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Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
FF4 Cover
零~月蝕の仮面~
Zero ~Tsukihami no Kamen~
Developer(s) Grasshopper Manufacture Inc.
Shirogumi, Inc.
Nintendo SPD Group No. 4
Tecmo
Team Tachyon
Publisher(s) Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Release date(s) Japan July 31, 2008, Early 2023
North America Early 2023
Europe Early 2023
Ratings CERO C (15+) (Jap.)
T for Teen (Eng.)
Platform Nintendo Wii
Playstation 5
Playstation 4
Xbox Series X
Xbox One
Steam
Nintendo Switch


Zero ~Tsukihami no Kamen~, known as Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse to players of the fan-made English language translation patch, is a Nintendo Wii exclusive, Japanese survival horror game and the fourth installment in the Fatal Frame series. It is the prequel to the original Fatal Frame.

It was the first game of the series to not be developed and/or published by Tecmo, the first to not be released to a PlayStation console and also the first game of the main series to never be released outside of Japan. Fatal Frame IV was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Nintendo on July 31, 2008 in Japan.

Fatal Frame IV employed a brand new story and gameplay elements exclusive to the Nintendo Wii.

The game centers around the motifs of the moon, memories and masks, and the dominant color throughout is a vibrant yellow, alluding the brightness of the moon against a dark sky.

Notably, the series' gameplay was overhauled, removing the fixed camera angles of the previous games and changing to a 3rd person camera instead. Additionally, players needed to now manually pick up their items whilst avoiding ghost hands instead of being able to automatically pick up items without any harm. A new dodge mechanic was also added in for a more dynamic battle against enemies.

Following the successful sale of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water remaster version, it is revealed that Fatal Frame Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse will be coming to Nintendo Switch in early 2023 during Nintendo Direct taking place on September 13, 2022. This marks the first time Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse will be playable in the West. A separate Koei Tecmo tweet announced the game will also be coming to Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC via Steam in addition to Nintendo Switch. During Koei Tecmo's live presentation taken place on September 17, it is announced that an artbook with a short story, a soundtrack CD with download code, and a clear file set will be accompanied with the release.

Synopsis[]

FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse takes place a decade after five girls mysteriously disappeared at a festival on Rōgetsu 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


Ruka piano1

Ruka contemplates her memories while playing an old song she remembers on the piano.

Ruka Minazuki looks towards Rogetsu Isle as she approaches it from a boat. She travels to the island, her old childhood home, in hopes of uncovering memories she doesn't recall. She finally journeys to the island herself after two of her friends, Misaki Asou and Madoka Tsukimori, went themselves and have yet to return. The three girls are the only survivors of a kidnapping incident that occurred on the island ten years ago, however they have no recollection of the incident. They were rescued by a detective named Choushiro Kirishima, who found them underground, on the eve of the island's ceremonial Kagura dance. Shortly after the incident, the five kidnapped girls and their families were taken to live away from the island. However, a mysterious incident occurred on the island two years later, and none of its inhabitants were left alive.

Now two of the kidnapped girls have died, and Ruka, Misaki and Madoka have taken it upon themselves to find the truth behind the island's mysterious deaths and their lost memories.

Trivia[]

  • This game is the only one of the series not to get an English dub thus far.

External links[]

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