Summary
Few consoles have been more successful than Nintendo’s Wii. When it was released in 2006, it was met with rave reviews and skyrocketing sales. Over time, that new glow started to fade. Gamers disliked the finicky motion controls and even accused the Wii of being home to shovelware. By 2013, the nail was officially in the coffin when Microsoft launched the Xbox One. The Wii was left to be buried in a graveyard offailed game consoles.
Among the remains, however, are many horror games for the Wii that time has seemingly left behind. These underplayed titles were released in the last five years of the console’s lifespan.
Dark shadows. A creepy sanatorium. Ominous ghosts.Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse(known asProject Zero IVin Europe) has all the elements of a good survival horror game, yet this version for the Wii is often overlooked.
In the game, players control a group of girls on a quest to uncover the mystery of what happened to them on Rougetsu Island. Wander through a haunted sanatorium and collect every piece of a ritualistic mask along the way to help the souls trapped inside make it to the afterlife. Rather than a sword or a gun, players are armed only with a powerful camera called the Camera Obscura to capture these aggressive spirits. There are fiveFatal Framegamesto date, but this fourth installment is usually ranked the lowest on the list.
Die-hard fans of theCastlevaniaseries expect a hack-and-slash through a castle, swatting bats and restoring health with turkey legs along the way. It’s a formula that has worked since 1986 when the firstCastlevaniawas released on the Famicom Disk System.
Castlevania: Judgmentis quite different. The gameplay is closer toSoul CaliberorMortal Kombatwhere players engage in hand-to-hand combat. Fans were not receptive to seeing belovedCastlevaniacharacters like Alucard, Simon, and Sypha in a fighting game, and as a result,Judgmentunderperformed on the Wii. The game is lowest in theranking of theCastlevaniaseriesand has a generally unfavorable score on Metacritic.
6OneChanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (2008, Japan)
Metascore: 55
OneChanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayersis the campy cousin ofDead Rising: Chop Til You Drop. However, rather than being a photojournalist, players can choose to control either a schoolgirl or a bikini-clad cowgirl armed with weapons capable of hacking and slashing through hordes of zombies.
This title may not be ranked as one of thebest horror games for the Wii, but it does offer eight levels of pure, arcade-style carnage for players who don’t want serious storylines in their horror games. Shake the Wii Remote over and over to attack the living dead in a subway, graveyard, church, hospital, and other spooky settings.
5Cursed Mountain (2009, North America)
Metascore: 67
The Himalayas are rumored to be home to the Abominable Snowman. InCursed Mountain, they are also said to hold an ancient curse that keeps poor, unfortunate souls trapped in a realm known as the Shadow World.
Play as Eric Simmons, a climber on a quest to find his brother who mysteriously disappeared on the mountain.Cursed Mountainis anelevated horror before its time.It has a compelling narrative, handsome characters, and of course, purifying incense sticks. However, it remains a hidden gem horror game for the Wii.
4Ju-On: The Grudge (2009, Japan)
Metascore: 39
Nightmares are made from the 2002 horror movie,Ju-On: The Grudge. In this haunted house simulator, players are dropped into the film, seeing the ghostly faces and hearing Kayako’s unnerving throaty sound reverberating from the Wii Remote speaker.
Unfortunately, this title on the Wii doesn’t live up to its creepy concept, nor does it evoke the same intensejump scares found in other horror games.Ju-On: The Grudgehas a dismal score of 39 on Metacritic and is almost unanimously reviled by fans and critics of the Wii alike.
3Calling
Metascore: 49
Callinghas a similar vibe to scary movies likePulseorUnfriended.With references to chat rooms, the constant use of flip phones and rotary phones, and text speak like “LOL,” it is clearly a game made in the late aughts.
As players navigate their way through a haunted house, they use the Wii Remote as a cell phone, taking creepy calls from hostile ghosts.Callingis one of the most frightening horror games on the Wii. In a dark room, it’s beyond unnerving to hear that chilling voice coming from the speaker. However, with poor controls and an overstuffed eight hours of playtime, the game is often left out of any conversation about good Wii horror games.
2Haunted House
Metascore: 41
The Atari is on the list ofbest retro game consoles, yet few people are familiar with its games.Haunted House, which originally came out for the system in 1981, was updated and rereleased on the Wii, but it remains just as obscure as ever.
This isometric game is one big maze set in a spooky mansion. While players can choose to play as Jacob or Silvia Silverspring, they often control only a floating pair of eyeballs since light provokes the ghosts floating around the mansion.Haunted Househas more fans than other long-forgotten Wii horror titles, so it may deserve a second look.
1Project Zero 2 (2012, Japan)
Metascore: 77
Project Zero 2was only released in Japan, Australia, and Europe. Plus, it’s impossible to play without an HDMI hookup. For both these reasons, this horror game is often overlooked on the Wii.
The game is a remake ofFatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, which was released on PlayStation 2 in 2003 and on the Xbox a year later. As in those versions, players explore a haunted village, solve puzzles, and use the iconic Camera Obscura. The only differences on the Wii are an over-the-shoulder perspective and the often frustrating use of motion controls.
