![]() At the beginning, Mask of The Lunar Eclipse is front-loaded with aggressive linearity, signposting of the most alienating manner, and exceptionally cheap jumpscares. What makes a Fatal Frame game is still in here, just seemingly homogenized to its core concepts, whether it’s the exploration, the ghost hunting, or the horror itself. It gets muddied with Choshiro, who uses the “Spiritual Stone Flashlight” that doesn’t cap his movement when aiming, and ghosts will attack in hordes, lacking the same variety. Despite this, the combat can work really well, the homely and realistic rooms becoming arenas with legitimate design in regards to how you navigate it when fighting ghosts. With it originally being a game to utilize Fatal Frame’s debut on a Wii, a lot of Mask of The Lunar Eclipse has the stench of an introduction. There’s a lot of nuance and structure behind the combat, thanks to the use of different lenses that impede the ghosts further or cause massive damage quickly. Once they’re in your viewfinder, you have a battle system that deals more damage if you’re able to lock on for long enough, with that damage being expanded upon with various effects. If you’ve never played a Fatal Frame game before, gameplay involves using the “Camera Obscura”, the series’ mainstay item, to relinquish ghosts and spirits from the world of the living. Unfortunately this conflict never fully excels, demoted to a footnote since the ritual plays a bigger part as time goes by. Madoka knows that her role as Misaki’s friend is one of begrudging acceptance, even when they were on Rogetsu Isle together. ![]() There’s a level of animosity that presets her friendship with the aforementioned Madoka, one of the other girls involved in the ritual. Ruka’s arc is easily the most engrossing, and Choshiro’s role is a great side story, but Misaki’s, while enveloping, had a chance to be the best story in the franchise, let alone here. As narratives go, it certainly succeeds in set-up and pay-off, but there are shortcomings in terms of how it approaches its characters. The actual history of Rogetsu Isle, its inhabitants, and the murkier undertones of its more prominent establishments, is an unnerving joy to unfold and appreciate. Finally, Choshiro is there at the behest of Ruka’s mother, Sayaka, while chasing someone who may be responsible for the girls’ original involvement in the ritual.Īs I said, there’s a lot going on, and despite my poor explanation, it all manages to coalesce into a cohesive structure, and one of genuine intrigue. ![]() Ruka wishes to know her specific role within the ritual that her, Misaki, Madoka, and two other girls were involved in. Misaki eventually wishes to uncover the identity of a girl from her childhood, bringing along another girl from Rogetsu Isle, Madoka Tsukimori, for the ride. ![]() It turns out to be a very complicated plot, even without 3 playable characters (4 if you count the short prologue), who you’ll switch between after each chapter, with all of them having different goals. After the last one failed in 1970, all of the island’s inhabitants mysteriously die, with Ruka, Misaki, and Choshiro all trying to find out why. Following the story of 3 individuals, Ruka Minazuki, Misaki Asou, and Choshiro Kirishima, all 3 are there to uncover the history behind the island, which mainly involves a once-in-a-decade ritual. 15 years later, Koei Tecmo has tidied it up to give it the big remaster and port it deserves!īesides being the fourth in the Fatal Frame series, Mask of The Lunar Eclipse is also noteworthy due to development being assisted by Grasshopper Manufacture, Suda51’s company, with Suda directing alongside Fatal Frame creator Makoto Shibata. 2008’s Fatal Frame: Mask of The Lunar Eclipse, notable for being the first Fatal Frame release on a Nintendo console, namely the Wii, it’s also the only Fatal Frame that didn’t get a Western release. While the Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space remakes takes up everyone’s time and money for their big expensive returns to generational statements, spare a thought for the boy in blue.
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