2021 Inspired by Aokigahara
Title: Inspired by Aokigahara¶
Folklore Type: folkloresque¶
Contents:¶
"[Tony] Shirazu no Mori is a forest within Mount Hikami, which is obviously inspired by Aokigahara and the legends around this Japanese forest, isn’t it? How did you come up with such a concrete reference at such a sensitive topic? Do you think this topic could affect people struggling with this kind of trauma?
[Shibata] When I chose the theme of Japan’s haunted places, I couldn’t avoid the sensitive topics that come along with it. It’s a delicate title, but by creating a fictional belief that everything is connected by water and returns to water, I had a plan to sublimate a sensitive theme into something beautiful. The story of this game was created with a serious intention to provide a chance for people who are in between life and death to look at death and realize reasons to live."
Context:¶
In this interview excerpt, Shibata acknowledges using Aokigahara, a forest at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, as inspiration for one of the primary locations of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. Aokigahara is the site of many legends, and in recent years has gained the nickname "Suicide Forest" in response to the large number of suicides taking place there.
This interview was done by JP Games for the remastered release of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water in 2021. The original 2014/2015 release was a Nintendo Wii U exclusive. The remastered edition, released in 2021, updated the game for modern consoles and the PC.
Source Information¶
Original Source Citation: Shibata, Makoto. "Interview with: Makoto Shibata about Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water." By Tony. JP Games. October 22, 2021. https://jpgames.de/2021/10/interview-with-makoto-shibata-about-fatal-frame-maiden-of-black-water/.
| Source Type: | interview |
| Source URL: | https://jpgames.de/2021/10/interview-with-makoto-shibata-about-fatal-frame-maiden-of-black-water/ |
| Date Published: | 2021-10-22 |
| Date Collected: | 2023-07-28 |
| Associated File Name: | Shibata-2021-Interview with Makoto Shibata about Fatal Frame Maiden of Black Water.pdf |