Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
零～月蝕の仮面～ Zero ～Tsukihami no Kamen～ Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Developer(s):	Tecmo & Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher(s):	Nintendo
Distributor(s):	Nintendo
Release date:	Japan - July 31 2008 Remaster - 9 March 2023
Genre:	Survival Horror
Game modes:	Easy, Normal, Hard & Nightmare Mission Mode
Ratings:	Japan: CERO C
Regions:	Japan
Platform(s):	Wii Switch PS4 PS5 Xbox Series X|S Xbox One Steam

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is the fourth game of the Fatal Frame Series. It was released in 2008 for the Nintendo Wii console, but for many years it remained available only in Japan. In September 2022, a remastered version was announced for release early the next year.

Storyline

"If no one remembers it, does that mean it never happened?"

Rogetsu Kagura is a festival held once every ten years on Rogetsu Isle in southern Japan. During the festival, five girls mysteriously disappeared. The girls were rescued by a detective, but all of their memories were lost.

One of the girls that disappeared mysteriously, Ruka Minazuki, had a faint memory of a single melody...

- Girls playing instruments surrounded by masked people, and a masked woman dancing in the moonlight as though possessed. -

The melody repeats and hastens... and then the memory ends abruptly. What happened that day...? Ruka has lived with that thought in her mind ever since.

Ten years later, two of the girls that mysteriously disappeared were killed one after another. They were found with their faces covered, in a tragic demeanor.

Determined to solve the mystery of their friends' deaths, the remaining girls, Misaki and Madoka, agree to travel to Rogetsu Isle.

Ruka decides to follow them to the island. Will they find out what lies beyond their lost memories?

Release dates

Original (Wii)

• Japan - July 31st, 2008
• US - Not scheduled for release.
• Europe - Release cancelled.

Remaster (Switch, etc)

• Japan, Asia, US, Europe - March 9, 2023

Development

Initially, Fatal Frame for Wii was envisioned as a standalone spinoff rather than a sequel, designed mainly to make use of the Wii remote as a flashlight. As Makoto Shibata was busy with another project at the time, Tecmo approached Goichi Suda to ask whether Grasshopper would be interested in helping develop the game. Suda was initially reluctant, but with the encouragement of his wife, a horror fan, he eventually agreed, and came on board as a director.

The game was privately announced at 2007 Tokyo Game Show, and Tecmo publicly announced the game on January 30th, 2008 at their winter press conference. It was released on July 31st, 2008 in Japan for 6800yen.

Story

The original story proposal by Grasshopper Manufacture centred around a jade mask. The player would assemble and collect various types of mask by defeating masked enemies. The team extensively researched religious customs involving masks from all over the world, but in the end, to keep the Japanese flavour of Fatal Frame, they settled on using kagura and Noh masks.

The writing process was distributed between Shibata, who wrote Ruka's chapters, Suda, who wrote Choshiro's, and Masahiro Yuki, who wrote Misaki's, with Shibata overseeing the story as a whole. Suda's contributions were delayed by his work on No More Heroes. When he finally submitted his complete draft, Shibata found it "shockingly violent" and out of keeping with the tone of the game. In fact, he writes, "I was so outraged that I ran the printed pages of writing through the shredder. I deleted the email from Mr. Suda and expunged it thoroughly from my harddisk." After he had calmed down, however, he reconsidered Suda's vision, and reworked it to fit Fatal Frame while keeping some aspects, including the ending. Despite their different approaches, both Shibata and Suda were satisfied with the final product. Keisuke Kikuchi even mentioned that he considered Mask of the Lunar Eclipse the best game of the series yet.

Gameplay

For the Wii, the viewpoint was shifted from a fixed overhead camera to an over-the-shoulder viewpoint, so that players would feel as if they were exploring the environment themselves. The change in viewpoint encouraged them to create a main setting that blended Japanese and Western features, since traditional Japanese furnishings tend to be low to the ground and would be below the player's line of sight. The characters' movement speed was also adjusted to account for the new viewpoint.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was scored by Masafumi Takada and Etsuko Ichikawa. The game has two theme songs by Tsuki Amano, NOISE and Zero no Chouritsu.

Fan Translation

For reasons that remain the subject of rumour and speculation, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was never officially released outside Japan. An unofficial translation project by fans, replacing Japanese text and subtitles with English, was completed in January 2010. A Spanish fan translation was completed on August 28th, 2010, and a French fan translation on September 2nd, 2011. An English voice track for players to use instead of the original Japanese track was also in the works; however, the dub team disbanded and the project was cancelled due to creative differences.

2023 Remaster

In 2022, Nintendo and Koei-Tecmo announced that a remastered version of Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse would be released on 9 March 2023, including in Western regions. The 2023 version will be available on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. It will have improved graphics, new costumes, and a Photo Mode. To accompany the remaster, Koei Tecmo will release an original soundtrack for the game and an artbook (both of which will be available digitally as well) and two clear files. The art book, entitled "Rogetsu Isle Reminiscences" (朧月島追想録), will contain original setting materials and a short story about a Fatal Frame IV character. With the Steam Digital Deluxe edition, the Soundtrack, Artbook, and Developer Commentary can be extracted from the game's files.

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Main Characters

Ruka Minazuki 水無月　流歌 (age: 17)

The main heroine of Fatal Frame IV. Several years ago, Ruka (a previous native of the island) and four other girls were rescued by a detective after being kidnapped as a child. Now, the remaining two girls have left for the island of Rogetsu, where it all started. In search of her lost memories, Ruka too heads out for the island.

Misaki Asou 麻生 海咲 (age: 17)

One of the surviving kidnapped girls, Misaki is a strong-willed girl who has to have her way. Led by the vision of a girl in black who appears in her memory, Misaki heads towards Rogetsu Isle. However, soon after arriving at the island, Misaki, lead by her curiosity, abandons the cowardly Madoka.

Madoka Tsukimori 月森 円香 (age: 17)

One of the surviving kidnapped girls, Madoka has a timid personality. Upon Misaki's urging, Madoka follows her to Rogetsu Isle. Soon after arriving at the island, Madoka begins to have second thoughts, and suddenly finds herself separated from Misaki. Madoka is the first character you play in the game.

Choshiro Kirishima 霧島 長四郎 (age: 27)

The detective who rescued Ruka and the other girls from Rogetsu island several years ago while in the pursuit of a suspect. Now just a private eye, he travels back to the island, upon the request of Ruka's mother, to find Ruka and her friends.

Chapters

The chapters are called "phases", in keeping with the lunar theme.

• Prelude

咲き触れ / Blossoming

• Phase I

音連れ / The Summoning

• Phase II

共鳴 / Resonance

• Phase III

忘日 / The Lost Day

• Phase IV

空身 / Void

• Phase V

双面 / Twin Faces

• Phase VI

月守歌 / Moonsong

• Phase VII

無苦 / Tranquility

• Phase VIII

朔夜 / Sakuya

• Phase IX

帰来迎 / Descent

• Phase X

殘桜 / Fallen Petals

• Phase XI

月蝕 / Eclipse

• Final Phase

零域 / Hallowed Realm

Books

• Zero Tsukihami no Kamen Official Guidebook
• Rogetsu Isle Reminiscences

Box Art

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  Japan, Wii

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  Japan, Nintendo Switch

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  Asia, Nintendo Switch

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  Asia, Nintendo Switch

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  Japan, PS4

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  Asia, PS4

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  Asia, PS4

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  Premium Box for Nintendo Switch

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  Premium Box

Promotional Material

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  Poster used in Japan

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  Japan, Store Flyer

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  Japan, Store Flyer

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  Japan, Store Flyer

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  Japan, Famitsu Issue 1784

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  Japan, Famitsu Issue 1788

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  Japan, Famitsu Wave DVD Aug-2009

Misc Info

• The theme song is Zero no Chouritsu by Tsukiko Amano.
• The ending song is NOISE also by Tsukiko Amano.
• The game's official image color is yellow.
• The keywords are moon, mask, and memory.
• The theme is 'Feeling fear with your body'.
• There are three main glitches in the game, one of which will freeze gameplay.
• Unlike previous games, this game was developed by the newly created Team TACHYON, instead of the Project Zero team (now disbanded).
• This is the first Fatal Frame game for the Wii console.
• The game sold 0.08m units globally.

Official Links

2008 Original

• Official site (Japanese)
  
• Official Tecmo page (Japanese)
  
• Creator's Voice (Japanese; English translation)

2023 Remaster

• Official site (Europe)
• Official site (US)
• Official site (JP)

References

Fatal Frame Series
Fatal Frame - Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly - Fatal Frame III: The Tormented Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse - Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly - Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water