Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir

 3DS
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 37
  3. Negative: 12 out of 37
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  1. vahn
    Jan 26, 2013
    4
    I'm a big fan of the Project Zero/Fatal Frame series and while I don't love all of the games (I hated the second and I never found the third in stores. Shame), the games always had two unique traits: extreme japanese setting and ghost fighting. Add up some horror, some good exploration and also a story, you had a great game back in the days. But we're talking about Spirit Camera....soI'm a big fan of the Project Zero/Fatal Frame series and while I don't love all of the games (I hated the second and I never found the third in stores. Shame), the games always had two unique traits: extreme japanese setting and ghost fighting. Add up some horror, some good exploration and also a story, you had a great game back in the days. But we're talking about Spirit Camera....so forget all I mentioned above because this game has NONE of all that. Spirit Camera can be considered just an application, because there's barely any game into it: no exploration, no story (there is, but it's almost non-existant), no horror, NOTHING! The "game" is basically a bunch of small sections in which you'll interact with the small booklet, with also some ghost fighting sections. That's. It. There's literally nothing else! On top of that, the "game" doesn't even work properly on catching the booklet: I stayed in so many spots and put the booklet under almost any kind of light source in my house, yet it would still give problems on catching the right spot and when it did, it would work totally at random. Again, that's all of it: except with these few interactions with the booklet, which sometimes are scary sometimes are just boring, the "game" offers nothing else and you do the same things for 2 hours tops: that's extremely short for a "game" that costed me over 40 euros! However, I gave it 4 because...for 4 good reasons: the 4 ghost fights in the "game". Ok it's technically 5, but the first one was extremely boring, but for the other 4...Wow they are actually good and very creative, especially since you have to swap lenses and those lenses, when they are asked for, add quite the variety: those were the ONLY good parts of this "game". But again, there's nothing else to mention...ah yes, the 3d looks good, it's nice and actually works: I guess we couldn't forget that could we? What really saddens me of this "game" is that it could have be a "first person" adventure game by using the 3DS for moving you visuals and moving with the d-pad. Infact there is a part where you ACTUALLY explore another place and you ACTUALLY use the 3DS for moving your visuals! I initially thought it would be like that, but after that scene it basically turned out to be a bunch of small activities and applications, with a bunch of (good) ghost fightings, and a very bad interaction system with the booklet. If they had to made this for selling, they should have made it much cheaper, or at least add more content. It's just not worth it: get the old Fatal Frame/Project Zero games instead. They are far superior to this....… Expand
  2. MegWhiteley
    Apr 16, 2012
    4
    Terrible game, the idea of Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir is good, have much elements for be a winner, but what happen?, fail, this game have good graphics, good story, but terrible development, but the game is tedious and boring Spirit Camara: The Cursed Memoir is a big deception.
  3. harryjc
    Oct 26, 2016
    4
    The idea of this game is really cool. When you first play this title everything works, and it is very exciting, using all the features of the 3DS. But all together this is broken. For example, there's a point where you have to fight a hand spirit, or something like that, and you cannot even proceed forward! I got stuck!

    Add to this the fact that it is extremely awkward to hold a book    The idea of this game is really cool. When you first play this title everything works, and it is very exciting, using all the features of the 3DS. But all together this is broken. For example, there's a point where you have to fight a hand spirit, or something like that, and you cannot even proceed forward! I got stuck!

    Add to this the fact that it is extremely awkward to hold a book flat, and a full sized 3DS at the same time, and you have something that just isn't fun to play.

    Again, the idea of this game is really cool, and it looks promising, but in the end it doesn't deliver. It's extremely disappointing that this title, due to technical limitations I suppose, could not work right. There really was something there. It was a lot of fun being brought into this world of horror, but then you find yourself frustrated, and you hit a road block.

    I wish this could've been a 10, but it isn't. You'll get 15 to 20 minutes play time, and then that's it. A real shame. Maybe they could try again?

    If they do make another one like this they should stick to how it was in the very beginning. The part where you walk into that mansion, and you have to move the camera around to look. That was great. Have that type of exploration. Use the d-pad to walk around, move the camera to look, and explore, and capture spirits. If they want an AR feature, then have a set of cards you can hold up to, I dunno, reload your film. Or replenish health. But don't make it the main part of the game.    … Expand
  4. maybenot13
    Sep 27, 2017
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. it was an eh moment for me it was just boring.
    plus Mayu doesn't do anything but to be an exasperation fairy. She is useless and you don't really do anything either and its just ehh to me. The story is boring too.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Best 3DS Game of 2012
30
#30 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2012
23
#23 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 35
  3. Negative: 8 out of 35
  1. games(TM)
    Aug 21, 2012
    60
    There's no shortage of ideas on display, featuring some of the best use of AR tech on the handheld to date, but ultimately the 3DS feels more like a curse for the franchise, rather than a blessing.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer Portugal
    Aug 11, 2012
    50
    Spirit Camera is one of those games with a funny concept and that, while not resulting in the expected scale, always end up creating a certain willingness to finish the narrative presented.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Aug 10, 2012
    40
    Unsatisfactory survival horror shows an interesting concept but every positive feeling is wiped out by its overall shortness and a weak presentation of augmented-reality. [Issue#220]
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