Looking back on 2003, the sheer range and quality of horror titles really stood out. Silent Hill 3 provided a strong follow-up to its acclaimed predecessor; Resident Evil Outbreak added a co-op dimension to the Raccoon City Incident; even Siren, with its Japanese horror movie-infused atmosphere. But one of the most standout titles, to many a horror enthusiast’s surprise, was Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly.
While the first game was an unorthodox but ultimately endearing psychological horror experience, Fatal Frame 2 went above and beyond; like its disparate elements, such as merging photography with horror, finally combined into an amazing experience. The fact that its story captured the essence of Japanese horror films so well, even at a time when movies like Ringu, Ju-On: The Grudge, and more were in demand, was also incredible.
It’s why I was so excited by the remake, appropriately titled Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake (and technically it’s the second following Deep Crimson Butterfly on the Nintendo Wii). Launching on March 12th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, I went hands-on with a preview version, experiencing all of its revamps and new features firsthand. Let’s delve into everything you should know before buying, starting with…
Enhanced Visuals
The first and most obvious improvement: The visuals. Fatal Frame 2 wasn’t a bad-looking game by any means for its time, but Crimson Butterfly Remake’s refinements take it to a whole new level. Character models are more detailed (especially the hair quality) with more fluid animations; lighting and shadows feel softer and more natural; and the environments come across as more lived-in and realistic. Even compared to the 2012 Wii remake, it’s a fairly sizable leap.
Look Around
As with many horror titles in the era, Fatal Frame 2 relied on fixed camera angles, switching as you explored environments and adding a more cinematic feel to the proceedings. The remake offers more of a third-person perspective, albeit closer and more claustrophobic than usual, that lets you observe your surroundings and take in all the details. Such a change means that the gameplay is altered as a result, but it feels like a natural shift.
The Camera Obscura
Of course, the more things change, the more they remain the same, and that goes for the Camera Obscura, a mysterious device capable of dealing damage to spirits and a trademark of the franchise. It’s still here and works relatively the same in principle, but Team Ninja has enhanced it further. Alongside improving the controls, you’re no longer stuck waiting for enemies to attack you.
New Age Photography
Further adding to this are the new camera options, including the ability to focus and zoom in on objects (and even better, to photograph the scenery if you’re just taking in the atmosphere). You can also switch Filters, which offer varying degrees of functionality in combat, like slowing down enemies and snapping pictures faster with the Exposure Filter, or using the Paraceptual Filter for its long range. Radiant Filter adds some risk to combat, allowing you to deal more damage at the cost of Willpower. Which Filter you use depends on the time of battle and nature of the threat, but it adds some much-needed strategy to the affair.
Purifying the Twin Dolls
The Camera Obscura has other functions during exploration, but perhaps one of the more intriguing is the ability to take pictures of the village’s Twin Dolls. They’re located in various places, and doing so unlocks additional items in the Point Exchange. Perhaps finding them all will have an unexpected result on the plot as well.
Photo Mode
As with previous remasters and remakes, a new Photo Mode has been added, allowing players to take pictures of their environments and customise them with unique stickers, effects, frames, and whatnot. Does it hold much functionality outside of novelty? Maybe not, but you can’t just have a camera-focused game without a Photo Mode.
Holding Hands With Mayu
The sisterly bond between Mio and Mayu is an important crux of Fatal Frame 2’s plot, so it makes sense that Team Ninja would introduce a mechanic to accommodate that. Holding Hands With Mayu allows for, well, holding Mayu’s hand while exploring. Interestingly, director Makoto Shibata spoke about incorporating the mechanic for the original back in the day, but had to “give up on it for a number of reasons.” “This full remake gave us the perfect opportunity to revisit this option,” he said at last year’s Tokyo Game Show.
Restoring Willpower
Of course, there’s more holding Mayu’s hand than simply being a good sister. During dangerous situations where she falls, you’ll need to get close and lend a helping hand. It also helps in regenerating your health and Willpower – a key element, since all those battles and running around can open Mio up to eventually falling to hostile spirits.
New Side-Stories and Areas
Other fresh gameplay aspects include new side-stories and areas. While I haven’t been able to fully dive into all the new locations compared to the original, you’ll discover Broken Spirit Stones to learn more about the history of different characters. There’s also the Umbral Mound, described as “an ominous burial site tightly bound with ropes and hidden within dense bamboo groves” (and surely don’t have a deeper significance to the plot).
New Ending
That said, there is a new ending, which is interesting because those who played Fatal Frame 2 will remember the multiple different conclusions (not including the two introduced in Deep Crimson Butterfly). It’s unknown whether all of them made it in, but Team Ninja did confirm a new song by Tsukiko Amano, who performed the original theme “Cho.”
Frames and Resolutions Across Platforms
Based on the spec sheet released by Koei Tecmo, there’s good news and middling news for players across platforms. The good news is that PC players can expect up to 4K resolution with 60 FPS support. On PS5 and Xbox Series X, however, the frame rate is locked to 30 FPS (while Xbox Series S runs in 1440p). On the bright side, at least all of those versions get HDR support in a future update, unlike the Switch 2 version, which also runs 1080p/30 FPS across the board.
PS5 Pro Enhanced-ish
A quick look at Fatal Frame 2 Remake’s PlayStation Store page confirms that the title is indeed PS5 Pro Enhanced. So what’s the problem? It’s also locked to 30 FPS, just like the regular PS5 version. The publisher has specified that the frame rate is “capped at 30 FPS during cutscenes, and may temporarily drop depending on gameplay conditions,” so maybe the PS5 Pro suffers less fluctuations. Either way, not having 4K/60 FPS gameplay like the PC version is kind of a letdown.
PC Requirements
Speaking of PC players, you’ll need Windows 11 (64-bit) to run the title and 30 GB of space on an SSD, regardless of everything else. Minimum requirements include Intel Core i5-8400, AMD Ryzen 5 3400G or higher, 16 GB of RAM and a GeForce RTX 1050 Ti 4GB, Radeon R9 380X 4GB or something better. This will be enough to deliver 1280×720 gameplay at 30 FPS with the “Best Performance” preset. Recommended requirements include a Core i7-8700, Ryzen 5 3600XT or higher, 16 GB of RAM, and an RTX 2060 6GB, Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB or higher, which delivers 1920×1080 gameplay at 30 FPS with the “Standard” preset.
Free Demo
Obviously, there are going to be some concerns about the remake running on your system. A free demo will go live for all platforms on March 5th, so that should help in testing things out (and seeing if you enjoy the changes). Progress carries over to the full game as well, allowing you to pick up where you left off.
Silent Hill f Collaboration
Extra costumes are nothing new for the series, but the remake marks the first collaboration with Konami’s Silent Hill f. This will be in the form of free costumes available in the future (with more details to come). Outfits that resemble Hinako and Rinko, perhaps? Time will tell.
