"Tormented, indeed. Disappointing end to what would have been an almost perfect series"

The Tormented is the third and most likely last addition to the Fatal Frame/Project Zero series and after being absolutely blown away by the first two I was very excited when this game was released. The original Project Zero is probably the equal most scary game I have ever played along with Silent Hill, and the The Crimson Butterfly had moments where I had to turn it off because I couldn't handle how tense it was any more, it was that good. Admittedly my hopes were stupidly high for The Tormented, and unfortunately I was incredibly disappointed, and much like the final boss whispers over and over (and over and over) "I don't want to see any more."

Story: 10/10
The only reason I actually tormented myself and played the game was because of the strength of the story. It is refreshingly mature compared to most modern titles and while it is similar in nature to the previous games (ie it is based on horrifying Japanese rituals) there is a difference in that we don't actually visit a physical mansion; this time it is part of our nightmares, but we may not be able to wake up from them.

The story is based around young photographer, Rei, who months ago was involved in a car accident in which her boyfriend, Yuu, was killed. Since then she has been very lonely, and frequently has dreams about an old Japanese mansion where she sees visions of Yuu but can never quite catch up with him.

Living with Rei as an assistant is our old friend Miku from the original Project Zero, who also starts to experience the same nightmares but this time about her deceased brother. It seems the mansion might be able to let us see our lost loved ones, but at what cost?

Gameplay: 3/10
As far as gameplay is concerned, there are very little differences to the previous games and, as such, I was completely bored. I felt like I was torturing myself at stages just for the sake of finding out what happened, and not once did I actually get drawn into the atmosphere that was so prominent in the previous games. For newcomers, the gameplay could be very refreshing, as unlike most horror games the only weapon here is a camera that has the ability to capture images of ghosts, but for veteran Project Zero fans the gameplay is nothing short of tedious, with a very limited range of ghosts who are more annoying than scary in that they just seem to do circles then disappear and reappear somewhere else to continue the same process. Ghost fights are no longer exciting and tense, but frustrating and boring which is very, very disappointing.

Additions to the gameplay involve some slightly modified features for the camera, and also the addition of "purifying light," which basically allows us to view the game properly and without it the graphics just turn to black and white but it doesn't really seem to affect gameplay at all. Also one of the characters has the ability to "hide" from invincible ghosts, which I think I used once but then just ended up running away from it anyway. Pointless.

The game takes place in either your small house or in the "Manor of Sleep." The ability to switch between these realities is a great addition, but unfortunately the mansion is poorly designed and very monotonous. Pretty much all the levels involve the same rooms but with different items in them and running from one side of the house to the other, occasionally being harassed by a ghost that just circles you for a while before you just get frustrated and beg for it to kill you. But it doesn't so you just run off, completely unaffected by it, and get lost in the annoying mansion.

Graphics: 8/10
Pretty much identical to the previous game, so it's very pretty, but at the same time the colours are a bit bland in this one. Beautiful character design especially the cute Miku but overall the ghosts were quite uninspiring. So while the graphics themself were very good, they could have done more with them I feel.

Sound: 7/10
One of the great aspect of this series has been the incredible sound. But unfortunately they've taken to just using the same sounds for each game and its losing its impact. The voice acting has improved, which sadly doesn't suit the series, as I always enjoyed the slightly-contrived-and-just-a-little-bit-weird-in-a -way-that-it's-perfect feel to it, like a David Lynch movie.

Controls: 6/10
These are very awkward. Especially in view-finder mode. Imagine controlling your character with the left analogue stick. Then, you switch to take a photo, and suddenly your movement is controlled with the right analogue stick. It's just messy. You can change to other control presets in the options, but all of them have some kind of fatal flaw.

Value: 3/10
Personally, I am never going to play this game again. But if you enjoy the gameplay there is a lot to do and to unlock, including features for your camera and new clothes for the characters.

Overall I honestly feel like ye olde fans of the series will be immensely disappointed in how dated the gameplay feels, and, like me, painfully endure it for the brilliant story. Newcomers to the series could enjoy the unique camera ghost fights and the overall mood and spookiness to this game, but honestly, this game pales in comparison to its predecessors. Very disappointing: 4/10

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/07