The first two chapters of Wii U horror title Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water will be available for free, Nintendo has announced.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is scheduled for release an eShop release on October 22. Nintendo is allowing players to download the game's prologue, chapter one, and "most of chapter two" for free as part of a "free-to-start" program.

The full version of the game will then be available to purchase as downloadable content from within the game or on the eShop.

First announced in early 2014, the Wii U-exclusive horror game is being co-developed by Koei Tecmo Games, the studio behind the Dynasty Warriors series.

This is the first entry in the core Fatal Frame entry since the 2008 Wii game, which publisher Nintendo declined to release outside of Japan. More recently, the company published 3DS spin-off Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir for 3DS in 2012.

In other Nintendo news, the company announced release dates for Star Fox Zero, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, and a new Super Mario Maker Wii U bundle.