however that the disruption of waking up inside the dream and being taken back into reality of Rei's homes is very annoying. It usually happens at a crucial moment supposedly to create a sort of cliff hangar experience but results in disrupting the flow of the game. It really is a huge fault for the game because it ruins the Gameplay, especially when certain puzzles are about to complete it leaves you somewhat mystified and hanging on, but not in a good way.

On the whole though, Project Zero 3 is a truly frightening experience with terrifying moments of attack and also huge moments of relief. The sound effects really do work in favour of a horror experience creating, as to be expected a great tense and frightening atmosphere and when mixed with the intriguing storylines of all three characters, the game itself becomes addictive, despite the sudden disruptions of reality. Fans will love the Easter Eggs of characters and locations combined with the secret Ghosts inside the game to capture, replayablity with different endings do create a challenge for players of all abilities, but Project Zero 3 is nothing original. Compared to Crimson Butterfly the extra features on the Camera Obscura works well for this individual title, but the previous instalment is a better game, more coherent and better paced. Fans will love it, and true horror fans will see something amazing here but on the whole certain aspects of the game let it down to being nothing more than an average horror game. A scary average horror game though …

** Information **

Players 1
1008 KB Needed Minimum
No Online Play

** Project Zero Series **

Project Zero
Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly

** If You Like This You May Like **

Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
Forbidden Siren (PS2)

** Price **

(as of 11/10/07)

Play.com: £39.99
Amazon.co.uk: £24.99
Gamestation: £4.99

Website: http://www.tecmo.co.jp/product/zero3/

(NOTE** Japanese only site, will need translator) 

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