Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse review – a spine-chilling ghost story is exhumed

PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC; Grasshopper Manufacture/Koei Tecmo
The original was originally launched on Wii 15 years ago and it still offers a highly atmospheric adventure with many moments of fear and dread

In the triumvirate of classic Japanese horror game franchises, Project Zero (known as Fatal Frame in its domestic market) is the one that's been most overlooked by western players - which is a real shame. While Resident Evil is all about zombie gore, and Silent Hill focuses on psychological tension, Tecmo's horror series provides straight-up supernatural terror, masterfully employing folkloric tropes and ghostly enemies that would be familiar to anyone who loved Onry and Jidaigeki movies such as Onibaba, Gu-On and Ring. When this game originally arrived on Wii 15 years ago, it never even got a release outside its home country, a stunning omission when you consider it was co-directed by Goichi Suda, creator of cult hits Killer7 and No More Heroes. Now, Koei Tecmo has produced a refreshed version, allowing a new generation to discover a fine addition to this genuinely spooky series.

The action takes place on the remote Rogetsu Island, where five abducted schoolgirls were once discovered, mentally scarred and unable to remember the bizarre ritual they had been forced to take part in. Years later, two of the survivors have returned to discover the truth of what happened to them - and they find an isle crowded with vengeful spirits and haunted buildings. You play several roles through the course of the game as you explore an abandoned psychiatric hospital, lighthouse and other unsettling locales, searching for clues about the past. Your only weapon is the camera obscura, a device that allows you to see ghosts and capture their tormented souls in photographs.