Ju-On: The Grudge Wii Description
Experience genuine terror from one of Japan's horror masters, Takeshi Shimizu, in the first ever videogame offering of Ju-On: The Grudge. Using the Wii Remote as a flashlight, players explore haunted areas such as an abandoned warehouse, a dimly lit hospital and a mannequin factory, all whilst trying to remain in control of their nerves. Developed with heavy involvement by Shimizu-san, Ju-On: The Grudge is as close as you can get to actually being in the twisted world of The Grudge.
- Use your Wii Remote as a flashlight, with ease of use movement and terrifyingly lit environments.
- Keep control of your nerves - the more you flinch and jump the worse your performance affects your score.
- Wii Remote is not just a flashlight - depending on the game flow the controller changes to various devices.
- Compare your points with friends and family - after finishing each stage the game will judge how scared you were based on how you played.
- Experience real sounds - the sound effect is a key element of the game and many were actually recorded at existing ruining facilities and buildings to bring realism.
The game begins with you investigating a haunted house with no more than your trusty flashlight. Its in this first level that you begin to realize just how important a flashlight is when dealing with denizens from the afterlife, as your flashlight battery is almost immediately at a level where you need to find more batteries, now. As you wander around the ghost-ridden house trying to find more batteries, there are scares to be had, such as hands that appear from nowhere and try and grab you, or ghostly figures that appear on your screen.
Even though the scare tactics that are tried in the game quickly become second nature to deal with, that doesnt stop them from causing a momentary fright when they are upon you. Its those little frights, happening over and over again, that will keep you playing through the game all the way to the conclusion, ninety minutes later.
The combat that is in this game is essentially nonexistent. Sometimes, a ghoul will grab you out of nowhere, usually with the musical soundtrack actually kicking up right then. You have a couple of seconds to shake the Wii Remote or else the creature will get you, but that is the extent of combat in this game. Other than that, the highlight of the game is moving around with your flashlight slowly running out of juice, looking for keys to unlock the next area. Honestly, if it wasnt for the zombies and ghouls that look so similar to those in the movie, this game could have been called KeyQuest and the title would have been just as descriptive.
Its actually a good thing, probably, that combat is so lacking in this game, because if combat was a large part of it, then the difficulty of moving about the game with a camera that is as finicky as this one is would probably make it impossible to play. For those that remember the original Silent Hill, you know what Im talking about. This is even worse, with the Wii control directly controlling the camera with its twist, and so therefore a small movement can have a huge impact.
This game is a horror adventure that is loosely based on the movie. The gameplay and story are nothing to write home about, but the game does do a good job of unnerving a player with the creepy visuals and audio. While its not quite as creepy as sitting and watching a scary movie would be, if youve got a night alone to sit and play a game in the dark, this could be the right one for you.
