Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

This is the second Fatal Frame game I have played all the way.  Over ten years ago I got the second game on PS3 but wasn't feeling its pacing and now know that I just wasn't ready for it especially because that was during a period of time when I wasn't playing as much.  A couple years ago or so I played Maiden of the Black Water, the fifth game in the series and it was a little bit of a slow drive for me.  I enjoyed it more than the second game but at the same time pushed myself to play it more and get through it.  After getting half way through the game I was starting to enjoy it more as it got creepier even though the progression with the chapters was becoming more repetitive especially with always entering the same places over and over with each character.  The Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, the fourth game in the Fatal Frame series, was different for me though.  I enjoyed it from the start.

I found that I really like the art style in these games and how in the cutscenes there’s a film grain that gives an extra horror edge like how listening to older lofi quality music does.  This is definitely what I find to be a big part of the charm with these games that makes them standout and really be their own flavor of survival horror.  One of the random things I liked a lot more in the fourth game is how the hand grabbing you when getting items happens far less so it genuinely is creepy when it happens and has you on edge more in comparison to it happening all the time in the fifth game.  Another thing is Mask of the Lunar Eclipse has a more gripping story than Maiden of the Black Water but both stories are still great works of horror. Just I feel this one was more captivating sooner in its delivery. I identified more with this one of course being that the true main character of the three you play, Ruka, is a musician but even more so was her amnesia of her childhood.  I wouldn't go as far to say I have amnesia of my childhood but there is so much I don't remember.  With that said, I really like the tie in with music into the gameplay and story of the game. The idea with the piano parts where you play the piano was great but the timing mechanic was a little stiff in my opinion where it almost felt like it wasn’t keeping tempo but after a couple tries it was easy to get but had to depend more on the visual cue rather than actually keeping tempo with the Moonsong in the game.

One of the biggest things I liked more with Mask of the Lunar Eclipse versus Maiden of the Black Water, was how much more effective the creepy atmosphere and scares were in the game.  My favorite of these moments being one of the first time after killing the ghost of Ayako when going through the crawl space and hearing the voice making the grudge sound panned to sound like it perfectly being done in the right ear was so visceral and chilling I had to pause the game for a minute to take a break. It felt like the sound was coming from the room I’m in, not the game. This is why you play horror games with headphones. It intensifies the experience and you get so much more out of it. Upon hearing the sound more as it is a repeating atmospheric sound for the room I mentioned, I found another reason why it's so effective is because most of the sounds are treated with an audio equalizer filter which gives them a low quality almost lo-fi fuzz effect but this sound does not have that so after playing the game for hours and most sounds, especially that of the ghosts or anything made to terrify you are always sounding like something out of an old speaker, hearing this one that sounds clear as day immediate makes it sound fourth wall breaking questioning if it's really happening or not.  This is certainly a moment I will never forget from this game no matter how bad my memory gets.

Now one part that fell flat but almost makes me wonder if it was meant to be comic relief as opposed to horror was meeting the ghost from the isolation floor and the door slot that opened and closed suddenly with a thud making it funny rather than scary. The sound design for the scares in the game are so bombastic but this one was simple that the more I think about it the more it feels intentional.  Which if it was an intentional laugh then it was definitely well executed but at the same time I still question if it was.  With that I can understand how these games can be difficult for people to get into.  The controls are the same in the three I played, that being so clunky that it makes Silent Hill feel like Breath of the Wild.  It is very difficult to come from playing a horror game with smooth controls like I did from Resident Evil 9 or even Pokopia and going to this.  Technically right before this I played the demo for the remake of Fatal Frame 2 which the controls are just as clunky in that one too.  But then this one went on sale and I've been wanting to play it so I got this one.  And I'm so very happy that I did.  I was definitely more glued to this one than the other I played but look forward to playing the full game of the remake of the second game or maybe I'll hook up my PS3 and try the original again and do a comparison between the original and the remake.  I feel like the Fatal Frame games are definitely an acquired taste because of things like the mentioned controls and slower pace with the horror being more contained in the atmosphere and the morbid stories. In addition to this the story is mostly revealed in reading files and documents which it has more than any other horror game I’ve played but the charm is the darkness of its stories. So I would say for anyone who is an avid horror fan to try giving these games a try and definitely start with Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, at least before trying Maiden of the Black Water.  I would also recommend playing the game on easy as the camera system can be weird and the difficulty spikes can be unforgiving as you fight more ghosts in each of the interactions.  But when it comes to those who just like to play a horror game here and there or your only experience with horror games are Resident Evil games, I wouldn't recommend Fatal Frame as it will definitely be more of a shock with how different it is and likely not appreciated, at least not at first but for those who want to try it but aren't sure, just give it time to acquire the taste.