Lately, as I’ve developed more of a taste for the horror genre, I’ve been playing a lot of franchises that I never truly appreciated before. Of course this includes Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Dead Space, but there was one series in particular that had always been on my radar that I never quite had the means to get into. The survival horror franchise in question is Fatal Frame, which started back in 2001, and hasn’t had a new mainline entry in over a decade.
For those who are like me and are looking for a proper entry point, thankfully Koei Tecmo has us covered with the FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE. As the name implies, it is a fully overhauled re-release of the 2003 cult classic, which boasts a completely new camera perspective, improved graphics, new story additions, and new mechanics. As someone who is just getting into the series for the first time, I had a great time with the FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, save for a few major issues that I encountered towards the end.
A Tale of Two Siblings
FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly begins with Mio and her twin sister Mayu reflecting in a place from their past, before a mysterious force guides Mayu into a village cast in eternal darkness: Minakami Village. Crimson butterflies begin to surround Mayu, and Mio must venture with her to figure out the truth behind the strange village. Along the way, Mio will follow the butterflies, learn about a secret ritual, and do whatever it takes to save her sister from the dark inhabitants of Minakami Village.
FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly‘s premise is deeply compelling, regardless of your previous experience with the franchise. Much like with Silent Hill 2, despite being the second entry in the series, it serves as a completely standalone story. Speaking of Silent Hill, if you’re a fan of those games, you’ll find yourself right at home within Minakami Village and its many horrors, as the overall vibe of a town being haunted by a traumatic event which is home to numerous terrifying monsters, is delightfully familiar in the best way possible.
Speaking of monsters, unlike Silent Hill, Fatal Frame feels more akin to a classic ghost story. Compared to an idyllic American town, Minakami Village evokes the feeling of a traditional Japanese settlement, as the entire narrative is directly inspired by Japanese folklore. Due to these elements, rather than fighting against creepy nurses or sword-wielding beings with a pyramid adorning their head, you’re instead forced to fight against countless wraiths standing in your way.
All across the village, there are various malevolent specters wandering around. Some wield torches and some float in the air as if they were in water, but all are capable of killing Mio or Mayu within moments. Unlike other horror games, Mio can’t wield a gun or a melee weapon against their attacks. Instead, she utilizes the Camera Obscura, a camera that is capable of not just capturing ghosts on film, but also repelling their advances. While this essential piece of Fatal Frame‘s identity is more apparent in the gameplay rather than the narrative, it’s still something that has been lovingly preserved in the remake.
While the remake has left the narrative and premise at the core of Fatal Frame II intact, it has added just as many new features that help to make this the definitive way to experience this early 2000s horror experience. The most notable are the major adjustments to the presentation. Rather than featuring a fixed-camera perspective like horror games of old, FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE now features an over-the-shoulder perspective, which is akin to the more modern entries in the genre. Further, the graphics have also been completely re-done.
Even though I’m unfamiliar with the original’s style, I can confidently say that the new visuals did a great job at maintaining the original’s tension. There were countless moments where the ability to freely look around led to far more terrifying encounters with ghosts. Even on Nintendo Switch 2, the game looked great, regardless of whether I was playing on handheld or docked mode. More than just the presentation adjustments, though, there are also new additions to the narrative. There are brand new areas to explore, an additional ending, and even some new side stories that can be found by discovering certain collectibles that provide more context to the story.
Still, not all of these changes landed for me. The side stories felt more like a chore rather than a natural extension of the story. Plus, while there is one new ending, the endings that were featured in the Wii remake from 2012 have strangely not made the jump to modern platforms. It’s an odd choice, considering that for the most part, the new remake does a great job of combining the best aspects of all previous iterations of Fatal Frame II. That said, the new endings that have been added more than make up for the omission and feel like the perfect payoff to such a beautiful experience.
While there are some issues with the new additions in the remaster, overall, they aren’t enough to sour its overall quality. The narrative and presentation of FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE are fantastic and will undoubtedly click with both newcomers and series veterans. The same applies to the gameplay, though, much like with the story and presentation, there are still some notable problems worth mentioning.
A Tale of Two Games
As someone who has played dozens of survival horror games but has never touched an entry in the Fatal Frame franchise, the gameplay of Crimson Butterfly took some getting used to. I had to readjust my playstyle from one that is constantly looking for ammo and resources to being someone who has to frantically dodge ghosts and aim my camera instead of a gun. Once I understood the mechanics of FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, I had an absolute blast with its gameplay.
The combat loop of Crimson Butterfly is deceptively simple. You walk around Minakami Village as you try to understand its secrets. Usually, your sister Mayu will be trailing behind you, and you can hold her hand as a way to regain your health or willpower. You’ll need both resources when you inevitably run into your first ghost. Ghosts will often lunge towards you, dealing devastating damage that can easily kill you within seconds. To counter them, you’ll need to use your Camera Obscura.
The Camera Obscura can use various different types of film to whittle down the HP of an enemy ghost. Some have higher power, while others can reload extremely quick. These can be found around the environment, similar to ammo in the average horror game. Unlike said games, though, you have a default film that can regenerate without needing to be replenished. As a result of the different types of film, you’ll need to enter each combat encounter with a great degree of strategy, as you need to quickly decide which is the right tool for the situation.
Beyond strategy, you’ll also need to have very quick reaction times. Right before a ghost lunges toward you, your camera will flash for half a second. This is the so-called “Fatal Frame,” a quick window before an enemy attacks in which you can blast them with the Camera Obscura and stagger them. If you stagger them enough times, you hit a flow state where you can quickly shoot the camera without needing to worry about reloading. Here, you can kill any ghosts in your path within seconds. Be sure to defeat them as soon as possible, because if you don’t, they’ll become aggravated, which allows them to regenerate their health and utilize more damaging attacks.
I really enjoyed the gameplay core of FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE. Don’t get me wrong, certain ghosts were a pain to fight, such as the aforementioned drowning wraith. Even still, the overall thrill of running around, picking the right film, and getting the best possible shot in order to defeat them had me constantly compelled throughout my time with the game. The camera does a great job at blending gameplay mechanics and narrative worldbuilding into a cohesive system that never got old.
The new gameplay additions featured in the remake add even more depth to Crimson Butterfly. Now, you don’t just have different films to choose from, but you can also pick different filters. As you progress, you unlock different filters that add different special shots, possess unique qualities, and can be used to solve puzzles. One of my favorites in the late-game has the ability to unlock doors sealed by blood, and can deal severe damage to ghosts, but only if you are willing to close the gap and stand right in front of them to take the shot. Others allow you to perceive docile ghosts in the environment, allowing you to learn more about the history of Minakami Village.
The other elements of FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE are pretty good too. Exploring the different houses and shrines throughout the village is a treat, with the puzzles that you need to solve in order to progress striking the right balance between being challenging without feeling impossible. Although, similarly to the narrative, not all aspects of the gameplay are perfect.
For example, as mentioned previously, the extra side stories content weren’t compelling enough to make me want to pursue them, since most of them require you to run around aimlessly in order to get a pretty minor reward. There were also some pretty notable technical glitches. At one point in my playthrough, my game crashed right after I had beaten a combat encounter.
While I had saved beforehand, it was still a frustrating instance that knocked me right out of the immersive experience of Crimson Butterfly. Additionally, there was also a softlock that I encountered in chapter 6, which completely halted my progress. Thankfully, though, these issues have been fixed post-launch and I was able to reach the ending without any further difficulty. Easily, though, the biggest issue at the heart of Crimson Butterfly‘s gameplay is the pacing.
A lot of the combat encounters have a tendency to drag on, especially as the aggravated wraiths start to become more apparent. The game also slows to a crawl in numerous sections, as in the late game especially, you’re asked to run back and forth between the same few houses over and over again. It doesn’t help that you’re frequently asked to stop running from ghosts to solve a puzzle, which further puts a pause on the tension. Chapter 6 in particular is exhausting, as the house that you explore is structured like a maze, and it took me hours to navigate through.
At a certain point, I felt more frustrated at the prospect of revisiting the same locations and solving menial puzzles rather than scared by the many ghosts around the village or invested in the story. Even though I loved the narrative, the pacing problems were enough to make me unsure of the prospect of replaying the game again to get some of the other endings.
Yet, even in spite of these issues, FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE is still a fantastic remake. It upholds what made the original so great, while improving upon it in meaningful ways that, overall, make the 2003 horror classic even better. Whether you’re a fan of the horror genre, a fan of the Fatal Frame series, or someone whose been looking into an entry point into either, this is still a great purchase.
A Fantastic Experience With An Unfortunate Asterisk
We are undoubtedly living in a golden age of horror media right now. In gaming, countless new IPs and indie titles are coming out that push the genre further into new directions that no one could’ve ever imagined. Meanwhile, beloved franchises are returning and putting out some of their best games to date, whether they’re remakes or entirely new entries. Fatal Frame was always one that needed to make a comeback, and I’m thrilled to say that this is the return that fans and newcomers have been waiting for.
FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE does a great job of pushing the series forward while keeping its core intact. The main two characters are captivating and are voiced beautifully. Further, the narrative still holds up after all these years, and is only enhanced by the improved visuals. The gameplay is more thrilling than ever before, with the new changes in perspective and adjustments to the Camera Obscura mechanic adding even more strategy to an already exciting loop of combat and exploration.
Yes, there are some major issues. Some have been directly caused by this new remake, with certain new additions like the side stories not really adding too much to the overall experience. Others can be directly attributed to the original game, with a few technical issues here and there, combat encounters that often drag, and chapters that drag on due to some strangely designed locations and poorly implemented puzzles.
While distracting, these problems weren’t enough to ruin my enjoyment of this great remake. The best thing I can say about FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE is that it makes me want to replay the game to get some of the other endings. Furthermore, It also filled me with a desire to give the rest of the series a try. I hope that this game does well, because I would love to see the Fatal Frame franchise reach new heights as the horror genre continues to deliver impressive quality. This is a fantastic entry for fans and newcomers alike, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Disclaimer: Koei Tecmo provided a Nintendo Switch 2 copy of FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE for review purposes.
