Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

"For lovers of Asian horror, Japanese culture and unique survival horror..."

Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly is a part of Tecmo's so far four part series entitled Project Zero in Japan and Fatal Frame in the US. While the fourth remains to be seen on the shores of any English speaking country due to Nintendo USA denying translation responsibility, fans of survival horror video games, asian horror movies, and Japanese culture enthusiasts can satiate their J-horror needs by playing the available three titles in the US.

Overview:(10/10 for storyline and concept :D)
Crimson Butterfly seems to be the most popular release in the Fatal Frame series, owing much to it's cute duo of protagonists who happen to be twins of the identical sort. The game has you, Mio, start out getting lost in the woods and apparently slipping into some sort of "Otherworld" where you've gained entrance to the quite literal ghost town of All God's Village. It starts out with both you and Mio your twin sister who thanks to a gimpy leg is forever trailing behind, leading to some of her disappearances and you going to rescue her. Throughout the game, whether separated or together, you will encounter ghosts, some hostile and others a mere imprint. Your only weapon against these spirits who would seek to hurt you and your sister is a Camera Obscura, one of the first cameras invented in the whole world(yes, the camera obscura really does exist). As you make your way through using the camera to it's full potential, more of the story will be revealed as to why Mio and Mayu were drawn to the village, a place which seems to call out to the twins who have mimicked a drama played out long ago there, a drama of murder, darkness, suffering, cruelty and supernatural influences galore. And that's all I'll say seeing as there is plenty written of the plot and I think it would be best if you played it for yourself to see how great it is.

As a small side note, fans of any kind of asian horror or folktales will be extremely pleased with this, as well as Japanese culture fanatics. Aside from the fun of hunting down Japanese ghosts, you will also get to explore an old Japanese village filled with mansions, wells, Japanese graveyards, shinto shrines, traditional style bedrooms, etc. Basically if you've ever been curious to see what an old Japanese settlement looked liked, here's your chance. Of course, things are a bit more dilapidated and decrepit than if it were in living condition.

Sounds: 9/10(Lost point for voice overs)
The sounds are overall really great. With the exception of the voice actors perhaps, and that never seems to be avoided when dubbing a foreign movie or game instead of perhaps subtitles. I would have loved to have seen this game give us the option to play in the native Japanese with English subs like in Kuon, another Japanese horror game available in the US for PS2. It's still tolerable though and the story will keep you so engrossed you won't notice it as much. The music here is great, though not so much music as eerie atmospheric ambiance to help spook you with which always seems to do the trick very nicely. Sound effects are good too. I've no complaint with the sounds other than I would have preferred subtitles than a dubbing.

Graphics:(10/10 for creepy atmospheres)
The graphics and environments look great and really help to heighten the fear factor. They are perfect to help convey in color, shape, and intensity the mood that is needed. I think the in-game scenes seem to be a little better looking than the FMV's for the simple fact many FMV's are flashbacks and a sepia tone or black and white is used to show events of the past that Mio feels psychically.

Protagonists:(6/10 because of Mio's and Mayu's cutesy stale personalities)
The two protagonists of the story, Mio and Mayu, are a pair of identical twins. And, being that this is from Japan and is a horror game, these normal girls will have a tendency to perhaps get on your nerves with their cutesy helplessness. However, given the circumstances, I can definitely understand and overall I find them to be very likable characters and they are the most popular in all the series. I myself think they could have possessed just a little more personality like Rei from FF3 and Miku from FF1.

Antagonists:(10/10 for J-horror goodness)
The ghosts here were good, though some can drive you nuts with their ability to seemingly never die. Most are pretty easy once you understand how to use all the functions of your camera and you've learned all the fatal frame chances for the ghosts. The main antagonist Sae seems to channel all her frustrations into poor Mayu who will then creep you and Mio out with her morbid observations.

Themes:(10/10 for heart breaking tragedies)
While this is a ghost game, if you look behind the scary dead people coming at you, you'll see a pretty harrowing tale of two sister's love for each other being warped by those around them and the obligations they must fulfill, as it has been with many other twins born into All God's Village. Every ghost in this game has a heartbreaking story and I'm still not sure if they should be feared so much as pitied.

Battle System, using your Camera Obscura:(8/10 for what could have been more user friendly)
The battle system I admit can take some getting used to and I struggled with it a lot being a novice player. However, I also was too anxious to start the game and ge through the story without learning about how to make the most of the camera and it's functions. Once I really understood that as well as the weaknesses and attack patterns of the ghosts, it pretty much became a piece of cake, with only hard bosses ever posing a challenge. My advice to you is use your camera correctly, understand your camera, love your camera and above all keep your wits about you and don't get spastic. Becoming scared and shaky almost guarantees a failed battle. Keep those nerves of steel, learn to use the camera to it's fullest potential and I guarantee you'll be nearly unstoppable.

Replay Value:(8/10 for the fact sometimes playing over and over to unlock stuff got old but was worth it)
This game has a high replay value as there is much to be unlocked. Alternative endings and a Zero Chapter, around 9 or so costumes to unlock for Mio and Mayu, different camera functions and lenses, battle mode, a gallery to look at conceptual and cg art, endings once obtained can be watched again as well as promotional videos for the game. There's your ghost list to complete and also during second playthroughs there are tons of new scares and little surprises found throughout the game. There is still much to do and find after beating it once...or twice.

Who should buy it and why?
Fans of survival horror, asian horror movies, Japanese cultural fans, etc should all definitely take a look at this. So should anyone looking for a fresh breath of air and something novel and different from all the games on the market. This is truly a unique game and not to be missed if you think you might like it. It's a change of pace that you can bet will be interesting, challenging and above all, it will spook you or at least creep you out. Great game and is not to be missed if anything I said applys to you. J-horror fans MUST own this series. Not owning them is like kicking yourself in the shins.

Can I rent it?:
Yes, you can rent it, but given the length and complexity of the storyline as well as obtaining the unlockables, this is a game that is better owned since you will not be accomplishing a damn thing over a weekend.

Total score: 8/10
I'd easily give this game a 8/10, the only points I took off was for the voice acting at times and the fact subtitles would have been better and the fact I do feel the second one lost something the first one had, a kind of true scariness. I feel Tecmo dumbed this down slightly and added attractive twins to get their male fan base covered. Also, I'm not a big fan of Mio and Mayu though they seem to be the crowd favorite. Bottom line is this is a great game so do yourself a favor and get a copy for yourself. ^_^

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/09/09

Game Release: Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (US, 12/10/03)