Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse Unveils Story Trailer As Xbox Pre-Orders Go Live

Nice news for my mate @Banjo- !

Can't wait for this one. Hope we can get the first 3 titles in some form!

Finally! I was wondering when the preorders will be going up. I’ll be preordering this tonight when I get home. I cannot wait!

@HarmanSmith I’m hopeful for the first 3 games in some form as well. I saw on a site a few weeks back, they were saying Koei Tecmo had no plans to bring over the first three games. It was a fan made site so I’m hoping they got their information wrong. I would be happy with just porting it over. They wouldn’t need to update anything for me, I’ll take it as is as long as we get them on current platforms.

@EvilSilentFrame I surely hope Koei Tecmo (if the rumours you saw are true) will reconsider! As you say, I will take the game as they are (I am quite fond of Crimson Butterfly, btw - it brings back some of the finest gaming experiences in my life). IIRC, the first three (correct me if I am wrong) were (are?) available on the PS3 digital store, so maybe they can do something on that vein?

Thank you @FraserG for reporting this and mentioning both names as "Fatal Frame" doesn't exist on digital stores here. I just pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe Edition not just for the Digital Artbook that was awesome in Maiden of Black Water but for supporting the series.

The Maiden of Black Water remaster is the most successful entry yet commercially. In January 2022, Koei Tecmo revealed their financial report, Maiden of Black Water sold 340,000 copies worldwide.

This Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is more remake, considering the graphical differences. If people support this release, that is a better game than Maiden of Black Water, chances are that we'll get remakes of The Tormented (PS2), Crimson Butterfly that was previously remade for Wii and the first game that received a special edition for the original Xbox.

And why is this series special? Because it's pure psychological horror with slow and delicious gameplay, classic Japanese art, hair-rising audio, rewarding exploration and addictive combat. The story and files are wonderfully translated to English and everything makes sense in the context of each game.

@HarmanSmith @EvilSilentFrame Yes, the first three were released for the PS3 digital store in North America. I remember that the developer said a similar thing in the past, like they had no plans and then Mask of Lunar Eclipse was announced, so I hope that this is not the end!

As a side note, I enjoyed Maiden of Black Water more on Xbox than on Wii U because of the frame rate, resolution and controls.

@HarmanSmith yes I believe they are on the PS3 store, or at least that’s what the fan site I was looking at was suggesting. I have the first two on Xbox. I have the third one on PS2. Crimson Butterfly is my favorite closely followed by the first one.

If Mask of the Lunar Eclipse sells well, maybe they will bring over the other three. I’m hoping they are already working on doing just that, but since they haven’t announced those projects, they are going to say there are no plans. Horror games are big right now and Koei Tecmo would miss their chance if they don’t take this opportunity.

@EvilSilentFrame Yes, I think that's a Japanese thing, if they haven't announced them, they say that there are no plans now.

@Banjo- I didn’t know the developer said the same thing about Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. That gives me hope for the original trilogy.

I too enjoyed Maiden of the Black Water more on Xbox than Wii U. I can appreciate what they tried to do on the Wii U to make the control pad more “camera” like, but the battery died so fast. The improvements on the Xbox version were very noticeable.

@EvilSilentFrame Actually, I bought the Wii U GamePad High-Capacity Battery 😂. I also appreciate what they tried to do but to fight properly you had to stand up like playing virtual reality. Ghosts move freely in 3D.

I updated the thread:

https://www.purexbox.com/forums/xbox-series-x/zeroproject_zerofatal_frame_official_thread?start=100#reply-102

@Banjo- Man, I would have loved to play the Wii games back in the day! Sadly, I skipped the Wii (I played mostly with PS3 for that generation). In fact, before the announcements, I was tempted to buy a second hand Wii to play them.

@EvilSilentFrame You're right, Crimson Butterfly was released on Xbox, I forget that. I was a PS2 guy those days, so I played the first two there and the physical copy of Crimson Butterfly is one of my most precious gaming items . I played 3 on PS3, which was nice, because physical copies of that one were scarce and expensive!

@HarmanSmith Now you are going to make fun of me. My first (and only) PS is the PS4. I bought it, accessed the digital store assuming it had the PS3 releases and said to myself "Where are the Fatal Frame games?!". Even worse, they released some PS2 classics but nothing I wanted. That means that I don't have any console to play I and III on physically or digitally. I have the physical version of Crimson Butterfly (Wii, I saw plenty of copies), Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (Wii, imported from Japan) and Maiden of Black Water (Wii U Limited Edition, almost impossible to find even pre-ordering).

The Wii games are great, some people complain about the controls but I didn't have any problem. Comparing the Wii and Series X version of Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, the graphical improvements are important and I assume that playing with the Xbox controller will be better. Also, the game without the fan patch is not as polished, so there are a lot of reasons to get the current-gen release. I hope that we get the other games as well!

@Banjo- this is the first I heard of a high capacity battery for the Wii U pad. I still have my Wii U but I don’t think I’ll be buying it. Had I known about it back then, I probably would have got it because playing Maiden of the Black Water was tough. I like to explore every inch in these games. I take my time and try and find everything. Because of that, I spend more hours playing some of these games and the battery life on the Wii U pad was causing me to not want to play the game. Once it released on Xbox and I could sit there and not have to worry about the battery, it was a much more enjoyable experience.

@HarmanSmith my copy of the first two games on Xbox are some of my most precious gaming items as well. There was just something about Crimson Butterfly that made it stand out. A compelling story, interesting characters, and unfortunate rituals. Truly creepy and unsettling. Maybe it’s wrong I think if it as precious? LOL

@EvilSilentFrame I play exactly like you. I bought it especially for this game. The Wii U GamePad High-Capacity Battery offers up to 8 hours of use, compared to 3–5 hours with standard Wii U GamePad Battery. It is an official accessory by Nintendo, you can still see it here:

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Wii-U/Hardware-Features/Accessories/Accessories-663022.html

It should have been the stock battery.

Q) Looking forward to the new Fatal Frame / Project Zero on Xbox?

A) Most certainly and with pre-order bonuses being a thing, it's great to know both the price and the availability. It's a shame that this entry appears to once again be digital only but Project Zero is one series I'll happily make an exception for.

That opening bit and the changing piano music was particularly unsettling; super looking forward to it. Now I just need to find this elusive spare time in order to play it.

@Banjo- I know! I had a similar experience when I bought my PS4. When I had my PS3, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence was one of the digital PS2 games on the store. So, when I bought a PS4, I thought the same games were transfered to that digital store. But when I looked it up, no dice! No Castlevania: LoI, no Project Zero 1,2 or 3. I don't know why Sony didn't move those games to the PS4, but well, it was a case of "Sony being Sony", I guess.

BTW, what are your thoughts on the PS4, as it is the only PS you have had?

@EvilSilentFrame I was thinking the exact same thing! It is (along with 1) one of the scariest game I have ever played. Yet, it is beautiful in many, scary and creepy ways. A strong, interesting and (at least tome) poignant story, great art direction, great enemies...def, one of my all time faves!

So, I wasn't the only one expecting Sony to keep their digital games on the next platform... I bought the PS4 before Xbox One, that also was my first Xbox. My experience on Xbox was much better in terms of hardware, software and customer support. My favourite PS4 exclusive is Wipeout Omega Collection but I think that most of the others are overrated. I also disliked the controller and a console that, while apparently slicker than Xbox One, is worse with cheap plastic and crunchy sounds. Besides, my PS4 has the following issues: random disc ejection, which is a big problem because once they are ejected, the game closes automatically and you lose your progress (over one hour of Kingdom Hearts several times); the video has brief random blackouts (faulty HDMI port); the capacitive touch buttons are triggered on their own in spite of removing the rubber around them (as advised by other users); the battery of the controller died quickly and the console is very noisy, as a jet engine. I hate the loud beeps it makes when you turn it on. It reminds me of the PC towers of the 90s. PS4 is the only console I own that has serious problems. I also don't approve Sony's current policies regarding pricing, digital rights, generations, etc. What's your story with PS/XB?

@Banjo- the battery is a good idea, it should have came with the system’s pad if they knew the one they had in there had such a short charge. Nintendo has done a better job with the Switch this time around.

@HarmanSmith After playing the first two, I kept thinking the first one was scarier than the second. It wasn’t till after I went through the first one again I realized it wasn’t as scary as the second game. Crimson Butterfly was so good, I went through and unlocked all the endings. I don’t do that on every game, but this one I couldn’t get enough of. Also completing the ghost list. I didn’t complete the ghost list with Maiden of the Black Water. I liked the game but it didn’t come close to Crimson Butterfly for me.

Really hope this sells decently. I at least want remasters of the first three games and a sixth mainline entry before the series goes dark again.

Since I tend not to like emulating games, I have no experience with this entry, so it's as good as a brand new game to me.

@Kaloudz Oh boy, that's wonderful news. However, I would like them to remaster III, II and I, especially III and I because I have a Wii but not a PS2 and they're not available for PS4 either, so the only way I have to play those is on emulators. In any case, the collection seems incomplete without III, II and I. The Mask of the Lunar Eclipse remake looks amazing.

@Banjo- @Kaloudz that is great news for the series, thank you for sharing that! PZ/FF always seemed to be in the shadows of other horror games and never got the recognition it deserved. Because of that, it didn’t sell very well. I don’t know if Nintendo still has say what platforms it will be on in the future. Locking it to one platform didn’t do the series justice.

As you both said, I also want the trilogy remastered. I’m curious if they do give us that, what order it would be in. They started with V and then IV, that trend would make me believe III would be next, but that game is much closer tied to the first two games than IV or V are to any other game. So I wonder if they give us all 3 at one time, or do they start with the first game and go up from there.

@Kaloudz @EvilSilentFrame Both options seem possible, an "original trilogy" and separated remasters/remakes but I think that the latter is more likely.

@Kaloudz Yes, I really hope so. I pre-ordered the digital deluxe edition.

@Kaloudz I rarely pre-order games, let alone digital games but this should be one of those exceptions in order to support the IP (and get superficial bonus content)! 😉👍🏻

@Kaloudz @Banjo- I also rarely ever preorder games. This one is preordered already. I also got the deluxe edition. I’m hoping by spending more, it’ll encourage the original trilogy and future games for the series. I’d love to play the first 3 again. I still have have them on Xbox and PS2, but I’d like to play them on current gen systems.

I’m very much looking forward to Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. I’m hoping it’s more like the first couple games than Maiden of the Black Water. Though I enjoyed that game and was happy it came out on current systems, I felt the game lacked a little something. The older titles played in a continuous progression, where V played in segments or chapters with a safe zone between them. IV is coming very soon so I’ll find out then, can’t wait!

@Kaloudz it’s been awhile and I actually forgot about the girl that jingles. I know in the first one, when she would see the rope maiden, you would sometimes hear a bell. Just a quick single chime, but I’m pretty sure it was part two that had the girl that jingled. I think she was in a reddish kimono and would run past. Trying to fight her in tight hallways was a pain, but yes it was very creepy.

@EvilSilentFrame @Kaloudz

I answered on the official thread:

https://www.purexbox.com/forums/xbox-series-x/zeroproject_zerofatal_frame_official_thread?start=100#reply-109