Yesterday, we started with the first part of our review with an overview of the first 3 games, in what I termed as First Testament (AGAIN, NOT IN THE RELIGIOUS SENSE, mostly in thematic sense). If you haven't already read the first part, do so, as we will be touching on points made in the first part.
We will be covering to the best of my ability what I will call the Second Testament of Zero, which will cover the second game remake, 4, bits of 5, and Spirit Camera. Tomorrow I will be tackling the Apocrypha, which will detail mostly non-game related media such as the ride, the novels, manga, and the film that recently came out (though only lightly on the film, since I still have yet to view it).
Also, again, much of this research is directly due to the lovely folks at the Zero Wiki (especially in translating up to day news from Famitsu and the website for the newest game), and also from FFTranslations, who have translated a lot of the japanese guidebooks, from which a lot of the story, character, and even system development comes from. Their work can be made into a whole thesis, or novel itself, and I urge you to give a long read to their hard work, and without which, I could not have even made Zero Week happen.
Note also: there are spoilers in this article, due to some endings as well as characters. Please be aware. If they are important enough for the uninitiated, I will give a highlighted section to read.
Second Testament: 4, Shinku no Chou, 5 & Spirit Camera
零~Zero~Tsukihami no Kamen (Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse)
Ruka Minazuki, Misaki Asou, and Madoka Tsukimori all have incomplete memories….of a foggy island, a hospital, the 5 of them as young girls, and the frenzy of a festival. They also vaguely remember one other thing: they were in an incident, and had to be rescued.
Now, 2 of their company have died, and Misaki and Madoka have returned to Rougetsu Island to figure out what happened, and if they can avoid dying next.
When they fail to return, Ruka, with the faint memory of a melody haunting her, and her inability to remember the events that caused her mother to take her from the island of her birth, returns. She's looking for her friends. She's looking for her memories, of her father, her family.
And she's looking for answers.
Under the wing of both Tecmo and Grasshopper Studio, known for games such as No More Heroes and Killer 7, Tsukihami no Kamen changed the formula of Zero, starting with the setting. Gone are the oppressive and ancient japanese style manors, with their ground-level detail. Most of the game takes place in a western style sanitarium, as well as a hospital. According to the creators, changing the setting was a necessity because the camera angles also changed drastically. Instead of fixed cameras as sometimes jarring angles, now the camera was situated behind the player character, or behind the back. This meant that not only could traditional japanese settings be difficult with a camera higher up constantly (as these original settings are made for sitting-down eye level), but it added a new kind of approach to anticipating fear. Now, you're forced to advance away, never knowing what could be sneaking up behind you. This puts one into the character's shoes more sublimely than it ever could before. A behind the back perspective isn't new, in fact when Resident Evil 4 came out, it made controls easier for some. A behind the back perspective always gave you lingering doubts as to whether or not you're being followed, as well as forcing you to be more attentive to your setting; in addition, its a perspective that's more similar to Finder Mode, which makes the control switch from 3rd to 1st person less jarring. Normally.
Your controls now are with a wiimote and nun chuck. The latter controls movement as well as lock-on, while the wiimote's gyroscope sensor controlled up or down for your flashlight as well as Finder Mode and the shutter. Its a whole new ballgame, and takes a lot of time to get used to, but with Lock-On, things are much less hectic (since up and down are motion controlled, it can get messy otherwise). Dodging is done with shaking your controller at the right moment, which is very important when you're put up against at the most 2-3 ghosts simultaneously. The choice to not have the wiimote be used as a pointer (in that to move up or down, one had to literally point the wiimote to that position, causing arm cramps in prolonged play) was a godsend, and with the new system, Lock-On is your best friend.
Additionally, your character runs faster, which for some is also a godsend. Keep in mind through that the game's maps are, by contrast, also larger than previous games. It evens out.
What else can possibly be so different in Tsukihami no Kamen? Try a whole new weapon: the Spirit Stone Flashlight. Wielded by Choushirou Kirishima, this weapon of mass destruction also takes getting used to. But once fully powered up, this weapon is a BEAST. Finder mode for the flashlight is much different, with the beam of light making a circle with which to aim. You can chain shots with wild abandon because being a flashlight, it takes no film. Its drawback is that it runs on a charge, as signaled by a fill moon icon in the lower part of the screen. Once it turns dark, you have to lower it (or leave Finder view), and let it charge back up. While it seems cumbersome, you'll find for the scant few chapters you get to play as Kirishima, this light can be superior to the camera in more ways than one.
This game is the first to introduce 3 weapons, 2 cameras and the flashlight. Both cameras have different charging meters (Misaki's camera is similar to Miku's Double ability from the previous game. While cosmetically, both cameras are the same, it does pay to upgrade these in different focuses, namely Ruka's or the Cloudy Moon camera first, Misaki second, and the flashlight 3rd, based on how often you play as a character.
Tsukihami no Kamen also introduced a new system called the Touch System. Gone are the days of simply picking up an item by pressing a button over a glowing spot. Now, you must use your flashlight to illuminate items (there's a separate filament for this, and works like the filament for tracking ghosts), and then reach out to grab them in a special animation. Sometimes you grab your item. Other times, ghostly hands snake out and grab you, and you must shake your wii-mote quickly to get them to let go or incur damage. Its admittedly not for everyone (it in fact does take the time to pick things up, sometimes up to maybe 4-5 seconds each time), but this brings to mind the creator's desire to have these games "feel fear in your whole body". Who hasn't hesitated to reach into somewhere (usually dark), fearing something may grab them? Its a common fear that's been worked into the system.
There was so much packed into this game, that it can be a little overwhelming. At this time, I can take a pause to discuss a few factors not often examined when talking about this game. Of course, it can be difficult: this game has not been released outside of Japan. Theories are abound as to why but the author here would like to hypothesize, based on her research and knowledge of Nintendo's quality control. Nintendo is a large company, and has been so for decades (seriously, try 1889, these guys aren't going anywhere). And working within and with them is always an honor, and people who have always say so. They have strict quality control; they often demand frequent updates and proof of your work as you go along. A game that comes out of Nintendo is usually tested and of the utmost quality, because they have a reputation. That said, Tsukihami no Kamen has issues that do not bear out to be a quality product when compared to its predecessors. Its story is very bloated. It has a LOT of bugs. Some game breaking (freezing hours into the game, the inability to finish the Spirit List). And as such, I see that as one of the biggest reasons to have decided not to release the game; a game-maker has the right to try to preserve their brand image, and if that means keeping a game from international release, so be it. Its a risk that though I am disappointed that I will not get this game, I respect. Again, this is hypothesis and as of writing, there hasn't been an official word as to why it wasn't localized.
I digress.
The theme of the game includes keywords like "memory", "moon", and "melody". A disease called "Getsuyuu Syndrome", which causes people to lose their memories, thus identity, and cause them to wander about, looking for the moon. Such a thing is disastrous; people have drowned or defenestrated in the search for the moon. The fear of losing one's identity is something everyone can resonate with. Memories, then, also figure into that, for without memories, we have no reference for our own identity. Our souls do not live in a vacuum, and as such, we need the connection between ourselves and others to truly know who we are.
Many characters wrestle with the void of these memories gone; Ruka, who doesn't remember her beloved father; Misaki, for this mysterious girl in black; even Kirishima, who knows he's forgetting something important on this island as he searches for Ruka. Madoka, on the other hand, refuses to try to remember, because she can feel with her whole body that remembering will destroy her and her friends. The recovery of memories is essential to the game, though it also makes the case for forgetting. Sometimes, forgetting is the one thing that can allow you to be free from the past to make a future.
This theme connects, again, to Miku (and Mio). Her fears of forgetting Mafuyu are but a precognitive echo of this game, as well as also feeding into fears that Mio has, which led to her curse in the 3rd game. Amano-san's urging that letting go of those painful memories is part of the road for recovery, echoing Madoka. Ultimately, as Ruka learns in the game, each person is the product of many connections with many different people, across long spans of time. And that you yourself contain all those wishes and thoughts of other people, from your parents, back down your family lines.
I set this game as the first game in the Second Testament because it brought so many changes to the series, gameplay and system wise. Its also the first game to have 2 image songs, or rather an image song as well as an ending theme. On another day, we will discuss how each song came about up to the 4th game, as well as the torch being passed to Anju, whom covered the ending theme for the 5th game. There's also a feeling change, I think, in Tsukihami no Kamen. It feels like a Zero game, but at the same time, its very new. Its thematic senses are nearly the same, but there's a distinct wester vibe you get from this game (mostly due to Grasshopper's aesthetics as well).
From here, as the creators looked forward, they decided to break the mold again….
零~Zero~Murasaki no Nikki (Spirit Camera: Cursed Memoir)
A mysterious diary is said to be cursed. Sometimes words appear on the first page, and the photos and drawings within are frightening as well as strange. People who find the diary become cursed, and are found later with their faces mutilated.
One day, the diary finds you.
And as you are drawn into the world of the diary, you are accompanied by the spirit of a young woman, named Maya. She doesn't remember anything else, but urged on by the advancing curse, you both race to lift the curse and discover the true motives of the Woman in Black.
Also known as Shinrei Camera~Tsuiteru Techou~, this game changes the field again. A spin-off the game isn't connected with the mainline series outside of the camera, which you as the player "own": your 3DS takes the place of the eponymous camera. Still, I include it in Second Testament by the virtue of the fact that this camera is canonically a member of the Camera Obscura family, stated as such in notes.
Like most AR games in the 3DS family, it requires an AR marker, which is the titular diary. You're given a copy in the game box, in which each page is a marker that advances the story as you solve puzzles connected to the diary. Some of the puzzles are actually amazingly thorough, such as page 9's puzzle that leads directly into an insane battle (this battle was a part of the demo during the live event I attended before the game was out).
For many, the use of the AR marker book (which meant it HAD to be played in the light and bright light for proper reading), as well as the gyroscope controls and 3DS cameras to project the ghosts directly into your own room/space, this was the deal breaker.
To that, I argue they're not true fans of the series. True, these games normally are made to be played in spooky atmospheres, like dark rooms (and as the creator insists, with headphones), but the goal of this game (and the next installment on the Wii) was "everybody scared together". So you can't play this game in the dark. You play it with your friends to navigate and learn Maya's sad story, maybe passing the 3DS off to marathon the game (its not long; your first time through story mode can take as little as 3 hours if you're a vet of the series and know the patterns). True, you can't play the game on the bus, but why would you want to? If you want a little fun on the go, and stationary, the game has a mode for taking pictures in which ghosts can show up. So if you wanted to really get the experience Miku's mother Miyuki was getting but without the associated insanity or eating up chunks of film, this game is for you.
And seriously…have you paid attention when you actually PLAY the game, people? Your character is moving around and spinning just as you are IRL. In fact, I argue that Spirit Camera is the truest and closest experience to having an actual Camera Obscura outside the games. And if you can't understand that, then maybe you're better off playing other games that don't upset your complacent view of ghost hunting.
Sorry, I just get emotional, since this game is so perfect for its medium that it really ought to have sold better. Perhaps is low selling was what prevented Shinku no Chou from reaching North America, perhaps not, we'll never know. But you are cheating yourself out of a great game by avoiding it.
Since your 3Ds is your camera, you spend the entire game in Finder mode. Your charge meter is normal, with circles that film as it goes around the aperture. Your film is unlimited (YAY), and limited to a single type (whose parameters appear to be around Type-14). Your huge damage comes down to charging and attacking 1) when its full, or 2) when your circle turns red, which is the only time which can prevent you from taking damage. Damage is shown with a cracked glass effect in your lens.
Different lenses are used more for exploration of the diary, like dispelling seals, or looking into dark places, rather than damage, which makes it easier to juggle. Your camera also has aspects of Dr. Asou's radio technology, as it can pick up on the voices of spirits you vanquish or are searching for. This makes this camera a little more advanced than its sibling cameras, in addition to its sleeker design (it doesn't have a bellows, like the others do).
Maya, the protagonist, isn't the main character so much as you and her are. She depends on you to help her recover her memories and figure out the curse, since even though she's a spirit, she also can fall victim to it. Its a unique take on the story, which adds to the freshness of the title. In fact, her story becomes yours, up until the bitter end. What made the ending cutscene so heartbreaking was the whole circumstances between she and the Woman in Black; [highlight for spoiler] As Dark Maya/Woman in Black pleads once you vanquish her, "Please, don't take her away" with such despair, that it evokes the loneliness and strong connection Sae and Yae, or Mio and Mayu, have. "Why did you leave me? I've been waiting so long!" cries Dark Maya. "I've been waiting for so long…in a dark, dark place," confesses Sae. Their feelings are similar, and when Maya closes her eyes and embraces her other half, she promises, "I'll stay here…and…never leave…." echoing "Together, forever," the promises made by the sisters of the second title.
While the game doesn't end with an Amano track, it is joined by the fact that the music composer, Ayako Toyoda, has worked on the series' soundtracks, 1-3. Its musical feel is very similar to the first 3 games, and even includes a puzzle based on music, which evokes part of the 4th game's theme.
What also was unique to this installment was the mini-dramas that accompanied it. One in Japanese and one in English. They have very different stories (the japanese mini-drama concerns 3 high school girls who wake the curse by playing the game, which is cursed in the story, whereas the english one concerns a couple who find the diary and are cursed and beset by the spirits haunting it), but both are very interesting to watch. In addition, the japanese site also has a mini-novel dedicated to the diary, and concerns one of the characters in the game, Shiori, whom is a student teacher to students that discuss the diary's rumors. A translation can be found here. All of these different threads all feed into the game's story, which is a sort of precursor to the 零 Media Mix, which premiered earlier this year with news of the film, the novel, the new game and the manga.
It should be noted there are differences between the games in North America as well as Japan and the PAL region. The western versions changed Maya's age from 15 to 18, and her alternate outfit goes from shorts and thigh high stockings to pants with lacing on the outside. Also of unfortunate note was the special easter egg relating to the next installment coming out: renders of Mio and Mayu in their remake outfits were accessible with special AR markers found online or by using the cover of the remake's game as their marker. This easter egg was only present in PAL and Japan, which were, sadly the only regions that got the remake. Their only presence was their picture in the fortune telling type mini-game, as well as their images showing up in the spirit photography mode.
One last piece of interesting info: while its not started in the game, the camera was one of Dr. Kunihiko Asou's cameras, which was leading to its original title of Dr. Asou's Spirit Camera. It was promptly dropped for the simple reason was that, though he's mentioned in every game, he hasn't been a main character and thus few people remembered who he was….
Until now. But that's for the 5th installment. After looking ahead to where to go next, pushing the boundaries of fear, the creators decided to look back. And that's where the next game comes in….
零~Zero~Shinku no Chou (Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly)
Same village. Same twins. Same butterflies. Same sacrifices.
Or are they?
With the changes and new lessons learned in Tsukihami no Kamen, the creators decided a glance back to where the series really became beloved was a step in the right direction. And while in the game, glancing back is the last thing you want to do, in this it was the only, true decision.
As of writing, the game has only been released in the PAL region and Japan, which make sthe second game in the series to be missed by its North American fans. The reasons are as of writing unknown, though many still hold out hope it may hit the Virtual Console, since the Wii is now no longer online (everything has been switched to the WiiU store).
Part of Shinku no Chou's success lies in the strength of Akai Chou itself. The story is strong, as are the characters. The cast isn't too overwhelming, as the previous game boasted (keeping the different spirits that attacked you straight was a challenge when many moved and behaved the same), and indeed only introduces one new character: Kureha, whom was added in as a spirit in the main game and a character in the mini-game, Haunted House Mode.
With Spirit Camera's goals of "everybody scared together", the creators decided to keep the community frights in this new mode. Separate from the main story, the mode was played with only a couple buttons and simple goals: reach the end, and fulfill your requirements, be it hide and seek with dolls, avoiding getting caught by familiar spirits, or not being scared as the path ramps up the scares in the form of randomly appearing spirits or voices from your wiimote. And EVERYBODY'S A WINNER, when you add in a second player controller, with which you can troll your friend by pressing a button and activating scares along the way. The don't get scared mode of the tracks are the best tracks since it relies on the gyroscope to monitor how much you twitch and jump. Do it too much and you'll be ejected out with a poor score. Keep your head and your cool, and try to impress Lady Kureha. This is the mode I was most excited about, since I love playing horror games with friends.
Originally, the extra tracks were meant to fill in certain story elements, like how Mayu excepted the cell and found her way elsewhere, but the work needing to be done to debug even a single track was a lot of work, and time eventually ran out. The mode was even meant to be a part of a festival mini-game with shooting galleries or gold-fish scoop, but again, time was not on the team's side. What ended up making it was a thoroughly engaging and interesting take to the series.
Kureha herself was also Itsuki's prototype, and was even written to have a different role, [highlight spoiler] where she would have been Mio in the future and tried to guide herself along a different destiny. Kureha was only one of many things that needed to be retooled in the Wii version of the game, from graphics and up. Following the direction of Tsukihami no Kamen, the behind the back viewpoint returns, and thus, with its traditional japanese architecture, the entire floor plan of the game had to be changed. Objects needed to be moved, as well as footpaths needing to be cleared (remember 1st person mode in the X-Box release of the game, where it was very easy to get caught on debris on the ground or corners of objects jutting out). A lot of care went into making sure the game not only flowed well, but also kept the same feelings its sister game had.
The camera was adjusted to have the same controls as the previous installment, with that handle Lock-On feature, as well as forgoing the proximity charge for time charging as in previous games. Its also improved the Touch System to the Touch More System, that not only included the item reaching but also allowed you to peek under clothes or into windows for added scares and ghost opportunities. Also as well, you can stack lens effect up to 3, which makes dealing damage much easier as well as also enabling you to add debuffs or buffs along with them. By far it makes the camera system a vast improvement to previous games.
When it came to those beloved endings, the creators needed to also change things as well as keep the same themes it had already explored. First was a return to the title card divisions between the chapters, like it was in the previous game. This was to allow for saving between chapters, as wells a prepare for the next checkpoints. Each of these title cards were lovingly crafted to keep in the mood and theme of each chapter's highlights, from the steady signs of Mayu's downward spiral (more evident in this game on the recommendations of Nintendo), to summarizing what may be taking place soon.
Another was in Chapter 8, the addition of 4 new scenes that would be 1) a requirement for new endings, and 2) meant to expand on the hidden feelings within Mayu and the more obvious possession of Yae in Mio. Once you saw these scenes, it was possible to unlock the Hellish Abyss Ending, the Shadow Festival Ending, and the Frozen Butterfly Ending, and those will depend on the conditions of both defeating the Rope Man, and Sae. Structured and arranged in such a way that those conditions being met will trigger certain endings, the 5 endings all together actually make each other stronger, in addition to strengthening the Mayoiga/Lingering Scent/The Long Road Home ending (the game over ending in which you abandon Mayu without fighting the last bosses).
The Promise Ending, which debuted in the X-Box ending, was always considered the "best happy ending", and while the canonical Crimson Butterfly Ending was sometimes thought of "ultimate bad ending" it is considered the only ending that most satisfies the story, a true Zero ending. Hellish Abyss was "worst happy ending", in that [highlight spoiler] they both survive but at the cost of Mio's eyesight. With that thinking, a "worst bad ending" was born, the Frozen Butterfly ending, and the Shadow Festival ending, which is also a bad ending too. But both of these also fit within that tightly knit universe of Akai Chou.
The feelings locked in Mayu, the misunderstanding of Mio's feelings, Mio accepting or not accepting Mayu, all of those play into those new endings as well as the old ones more clearly. The Frozen Butterfly ending is particularly hard to watch, but at the same time shows you more clearly Mayu's and Sae's syncronization: [highlight for spoiler] Sae's laughing while crying as she massacred the villagers was the result of her hatred and bitterness that Yae abandoned her, as well as her desperation of wanting her to return. Its mirrored in Mayu's laughing while crying as she clutched her injured leg; Mayu crying from the pain, laughing that her despair of losing Mio one day has disappeared, and that Mio will be with her together. Forever. And maybe, a part of that is rooted in that small part of her that loves Mio for not wanting to kill her, for refusing her feelings. Mio doesn't understand Mayu, or understands far too late, but that doesn't matter anymore. Because Mayu can have Mio forever in the hell of Minakami Village.
It also bookends with a scene from earlier, a horrifying look at behind that screen….
The Shadow Festival also is an ending where Mio's understanding may come far too late to save them. [highlight spoiler] As Mayu sits at the Abyss, the Repentance just inches away from erupting, she chides Mio for not running away (an action that can be taken in the game over ending). But as Mio reaches her before that last step into hell, she confesses that she can't, that her promise to her sister is more important to her safety. And as the darkness engulfs them, they both have a vision of that festival, and this time, Mio holds her sister's hand, and doesn't let go (echoing her promise in the Promise ending). As they watch the sky fill with lanterns, both girls have a single, shared moment where they were one in mind: marveling at the beauty of the lanterns. This is the moment where Mio and Mayu, disconnected from that accident years ago, disconnected over and over through the village, finally reconnect. What clearly shows this, with Mayu accepting Mio's apology of misunderstanding her for so long, is Mayu cradling her sister as they are engulfed in the darkness. The symbol of them beneath that haori, naked and pure, clasping hands for all eternity. They couldn't escape the village, but they finally were able to become one.
They're both hard endings to watch, even harder without crying, and that's the beauty of the series, all wrapped up under a haori. Its what makes you understand the girls so much better, and hopefully makes you think about the connections between people, those ties that bind, and sometimes, can kill.
What benefitted I think the most from the graphical upgrade is the Hellish Abyss ending, where the subtlety of Mayu's final smile is closer to the original intent. Instead of a quick cut after her tiny smile (deemed sinister to some), it lingers on her face as her eyes soften as she watches her sister, a look one love, but above all else, the final joy of being together forever. It makes this ending a lot less sinister, though the original epilogue was along those lines: sinister and full of those lingering doubts: what if, when Mio grabbed her sister's hand, it wasn't Mayu…but Sae…? A transcript of this final scene (amazing and glorious but of course too long and not as subtle) can be found here. Also note the other endings and even more details I can't possibly cover all here can be found in this page, so please give it a good read and see what you might have missed.
And from this last look behind, the series finally comes to its latest installment, the culmination of Second Testament so far.
零~Zero~Nuregarasu no Miko (Fatal Frame: Raven-Haired/Raven-Slicked Shrine Maiden)
Mount Mikami is long known by the locals as a place where one can properly return to the source of life, water, and if you want your suicide to deliver you to the afterlife properly, you head to the mysterious mountain, where it can change in the blink of an eye, in that moment between breaths, between heartbeats, the golden moment between sunset and night.
Announced during the 零 Media Mix earlier this year, this game had a lot of siblings to enter into the grand family of Zero. It was joined by a novel, which had a movie adaptation, along with a spin-off manga. In what could easily be called the Year of Zero, the fifth game is, at time of writing, not quite a month old. And while its release in Japan has generally seemed to be positive, it hasn't gotten an international release date, which means it too could be stuck in the land of the rising sun with its 2 somewhat unreleased sisters, Tsukihgami no Kamen and Shinku no Chou (the latter, as stated above, missed North America in the west, the former missed by all western regions).
Nuregarasu no Miko has a tricky translation, with the term "nuregarasu" meaning that beautiful, alluring color of black hair that often has highlights of blue or green, like the feathers of a wet crow, from which the term gets its name. " Nuregarasu" is roughly "wet crow's black". Roughly. The term has been fan translated as "raven-haired" and "raven-slick" (the latter in the manga), which could change when the game (when/if) is localized outside of Japan, like the 3rd game's subtitle, which was Shisei no Koe or "voice of the tattoo" and was subtitled "The Tormented" later.
With its newness, I can't comment too much on the game outside of scant details that would be found in online play vids or forums, but I can give explanations and hypothesizes based on its precedents, all 6 of her sibling games. This game changes the whole game again with the new WiiU gamepad. Click here for the official website's example, which moves accordingly when you press play. Taking the best elements from the Wii versions, and adding in the handheld perfection of a viewing device from the 3DS, the new system allows for crazier, more chaotic ghost combat than ever before. Lock-on, along with the necessity to orient the camera (the gamepad) horizontally to capture ghosts makes the game much more engaging than ever before. If you thought the gameplay on the 3DS was exactly what ghost combat would be with a camera, hold onto your lenses, kids, cuz this takes it up a notch. The camera is also used for developing images, also orienting the camera in different positions, to find clues that in previous games, would be developed by simply taking pictures.
Another addition is the system of wetness, displayed by a meter. The wetter your character can become, walking in rain or through water, increasing spiritual power, but attracting more ghosts. Drying off can be achieved with items or being inside. The ability to track spirits' trails is also new, as well as the ability to perform Mitori, which is the ability to see a ghost's last moments before death, as a sort of replay to learn more about them. Many new terms, too numerous to go into now, were introduced in addition to keeping the Touch More System, and using the behind the back perspective. Again, these new features add into the over all experience, feeling that fear even more deeply I feel than ever before.
The graphics have been also a boon to the series. The wetness effects, water droplets, even the moistness of the eyes in the characters show a level of care and craft never seen before. These games have always been about treading that path between beauty and horror, making a pleasing result.
The teaser ads for the game, played by the actresses in the movie, are more than just cute, its a good and quick handle on the new mechanics, however brief.
My god those girls are so damn cute. @_@ Note the snippets you get from gameplay. More of these are available through the official website, which is clearer, should you know how to read japanese.
Let's talk other new news about it. How about the discarding of linear chapters? Instead of linearly following a story narrative, objectives in each chapter must be met to advance to the next. This game favors exploration and lateral thinking, rather than mindless searching and meaningless combat--not that previous ones have, but this changes focus considerably. Its a stretch for many veterans of the game, but a true fan must understand that change is part of the charm of the series. It changes considerably each incarnation, and it always is in pursuit of new levels of fear and breaking the mold from before. To not change is a weakness, to change too much, a jarring experience. However, its been to this series' benefit every time.
Also returning is everyone's favorite weapon outside the camera (of which in this game, like in Tsukihami no Kamen, has 2): the Spirit Stone Flashlight. More shockingly, its in the hands of a Tecmo familiar not part of the series originally: Ayane from Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden. Placed there by another new staff member (of course who worked on those series), she's part of a side-story, and is armed with the flashlight. Her drawback is that she's not Kirishima. While that's partially said in jest, it should also be known that she cannot seal or defeat enemies with it like he could, but can only use it when cornered. Her play style is mostly conserved to stealth and sneaking, rather than combat. Again, this can be a huge turn off for vets, but I again implore you to look past this as at the least something optional you can ignore, or at the most, a novel way of playing the game. Her style is akin to some who play the games, using valor as the better part of discretion and combating ghosts only as necessity (it evokes the play style difference between say Resident Evil and Silent Hill).
A pleading aside: I realize that both this game and Spirit Camera carry a lot of tones of justification and emphatic pleas to give them both a chance, and its due most in part to the fact as an American, I have missed 2 whole games, one of which I was looking very much forward to. And if I can convince others to give these games a chance, like many of you have, I think you'll see a lot of what made you fall in love with them once will make you fall even more in love again.
Now, apart from the side story, you follow essentially 3 characters: Yuuri Kozukata, a young medium whom works in the Kurosawa Antique Shop; Miu Hinasaki, a young girl who is on the search for her mother; and Ren Hojo, an author who gets drawn into the mysteries of the mountain and burial photography, a family trait apparently. Hisoka Kurosawa runs the shop and teaches Yuuri how to use the camera as well as her own powers to track spirits down. Its unknown if Hisoka is related to Rei, and while the kanji do not exactly match, it should be worth noting she and Rei both have beauty marks (albeit in different locations of their face).
Taking a page from Shinku no Chou, multiple endings return, and occur for each character. In fact each character has at least 2 separate endings, each animated, unlike previous installments where alternate endings were done as Photograph Endings, where different events would be shown as photos in the credits. These endings are dependent on criteria, like the previous game, making for some memorable and challenging experiences.
I know what you're thinking: is Miu from the Hinasaki line? Going by the kanji of her name, yes. in fact she and Miku share the same characters for "Mi", which is the part that translates as "deep", and using your own kanji in your child's name is common in japan. Its part of the theme of connecting to people. Your parents are connected by blood, and sometimes even by name, down the lines. Its a thematic coincidence I think that so many of the Zero protagonists share the same letter in their names, the letter M. Miku (her own line too, from grandmother Mikoto, to mother Miyuki), Mio, Mayu, Maya, and down to Miu.
But that's not why you're here reading this. Miu's story, along with Ren's and Yuuri's all carry familiar themes we've covered, but most in depth in the 3rd game Shisei no Koe. In fact, had the curse not been stopped by Rei, its likely that curse could have claimed others. At the base of these curses are the themes of guilt. While Ren is removed from the direct guilt that envelopes his story (fortunately by actual time and generations; his story is rooted in his ancestor's and only bleeds into his present because of his family line), Yuuri and Miu both have to carry the guilt that threatens to pull them beneath the waves of the curse that plagues the mountain. [highlight spoiler]The guilt I mean is that same survivor's guilt that plagues many of the characters in the 3rd game. While Yuuri (and conversely Hisoka) are weighed down by this directly, Miu is a victim of it by relation and blood, not unlike Ren.
This is where I bring Miku up once more. Yes, she's in the game; as seen from the official site's character page. Many fans on forums complain that Miku has been through enough; she lost her brother, and narrowly avoided 2 separate curses. Shouldn't she be left alone? Hasn't she been through enough?
These answers lie both in the creator's explanations in guidebooks as well as knowing some of the traditions of Japanese horror (and part of the culture). In Shibata-san's words, all of these curses are continuous. They never stop. They may be solved or set right by the heroines, but time will pass, and those hell mouths will need sealing again. This may be tragic, as someone else could stumble upon Himuro Mansion once again and be sucked into the curse. In the case of Minakami Village, there's the extra added difficulty of an entire lake on top of the ritual place. What the future holds for the area remains to be seen.
Its also worth knowing that the japanese understand that sometimes, fate can devastate one with no malice, thought, or warning. Think of the island nation, which is beset by tsunamis and volcanic eruptions as well as terrific earthquakes. This is a nation that gave us the term "Shō Ga Nai", which roughly translated as "can't be helped". Its not a resignation to fate in the way that would cause an uninitiated westerner to think this is "helpless" or "weak". Its the grace to carry on in the face of tragedy, because it can literally be out of one's hands. Urban Dictionary's definition sums it up much rougher, but it does show this idea much starker than I could ever gently put it (and I do admire and agree with the candor it uses): "In Japanese culture, they don't feel sorry for themselves as much. I'm not saying they're emotionless robots, or that they wouldn't cry at the death of a loved one, but really, they tend to be respectful and not get angry or sad as much. When something bad happens to them, they mostly just say, "Sho ga nai." and get on with their lives rather than throw a fit about it like a two-year-old."
Yes. I do accept that Miku has been through a lot, and by the mere fact of being in the game, means she's going through a hell of a lot more. But we have to keep 2 points in mind: "Shō Ga Nai", and that Miku's role and her decisions do not necessarily contradict her actions from previous games. If anything, she deserves to make her choices whole-heartedly: she's an adult now, and she has earned it, and to say otherwise can be childish at the most, or at the very least willfully ignorant.
[highlight for spoiler] Does this mean her desire to end her life so she can be truly joined with her only family outside of Miu is selfish? No, not in the very least. Rei told her that she must live on, because, as Yuu taught her, dying meant the world would lose not only herself, but everyone she ever cared about, and everyone who brought her into existence. And Miku's desire to connect with her brother, the only one who truly understood her, produced her a child, the next in her line, and above all else, the living proof of her and Mafuyu's existence. Miku's Yuukon rite with her brother isn't meant to be incestuous, its meant as a sign of those special connections that are deeper than most of us will ever experience. The closeness of twins, the closeness of siblings who share a sixth sense. And through Miu, even if Miku dies to be joined with Mafuyu, both Miku and Mafuyu live on inside of her, as well as Miyuki, Mikoto, Yae, Sae, and all through the line back. Miku has gone on with her life, and as it shortened considerably, she chose to end it with dignity. The weight of the pain of living never ends, and is passed from parent to child, because life without pain isn't life at all. It may as well be death.
For those who haven't watched or played the game fully, this is a LOT to take in, but as the most recent installment of the series, it fits with everything that came before. That these rituals are formed by man's tiny attempt to control forces far beyond him for the greater good. That these rituals will never end, as many curses in japanese folklore do and will not (a good example is the novel). That what makes a Zero game truly a Zero game is the ultimate returning to that: to zero. A number that is there, but isn't, ethereal as the spirits themselves. And that horror, beauty, and tragedy go hand in hand with the series. Its what makes them truly unique, and its probably the reason why you've stuck this long on this journey. Next time we'll dive into the non-game media and find the charms therein. Until then, keep the light burning.
--Dio (10/14/14)
Research conducted with the Zero wiki, and FFTranslations. Images also from the Zero wiki.