Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is a re-release of the horror Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen (the fourth installment in the Fatal Frame series). The plot of the game tells about three girls (Ruka Minazuki, Misaki Aso and Madoka Tsukimori) who go to a sanatorium where a serial killer attacked them 10 years ago.
Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse review
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Known as Fatal Frame in some regions, Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is the fourth game in the series, but how will this remaster change in 2023?
Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse originally released on the Nintendo Wii in 2008, where it had a troubled start. The motion control alienated purists, and it wasn't until the fifth game, Maiden of Blackwater (and its various ports), that the series got back on its feet.
Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse has become a lost chapter in the franchise. Luckily, this 2023 remaster of the game fixes that by ditching the motion controls while also giving it a fresh coat of 4K paint. However, the question remained, would the ghouls of his past pull him back into obscurity?
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is a re-release of the horror Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen (the fourth installment in the Fatal Frame series). The plot of the game tells about three girls (Ruka Minazuki, Misaki Aso and Madoka Tsukimori) who go to a sanatorium where a serial killer attacked them 10 years ago.
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Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse trailer
Why are ghosts so scary?
Horror games are a dime a dozen, and many know how to make you jump through their atmosphere and slowly building tension. However, only a select few are truly disturbing. Games like Outlast, Amnesia, and PT achieve this by mastering the first-person perspective, but Project Zero sticks to the Silent Hill path and thrives on being scary in third-person.
Ghost stories are scary in a way that monsters, psychic killers, and other horror creatures can't replicate. They get under the skin in a way that nothing else can - Project Zero knows that.
Playing with this fear of the unknown is one of the strengths of the Lunar Eclipse. In the credits, an amnesiac group of women who had fled a serial killer years earlier return to the site of their injury, a small island in Japan. The disaster killed many of the island's inhabitants, leaving it deserted, cursed, and haunted by malevolent spirits that may have a connection to the serial killer.
Echoes of the past
The game plays like a traditional survival horror, unlike contemporary entries in the genre such as the Dead Space remake, The Calisto Protocol and Resident Evil Village. Instead, it feels more like a PS2 classic in a genre like Silent Hill 2 or one of the earlier Project Zero/Fatal Frame games. The lunar eclipse mask benefits from an old school feel and will appeal to those who miss the horror games of yesteryear. The version we played also looked great on Xbox, and the remaster was a real upgrade from the original Wii release.
While the visuals, atmosphere, and story stand out, some of the mechanics in Mask of the Lunar Eclipse haven't aged well. The game feels clunky and unwieldy in places with controls that don't always feel natural. Your character walks by default, and while it's possible to run while holding the button, it barely improves your character's speed - they just shuffle their feet a little faster. We found it easier (and creepier) to walk around, which better prepared us to take out the ghosts that lurked around most corners.
The fight against the paranormal
Speaking of ghosts, just like other games in the franchise, you can keep them at bay by taking pictures of them with the magical camera obscura. Some of them can be seen in advance, but others will attack without warning, which means that you will always need to keep your finger on the shutter. During shooting, the camera moves to the first person, which takes a second or two. Ghosts can get to you during this transitional time, so be prepared.
The ghosts themselves are incredibly creepy and come in many different types, with some being more dangerous than others. Early encounters are terrifying, reminding us of classic moments from Japanese cinema such as The Ring or The Grudge. Pale nurses will stare blankly at you from windows, while vengeful spirits will lunge deadly at you after staggering down the hallway to get to you. These are really scary things.
However, this tension does not last indefinitely. After you've taken your XNUMXth photo and banished a lot of ghosts, fears start to lose their grip. This is a common problem throughout the franchise, and Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is no worse than these entries. Despite our quibbles, this is still a stellar survival horror experience for the most part.
In some regions, Project Zero is also called Fatal Frame.
Verdict 4/5
The Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse remaster is an eerie stay for those who missed it the first time or those who enjoyed previous entries. Those who have had a good time playing Maiden of Blackwater will also find a lot to like in Mask of the Lunar Eclipse.
The game is a great throwback to lost time in survival horror history and every fan of the genre owes it to himself to check it out. It's nice to see a game relying on ghosts as its main source of fear after so many monstrous horrors have been running around the genre lately. And rest assured, this is a scary game. These ghosts want you to join their less-than-living existence, and you'll have to brave all sorts of ghosts to avoid that fate.
Review on Xbox series s
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