These are initial thoughts, not a full review. I have not played the Fatal Frame games myself, but I have wanted to. Also, I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to horror games. I enjoyed games like Resident Evil 4 and FEAR, but these are action games with horror elements. Horror games are another beast entirely.
People talk about how bad the controls are - and they are not wrong. Still, it is harkening back to games on the PS1 & PS2 that had janky controls. It could very well have been a deliberate choice to wrong-foot players and make them uncomfortable. After all, this isn't an action game; it is a horror game first and foremost. Having limited ability remap the controls (I can't use triggers? Really?) is surprisingly effective at wrong footing the player. Also the camera swings around a bit too freely, but this can also be a deliberate choice as it requires the player to maintain cool.
One thing this game nails, though, is atmosphere. Linda walks slowly but has a run function and cannot run while taking photos.
The first level's setting is unsettling. Everything looks dirty and cobbled together, like nature is encroaching on the location as it crumbles. Linda appears to wake up in this place without much more context than the player. It gives me the creeps to walk around this house that appears to have been recently abandoned.
All in all, I'm looking forward to spending more time in this world.
