Fatal Frame III: The Tormented Playthrough | Session 6
What is Fatal Frame III: The Tormented?
Fatal Frame III: The Tormented is a Japanese survival horror video game developed and published by Tecmo in 2005 for the PlayStation 2. The story follows Rei Kurosawa, a freelance photographer who has been tasked with taking photos of an abandoned manor.
After she spots an apparition of her fiancé she recently lost in a car crash, events quickly take a paranormal turn as she begins to explore the manor in her dreams and learns of its connection to those suffering from survivor's guilt.
In Fatal Frame III, the player uses the vintage "Camera Obscura" to photograph and dispel ghosts. The player explores in third-person in either the Manor of Sleep or the real world.
On the main screen is a "Ghost Filament", which indicates a ghost's presence; red signals a hostile ghost, while blue indicates a neutral ghost. At any point in the game, the player can enter first-person mode via the viewfinder, used for photographing ghosts.
The Camera Obscura has a limited amount of film for ammunition, and the player must search areas thoroughly to obtain more. The player gains points through defeating ghosts or by taking pictures of neutral ghosts or seals. These points can be used to upgrade different aspects of the camera, such as range and sensitivity.
Fatal Frame III's story is split into chapters called "Hours", which are further split into "day-and-night" sequences. While awake, Rei moves about her home, interacting with other characters and developing photographs taken from the Manor of Sleep.
While sleeping, Rei enters the Manor of Sleep in her dreams. In certain Hours, the player controls either Miku or Kei, and their dreams include sections from previous games (e.g. the Himuro Mansion).
Each character has different special abilities, making each of their playing styles unique. Rei can use the camera's flash to scare off some spirits, but can only use it a limited number of times. Miku has a special "Sacred Stone" charm that decreases the speed of spirits when used, and a "Double" ability that allows her to charge the camera up twice.
Kei, with his greater physical strength, can move bookshelves or jump from one roof of the Manor to another. However, since Kei's camera ability is much weaker than that of either Rei or Miku, the player must use his "Hide" ability to avoid spirits' detection.
What is Death Mark?
You have been Marked...
A strange rumor is spreading through the shadows of Tokyo's H City: a mysterious disfigurement, like a grotesque birthmark, has been appearing on the bodies of certain individuals. Anyone who receives the Mark will rapidly die of unknown, horrifying causes.
Deprived of your memories, you arrive at a mansion rumored to protect the bearers of the Mark. As the doors swing open, the countdown to death has already begun...
To avoid an almost certain gruesome death at the “hands” of angry spirits, you’ll need to search your surroundings for clues to increase your odds of survival.
Sometimes the sword is more powerful than the pen. And when words fail it’s time to stand your ground. Remember the price of not holding your own is an untimely death.
It’s not enough to defeat the spirit that cursed you, you need to do it in the right way. If you don’t you might survive, but end up wishing you hadn’t. Be sure to parse all the clues and information you discover correctly to make your life continue to be worth living.
What is Dead Head Fred?
Dead Head Fred is a horror comedy action-adventure video game for the PlayStation Portable, developed by Vicious Cycle Software and published by D3 Publisher. It features a premise that is a combination of 1940s-style noir and contemporary horror, dubbed "twisted noir" by the design team.
The game is a single-player experience whose title character, Fred Neuman, is a private investigator with the ability to switch heads. Fred has recently been murdered and decapitated, and has few memories of the events leading to his death.
The plot follows Fred as he pieces together the clues of his murder and tries to get revenge on the man who killed him. Unlike many action game heroes, Fred has no conventional weapons—he relies solely on the powers available to him from the severed heads of fallen enemies.
The game received generally positive reviews, with reviewers mentioning its dark humor and noir-inspired motif as high points. It received criticism for its controls and lack of combat depth.
Dead Head Fred is a third-person action-adventure game that incorporates a variety of gameplay styles, including combat, platforming, and puzzles. The core gameplay of Dead Head Fred revolves around Fred's missing head and his ability to "switch" heads by defeating certain enemies, decapitating them, and collecting their heads (referred to as "headhunting").
As Fred explores the city of Hope Falls, he can collect an assortment of heads, each of which has unique abilities. Examples include the Stone Idol head, which Fred can use as a battering ram, and the Corpse head, which can be used to suck up and spit out water, gasoline, and other materials. Fred uses these heads to navigate the city of Hope Falls, and certain parts of the city are not accessible until certain heads are found.
The high level of radiation in Hope Falls has led to a proliferation of grossly mutated worms, which the player can collect and use to upgrade Fred's heads and temporarily increase his fighting abilities, among other benefits. Also collectible are money and special items, which can be earned by defeating enemies or completing various side-missions. There are several minigames unrelated to the plot, such as pinball and fishing, scattered around the city.
In combat, players have several attacks at their disposal, depending on the head Fred is equipped with. These attacks include combos, head-specific counterattacks, and ranged attacks.
During a counterattack, the player can complete a Quick Time Event to instantly kill an enemy by removing its head, which gives Fred "Rage" points. Rage energy builds up over time, and the player can use it to unleash powerful attacks on multiple foes.
Dealing a large amount of damage to an opponent will stun them, during which time Fred can remove their head. Collected heads can be traded at "Head Shops" for a usable version.
There are several types of environmental puzzles that the player has to solve in order to progress through the game. Each one requires a specific head—the Bone head gives Fred sharp claws which allow him to climb on the sides of buildings, while the Shrunken head decreases his size dramatically and lets him navigate platforming levels, such as a saw mill.
There is also a mannequin head that Fred must use to socialize with the residents of Hope Falls, because they are terrified of his other heads. There are nine available heads, seven of which are suitable for combat.
What is Anachronox?
Anachronox is a third-person role-playing video game produced by Tom Hall and the Dallas Ion Storm games studio. It was released worldwide in June 2001 for Microsoft Windows.
Anachronox is a turn-based role-playing game similar in nature to many Japanese role-playing video games like Final Fantasy. The player controls a party of up to three characters as they explore a 3D environment (colloquially known as a "field map") of futuristic cities, space vessels, and outdoor areas. Players can swap for new party members, talk to non-player characters, and collect and shop for equipment and items.
When players near an interactive character or item, a floating arrow-shaped electronic device called the LifeCursor appears, which lets the player click on the person or item. After a certain point in the story, players can travel by shuttle to other planets, triggering cutscenes of the shuttle trips. Each playable character has a unique skill, such as lockpicking, which may be used to solve puzzles.
Some sequences involve minigames, such as an unnamed mission in which the player pilots a fighter spaceship to destroy enemies with lasers. Certain field maps also feature simple two-dimensional minigames, including the original games Ox and Bugaboo. The protagonist Boots also possesses a camera, which the player can use to take screenshots for their own enjoyment or as part of quest objectives.
Enemy encounters trigger a combat mode. As in Chrono Trigger, enemies are openly visible on field maps or lie in wait to ambush the party and thus are not random.[3] Similar to Final Fantasy's Active Time Battle, each character has a meter that gradually fills with time.
When the meter is full, characters can physically attack enemies, use MysTech magic, unleash BattleSkill attacks, use items, move to a different position, or use a nearby object to attack, if present. For playable characters and computer-controlled enemies, each attack has their number of hit points (a numerically based life bar) get reduced, which can be restored through healing items or MysTech slags.
Use of MysTech and equippable shield cells require Neutron-Radiated Glodents (NRG), a separate energy reserve displayed beneath a character's life bar. NRG is replenished through certain items. Use of BattleSkills require Bouge, a third bar beneath NRG that automatically fills with time; players can use different BattleSkills depending on how full the Bouge bar is.
Some characters must undergo certain plot developments to unlock their BattleSkills. When a playable character loses all hit points, he or she faints. If all the player's characters fall in battle, the game ends and must be restored from a previously saved game. Winning battles earns experience points and raises characters' levels, granting them improved statistics.
These statistics can be viewed through the status screen, which displays important character information and current quests. Unlike many other RPGs, Anachronox displays a character's attributes with qualitative descriptors (such as Poor and Excellent) instead of integers.
The Mysterium Tech (or MysTech) system allows players to use in-game objects collectively known as MysTech, and create new MysTech by using a configuration screen accessed through Elementor Host items. MysTech cannot be used until they are awakened after a certain story event. Eight basic colors of MysTech exist, representing different elements; for example, green represents poison.
Players can use MysTech to inflict damage upon enemies, plague them with certain status effects (such as freezing them in place), or heal party members.
Casting status effect-MysTech on party members will cure them if afflicted by enemy status spells. MysTech slabs and Elementor Hosts can be found as treasure in the game world or bought from shops. To create MysTech, players place colored bugs (found on small hills in several game locations) in empty slots on an Elementor Host.
The color of bugs placed in the function slot determines the color of MysTech, while other slots modify the power and/or range of the spell. Players can add special bugs known as Cobalt Crawlers to make a spell target all enemies instead of one; a Host filled with eight Crawlers unlocks a secret spell.
The effect of bugs can be amplified by feeding them petals from Lifeflowers, which can be found scattered throughout the world of Anachronox. Special types of Hosts with two or three different functions allow players to pick which MysTech function to use in battle.
What is Dance Of Death: Du Lac & Fey?
Victorian London is in peril. Jack the Ripper stalks the streets, tempting immortal Arthurian heroes, Sir Lancelot Du Lac and Morgana Le Fey, back to English shores. Will they arrive in time to end his reign of terror?
London, 1888. With Whitechapel’s citizens living in the shadow of Jack the Ripper, Arthurian legends take to the streets in a thrilling quest to stop the killer before he strikes again.
Take on the roles of immortal hero Sir Lancelot Du Lac, and cursed sorceress Morgana Le Fey, as you hunt London’s most prolific serial killer. Join forces with Whitechapel local, Mary Jane Kelly, to explore the capital’s underbelly, meeting a diverse cast of characters who fill the streets of the Metropolis with noise and colour.
Explore the sights, sounds, and locations of the Ripper’s London, and immerse yourself in all that the Victorian era had to offer.
What is Breath Of Fire II?
Breath of Fire II is a role-playing video game developed and published by Capcom. First released in 1994, the game was licensed to Laguna for European release in 1996. It is the second entry in the Breath of Fire series.
Unlike later installments in the series, Breath of Fire II is a direct sequel to Breath of Fire. Set 500 years after the original game, the story centers on an orphan named Ryu Bateson, whose family vanished mysteriously long ago. After his friend is falsely accused of a crime, Ryu embarks on a journey to clear his name.
Breath of Fire II is a traditional role-playing video game featuring two-dimensional character sprites and environments. Players view the game from a top-down perspective and move their characters in four directions across various environments including towns and dungeons while interacting with non-player characters and battling enemies to advance the story.
The game features a redesigned, text-based game menu as opposed to the icon-based design of the original Breath of Fire, as well as a new "Monster Meter" that indicates the probability of encountering enemy monsters in a given area.
Players are required to venture into dangerous areas throughout the game world as dictated by the story, and randomly encounter enemies every few steps which must be defeated to advance. As the game progresses, new characters, each with their own specific abilities, join the player's party.
Like the previous game, only four characters may be in a party at a given time, but now may not be freely switched outside of certain areas. Each character has a unique Personal Action that may be performed outside of combat that allows the player to access certain areas, destroy objects, avoid traps, or move about the game more easily.
Breath of Fire II includes a new town-building feature that allows the player to populate their own village with special characters found throughout the game. Each character has their own distinct job, and may be invited to live in houses that the player adds by donating currency to one of three carpenters, each with their own building style.
Six special inhabitants known as Shamans may also join the town, each with their own elemental alignment, and up to two at a time may be fused with party members to grant them new forms and abilities. While joined with a shaman, characters become stronger and may gain access to additional abilities while in battle.
Combat in Breath of Fire II is presented using a turn-based approach, where the player inputs commands for each character at the start of each round with the actions taking place by order of each character's and enemy's "agility" rating. A new Formation feature allows the player to organize their party into different positions, allowing certain members an increase in speed, defense, or attack power.
Players win battles by defeating every enemy present, dealing damage by using normal attacks along with magic spells and items. When all enemies are defeated, they yield experience points that go toward leveling up characters, making them stronger and giving them access to new spells.
Each Characters' health is represented by numerical hit points that indicate their remaining vitality, and are knocked out if the value reaches zero, with the battle ending if each member of a player's party is knocked out. Progress is recorded using the game cartridge's internal battery back-up memory, which can be accessed at dragon statues throughout gameplay.
What is Blasphemous?
Blasphemous is a Metroidvania action-adventure game taking place in the fictional region of Cvstodia. Players assume control of the Penitent One, a silent knight wielding a sword named Mea Culpa, as he travels the land in a pilgrimage.
The game involves exploring Cvstodia while fighting enemies, which appear in most areas. The Penitent One can fight enemies by attacking them with his sword at close range, or by casting spells that can be learned throughout the game. By damaging enemies with melee attacks, the player gains Fervor, which is consumed to cast spells.
Each enemy has a certain attack pattern which players must learn in order to dodge them and avoid taking damage. Some enemy attacks can be parried by blocking at the right time, leaving foes vulnerable and allowing the Penitent One to counterattack them for increased damage.
When getting hit, the protagonist's health decreases, but it can be recovered by consuming Bile Flasks. Defeating enemies rewards Tears of Atonement, the game's currency, that can be spent on shops to upgrade the player character and obtain items.
Numerous upgrades can be acquired at various points of the adventure, which include increasing the Penitent One's maximum health, Fervor and amount of Bile Flasks carried, and unlocking new abilities for world exploration and combat.
By exploring, interacting with NPCs and completing sidequests, multiple items can be found which, when equipped, provide stat bonuses, reduce or nullify certain types of damage or provide access to otherwise inaccesible areas.
There are also collectibles in the form of bones that can be delivered in a certain place to receive rewards, and Children of Moonlight – trapped angels that can be freed by attacking the cages they are in.
There are multiple checkpoints in the forms of altars located in multiple areas of the map. The player can rest in these checkpoints to fully replenish their health and refill any used Bile Flasks, save their progress and equip certain abilities, but doing so will also cause all previously slain enemies (excluding bosses) to respawn.
The Penitent One will die if his health is fully depleted, or if he falls into spikes or into a bottomless pit. Upon death, he will respawn in the last checkpoint visited, and a Guilt Fragment will appear in the location of his death (or near it, if he was killed by spikes or falling).
The player will have reduced maximum Fervor, and gain less Fervor and Tears of Atonement from enemies, until the Guilt Fragment is recovered by reaching its location and interacting with it. Alternatively, there are certain points where this penalty can be eliminated for a fee.
What is Children Of Morta?
Children of Morta is a story-driven action RPG game about an extraordinary family of heroes. Lead the Bergsons, with all their flaws and virtues, against the forthcoming Corruption. Will you be able to sacrifice everything to save the ones you care for?
Children of Morta is an action RPG with a rogue-lite approach to character development, where you don’t play a single character - but a whole, extraordinary family of heroes. Hack’n’slash through hordes of enemies in procedurally generated dungeons, caves and lands and lead the family of Bergsons, with all their flaws and virtues, against the forthcoming Corruption.
Gameplay-wise it's a unique mix of action-adventure RPG, rogue-lite and hack and slash game. By leveling up, you develop not only individual characters but also the entire family. There is no permadeath and you can change family members between the dungeon runs.
The story takes place in a distant land but copes with themes and emotions common to all of us: love and hope, longing and uncertainty, ultimately loss... and sacrifice we are willing to make to save the ones we care the most for. Ultimately, it's about a family of heroes standing against the encroaching darkness.
All the dungeons in the game are procedurally generated, which means their layout is different with each adventure. There can be from two to four levels of each dungeon, with a unique boss fight at the end. You can always get back to the previous dungeons to get extra XP or finish all the side quests.
Ranged attacks, magic spells, blocks, stuns, evasions and passive skills - it’s all there for you to discover, unlock and upgrade. You can choose from six different family members, each one having unique skill sets. The father, John - a protective warrior with a sword and shield.
The elder daughter Linda - a precise archer. Kevin, a quiet fighter equipped with deadly daggers. Lucy - a lively and bold fire mage. Mark - a mindful martial arts fighter. And Joey who smashes his enemies with a sledgehammer.
A combination of hand painted pixel art and frame-by-frame animations partanered with modern lighting techniques come to life to create the beautifully dangerous world of Children of Morta!
What is Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies?
Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies is a visual novel adventure video game developed and published by Capcom. It is the fifth main entry in the Ace Attorney series, and was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, with iOS and Android versions following in 2014 and 2017.
The game is set around a year after the previous game, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, in a time where the court system has entered a dark era of false charges and fabricated evidence, caused in part by the event that led to Phoenix being unjustly disbarred.
The player takes the roles of three defense attorneys Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes, who defend their clients in multiple cases and try to restore confidence in the courts. The gameplay is split into investigation sections, where the player searches for evidence and talks to witnesses, and trials, where they search for inconsistencies between witness testimonies and the evidence.
The player can use some character-specific gameplay mechanics: Phoenix can see "psyche-locks" over witnesses who are hiding something; Apollo can spot visual cues in witnesses that indicate lying; and Athena can detect conflicting emotions in witnesses' voices.
Dual Destinies is a visual novel adventure game in which the player takes the roles of three defense attorneys: Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice, and Athena Cykes. The player aims to solve multiple cases and get their clients declared not guilty, which is how the game's episodes are cleared.
The gameplay is split into two types of sections: investigations and trials. During investigations, the player goes to the crime scene, where they have access to a menu with four options: examine, which brings up a cursor used to search for evidence and clues; talk, which lets the player interview a witness at the current location, choosing from a number of a topics to discuss; present, which lets the player show the witness evidence; and move, which brings up a list of locations the player can choose to go to.
At some points, the player can use Apollo's "perceive" mechanic to watch for visual cues in a witness as they are talking, such as a twitching eye, that indicate that they are lying. The player can also sometimes use Phoenix's "psyche-lock" mechanic to see locks on the hearts of witnesses who are hiding something.
During trials, the player cross-examines witnesses. They can move backwards and forwards through statements in the testimony, and can choose to press the witness for more information on a particular statement; sometimes, the witness will revise their testimony based on this.
If the player spots a lie or a contradiction in the testimony, they can present evidence to demonstrate the contradiction. If the player presents incorrect evidence, the judge's confidence in the player will be lowered; if the judge's confidence in the player is depleted, the game ends.
At some points, the player can use Athena's "mood matrix" mechanic to detect conflicting emotions in witnesses' voices during their testimonies, such as sudden happiness in the middle of fear. Four different emotions can show up in testimony analyses – happiness, anger, shock, and sadness (the icon of which also represents fear) – which will light up with different intensity.
The player goes through the testimony, and aims to determine the cause of the conflicting emotion. Near the end of trials, when the player is close to solving the case, they can use the "revisualization" mechanic to look back at known facts and make a series of deductions by picking the right choices, to reach a conclusion.
What is Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed?
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed in Japan, is a 2013 adventure video game for the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows by Acquire. It is the sequel to Akiba's Trip on the PlayStation Portable.
In Akiba's Trip, the player explores Akihabara and strip the clothes off "Synthisters". There are different things to do such as buy items from shops, enter maid cafes to eat food and play games, or head to the battle arena to train and increase your rank, eventually being about to fight Antoinette.
The player character is customizable, with the player able to pick what headgear and clothing to wear, and what walking style and stripping style to use. Character models, voices and skin color are unlocked when beating the game, with some being unlocked when finishing the game with certain endings.
Non-playable characters consist of otakus, tourists, maids and more along with "Synthisters" who can be seen with the mobile app Shion developed which is unlocked later in the game.
The story is played out as a visual novel where the player gets to choose from three different phrases to say to progress the story, akin to the Way of the Samurai series, also developed by Acquire.
Certain options will increase the player character's affection level with certain characters that will diverge into different endings for the player to experience. A hint system is unlocked when beating the game to ensure that the affection level will increase for the character that the player chooses.
When initiated into battle, the player chooses what weapon to use. The player aims attacks at the lower, middle or upper part of the body to weaken the enemy's clothing, with each body part having their own respective button.
There is a combo attack when pressing the attack button repeatedly, a forward attack for moving the analog forward while attacking, a strong attack for moving the analog back while attacking along with an aerial attack and guard attack.
Guarding dodges all attacks but leaves the player character vulnerable to having their clothes stripped but the player can also counter-attack the "Synthister's" attack or if their clothing is flashing, can counter-strip their clothes.
When the clothes are flashing, the player can hold the attack button to strip the clothes off but if the clothes are not flashing, they can hold the button and then mash it to force strip it. The more the player strips a certain type of clothing, their strip skill will increase, allowing the clothes not to tear so that they can keep the clothing for inventory.
If the meter on the top left of the screen is filled and if the player is allied with Shizuku, Touka, Kati, Shion or Nana, they can perform a unison strip, where they do heavy damage to a "Synthister" and cause the other "Synthisters" to be dizzy, stripping them until they are no longer dizzy or the chain strip ends.