Of all the spooky horror adventures that hit consoles in the wake of both Resident Evil and the J-horror explosion, Project Zero was the spookiest.
This cult series tasked the player with exploring hideously creepy mansions while carrying a camera capable of exorcising the spirits of wafting ghost girls. It was filled with familiar horror movie tropes like subjective camera angles and the faintly glimpsed shadows of dead children running past doorways. The last time we saw the series in the West was the third title in the quadrilogy, published back in 2005.
Well, now Nintendo has confirmed that two additions to the series will be released in Europe this spring. 3DS title, Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, features a young girl named Maya trapped in a creaking mansion by a ghostly women in black. Brilliantly, the game comes with a 16-page book of AR images – at certain points in the game, players can point their 3DS camera at the relevant icons to see videos of past events or dooomed characters. Creepy stuff.
We'll also be seeing Project Zero 2: Wii Edition, an updated version of the terrifying second instalment, originally released on PlayStation 2. Easily my favourite in the series, it sees twin sisters Mio and May lured in to a damned village where an occult ritual must be continually replayed to protect inhabitants from the souls of the evil dead. Still shuddering just remembering it.
So yes, 3DS owners who have only just recovered from the authentically jumpy Resident Evil: Revelations should perhaps steel themselves for even worse.
