Since the last game’s release back in 2015, theFatal Framefranchise has sat in relative obscurity. Throughout the years, rumors of a new game sporadically arose and then were just as quickly squashed. Now, fans of theFatal Frameseries finally have something new from the series, albeit in an odd medium.
With a recent uptick in the popularity of horror games and the20th anniversary of theFatal Frameseries this year, fans had understandably been anticipating big news to come from the series. Now, a reveal has come about the series, but in the form of a pachislot machine. For those unfamiliar, a pachislot is a form of slot machine that was developed following the popularity of pachinko machines in Japanese casinos. At their core, pachislots are virtually identical to standard slot machines except that players have control over when each reel stops.
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A short YouTube clip was posted showing Miu Hinasaki from the last game,Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water,wandering around an abandoned house until she comes across a pachislot machine. While it’s hard to discern details from the clip, theFatal Framepachislot machine will likely display short jump-scare clips when players hit different reel combinations. Unfortunately, this reveal obviously fell flat among fans who were likely anticipating anewFatal FrameSwitch release.
Despite being relatively unknown to most North American fans, theFatal Framefranchise has always had a strong, niche following. While the story changes from game to game, the general premise and gameplay remain constant throughoutFatal Frametitles. As players progress through haunted locations, their only weapon against the ghosts that live there is a camera. While some ghosts are passive, othersghosts inFatal Frameare hostileand downright terrifying. Unsurprisingly, this unique premise was wildly popular among fans and the franchise has maintained a strong cult following since its inception.
In light of the circumstances, the pachislot reveal received a ton of backlash. After all, the 2008 entry into the series,Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse—the best selling title in the entire series—is a game that many North American fans havebeen eagerly waiting to be localized. While the pachislot may come as a disappointment, the overwhelmingly negative fan reaction may be enough to spur Koei Tecmo into a more serious development of the series, or it could still have a bigger reveal about the franchise that is yet to come.
