Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
I recently got into these. I wrote reviews for the FF2 Remake and Maiden of Black Water, but I will go over some of the same stuff I said there. I'm a wimp. I gave these a shot because I need to be able to fight in a horror game or I can't play it. So horror games with excessive hiding drive me up the wall and I can't handle them. FF2 Remake had more hiding, but I pushed through because I was loving it so much. And like Mask, Maiden had some running sections, but both of these games are much easier to handle. Because Remake is the best of the 3 I've played, but Maiden and now this are easier for me to play.
I also avoided Fatal Frame originally because taking pictures of spirits seemed lame. But Mask and the others do a good job of making it seem less lame. In fact, sometimes the idea is used beautifully. Mask has pretty solid combat, but it can feel a little clunky and I did get annoyed on a few battles. But you know what? I'll take clunky combat and being able to experience the rest of it over hiding in a closet somewhere.
And the movement is downright atrocious at times. It's not the slowness that bothers me. I kinda dig how slow, creaky and quiet this game is. The others are like that too. You shine a light on items for them to show up. Fortunately there is an indicator that one is present, otherwise I'd miss so many because you consistently have to wrestle the game for them to show up (and pick them up). This extends to opening doors too, though that's not as bad. Positioning can be frustrating.
And I purposely complained first after the disclaimer because I just wanted to get it over with. I don't even care that Mask has these problems, because I was invested in the lore/story. Normally I hate reading a lot in games like this, but it was consistently interesting. And there was a plot twist that got me. Plus, the ending was tragic, emotional and hopeful. Maybe not the gut punch of FF2 Remake, but damn, good shit here.
The atmosphere is awesome too. I'm a J-Horror guy. I prefer creepiness and horror imagery like this over something hiding in a corner and jump scaring you. There were a bunch of effective jumpscares here (something Maiden didn't do super well), which accentuated the creepiness. And while I generally don't love being in essentially one place (though I guess technically it's two) and backtracking, it did a good job of making the place a real, memorable character.
I probably won't play the original Fatal Frame 1 or 3 but I hope they remake them. I won't go back and play the original Fatal Frame 2 either since I played the Remake (even though I know there are differences). I'm fine with leaving my Fatal Frame knowledge where it is for now, but this has become one of my absolute favourite horror franchises. Possibly my favourite because the horror games I love more (Parasite Eve and F.E.A.R.) aren't really great series. PE is my favourite game ever (along with the MGS series) and F.E.A.R. is awesome, but F.E.A.R. 2 is still great but not as good and F.E.A.R. 3 is... fun but not really F.E.A.R.
Here's my ranking of the 3 I've played:
1: Fatal Frame 2 Remake
2: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
3: Maiden of Black Water
I also avoided Fatal Frame originally because taking pictures of spirits seemed lame. But Mask and the others do a good job of making it seem less lame. In fact, sometimes the idea is used beautifully. Mask has pretty solid combat, but it can feel a little clunky and I did get annoyed on a few battles. But you know what? I'll take clunky combat and being able to experience the rest of it over hiding in a closet somewhere.
And the movement is downright atrocious at times. It's not the slowness that bothers me. I kinda dig how slow, creaky and quiet this game is. The others are like that too. You shine a light on items for them to show up. Fortunately there is an indicator that one is present, otherwise I'd miss so many because you consistently have to wrestle the game for them to show up (and pick them up). This extends to opening doors too, though that's not as bad. Positioning can be frustrating.
And I purposely complained first after the disclaimer because I just wanted to get it over with. I don't even care that Mask has these problems, because I was invested in the lore/story. Normally I hate reading a lot in games like this, but it was consistently interesting. And there was a plot twist that got me. Plus, the ending was tragic, emotional and hopeful. Maybe not the gut punch of FF2 Remake, but damn, good shit here.
The atmosphere is awesome too. I'm a J-Horror guy. I prefer creepiness and horror imagery like this over something hiding in a corner and jump scaring you. There were a bunch of effective jumpscares here (something Maiden didn't do super well), which accentuated the creepiness. And while I generally don't love being in essentially one place (though I guess technically it's two) and backtracking, it did a good job of making the place a real, memorable character.
I probably won't play the original Fatal Frame 1 or 3 but I hope they remake them. I won't go back and play the original Fatal Frame 2 either since I played the Remake (even though I know there are differences). I'm fine with leaving my Fatal Frame knowledge where it is for now, but this has become one of my absolute favourite horror franchises. Possibly my favourite because the horror games I love more (Parasite Eve and F.E.A.R.) aren't really great series. PE is my favourite game ever (along with the MGS series) and F.E.A.R. is awesome, but F.E.A.R. 2 is still great but not as good and F.E.A.R. 3 is... fun but not really F.E.A.R.
Here's my ranking of the 3 I've played:
1: Fatal Frame 2 Remake
2: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
3: Maiden of Black Water
Mini Review: Like the other ones, there are issues here. The movement is clunky, and thus finding items or combat can be a little frustrating. So even the remaster is not a perfect game, but god damn did I ever not care about the imperfections. The atmosphere and story absolutely carry this, and for a wimp like me, combat always being an option is basically a necessity in horror games. Like Maiden, I also got a little emotional. Strangely beautiful game when it wants to be.
Watch the Trailer