| Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen | |
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Japanese cover art |
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| Developer(s) | Grasshopper Manufacture |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Makoto Shibata Goichi Suda |
| Producer(s) | Keisuke Kikuchi |
| Artist(s) | Takashi Ito Kazuma Norisada Yasuo Inoue |
| Writer(s) | Makoto Shibata Masahiro Yuki Goichi Suda |
| Composer(s) | Masafumi Takada Etsuko Ichikawa |
| Series | Fatal Frame |
| Platform(s) | Wii |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) |
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Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen (零～月蝕の仮面～, lit. "Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse") is a survival horror video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console, and the fourth game in the Fatal Frame series.
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10 years ago, five girls were kidnapped by Yō Haibara, a suspected serial killer, from their rooms in a mysterious sanatorium on Rougetsu Island, located south of Honshu. They were eventually rescued by Chōshirō Kirishima, a detective pursuing the criminal. Several years after the incident, two of the girls, Marie Shinomiya and Tomoe Nanamura, died mysteriously. The three remaining girls, Ruka Minazuki, Misaki Asō and Madoka Tsukimori, all now 17 years old, return to the island to recover their lost memories and find out more about their kidnapping. Chōshirō also returns to find Ruka in her mother's request.
Following the premise of the previous installments in the franchise, the player is expected to fight off hostile spirits using the signature "weapon" of the series, the "Camera Obscura", along with a new weapon- the Spirit Flashlight, a "torch" with the power to exorcise spirits using moonlight. The player uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to aim the camera and flashlight, creating a more realistic and tactile experience.[2] Not all spirits encountered are hostile, and the player will be able to tell the difference depending on the color of the glow of the on-screen Ghost Filament. As with the previous titles in the series some photos of "seals", or "mists" on doors, may offer clues to progressing further in the level. A new filament, the Item Filament, was added, used to direct the player towards items they may pick up. The more accurate the aim/distance to the item, the brighter blue the filament will glow.
The currency for upgrading in Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen is spirit crystals - blue for the Basic Functions and red for the lenses, for both Camera and Flashlight. There is a shop at which various healing items and films can be purchased for points.
The Ghost List returns from the previous three games, as does Mission Mode, although the ghost list cannot be completed because of a bug in the game.[3] A new addition to the series is the Doll List; there are a total of 79 Hōzuki Dolls (鬼灯人形 Hōzuki Ningyō) in red kimonos scattered around the island that, when photographed, unlock costumes and lenses after clearing the game.
The game was developed with the help of Grasshopper Manufacture,[4] with Nintendo also playing a role in the game's development. Directing was shared between Shibata Makoto, who has previously been involved in the direction of the Fatal Frame series and Goichi Suda, commonly known as Suda 51, from Grasshopper Manufacture.[5] Although the game appears to be a joint effort between Tecmo, Grasshopper and Nintendo, the latter published the game and this is the final Fatal Frame game to be developed by the former before their disbandment.
Initially the project was delayed, apparently for the release of Grasshopper's No More Heroes, which was subsequently released toward the end of 2007. Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen was eventually released in Japan on July 31, 2008.
Official Nintendo Magazine had announced that Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen was going to be released in Europe in February 2009. Nintendo later released a statement saying that this was false,[6] and that although a May 2009 release for the game was initially envisaged, all localization and release efforts have been canceled for Europe.[7]
Tecmo has stated that Nintendo has decided not to publish the game in North America.[8] However, a team of developers have released a unofficial patch to allow it to be played on U.S. and European Wiis with English text and subtitles. The fan translation was developed to make use of the Wii's SD slot, allowing only the use of original copies of Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen. The patch was released January 17, 2010.[9] However since then a way to use the patch on a non-retail copy has surfaced.
Fatal Frame IV will be released in the United Kingdom November 18, 2011.[10][11]. However this is highly questionable since it was officially cancelled by Tecmo in 2010. It is more likely that someone is planning to sell a fan translated copy of it online.
Famitsu rated Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen 34/40. Edge gave the game an 8/10, praising its "unprecedented horror interaction".[12]
As of December 7, 2008, the game has sold 63,489 copies in Japan.[13]
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