Horror Games Special Feature – Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir

Posted on 20th October 201520th October 2015 by

With Halloween just around the corner, we felt it was time to delve into some of the horror classics of gaming!
In the nights leading up to All Hallows Eve, we’re going to do a short feature of some of the more notable horror games that have been released. This isn’t a list of the best or even our favourites.
Just some Horror games which have stood out to us, for one reason or another.

While considering games to put in this notables list, a pattern began to emerge: there were no portable entries.
Which is strange. You would think portable devices would be ideal for the horror genre. A good game to play beneath the covers in the black of night, with the rain pounding on the window panes.

As it happens, most portable horror games are simple ports or spin-off titles such as Silent Hill: Origins or Resident Evil: Revelations. These games aren’t bad, but neither are they particularly memorable.
Spirit Camera may not be the most technically efficient game….in fact, it may be downright bad. But at least it utilized portable technology in a way that no horror game on consoles could have possibly done at the time.

A spin-off of the Project Zero franchise, the basic premise is that the game could turn your home into a creepy haunted house. Using the camera, you would wander from room to room, looking for ghosts that would appear onscreen and attacking them by taking pictures (ghosts are notoriously self-conscious).
It’s a unique idea and one with the potential for some of the scariest moments in gaming.
Unfortunately, the game didn’t take off the way developers hoped.

There were two main issues with the game: the first is that, because of the nature of the game, you need to be playing in a well lit room so that the camera can pick up objects and basic depth. This is obviously going to have a negative effect on the creepy atmosphere that the game tries so hard to establish.
The other problem is that few houses are really big enough to give you a fulfilling ‘haunted house’ experience. Ideally, you want grand ball rooms or expansive libraries.
Searching for a poltergeist in your square metre bathroom is only really scary if there is an unexpected uncle in there at the same time.

It’s a real shame because portable titles up to this point haven’t really had a killer edge that makes them stand out. For every good title, there is a much better counterpart on home consoles.
This was the game that could have really tipped the scales but it just didn’t have the chops to pull it off.

Still, for a brief spell, it’s well worth playing. While it might not carry the entire experience well, there’s some fun to be had in the individual ghostly encounters.
Don’t bother trying to play on the bus though.

Best moment
You can’t really pin down a best moment in Spirit Camera, seeing as every players experience will be different. Which, in itself, is pretty cool. Check out the trailer to get a general idea what you might be in for.

Where is the franchise now?
With a trilogy of games on the PS2, Project Zero got a fourth release on Wii that was exclusive to Japan. Happily, a fifth instalment is to be released on Wii U this Halloween!
It’s called Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water and will be primarily a download only title, with a special edition available for retail.