The FATAL FRAME series has always been quite unique compared to other survival horror titles. While most rely on hiding from the terrors that await you, Fatal Frame makes it a point to put such nightmares directly in one's face. Rather than picking up standard weapons, the series arms our protagonist with a camera instead and challenges players to take the best pictures possible of the bloodthirsty ghosts and wraiths that haunt its creepy locations. This setup means players have to constantly face their fears head-on and do whatever it takes to survive each encounter.
Over the years, the series has seen multiple entries, including a unique 3DS spin-off title called Spirit Camera. However, out of all these entries, there remains one game in particular that many players consider their favorite: Fatal Frame II. This game was originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003, with an enhanced Xbox version following in 2004. It featured twin protagonists as they explored a haunted village and used a fixed camera angle during standard exploration. Later, this game was ported to the Wii in 2012 with a new full third-person camera and new features incorporated from 2008's (then Japanese-exclusive) Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. It was seen as the "definitive" version of Fatal Frame II, though the Wii's motion controls were simply not for everyone.
Well, over 14 years later, FATAL FRAME II is back once again as FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, but this time it offers a different experience. Unlike the Wii version before it, REMAKE completely reimagines the classic title with new story content, a modern 3D camera, completely new gameplay mechanics, and more. It is a game that will feel familiar to long-time fans in some regards while also offering plenty of new reasons to revisit this haunting classic. The game was also designed with newcomers in mind, allowing players to finally see what the series is all about.
With this being said, the question remains: is FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE worth it?
Courtesy of Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja, we were given the opportunity to check the game out ahead of release and were actually quite surprised. What initially began as intrigue quickly turned into a bit of a struggle before eventually "clicking" and falling into place. In the end, it was a journey well worth stepping into, though not everyone may find their time as a photographer quite as enjoyable.
Returning to The Lost Village:
FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE follows the same story as the 2003 original, but with multiple new twists, and a completely new ending.
The game opens with twins Mio and Mayu Amakura visiting a forest within the Minakami region where they used to play together all the time as kids. During a quick flashback we learn that Mayu had previously fallen and hurt her leg, but after the incident the two had become extremely close. While Mio is the younger of the two twins, she is over protective of Mayu, and is willing to do anything to keep her sister safe. However as they reminisce about their childhood, Mayu takes off chasing after what appears to be a crimson colored butterfly.
Not wanting to let her sister out of her sight, Mio gives chase, and the two find themselves at the mysterious, abandoned Minakami Village. Little do they know, the village isn't truly vacant, as the restless spirits of the past continue to roam. After realizing they have been trapped inside this new nightmare, Mayu begins acting strangely. Once Mio picks up a strange camera called the "Camera Obscura," she sets out to find a way to escape. Unfortunately, the two sisters are separated, and Mio's worst fears become a reality.
Despite spending her entire life protecting Mayu, Mio finds her sister in danger, and saving her becomes her new top priority. Along the way, she meets a young man named Itsuki Tachibana, who mistakes Mio for a girl named Yae, and she discovers the horrifying truth behind Yae's sister, Sae, who seemingly still stalks the village. All of this is just the beginning of an even greater mystery at play, which both Mio and Mayu find themselves wrapped up in.
The story itself is told in multiple ways and is not one that can be taken fully at face value. Players of the original will already know the answer to the mystery, but first-time fans will get to enjoy this intriguing ride from beginning to end. While much of the game relies on cutscenes, flashbacks, and in-game dialogue during exploration, a large chunk is reserved for the many notes, documents, and voice recordings that can be picked up along the way. All of these provide a much deeper understanding of the overall plot, but sometimes it is the subtle details that speak louder than words.
This at times manifests through the ghosts themselves, with the environment providing context clues as to what happened. For example, one ghost crawls along the floor with her head bent backward in an unnatural way, but players who simply look up can notice the cracks in the railing where the woman had once fallen. This case is just one example, and one of the more noticeable ones, but the vast majority of encounters are similar. With this type of storytelling, the village itself feels much more like a living place and less like a simple location for ghosts to wander—there is a reason for each of these hauntings, and they are all pieces of a greater puzzle.
In addition to these smaller details, after Mio receives the Camera Obscura and a specific filter, she is able to catch glimpses of the past. These residual hauntings allow Mio to witness key moments in the village's history and uncover many new side stories that have been created for the remake. These side stories provide a deeper look at not only the history of the town, but the major families that once lived there. There are more than a dozen of these stories to discover throughout the game, each providing a unique ghost story that further enhances the setting.
Of course, these side stories are just one change that has been added to the remake, with the main gameplay itself also seeing a complete overhaul. While the remake is still FATAL FRAME II at its core, it is also a different experience.
Recapturing a Classic
Although this is not the first remake of FATAL FRAME II, it is the only title to completely reimagine the game for a modern audience.
Gone are the days of the fixed camera angle and optional first-person view; in their place is a refined 3D camera similar to what was seen on the Wii. This time, however, the entire game is centered around this change in perspective, and multiple other alterations were included to account for this new style. Areas are now darker, requiring the use of a flashlight in many cases, and new stealth mechanics allow players to sneak around and avoid encounters when possible. This includes new hiding places within the redesigned maps, though things will still feel familiar to players of the original.
Overall, the new camera and controls work great, though Mio herself does seem to have a bit of weight to her movement. Even with the use of a newly added dodge button, she sometimes feels a bit clumsy, which ultimately works in the game's favor. This is a story of a young girl being forced through a horrifying haunted experience, and it simply wouldn't feel right if she could outmaneuver everything that comes her way. There is no denying the controls take a moment to get the hang of—especially the timing for dodging and crouching—but once you get the feel for them, it is smooth sailing.
That being said, the core gameplay has not changed. Just as in the original, FATAL FRAME II is a survival horror game with a large focus on exploration, solving puzzles, and fighting ghosts when the need arises. Minakami Village isn't the largest location, but it is densely packed with buildings for Mio to explore. The village streets and surrounding areas mainly serve as connecting paths to each main area, but even these more linear sections typically contain a secret or two to discover. Once inside a building, however, the game shifts into a claustrophobic nightmare where you never know what awaits you around each turn.
Doors will be locked, items will be hidden, and puzzles will require players to scour every inch of a building, often looking for the tiniest of clues. While actually finding where to go or what to do tends to be the biggest challenge the game offers, things go from unsettling to nerve-wracking the moment one of the ex-villagers decides to show their often ugly and disturbing faces. With Mio taking her sweet time to open every single door and reach for every shiny item at a snail's pace, you never know when a ghost is going to jump-scare you. This helps build tension, but after seeing it happen once or twice, you eventually just assume every door or item will lead to an encounter—though, in reality, these moments are relatively few and far between. Once one of these meetings is triggered, Mio must pull out her trusty camera to fight, and that is where the unique aspect of FATAL FRAME is put to full use.
The Camera Obscura is Mio's only weapon throughout the game, and it has multiple functions. However, such features need to be unlocked, which may lead to some frustration during the opening hour of the game. To fight off the many spirits that await, players must use the camera from a first-person point of view and attempt to take the best pictures of the enemy possible. The camera will attempt to autofocus during encounters, but the remake also adds the ability to manually focus and zoom. This can be quite difficult as the ghosts move quickly and lunge at you (don't forget there's a dodge button now), and often even lining up a shot of a ghost's face can be challenging. The settings menu does have an option to help with ghost tracking, but even this only goes so far, and some players may find it more of a nuisance than an aid. Once the picture is lined up, players can click the shutter to take the shot and then wait for the reload.
While the Camera Obscura has unlimited "ammo" by default, additional limited-use film can be found throughout the environment. This film will typically do much more damage and may even reload faster, which ultimately becomes a lifesaver as the game progresses. Starting out, however, such film is quite limited and might not be enough to finish the job. This means the unlimited default film is what players must make do with for quite a while, which drags many of the fights out for a bit too long. The game keeps track of how long it has been since your last save, and when first starting the game, there were multiple occasions where I died to a standard encounter after fighting it for close to ten minutes straight. This was off-putting at first, but thankfully things did not remain this way for long.
Another new feature in the remake is the inclusion of filters, which alter the properties of the Camera Obscura. These filters are each unique and will either reload faster or deal additional damage at close or long range; they also have their own special shots to help you in battle. Special shots require the use of Mio's Willpower—a new bar in addition to her health that also drains when taking damage—but they can sometimes provide crucial extra seconds to line up the perfect shot.
The trick here, however, is that film reloads carry across all filters; players can use the fast-reloading filters to get things ready before swapping back to a higher damage dealer to take the ghost down. It takes a while before these filters are unlocked, but thankfully the two most helpful ones are available pretty early on. Along with using these tricks, players can also wait for spirits to attack to counter them, triggering a "Fatal Frame" state that allows a barrage of pictures to be taken in a short amount of time. This is another great tactic to use early on, but it takes some practice to master.
Along with being used in battle, the new filters are integrated into the puzzle-solving and exploration, which in turn changes some of the puzzles fans used to know. While many of them are essentially the same, the actions required to solve them are now different. One example of this is a moment where players previously had to look through a crack in the wall, but now they must also use a special shot to open the door. It is small changes like these that may trip some players up at first, but figuring out the solution shouldn't be an issue.
This is, in essence, the bulk of FATAL FRAME II's gameplay, but there are additional twists thrown in as well—including the new forced stealth moments. Not everyone may enjoy a game of hide-and-seek, but even these moments are fairly limited. But that's not all the remake has to offer.
The New Upgrade System
Besides gaining different filter and film types to help make your life easier, REMAKE features an upgrade and equipment system that is essential to surviving the Lost Village and its ghostly residence.
Throughout the game Mio will acquire points for taking pictures of ghosts, and she will be able to find prayer beads hidden throughout the world. While Prayer beads can be used to upgrade the camera's base stats and even each individual filter—strongly recommend unlocking more focal points as soon as possible—the points earned can be used to purchase charms that Mio can equip for additional boosts.
Some charms will provide effects such as faster healing when holding Mayu's hand (another new feature included in REMAKE), others will increase Mio's general stats, and then there are the ones that will provide new passive abilities. There is a wide variety of charms to obtain, and purchasing copies of the same charm will further boost its effects. This is ultimately the main use of the point system during the first playthrough of the game, but things quickly change once the credits roll for the first time.
The End is Just The Beginning
Much like the original title, not everything in the remake can be accomplished in a single playthrough. In fact, the first time through is more like a tutorial to prepare you for the challenge of Nightmare Difficulty. Thankfully, the New Game Plus system allows all non-key items and resources to be transferred to the next run, and multiple new features become unlocked.
In New Game Plus, the shop allows players to purchase film, prayer beads, and even new items that allow the Camera Obscura to be upgraded beyond its original limits. Costumes can be purchased as well, and by setting the game to Nightmare Difficulty, you will earn more than enough points to buy nearly everything without worry. This is the stage where players can fully cut loose, using their preexisting knowledge of the world to explore the environment and find everything missed during the first go-around. With hundreds of hidden ghosts to photograph and other collectibles to discover, the second run is packed with content and provides access to the game's alternative endings.
Of course, Nightmare Difficulty includes stronger, more resilient ghosts, but the ability to purchase powerful film from the start makes things a bit easier, while camera upgrades and charms go a long way as well. Additionally, New Game Plus allows players to purchase additional charm slots, meaning you no longer have to choose a single charm to use out of many. Some charms perform better in specific situations, but having prior knowledge from the first playthrough allows players to be better prepared with less guesswork involved.
Along with all of this, players can decide if they would like to reset sub-story progression with each new run or allow for a complete carry-forward to speed up the completion process. It is a nice feature for those wanting a fresh experience with an enhanced save, but for a general second run, there is little reason not to allow the transfer.
That being said, there is still more to discover in FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, but it will be up to each player to find those secrets for themselves—including the new remake-exclusive ending.
Should you play it?
FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE is a solid entry in the long-running series and a great starting point for newcomers. Longtime fans will also enjoy returning to this classic, especially considering there is new content to be discovered, and in general, they should not be let down by this remake. It is everything one could ask for and more, though there is no denying that the game isn't perfect.
When it comes to new players, the title's "rocky start" might initially turn some off before the game truly takes off. The fact that ghost encounters can require quite a bit of patience might be a bit much for some, and even beyond this, there is a learning curve that must be overcome before one can progress through the game smoothly. This frustrating introduction will be felt by fans as well, especially when the new mechanics come into play yet are still limited by the available resources in the early chapters. This is where the game actually encourages players to use the new stealth mechanics to run and hide, but ghosts that lock doors until they are defeated prevent this from being a possibility, forcing players to slowly chip away at their health with basic film.
Thankfully, dodging makes these encounters more manageable, though even this will take some practice to master. Additionally, the text-heavy nature of the game—due to the dozens of notes and documents to discover—might be more than what some horror fans are used to. Skipping these notes means missing out on the vast majority of the story, so it is not something that can truly be ignored. These are hurdles newcomers will have to face, but fans will already know what they are in for.
Putting aside the game's opening hours, on a more technical front, the decision to not allow the film grain effect to be turned off on consoles is honestly pretty baffling. While it isn't as noticeable when using the game's default brightness settings, increasing the lighting can make the game appear a little off. I personally kept the default settings for the most part—so I didn't initially notice this issue—but I had to increase the lighting slightly when using the PS5's Remote Play function, as my handheld device's screen wasn't calibrated the same as my TV. When I switched back to TV play with the brightness settings still turned up, the grain became visible, but restoring the settings to the default "darker" state solved the issue. Along with this, others may not like the fact that the PlayStation 5 version is locked to 30 FPS, so console players should keep this in mind.
With all of that being said, the game is still a lot of fun and is easily one of the best entries in the series to date. As previously mentioned, once you get past the introduction, things become much easier. The game provides more resources, including better film and filters, and overcoming the initial learning curve makes most encounters a breeze—even on higher difficulties. Raising the camera, watching a ghost carefully, and pulling the trigger at just the right moment can be quite a rush, and being able to hit the dodge button the moment an attack is about to land makes the fights much more manageable.
The redesigned locations are also a joy to explore, and the side stories are a fun read. Of course, not everyone will enjoy all of the documents, but there is no denying they are well-written and can be quite spine-chilling. These are stories one could tell around a campfire, though they might need a bit more context to scare those unfamiliar with the game. Either way, they are a great addition and well worth hunting down. This, mixed with all the other new additions in the remake, helps make it the definitive version of FATAL FRAME II and an overall great horror experience.
Personally, I wasn't the biggest fan of some of the chase sequences—one in particular was quite annoying—but thankfully they are very few and far between and only last for a few minutes. They actually feel more like puzzles than typical stealth sections, with the answer being to either take the correct path or hide in the right spot, so they didn't feel too out of place compared to the rest of the adventure.
Overall, FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE is a haunting, modernized tribute to the golden age of survival horror. By blending rich Japanese folklore with its signature photography-based combat, the game forces players to confront their fears head on as they unravel the dark mysteries of the Lost Village. Though its steep learning curve isn't for everyone, the game is an unforgettable experience, and those who survive the village may find themselves drawn back to its beautiful, terrifying world time and time again.
VERDICT: Recommended
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
Review Copy was Provided
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