Until now, Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse had been the one that got away. It was originally Project Zero 4, a Wii-exclusive horror game that brought together Nintendo, Tecmo, and Grasshopper Manufacture (yes, including Goichi Suda), and was a particularly beloved game in that series. But it was never released outside of Japan. It is now getting a remake, however, and Koei Tecmo is hitting full PR mode with it, sharing a new “Producer Message” trailer.
From the press release: Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse takes place on a Rogetsu Isle in southern Japan, a decade after five young girls mysteriously disappeared at a moonlight festival. When two of the girls are found dead days apart ten years after the initial vanishing, the remaining three teenagers head back to the haunted island to solve the mystery of their friends’ deaths and their hazy memories, while encountering the frightening spirits that inhabit the land.
For anyone that hasn’t played a Project Zero game before (also known as “Fatal Frame” in America) – these offer a very Japanese take on horror. Rather than purely focusing on anger, ugliness, and violence (as is typical for western horror), Project Zero is more interested in sharing stories of tragedy, sadness and a kind of otherworldly beauty, as per the yurei tradition in Japanese storytelling. It gives these games a unique and incredible texture, and one that is almost unique to video games.
This remake will launch on March 9, 2023, for just about every platform out there: PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam.
