It's a game with an interesting concept done right, but with an atmosphere that quickly loses it's effect.
So I get the game, put it in, and start up. The atmosphere is perfect. Its creepy, dark, and you have no idea what is going on or why you are here. After some getting used to the controls, I entered the first house, and jumped when a ghost appeared and disappeared next to me. I cautiously continue on, going through the reigns of a common entity of many horror games, puzzles and keys. After getting the Camera Obscura, the game's main weapon, you first ghost appears for combat. Its an easy fight to get you used to the combat controls, which, surprisingly, for a survival horror game, I found quite fluent. However, running is barely any faster than walking, which gets annoying rather quickly. Photographing ghosts at right times gets you "points," which allow you to upgrade your weapon. The better the photo, the more points, simple and easy.
After beating the boss of the first chapter, I continued on to the outside. You wander through the village, occasionally running into ghosts. This is when a problem arose...the fear factor dropped significantly. The new ghosts consisted of standard people with farm equipment. It just isn't that scary. Unfortunately, many of the enemies follow a "Grudge" look; women with long hair covering their faces as the crawl or shamble towards you. If you are a fan of this style of horror, then this game is for you. I for one, got quite tired of this, because I never found this monster concept scary to begin with.
The game has your typical ghost story plot, but it still adds a great amount to the overall mystery of what is going on, and is executed well. The camera is my favorite part. It is so creative and different that it made playing the game a blast. Its carried out so well. In Resident Evil or Silent Hill, you got more powerful weapons and ammo, in this game, you get better types of film that do more damage to ghosts, but are limited accordingly. Its an interesting and fresh take on survival horror. Upgrading the camera seems confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it adds to the enjoyment. Its a lot of fun to find the best moments to photograph the ghosts for the most points so you can upgrade you camera to that next stat. Its also a good bit of fun to try and beat your high score, and take a photo worth more points than anything you have taken before.
It's a game that does a lot well, but is for those that find this type of horror scary. If you thought the Ring or the Grudge were scary, this game is for you, but even if you didn't, it's worth trying this game out, as its so unique the combat alone is enough to keep you interested.