Fatal Frame IV

Infobox VG
title=Fatal Frame IV


caption = Japanese box art.
developer=Tecmo
Grasshopper Manufacture
publisher=Nintendo
designer=Shibata Makoto
Keisuke Kikuchi
Goichi Suda
series= "Fatal Frame"
engine=
release=Vgrelease|JP=July 31, 2008 [cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/schedule/0807.html|title=Nintendo Homepage Sales Calendar|publisher=Nintendo|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-05-28]
genre=Survival horror
modes=Single-player
ratings=vgratings|CERO=C
platforms=Wii
media=Wii Optical Disc
requirements=
input=Wii Remote and Nunchuk

"Fatal Frame IV", known as nihongo|"Zero ~Mask of the Lunar Eclipse~"|零～月蝕の仮面～|Zero ~Tsukihami no Kamen~ in Japan and "Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse" in Europe, is the fourth installment in the "Fatal Frame" video game series. Tecmo, developer of the previous titles in the series, has revealed the game will be released exclusively for the Wii console.

Plot

10 years ago, five girls were captured and held hostage by a criminal in a mysterious house on Rougetsu Island, located south of Honshu. They were eventually rescued by Chōshiro 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. Chōshiro follows the girls at the request of Ruka's mother, Sayaka Minazuki.

Characters

*Nihongo|Ruka Minazuki|水無月 流歌|Minazuki Ruka anime voices|Mamiko Noto
*Nihongo|Misaki Asō|麻生 海咲|Asō Misaki anime voices|Miyuki Sawashiro
*Nihongo|Madoka Tsukimori|月森 円香|Tsukimori Madoka anime voices|Saori Gotō
*Nihongo|Chōshiro Kirishima|霧島長 四朗|Kirishima Chōshiro anime voices|Katsuyuki Konishi

Gameplay

Following the premise of the previous installments in the franchise, the player can be expected to fight off hostile spirits using the signature "weapon" of the series, the 'Camera Obscura'. The player uses the Wii remote and nunchuk to aim the camera and flashlight, creating a more realistic and tactile experience. [ [http://wii.com/jp/creators-voice/zero/index.html] (Japanese) Retrieved on 2008-07-29] Not all spirits encountered are hostile, and the player will be able to tell the difference depending on the colour of the glow in an on-screen filament. As with the previous titles in the series, ghosts may offer clues to progressing further in the level or hold the power of unlocking doors when they are photographed.

Development

It was revealed the game would be developed with the help of Grasshopper Manufacture. [cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163198|title=Tecmo Planning Next Fatal Frame for Wii news from 1up.com|publisher=1UP.com|date=2007-09-25] The project was delayed, apparently for the release of Grasshopper's "No More Heroes", which was subsequently released toward the end of 2007.

In January 2008, it was revealed that Nintendo will play a role in the game's development, with directing 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. [cite web|url=http://au.wii.ign.com/articles/848/848721p1.html|title=Fatal Frame 4 Preview|publisher=IGN.com|date=2008-01-30] Although the game appears to be a joint effort between Tecmo, Grasshopper and Nintendo, the game was published by Nintendo.

Reception

" gave the game an 8/10, praising its "unprecedented horror interaction". [Edge, Nov 2008, p 94]

References

External links

* [http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/r4zj/index.html Japanese Official Website] ja icon