Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

"Every PS2 owner should try this game"

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is a Survival Horror game, but it borrows heavily from the Action and Puzzle Adventure genres. The main idea here is that you're trapped in a haunted village, and have to take pictures of ghosts to capture them. This game challenges both your wits and your reflexes, and does a great job of spooking you along the way.

REVIEW:
(The total score, and scores for each section, aren't averages; they represent how I feel the game did overall, and in each category. Also, I consider a score of 5 to be mediocre, 7 or so is good. A score of 10 means that I cannot think of any possible way they could have done better.)

Graphics: 9

1. Video Imagery: 9.5

FFII uses full-motion video for important events, similar to the Final Fantasy games. This was a good choice in my opinion, because in FMVs the environments and characters look more realistic, and the ghosts all the more creepy. These are excellent story-telling and ghost-jumping-out-at-you devices, but they also have a bit of a contrast from the in-game graphics. The difference between game graphics and cut-scene graphics sort of makes you jump from gameplay to story, instead of really integrating them together. (So I guess the FMVs were TOO good.) But hey, I don't mind this much, probably because I'm so used to it in RPGs.

2. Game Movement: 8

The in-game graphics are good, and get the job done. They don't really push the PS2 to its limit like some other games do, but they also avoid all those nasty glitches that can pop up in games with fancier graphics (e.g. Killzone).

3. Special Visual Effects: 8

Fatal Frame II doesn't have explosions, waterfalls, or lens flares for us to gawk at, but it does well with the two effects it uses: shadows and transparency. The shadow effects are created mostly by your flashlight, and as you move it around, the shadows bend around objects, just as you would expect. The flashlight is the only source of bright light in the game, and the weak ambient lighting helps set the game's mood. The transparency effects are used for, you guessed it, the ghosts. Yep, you can see right through 'em.

Sound: 9

1. Special Audio Effects: 9

The sound effects are usually loud and jarring, to startle you from the village's quiet mood. They are expertly done but not used all that often. Oh, and your camera provides some audio cues to let you know the best time to snap a picture, or if your out of film, etc.

2. Musical Score: 8

Fatal Frame II is usually silent, or has a little bit of soft "ambient" music to set the mood. But there are a few occasions where the music becomes loud and has weird noises mixed in. This is okay for fighting ghosts or when it's used in "action" scenes, but it doesn't make a lot of sense when you're running through the village looking for a key. They should have stuck with the normal ambient style for more of the game.

3. Voice Acting: 10

Excellent. The main characters all sound very convincing. And some of the ghosts you fight will wail on about how they died, or just screech at you. All very spooky sounding.

For Storyline: 9

1. Player Interest: 6
The game faltered here a bit. I think they could have done without the "fetch quests" where you wander around the village looking for whatever you need to progress in the game. But other than that, the game does keep your attention while you explore the village and encounter its dead inhabitants.

2. Originality: 10
Survival horror is nothing new, but how many games let you capture ghosts by taking PICTURES of them? Well, the prequel does, I guess. But I haven't played that, so I can't comment on how much this game adds to the series.

3. Characters: 9
If this was an RPG, I might say the story was a bit lacking. But for an adventure game, it does well. Most of the formerly-living villagers have their own back-stories, although you will have to read some old notebooks and such if you want to learn about them. But the reason I consider this game a success, story-wise, is that I actually CARED what happened to the main characters by the end of the game. That's really all that matters IMO.

Game Mechanics: 9

1. Learning Curve: 8
Using the camera is actually quite simple, and most players probably know how to move around the screen and check stuff with the X button. Although, I don't think I figured out how to use all the camera's special features. And if you're not playing Easy, this game really makes you conserve your ammo...er, film. So you probably will want to start on Easy mode your first time through.

2. Control Layout: 10
Pretty standard for a third-person game. The only thing that might trip up new players is that the camera mode is backwards from normal FPS layout. But this can all be reconfigured in the menu. So no complaining, okay?

3. Gameplay: 9
Ahh, I added this section because, I wanna talk some more about how you actually play the game, which I think is the most important part of any game. The adventure/exploration stuff is pretty standard, and the puzzles shouldn't be too difficult for most. The game lets you upgrade your camera using points you get from shooting ghosts, and you can collect different power-up lenses that do extra damage or stop ghosts in their tracks. You can get more points if you can react quickly when a (non-hostile) ghost appears. Actual combat, however, is all about timing. If you're good at rhythm games you'll probably excel here. BTW, it took me about 9 hours to get through the game. Not that length matters much to me, but some people might want to know.

Replay Value: 10
If you want value, this game has it. There's unlockable artwork, special mission modes, and after you beat the game you can restart keeping all your items and camera upgrades from before (like New Game+), which is the only way to upgrade everything all the way.

OVERALL GAME RATING: 9
I haven't played many horror games, but from what I hear this is among the best. But even if you aren't into horror, you should try this game. It's action/adventure, but it isn't a hack-and-slash or shooter. It isn't quite as radical as Katamari Damacy, but it still shows us that games don't necessarily have to fit into our nicely-labeled genre boxes.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/05