Fatal Frame is a survival horror masterpiece with a unique combat system which is only hindered by some brutal difficulty spikes and a few unfair enemy encounters.

-Story: the game's story is something I would call a 'typical creepy Japanese horror story'. We are playing as a young girl looking for her brother in a haunted mansion, where we are slowly but steadily learning about the horrors of what happened in the residency way back in time. Without spoiling anything: the main focus is on a ritual which went terribly wrong and has been causing further awful events ever since.

-Atmosphere: Fatal Frame uses the fixed camera angles masterfully. I would argue it is on par with Resident Evil or even better. The jump scares are also perfectly executed, they never feel cheap, they are never in your face too much yet they are always effective. Add to these the eerie sounds emitted by ghosts and the suspenseful music and you get Fatal Frame's memorable and scary atmosphere. My only gripe in this aspect was the lack of diversity in the environment. Most of the playtime is spent inside the mansion which unfortunately gets monotonous pretty fast.

-Gameplay: what I loved most about the game is definitely its one of a kind combat system. Instead of the usual melee and ranged weapons, the player uses a special camera to photograph ghosts wandering around the mansion. This is not only a unique and fun way to fend off enemies, it really adds to the scare factor as you have to follow enemy movements in first person mode and often wait for their attacks to deal sufficient damage. The camera is also involved in finding clues required to progress and it also plays a key role in the story. My biggest issue with the game was some of the ghost's attack patterns (or rather their ability to teleport behind you and attack instantly) and a few enemy placements which made it almost impossible to avoid some damage during combat. Despite this, I still loved the gameplay of Fatal Frame. So much so that it quickly became one of my all time favorite horror games.

Trapt is a truly unique game centered around a fantastic gameplay idea but unfortunately it leaves a lot of untapped potential untouched.

-Atmosphere: the game is set in a generic fantasy universe but the surprisingly big cast of characters and the Japanese voice acting makes it’s atmosphere somewhat memorable. It is nothing outstanding, but enough to keep the player entertained.

-Story: the short story (~5hr) of Trapt is also nothing groundbreaking, but engaging enough to always look forward to the next cutscene. The writing is mediocre at best but it has that PS2 era charm combined with some Japanese weirdness which makes it fun to follow.

-Gameplay: the game’s strongest aspect is undoubtedly it’s gameplay, however it still falls kind of short. The core gameplay loop is extremely good: during every level you are trapped in a mansion with different types of enemies and your goal is to defeat them via various traps you can lay and activate. At first this is tremendous fun, however it doesn’t get deep or complex enough to encourage the player to be creative. Although there are some different types of enemies (with different resistances, weapons, speed, etc.) and permanent usable devices/elements in the environment, sadly they aren’t enough to push the player for experimentation. One can easily finish the story with using no more than 4-5 different traps from the dozens available and while the interactive environment sounds fun, it doesn’t provide enough gameplay reward to make it necessarry to use it. Therefore the game can get pretty repetitive very fast. Personally I still had fun from start to finish, but I was craving for some more challange to spice things up or any reason to experiment with different trap combinations. I do believe however, that the core gameplay loop is genious and would make for a fantastic remake with some additional ideas to keep the experience fresh until the ending.

Kuon is an obscure but really enjoyable survival horror game. While the gameplay itself is not at all outstanding, the story, setting, lore and characters are what makes it a memorable experience.

-Gameplay: the combat is very simple but unfortunately also pretty clunky and outdated. The player fights with a melee weapon and uses different spell cards (mainly ranged spells and summons) obtainable through looting. The fights can look great but they usually feel way too dumb. Between enemy encounters the player has to explore certain areas and progress through closed doors via ‘keys’ obtained in different ways. It gives a similar vibe to Resident Evil’s but on a much simpler level. The lack of puzzles does not help either. Kuon does have some great aspects however, like the ‘vertigo’ mechanic, which makes the player afraid of running and encourages a more careful playstyle.

-Atmosphere: Kuon has a really immersive, eerie, creepy atmosphere, thanks to the smartly used camera angles, a rotting, unsettling environment and the horrific enemies and sounds they make. Although the game is not too scary, it does a good job at creating suspense and always keeping the player on edge. The 12th century Japanese setting also adds to the unique vibe.

-Story: Kuon’s biggest strength is definitely the story it tells and how it tells it. The game can be played as one of two protagonists and after completing the game with both of them, a third character unlocks, whose playthrough includes the true ending. The first two playthroughs roughly take 4 hours each and thankfully there are enough differences (both in gameplay and story elements) to keep the experience fresh. While the first playthrough is enjoyable in itself, it doesn’t answer every question. For the whole picture, all three campaigns have to be finished. The third playthrough is less than an hour long and does a great job concluding the story. Kuon’s surprisingly rich lore is heavily inspired by Japanese folklore and therefore spawns a very ‘Japanese horror story’ with some twists, a great deal of mystery, many creepy moments and a cast of cool characters.