Fatal Frame is one of the most iconic horror franchises in video games, often listed alongside big names like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. With five mainline games lined up, only four of them were available in North America, and his fourth entry in the series never left Japan. That is, until now! First released exclusively for his Wii in 2008, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse has finally made its way worldwide and on modern platforms. The real question is whether it was worth the wait. Depending on your experience with the series, your mileage may vary from series to series.
Gesshoku no Kamen features the story of three main playable characters, all of whom return to the mysterious environment of Rogetsu Island. and friend Madoka travel to the island in hopes of finding answers to fill the gaps in their childhood memories. The two are separated, and Misaki has to explore alone. I notice that there is no figure anywhere. Finally, Detective Choshiro Kirishima also follows Ruka to the island to bring him back to her home. All three of these characters begin exploring a local sanatorium that seems to be related to the history of the girl, but unfortunately for them this sanatorium happens to be full of ghosts.
The primary mechanic of Fatal Frames is ghost combat that occurs whenever a spirit type known as a Wraith spawns. Both Misaki and Luka fight using the series’ iconic camera obscura. This camera obscura can be pulled out by pressing X, shifting the game to first person view. Both camera obscura look slightly different, but they work in much the same way. As you frame the ghost, the camera charges and its progress is indicated by the pattern in the center. The more charge you have before taking a picture of the ghost, the more damage it will do. Damage can also be increased by equipping a stronger type of film, attaching a different lens, or capturing fatal frames. You can get realistic frame shots. This allows him to take multiple shots in quick succession to accumulate damage, and if you’ve played his other Fatal Frame games in the past, this isn’t much of a change from them. However, one complaint I have about Camera Obscura’s combat is that its setting likes to run into cramped areas like hallways and small bedrooms with very limited room to move around, and disappears. It’s something that can be a little frustrating when fighting possible enemies. It will reappear anywhere you like (including inside walls).
Choshiro does not use the Camera Obscura in battle, instead going to Rogetsu, who is equipped with the Spirit Stone Flashlight.It is easier to fight than the camera as you can attack by simply holding down the ZR button to charge and release. . The simplicity of this type of combat actually hinders it, as ghosts become insignificant even when there are multiple of them (an event that becomes particularly distressing in Camera Obscura). Both can be upgraded using Blue Spirit Stones that can be found throughout the game, but be aware that all three characters share the same pool of upgrade materials rather than sharing actual upgrades. please give me. They want to upgrade the most. One of his non-combat controls I had issues with was the flashlight, and in the Wii version I used the Pointer his control. This isn’t as good as using the right analog stick, which is also connected to the game’s camera, and trying to manipulate the flashlight to illuminate the item (the only way to reveal the item’s location). ) can be a real pain.
Overall, of all the fatal frames I’ve played, this is one of the weaker ones. The sanatorium setting is very well done both in terms of atmosphere and sound design, and the new and improved graphics over the original Wii version certainly help add to the immersion. Exploring the same area over and over with different characters can get boring quickly, especially if the characters are also backtracking into the same area. The same goes for some ghosts, with certain encounters like the sadistic child Ayako being repeated several times with multiple characters and tending to become annoying after the third time. Fans of Fatal Frame who want to experience will probably find enough atmosphere and story to keep them interested, but newcomers may find some of the game’s shortcomings turn off as their first experience. That said, I can put my hat on a character that is a big camera obscura, so in a way, maybe it all balances out in the end.
