There was a moment in Japanese culture when writers and filmmakers began updating centuries-old horrors so that they could still be used as effective storytelling tools in modern times. One of the best examples of this is a very popular story like this: ring and parasite eve began reinterpreting the cyclical nature of curses as pseudoscientific “infections,” and this new take on J-horror has also made its way into the world of video games with titles such as: resident evil (a sci-fi deconstruction of the classic haunted house yarn).
But there's one survival horror game that rarely comes up in discussions about interactive J-horror, despite being part of a series that helped popularize Japanese genre films around the world.Naturally, the game is exclusive to Nintendo Wii Ju-on: The Grudge, a self-proclaimed haunted house simulator, has been largely forgotten by horror fans and gamers alike, despite being a legitimately creative experience devised by true masters of the craft.And with a title commemorating the 15th anniversary.th This year's anniversary (and Grudge Franchise part 25th), I think it's the perfect time to look back at what I believe to be an unfairly maligned J-horror masterpiece.
After dozens of sequels, spinoffs, and crossovers, Grudge The series originally began as two low-budget short films directed by Takashi Shimizu while in film school. But these humble origins are why director Shimizu remains determined to maintain as much creative control over his filmic initiatives as possible, with the filmmaker developing his own work alongside Feel Plus. He even insisted on overseeing the video game adaptation of his work.Starring Daisuke Fukukawa Grudge10th yearth Anniversary celebration.
Rather than shoehorning the franchise's core concept into an existing survival horror mold, like other licensed horror titles (such as some bizarrely action-packed horror titles), blair witch Trilogy)'s developers decided to make the game a “haunted house simulator”, focusing more on slow-paced, cinematic horror than the action-adventure elements that were popular at the time. .
There are rumors that Shimizu's lack of industry experience (as well as the lack of shootable monsters such as zombies and demons in the source material) led to this decision, but several interviews suggest that Shimizu's role during development proposed that this suggests that it was not as megalomaniac as the original marketing. In fact, the filmmaker's input was primarily left to come up with basic story ideas and advise the team on how cutscenes and antagonists should look and act. . He also directed the game's excellent live-action cutscenes, further lending legitimacy to the project.
The end result is a digital gauntlet of interactive jump scares in which players step into the shoes of the hapless Yamada family and explore a variety of ruined locations inspired by classic horror tropes (haunted To put an end to the titular curse that befalls the Saeki family, from hospitals to mannequin factories and even iconic buildings.
In gameplay terms, this means navigating five chapters of dimly lit ghosts from a first-person perspective, dodging a series of increasingly spooky jump scares while using the Wii Remote as a flashlight. . dragon's lair– Something like quick-time events – all while collecting items, managing battery life, and solving some simple puzzles. There are also some strange but very creative gameplay additions, such as a “multiplayer” mode where a second of his Wii remotes causes additional scares when other players try to complete the game.
When it works, the title immerses players into a dark and dingy world of generational curses and ghosts, with hand-crafted twists and turns of the classic as the game attempts to emulate the experience of actually living it. Test your resolve with jump scares. Grudge Flick – Complete with sickly black hair sprouting from unlikely places and a disembodied head staring at you from inside a cupboard.
The title also borrows narrative puzzle elements from the film, with players having to juggle multiple timelines and intentionally vague clues to piece together exactly what is happening to the Yamada family ( However, you'll only be able to fully understand the story if you find all of the stories (the game's cleverly hidden collectibles). While we acknowledge that this overly complex storytelling approach may not be for everyone and probably caused some of the game's scathing reviews, we hope that this title refuses to look down on gamers and that the film's I appreciate that you are giving us a complex story that fits perfectly into a work like this.
Unfortunately, the experience is hampered by some serious technical issues, due to the decision to measure player movement through a highly inaccurate accelerometer rather than the Wii's infrared capabilities (possibly due to the developer This is because we wanted to measure minute movements in order to calculate “fearfulness” (while you were playing). This means that even though you're moving the controller in the right direction, you'll often end up dying an unjustified death. This is a pretty big flaw considering this is the title's primary gameplay mechanic.
In 2024, these issues can be easily alleviated by emulating the game on your computer, and I would argue that this is the best way to experience this title (although Nintendo's notoriously greedy For the sake of the legal team, I won't go into detail about this). However, no amount of post-release work can undo the damage this broken mechanic has done to the game's reputation.
That being said, Shimizu and company was intended It's a difficult ordeal, with a slow pace and frequent deaths meant to coax players into experiencing this title more as a terrifying interactive movie than a regular video game. Either that, or Shimizu took the original premise of a “Grudge” being born from a violent death a little too seriously, and wanted to see if the curse also affected gamers living in the virtual realm. be.
Either way, once you accept that the weird gameplay loop and janky controls are simply part of the horror experience, it's much easier to accept this title's mechanical flaws.After all, this probably won't be a big deal Grudge Adaptation is possible if you can completely avoid the fear with skill alone, but I don't think there's an excuse for the lack of checkpoints (which is also the point of emulation).
difficult to recommend Ju-on: The Grudge As a product. The controls and story seem intent on frustrating players into giving up completely, and it's unlikely that they'll be able to unlock the final level (let alone the best) without a collectible guide. But video games are more than just toys that are valued for their entertainment factor. Given the game's chilling atmosphere and the thought and care that went into crafting its beautifully orchestrated scares, you'll find this to be a fascinating game.An experience worth revisiting as part of an unfairly forgotten society Grudge series.
Now all that's left to do is chat with Nintendo and make sure you can play this again without resorting to emulation.
