First Two Chapters Of 'Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water' Will Be Free

The cult horror series “Fatal Frame” will be coming to the Wii U with a new installment and fans can try the first two chapters for free. When “Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water” launches for the Wii U on Oct. 22, fans will have the option to download the prologue and the first two chapters for free, before buying the full game.

According to GameSpot, the announcement is part of Nintendo’s new “Free to Start” policy. The game will be available on the Nintendo eShop, so if fans like the title after playing the free portion, they can pay for the rest of the game immediately. The full version of the game costs $49.99. It will be interesting to see if other games start to adopt this policy, though Nintendo has not mentioned other titles doing this anytime soon.

Fans hoping for the game to get a retail release are out of luck, as IGN has confirmed that “Maiden of the Black Water” will be exclusive to the Nintendo eShop. The reasons for the lack of a physical release are currently unknown, though it should be noted that the “Fatal Frame” series has not sold particularly well in North America, despite having a large following.

There was actually a “Fatal Frame” game that was exclusive to the Nintendo Wii back in 2008, which never got released outside Japan. “Maiden of Black Water” is the first “Fatal Frame” game since the 2008 Japanese exclusive, so the series has been dormant for quite some time.

While not a huge seller in the West, the “Fatal Frame” series was popular enough to warrant a spinoff for the 3DS called “Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir.” Much like the “Fatal Frame” games, the spinoff focused on the series’ signature Spirit Camera that can be used to fend off ghosts for mysterious reasons.

“Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water” is only the fifth game in the series, with a movie, novel and comic book on the way. It seems like the series has started to gain some momentum, so it seems like a lot of eyes will be on this Wii U horror game.