Creepy camera obscura classic, Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, is headed to the West for the very first time in a remastered version that's set to hit Xbox consoles in early 2023.
This seriously spooky horror game was only released on the Wii in Japan back in 2008, although we did eventually manage to play it via a sneaky fan translation, and can officially confirm that it is 100% terrifying. You need some seriously strong nerves to knock around haunted houses taking photos of hideous spectres, is all we're saying.
Here's some more official details from Koei Tecmo and a bunch of screenshots to have a gander at;
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse takes place a decade after five girls mysteriously disappeared at a festival on Rogetsu Isle, an island in southern Japan. While all of the girls were eventually rescued, their memories were lost, with only the faint remembrance of a single melody and a seemingly possessed masked woman dancing in the moonlight. Now, ten years later, with still no memory of the events surrounding their disappearance, two of the five girls have died—discovered with covered faces and found in a tragic, crying pose. The remaining three girls now head off to the eerie island to solve the mystery of their friends’ death, while also unlocking the mystery of the memories left behind.
As the girls explore the western-style mansions and abandoned hospitals on Rogetsu Isle, they will rely on the moonlight and a faint flashlight to search for clues. The story progresses by discovering relics like old newspaper articles and notes that help the girls unravel the island’s secret past. While exploring, the girls will also be confronted by a series of spirits. They will need to use a Fatal Frame franchise classic, the Camera Obscura, to repel vengeful ghosts, sealing away their power by photographing them. Throughout the game, the girls will need to equip stronger lenses and change out different films in order to capture the most powerful spirits, while also using the camera to capture “things that cannot be seen” to help them find the evidence they need to remember their haunting past.
The remastered game features an all-new Photo Mode, along with new and altered costumes, and enhanced graphics including the improved rendering of shadows and light, delivering a more immersive and frightening experience. In addition, in-game movies and character models have been brushed-up to deliver a story that shines, both narratively and aesthetically as the three remaining girls attempt to rediscover their past before becoming victims once again.
Will you be scaring yourself into an early grave when Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse launches on Xbox in 2023? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 46
I can't believe it! Thanks to everyone supporting the Maiden of Black Water remaster (myself included)! This is one of my favourite games ever. I hope that 1, 2 and 3 are re-released as well! Hopefully.
First Goldeneye 007 and now this, am I dreaming or something?
Get ready because this one is scarier than Maiden of Black Water! 😁
In between, shouldn't the European title be at least mentioned on a UK site? Fatal Frame is the name in US only.
@Banjo- Admittedly, it has been a killer day!
@HarmanSmith Totally!
@Banjo- Isn't the European name called Project Zero?
I cannot wait for this! I read it a couple hours ago on Push Square, very happy it’s coming out to Xbox as well. I never got to play this one as it didn’t come to the states. Super excited for this one!
@Solidchief Right, Zero in Japan, Fatal Frame in America and Project Zero in the rest of the world, including Pure Xbox's headquarters.
@EvilSilentFrame I bought it for Wii on Play-Asia when the fan-made patch was released and it's one of the finest games in the series.
@Banjo- I agree on a rerelease of 1, 2, and 3. The first two were my favorites and it would be nice to have the third finally on an Xbox console. Do you think with all this Project Zero/Fatal Frame games coming out, that they might be working on a new one?
Is this series any good? Blind stuff with a camera seems kind of ... boring? Not as boring as some other modern survival games were you can only hide and wait for the enemy while holding a controller staring at the screen...
@belmont it’s not for everybody. I know some people who hate these games. I absolutely love them. I love the characters and the stories. They are all separate stories but are carefully intertwined for fans of the series. The controls are a bit clunky, but if you can look past the controls, I personally think they are fantastic game but my view is probably biased.
@belmont They are meant to be played slowly but they're not boring at all, in my opinion. They're subtle and spooky and the texts that you find are actually worth reading, and connected to the story. The stories are believable and interesting. The first game is loosely based on a true story.
@EvilSilentFrame I think that, because the Maiden of Black Water remaster was a commercial success in spite of not being the strongest entry, that they will remaster 3 after 4, then 2 and, finally, the first game. 3 is stuck on PS2. 1 and 2 are stuck on PS2 and the original Xbox, without backwards compatibility versions. Perhaps after the remasters, a new game can be expected. This is what I think but I might be wrong.
Maiden of Black Water remaster was released in October 2021. I think that they wanted the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse remaster to be released in October 2022 (Halloween), but it was delayed. So, three more years for 3, 2 and 1, hopefully.
@jrt87 You make a great point, as hearing the camera charging sound, waiting for the spirits to get close and trying to get the best "fatal frame" shot to optimise resources and points is exhilarating from a gameplay point of view.
@Banjo- Thanks for the reply. Never understood why games in countries had different names. For example Resident Evil is called Biohazard in Japan.
Same thing with cover art though I remember Europe and Japan a lot of the time got the better and artistic cover art unlike US.
@Solidchief All right. I don't dislike the Fatal Frame name because it's related to the perfect shots but it has nothing to do with the Japanese name and these games were and are called Project Zero in Europe.
This was a nice surprise from the Nintendo direct. Sadly, they also announced Octopath Traveler 2 for Steam, Switch and PlayStation, but not for XBox. Super weird given Octopath Traveler 1 is on Xbox but not on PlayStation.
@Tharsman I’m withholding judgment until the Xbox show a few days from now. It probably won’t come but again I’ll wait to them.
@Solidchief Resident Evil has a documented history that when they were porting it for the west, they were convinced they would never be able to secure a trade mark on the Biohazard name, for being such a heavily used word. Honestly, I think Resident Evil is a way cooler name, and the same holds true for Fatal Frame over "Zero".
@Tharsman That's very interesting and can understand why. Yeah your right Resident Evil is a much cooler name.
@mousieone @Tharsman I'm still hoping for an Xbox version because I don't believe that Nintendo and Sony paid Square Enix for keeping Octopath Traveler 2 away from Xbox. It's weird that Octopath Traveler skipped PS but it was released for Windows and Xbox equals Windows from an OS point of view. Is the sequel coming to Windows or we don't know yet?
@Banjo- well it would make sense if it’s a day one GP announcement but I don’t know I refuse to hope.
@mousieone Let's wait and see, then.
@Solidchief It's just odd that this series has three names. I guess that it wouldn't happen in this globalised market if the IP was new.
@Banjo- I think its announced as coming to Steam, so unless they doing Linux only, it should be coming to windows.
But I don't have high hopes for Square to do anything out of the love of it, they have a habit of holding games hostage until someone pays them for the port costs, as small as the costs might be. I'm actually shocked we getting Core Crisis.
@SplooshDmg Thanks! So, then I'm pretty sure that it will come to Xbox, too. To Game Pass, even.
@Tharsman They might be waiting to see that Game Pass deal because the first game was popular on it. I played it because of Game Pass and I loved it in spite of not having any anticipation and not liking Bravely Default (1) very much.
Back on topic, I was positively surprised by the trailer. I know this is what should be expected in graphics terms but the Wii U game still holds up well, while this is quite an improvement over the Wii game. It makes me think that this is a remake running on the modern engine which might be a modified version of the Wii U entry.
@Banjo- @jrt87 @EvilSilentFrame Thanks for the input! I will check the Fatal Frame series. I guess the best starting point is the newest game that is available in modern platforms?
Outlast was the game I had in mind. You have at the start a camera instead of a gun and you can only hide and waiiiit hidden... The two recent Resident Evil games are what I would call modern survival horror
@belmont I love Resident Evil for different reasons, but Project Zero/Fatal Frame is, in my opinion, the best psychological horror IP, and according to most, up there with the first Silent Hill games as the best. I can't even compare this to something as cheap as Outlast LOL.
The best starting point? That's tricky to answer. Would you play 1, 2 and 3 on emulators as they're stuck on PS2 (1-3) and the original Xbox (1-2), and wait for the remaster of 4, or would you start with the only available remaster (5) now? The games are connected but you can play them separately and even the first game holds up in gameplay terms. You could start with any (the first one I played was 2 on Wii). Read the link below and let me know which one you would play first. Probably, it's best to start with Maiden of Black Water and Mask of the Lunar Eclipse next year, and hopefully the others are remastered as well 😊.
https://www.purexbox.com/forums/xbox-series-x/zeroproject_zerofatal_frame_official_thread#reply-01
I remember modding my Wii with an SD card specifically to play this back in the day (Project Zero + Grasshopper/Suda51 combined is perfect anyday)
Can't wait and happy to pay & play for this again.
@Banjo- fantastic to see a fellow passionate Project Zero fan here as well. I'll never forget playing Project Zero 1 on the PS2 way back when. I totally agree, one of the very best horror game series and very much worthy of mention alongside the Silent Hill series.
@pip_muzz Thanks and I'm glad to see that I'm not alone! I'm really hoping for remasters of 1, 2 and 3 now! Even if it takes a few years, it will be worth the wait.
@Banjo- So I checked and I actually have the PAL Wii version of PZ2!! I may start from it or sell it, lol it seems to go for ~100 euros.
More seriously if the games are not that long I may emulate the PS2 version but since the ports sold well, we may see them too. So, I may emulate the first or play the second in my Wii or get the digital version of the fifth.
I always thought Silent Hill 2 as a perfect example of survival horror with the multiple difficulties, the atmosphere, the multiple endings. I don't understand why this formula was dropped. I recently palyed the game via BC in Series S and it holds up.
@Banjo- I have copies of 1-3 in my PS2 and I even forked out for the remaster of 2 on Wii as well. These games are criminally overlooked and underrated in my view. Remasters of 1-3 would be a dream. I'd genuinely rate Project Zero 2 as the scariest game of all time.
@belmont LOL You can always sell it and download the digital version on the Wii U shop for €20 if it's still open and you have a Wii U. Otherwise, keep your physical game! It's probably the best game in the series and the Wii Edition is great. Yes, you could wait for the older games to be remastered or emulate the PS2/Xbox games. As long as you support (buy) the new remasters, it's all good ha ha.
@pip_muzz Project Zero 2 (Wii) was the first I played. I didn't know what to expect and I found one of the best games I've ever played. These games are criminally overlooked because we're used to gore and action for the sake of it but playing something like this feels eerily real. I pre-ordered the Wii U physical version and also pre-ordered the digital deluxe edition of the Xbox remaster. I also bought IV and played it with the translation patch on the SD card. I became a fan after playing 2 on Wii.
@Banjo- I have a Wii U although I only have Virtual Console games and some occasional Wii U digital game. The Wii U is great for playing Wii games on an HD TV. So, it turns out i have played Project Zero 2 and in fact already beaten it! I have a lot of very old saves and I have forgotten everything from the game. I may play the games in order.
@belmont I agree about Wii U. So then you can play the games as you like and 2 will be like a new game 😉.
@Banjo-
Interestingly enough, the OG Xbox releases of the games were titled Fatal Frame even in Japan. Also, those things cost a fortune here so I'm with you on hoping they release 1-3 as well.
@jkald Right and the Xbox versions are better than the PS2 games, but the third game is stuck on PS2 to date. Unfortunately, the Xbox games are not backwards compatible. So, we need definitive current-gen remasters with the Xbox extras and more 😁. Even last year's remaster that didn't change the graphics very much has a fair amount of bonus content. This Mask of the Lunar Eclipse "remaster" looks like a remake to me, compared to the Wii game that was not even properly tested and polished and it's SD.
@Banjo-
Agreed there. Now just hoping they'll do a physical release.
@Tharsman now that you mentioned the differences in the name with Resident Evil, I think I remember Koei Tecmo saying years ago that they didn’t think “Zero” wouldn’t sell well in the west, so they gave it the name “Fatal Frame” to appeal to that audience.
@Banjo- if we get 1-3 as one a year, yes I’d be happy with that, but I’m hoping for them to be bundled together as those were the OG Xbox/PS2 generation. I started with the first one. I got it as a free game and wasn’t expecting anything from it. It completely blew me away! The characters, the story, the rituals… after I was done playing, I wanted to know more. I did research on the game and found how deep it really goes.
Then I played part 2 and was equally blown away. The story, characters, and rituals were completely different from the first one but there was that slight connection with one of the characters. I don’t want to give that connection as that would be spoiling for those looking to get into the series. I was just amazed how they were able to do that. Here’s hoping I get to play them on current gen consoles.
@belmont I guess you can play them in any order, but I’d probably start at the beginning. Might be harder going backwards after doing some of the more recent titles as the graphics and controls on the older games wouldn’t be as good as say the fifth game. Though each game can stand on their own, I’d say you would get more out of the story as there are some characters that eventually do return. Though not much of their past would have to deal with the current event of the new game, you would just already have that connection with them and know what they went through.
The second game can definitely sit up there with Silent Hill 2 in terms of creepiness and multiple endings. I remember being so into the story, I went through multiple times to unlock all endings in both Fatal Frame 2 and Silent Hill 2.
@pip_muzz I agree that the second one is one of the scariest games of all time. It’s strange, because after I beat the first one, and then the second one, I thought the first one was scarier. Then I replayed them both again mostly because I loved it and I wanted to get the multiple endings. The second time through, I found the first game less scary. The second one I was like how did I manage to get through some of these parts? It was truly creepy. But not too creepy, as I ran through it 5 or 6 times to unlock all those endings. Still love them both but the second one is truly creepy!
Maybe this is why Project Zero (Fatal Frame) was never made backwards compatible, if they had plans to rerelease them. I’m fine with that, as long as we get them. Totally pre-ordering this one! Can’t wait to play this one at last.
@EvilSilentFrame I also replayed it to get not just the different endings but to complete the ghosts list. Guides should only be used for finding elusive ghosts and endings in subsequent playthroughs. The first playthrough should be totally on your own! I say this for the new players.
I would really love to see the first three games re-released and do a series marathon. Last year's remaster didn't change the graphics very much as it's a Wii U game but next year's remaster looks like a big improvement technically. I think that they're using a modified version of the Wii U engine and the fact that they bothered to remaster (remake?) a Wii game that was glitchy at retail makes me think that they're serious about the series now 😊.
@Banjo- I completed the ghost list too. I remember playing certain parts over and over because you get a split second to capture that ghost.
There was a mode on the second game you could play, I don’t remember what it was called off hand, but you weren’t allowed to save and I think you had to survive so many nights. It’s been awhile, I might have some of that information wrong but I never beat that. I don’t play games that long at one sitting so I was like this is not the mode for me lol. If I had the option to save, I would have done it. Everything else was unlocked and completed 100%.
@EvilSilentFrame I think it was a random scenario mode but I never played it, I should have a look.
I looked it up and it is the survival mode.
Survival mode
In survival mode, the player has to survive during the course of all houses, Kiryu, Kurosawa, Tachibana, and fight with the final boss, Utsuro, in the Hellish Abyss. After beating this mode, Utsuro is added to the Spirit List (Only by doing a Fatal Frame shot).
It’s the only thing I never completed. Maybe one day if I have time to sit for awhile.
Q) Will you be scaring yourself into an early grave when Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse launches on Xbox in 2023?
A) Yes, though I'm unsure as to which platform I'll be getting it on. I got the Maiden of Black Water re-release on Xbox Series X (owning the Wii U original) but this being a Wii remastered re-release, I wonder if it might translate better on the Switch. Hopefully, regardless of which version I get, it will have a physical release.
Overall I'm ecstatic this game is finally being released worldwide. I had started to lose hope this would happen. A must-have game for next year and one which pleases me because this also means that the Maiden of Black Water re-release must have sold well.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...