Eerily Beautiful and Relentlessly Unsettling
There are memories from playing certain games that really stick with me. They transport me back to when pulling an all-nighter with friends felt like I had all the time in the world to embark on epic gaming marathons.
Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly on Xbox was one such game, as we were all scared witless by such an authentically haunting experience.
FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE adopts the American title for release on these shores this time around, and it’s here to send the shivers up a new generation of gamers. Lauded by many as the best of the series (including myself), it tells the story of twin sisters who stumble across a creepy village and discover its secrets and disturbing traditions, becoming trapped in their own personal horror story.
Sisters Separated
Before long, our protagonists are separated as Mayu is lured away to take part in a failed ritual, and it’s left to Mio to track her down and save them both from a gruesome fate. There are multiple endings available depending on the player’s decisions, and a new one has been added in this remake.
The Umbral Mound and Eikado Temple are two areas also new to the remake, along with side stories which gradually reveal more about different characters who have found themselves wandering Minakami Village in years gone by.
Personally, Project Zero II was my all time favourite J-horror game thanks to its brilliantly detailed environments and borderline helpless protagonists. FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE builds on this with wonderfully recreated character models, and Minakami Village given the most eerily beautiful glow up. It feels like you’re smack bang in the middle of a Japanese horror movie.
The use of light is sparing but impactful, especially from Mio’s ever flickering torch which sometimes hints that wraiths are about to appear. When coupled with the noises that those spirits make which is realised with spatial audio, the tension ebbs and flows but never completely dissipates.
Tension in the Smallest Movements
You never quite know when wraiths (or spirits) will appear. Moments such as slowly reaching to pick up an item, or when Mio gingerly slides open a door provide the opportunity for this to happen, but this pattern never becomes predictable.
The remake adds the ability for the twins to hold hands, which also replenishes willpower (more on that a bit later) and health. What this also does is add to the many ways in which FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE excels in storytelling, plunging you into a world which feels relentlessly unsafe, threatening and fraught with danger. However, it’s how vulnerable you’ll feel when playing which is perhaps the greatest achievement by KOEI TECMO. It isn’t the scariest game going, but my goodness it’s unsettling.
The Camera Obscura
The odds may seem stacked against the twins, however there is one way in which they can fight back. That is, of course, with the Camera Obscura. This mysterious device can do much more in the remake than before, expanding on one of the most ingenious gameplay mechanics I have ever come across.
Its main function is combat, requiring the user to take photos to banish wraiths. The beauty of it is you’ll need to wait for them to get closer to do more damage, or use the new zoom function to try from a safer distance as you line up as many focal points as possible. Holding your nerve as the wraith shambles towards you, phasing in and out of space, is a genuine thrill as you decide when to hit the button.
The ability for the Camera Obscura to take special shots has been added in FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, giving you the opportunity to blind wraiths as well as deal a large amount of damage at once. This requires and consumes a lot of willpower, but wraiths can also leer at you, draining your willpower significantly.
Film Management and Filter Functions
Your camera can take various types of film. These deal different levels of damage, however some take longer to cool down between each shot. Thankfully, Type-07 film is unlimited, but the weakest available to you. Exploring is recommended as film is pretty scarce in some parts, but doing so comes with its own risks too.
The Camera Obscura can be used for more than just combat, thanks to filters. Aside from the standard, default option, the Paraceptual filter allows you to see into the past and gather clues, capturing spirits and doubling as another brilliant storytelling tool. The Exposure filter will reveal hidden spirits along with invisible locations and items not seen by the naked eye. Finally, the Radiant filter will cleanse locked doors and cabinets from the powerful forces which seal them shut, usually highlighted by bloody handprints.
Certain wraiths cannot be tackled with the Camera Obscura, instead you’ll need to run and hide. The screen will turn monochrome, which is a signal to leg it to a safe spot.
The Aggravated State
Sadly, the most captivating feature in FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE is now also the most frustrating thanks to the ability of wraiths to become aggravated.
This sees them power up and heal a substantial amount of health, sprouting wings and entering an aggravated state. It makes them very tricky to deal with, and you’ll need to use the special shot function of the Exposure filter to dampen their attack power. Even well timed shots that activate “Fatal Frame” don’t make life much easier, as you’ll frantically try to reduce the wraith’s health below the marker to break them from their aggravated state. Even when you manage this, the same wraith can re-enter an aggravated state again, which feels wholly unfair.
As a result of dying many, many times, it was at the start of Chapter 3 where I gave in and had to dial things down from Normal to the Story difficulty, which is the easiest option. Even here wraiths can take a lot of damage; you’ll need to carefully use your prayer beads to beef up the Camera Obscura’s abilities. Thankfully you can reset your choices and reassign upgrades, as I realised I needed to do.
When wraiths attack in groups, things get difficult as dodging and moving is clunky and cumbersome, which isn’t too much of a problem before wraiths get aggravated and start zipping around the room dodging shots as well as striking you from behind.
There were occasions where I was low on film, or in a tight space, and it took several attempts to get through alive. I very nearly put an Xbox controller shaped hole in my wall, but persevered.
A Sensible Side Challenge
Most of the time the balance was right, but certain encounters felt simply unfair. Even dialing back the wraith’s ability to become aggravated to only once would have been welcome. Instead, this addition makes certain wraiths overpowered and turns the combat into a grind at times. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen enough to detract from the overall enjoyment of FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, but results in some moments where I could have turned the air blue.
There are a few other notable additions, including pairs of twin dolls dotted around Minakami Village. Capturing both in the same photo is the challenge, but will unlock items at the point exchange which can be accessed at save points. It’s here that stickers, frames and visual effects can be purchased for the Photo Mode. It’s a great little addition which makes perfect sense given FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE is centred around a camera, after all.
Improving on a Cult Classic
There’s an awful lot that FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE has got going for it, and an absolute treat for those who played it over twenty years ago. A substantial single player campaign provides hours of gameplay in a relatively small world which is so well designed you’ll hardly notice.
FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE improves on a cult classic in so many ways. Although one poorly thought out decision holds it back, this remains one of the best examples of its genre.
Important Links
The Ultimate Horror Remake? FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly Gets a Full Overhaul and Release Date – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-ultimate-horror-remake-fatal-frame-ii-crimson-butterfly-gets-a-full-overhaul-and-release-date/
One Of Horror’s Most Iconic Games Returns In FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE – https://www.thexboxhub.com/one-of-horrors-most-iconic-games-returns-in-fatal-frame-ii-crimson-butterfly-remake/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/fatal-frame-ii-crimson-butterfly-remake/9NVD6FLFTMVW/0010
There’s a Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/fatal-frame-ii-crimson-butterfly-remake-digital-deluxe-edition/9N7M8LSFPQBQ/0010
