FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

About FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse came out in Japan on the Wii in 2008. It was made by Tecmo with Nintendo and Grasshopper Manufacture, directed by Makoto Shibata and Goichi Suda, and never had an official release in the West. Koei Tecmo remastered it in March 2023 for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Switch. The remaster brings better character models and films, improved shadows and flashlight beams, new and changed costumes, and a snap mode for posing characters and ghosts.

Rogetsu Kagura is a festival held once every ten years on Rogetsu Isle, south of Japan's main island. During one festival five girls disappeared. A detective, Choshiro Kirishima, found them, but none of them remembered what had happened. Ten years later two of the five are dead. Misaki and Madoka go back to the island, and Ruka Minazuki, who has only a single remembered melody to go on, follows them. The game moves between these characters, including the detective.

You explore in third person by flashlight and moonlight, through Japanese houses, Western-style rooms and an old sanatorium turned hotel, reading newspaper articles and notes to piece together the island's past. When a ghost appears you raise the Camera Obscura and photograph it. How much damage a shot does depends on how close the ghost is, how well it is framed and which film you use. Shooting just as a ghost attacks gives a Fatal Frame, a stronger shot. The basic film never runs out but is weak, and rarer films hit harder. Points earned from photos buy items such as medicine at save points, and blue gems upgrade the camera. One character carries a Spirit Flashlight that uses moonlight instead.

Critics on Metacritic and OpenCritic gave it around 70, praising the ghost designs and atmosphere while finding the controls dated and the movement stiff. Steam players are kinder, at 89% positive. The main story takes about 12.5 hours, and New Game+ unlocks costumes and items. It suits players who liked Maiden of Black Water or Crimson Butterfly and who don't mind slow, deliberate horror where you read every note.

How to play FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

1. Buy the game on Steam (Windows), PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X|S, or Nintendo Switch.
2. Explore Rogetsu Isle in third person, using the flashlight to see in the dark and to find items and notes.
3. Read notes and newspaper articles to piece together what happened during the festival ten years ago.
4. When a ghost appears, raise the Camera Obscura, keep the ghost close and well framed, and take the shot to damage and seal it.
5. Use points from your photos to buy medicine and other items at save points, and blue gems to upgrade the camera.
6. Use the camera to reveal hidden keys and the way into new areas, and follow each character's part of the story to the end.

Tips

• Wait until a ghost is about to attack, then shoot for a Fatal Frame, which does more damage.
• The basic film is unlimited but weak; save rarer, stronger film for dangerous ghosts.
• Closer, well-framed shots do more damage, so let a ghost come near before you fire.
• Search corners with the flashlight; items and notes are easy to miss in the dark.
• If the game feels too hard, a lower difficulty gives you more items; higher difficulties give fewer.

Questions