Instead, you’ll notice that there’s a circle in the center of the camera. What makes this so effective is that you can’t just shoot wildly. There is an indicator on the top of the screen that tells you the general direction the ghost is coming from however they can really blend in with the background and float through walls so you have to keep your eyes peeled. L2 locks on to the ghost while R2 shoots the camera. This works by pressing the top face button to put you into first-person camera mode. Ruka and Misaki use the series staple camera obscura where they take a picture of the ghost to exorcise them. The combat of Fatal Frame: Mask of The Lunar Eclipse is the epitome of risk vs reward. I wouldn’t even mind if the regular walking speed was slow if they at least made the run button a little faster. The first one was even slower than this game but it’s still a problem regardless. I should note that this is a problem with almost every Fatal Frame game. There are short times when the characters are being chased by an unbeatable pursuer ghost and they’re barely moving to run away, it’s like they want to be caught. I understand the characters are meant to be scarred teenage girls but it almost becomes immersion-breaking. There is a run button but it’s less of the run button and more of a trot button and doesn’t make you go that much faster. It’s not too bad for combat but it can make exploration feel tedious especially since there’s a lot of backtracking in this game as you explore the hospital. While this is all good, the characters all walk incredibly slowly. ![]() Much of the game involves exploring the hospital to find keys and solve puzzles to move forward while surviving the ghosts. This doesn’t bring me to one big issue with the game, however. Whatever these were, they seem to be fixed with the remaster, the performance and graphics are all fine. Also, apparently, the original Wii game was not localized because it had game-breaking bugs. This is made better by the HD remaster which really brings the game to the modern generation, especially with the character models which are highly detailed and fluid in their animation (not to mention very cute). You can even go into some of their rooms and look at how they lived before death. Some are nurses that worked at the premises, others are patients. These aren’t just random ghosts, each enemy has a name and backstory. There are a lot of narrow corridors and small rooms so when a ghost pops up it gives you a healthy dose of nerves with such little space to get away from them. The hospital is dark, murky, and claustrophobic with a good amount of detail to make the place feel alive. T he visuals and atmosphere in this game are brilliant. The Abandoned SanatariumĪ good setting and atmosphere are incredibly important for a horror game and Fatal Frame: Mask of The Lunar Eclipse brings them in spades. They’re not the deepest characters I’ve seen in gaming, but seeing Ruka and Misaki struggle with their lost past was endearing and Choshiro could be pretty badass. Each of the characters must regain their memories and confront the trauma and abuse they faced while on the island. Like many of his games, the title centers on the idea of killing the past. In fact, while I don’t know which exact parts he wrote, I couldn’t help but notice Suda’s hand at work on a lot of the story beats. That feels like Suda’s writing at full throttle. The patient says their family died and only lives through her memories, but because she has chronic memory loss, she now feels like she’s killing them all over again and can’t take the strain and guilt. There’s one you get early on that turns out to be a suicide note. Some of these letters are also super morbid and insightful. It really feels like you’re investigating the hospital and it’s satisfying to slowly piece the mystery together. While many players might not like the high amount of reading, I thought it was really engaging. While there are cutscenes, much of the story is told through notes, journals, and audio recordings you find in the hospital similar to classic Resident Evil games. The story of Fatal Frame Mask of The Lunar Eclipse is an interesting horror mystery with a lot of interesting themes relating to mental illness, memory loss, and death. He’s hired again by Ruka’s mother to bring her back from the island. Finally, there’s Choshiro Kirishima, the private detective who found the girls ten years ago. Misaki Aso is another one of the five girls who has psychic powers. ![]() Follow now play as three protagonists: Ruka Minazuki, one of the five kidnapped who’s gone back to the island to find her lost memories.
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