PixlBit

Ju-On: The Grudge is a haunted house simulator, a new sub-genre of survival horror invented by the game. The title is an extension of the famous Ju-On horror films first produced in Japan in 2003. The basic concept was to create an eerie world where players would fear what awaited them around each corner, and while the finished product features some definite issues, the game fulfills its goal - given the right type of gamer is playing.

Ju-On: The Grudge follows the tale of the Yamada family, who is cursed when Erika Yamada enters an abandoned warehouse and is touched by evil. This evil is in fact the damned hand of a housewife from Nerima, Japan. She was brutally murdered, which in turn created a curse far more powerful than any ever seen before. Players will take on the roles of different members of the Yamada family in several locations throughout their lineage in order to hopefully one day break the curse.

The first chapter of the Yamada tale is that of Erika Yamada herself, who enters an abandoned warehouse in search of her dog. As players begin exploring they will encounter many of the same play mechanics that will be present throughout the rest of the game.

The scare mechanic, being that it is a haunted house simulator, is by far the most important aspect of this title. Although the game does tend to rely on cheap scares, certain situations most certainly cause a player's heart to beat in panic. The overall dark setting intensifies the eeriness, as doors are rattled, and objects are thrown all around the player. The cursed little boy makes an appearance many times at random, and the cursed wife will attack the player countless times throughout the game.

This is one of the only situations in which players will have to fear dying. Throughout the game, players will have to avoid being consumed by the curse, so when grabbed by the woman, players will have to follow on-screen cues that will describe how to shake, turn, or push the Wii Remote in order to break the cursed grasp of the murdered Nerima woman. This can at times be frustrating since the different cues can be easily confused, and the waggle effects at times just aren't responsive. However, these situations are few and far between.

The second thing players should concern themselves with, is making sure that they continuously pick up batteries in order to keep their flashlight lit. There is usually one in every area so players should make sure they take the time to navigate a particular room until they find a spare battery. Although doing so may be easier said than done, since controlling Ju-On can sometimes be a challenging process.

The controls on the surface are simple enough: Press A to walk forward, B to walk backward, and point with the Wii Remote to determine which direction you move in. However, the problem lies with a combination of the lighting, graphics, and the playable character's walking speed. At first, the characters incredibly slow walking speed adds to the creepiness, as anyone stuck in a haunted house would most likely rather run than walk. However the fear factor that the speed initially creates wears thin incredibly fast. Eventually, it becomes a frustrating and lengthy journey just to cross a room.

The speed element is only made worse by the awful textured environments and, at times, horrendous flashlight effects. Since each room a player will enter is set up sort of like a maze, with objects blocking certain paths, it's important to be able to see where the character is trying to go. However most of the time the environments are too dark, and the flashlight beam is too narrow and dim to successfully navigate, especially if a player accidentally hits a wall. In certain areas the two aforementioned issues, combined with choppy textures, creates a situation where players are unable to distinguish where they are in the level, since everything looks exactly the same.

The main storyline is only half of the battle though, as a second player can pick up a Wii Remote and attempt to scare the other player. The multiplayer mode will allow players to replay a previous level, this time allowing the second player to add new horror elements that weren't present before, for example screen flashes. Different scares are mapped to particular buttons on the Wii Remote and the only purpose of the mode is to frighten a friend for kicks. This mode is best played with someone who is easily scared and has never played the game – the hilarity level is greatly enhanced.

While the controls are laggy and the environments aren't the sharpest, Ju-On still provides for a fairly unique experience. There are some very interesting features within the game, for example one that measures how much a player flinches when an enemy appears. The more the Wii Remote is shaken, the lower a players measured success rate is at the end of a level.

Overall, Ju-On The Grudge has some definite issues, and will most certainly only be fitting for a specific demographic. If you're not scared easily, aren't amused by cheap thrills, and have no patience, than this title is most certainly going to be a waste of money. But for those who enjoy being frightened or enjoy scaring other jumpy friends, there is definitely some enjoyment to be found.