Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake Review

It's not picture perfect, but it's memorable, haunting, and artistically stunning.

Since the earliest cave paintings, humans have used art to recreate the world around them.However, the limit of a painter is his imagination, while a photographer can only capture what is actually there.They can use their tools to increase exposure, change framing, or apply filters, but they can't create something entirely new; only a moment in time remains.This shows that Fatal Frame 2: Sangaris is now having its moment.yes.The remake of "Red Butterfly" is a game about twin sisters who are haunted by the past. They use cameras as their only salvation. It also adheres to the style of the previous game, but is also given a modern mission.In many ways it succeeded.I can't deny that I enjoyed revisiting Water Village, but I'm also concerned that it will continually succumb to modernity and introduce more complex mechanics.These additions add an artificial element that contradicts the captivating story it tells.When I ended my 20-hour journey, I felt both very satisfied and impressed with this remake and very conflicted about that feeling.

Before I continue, let me say this: I consider the original Crimson Butterfly - not Silent Hill 2, not Eternal Darkness, choose-your-evil, not a modern horror game - to be the greatest and scariest horror game of all time.But any artist, no matter how skilled, runs the risk of ruining a great work by modifying it.This is especially true.Video games, where remakes try to change and change the original, are in the business of stretching the visual credibility and "modern" (read: better. Always better. Nobody ever uses that word to mean "worse" when talking about a game) design tropes that are part of the soul of the original.We've seen this story countless times, from the Mass Effect remaster that separates the effects of Kingdom of Eden Prime to recreate the visually stunning Demon Spirit Ah but the butchery of the original environment.Let me tell you that the Crimson Butterfly remake does not fall into this trap, it cuts through without any difficulty.But I can't - although that doesn't mean what's here isn't an excellent effort.

Crimson Butterfly Remake follows the same setup as the original.Twin sisters Mio and Mayu are visiting the river where they used to play as children because the whole area will soon be flooded by the construction of a dam.As they remember, Mayu sees a red butterfly that pulls her into the forest.Mio follows, quickly getting lost, and eventually the two converge on a hill overlooking a village rumored to have disappeared at the festival.The way they went is gone.There is no turning back.With no other choice, they landed in a village where the ghosts of the past still lingered.Mio and Mayu's only defense is a strange camera - Camera Obscura - that seems to be able to banish them.Their goal is simple: escape.But this would mean learning the secrets of the Minakami village, and why they came here to begin with.

I don't want to say more because the story of Crimson Butterfly is amazing, and the creator of Team Ninja did a great job in expanding it.When you enter the village, you will learn about the dark nature of the festival and the unique status of twins, often played by female twins.Crimson is a quiet game.Baby.There are few cutscenes and Mio rarely talks about what is happening to her or what she collects.But you will learn about the story through the diaries, watching the spirits follow the paths they took in life, and by listening to their voices, which are stored in the stones left behind.Most of the expansion comes in the form of new locations and side stories to explore.support, and it was put together with ease.If I didn't know it wasn't in these things, I wouldn't guess, and they add a lot of story to the Crimson Butterfly.

Minakami Village is also a marvel of airborne design.It is a small place with few roads and few houses.But it is rough and changing.You see these roads, these houses and every time the experience is different.When I first entered Osaka House, I was scared and wary;Afterwards, it was like seeing an old friend.I knew those rooms well, but I couldn't let my guard down.I'm on my way.Kurosawa's house is amazing no matter how many times I walk through its halls.Every time I walk through its doors, I wake up.

What I appreciate most about the Crimson Butterfly remake is how little hand-holding it does.While there are objective markers that guide you around the village between stories, and crimson butterflies occasionally light the way forward as you enter the house, all bets are off.If you need to go to a room with an altar, for example, you have to find that room yourself.If you follow the ghost, you must use the camera to trace its path.Behind you, and find out where to go next.Crimson Butterfly Remake will give you the clues you need, but you'll still have to travel alone.

The Fatal Frame series is scary, but the horror is subtle - less of a jump scare, and more of an unrelenting tension.As they picked up an item, Mio bent down and walked out slowly.Usually nothing happens.But sometimes, a spirit appears and takes hold of you.Every time you open the door, an angry ghost may be on the other side.The Roving Patrol searches for twins who have escaped from the night of the ceremony.Sometimes, the spirits appear there, they are seen.Sometimes, they just appear.

Combat isn't rare per se in Crimson Butterfly Remake, but it's also rare.You'll spend most of your time exploring the village, wandering through houses, taking photos of the stubborn spirits and twin babies scattered throughout the village, and solving puzzles.But every time you open a door or reach for an item, you become vulnerable.You may remove your hand or slam a door in time, but they will always be there and won't make it any easier on how you feel next time.Most often, these spirits are ghosts, destined to follow the path they walked in life, only appearing quickly and long enough to take a photo when you're ready.(You might miss them if you change the movie.) But sometimes they're hostile.In the village you can usually avoid ghosts by crouching, hiding, or just running away;This is useful against groups or when you're not looking for a fight.However, when you are locked in a house and the doors are closed, you will have to defend yourself there with Camera Obscura.

Your camera can cast ghosts.The better the picture, the more damaging the shot.A shot that focuses and captures a spirit's face will be more effective than one that captures its back.But the most effective shots are the kill frames, where you have to wait for a spirit to attack and the light above the camera dims the camera to red.At the right time, you will be stunned and take a lot of damage.Yes, and it will refill Mio's Willpower, a new addition that allows him to use special shots (some shocks, slows, etc.) and is lost when Mio runs or ghosts attack him.All of this will be lost and Mio will be depressed and vulnerable.If the ghost hits you when you're down, you have to use the camera to get rid of it.Don't miss your shots and you will take a lot of damage.I'm into Willpower as a concept.Mixed - I didn't use special shots very often, saving Willpower for when I needed to sprint - but I appreciated it as an extra barrier to move around during combat.

Then there's Chance Shutter, which happens when the Wraith's health drops above a certain point.Take a picture during one and a ghost will be vulnerable to a single high damage.Do a fatal frame with Chance Shutter and Fatal Time will appear, allowing you to take multiple shots at once.Better pictures also reward you with points, which you can spend on items and charms at save points, so there's more reason to aim well.

There's a lot to remember, but once you do, Crimson Butterfly's combat is compelling.Usually you only fight one ray at a time, which can be challenging as well.Successfully dodge attacks, manage your health and willpower, wait for ghost attacks, and help Mio capture the elusive kill frame.Choosing the right movie is also important.Do you want to stick with the slightly more powerful but still slow and limited Type-14, or upgrade? The Type 61 is more powerful but still takes longer to load film and doesn't hold as much, while the rare Type 90 is faster, more powerful, and can hold more.And then there's the incredibly slow but powerful Type-00, capable of dealing massive damage to even the most feared Wraiths.There aren't that many.Combat in Crimson Butterfly Remake is all about timing and choices, and unlike most horror games, you'll have to let go and literally face your fears to succeed.You are always vulnerable.Mio always has a reason to be scared.

Each ghost presents its own challenges.You may be tempted to use Type 07 film for more standard spirits, but others will quickly pressure you to load more expensive film into your camera, and every time you miss a shot with more expensive film, it hurts.You will never forget the first time you meet the woman in the box, nor the first time you are locked in a room and fight two ghosts at once.My favorite encounter was against a drowned woman on a bridge who moved through the air as if she were floating, and who seemed to transport Mio underwater as the battle progressed.Even though you'll fight most ghosts multiple times, they never get old.Even protecting Mayu from ghosts, something you'll have to do occasionally as the sisters are separated and reunited throughout the story, is less frustrating and just an added challenge.

Here I have to talk about Crimson Butterfly Remake's status as a remake.In many ways, it is an unqualified success.It's visually stunning, though it captures and thoroughly updates the character designs, environments, art and sound of the 2003 original, and here are the images that will stay with me forever.turmoil, but that means Crimson Butterfly plays better and feels more responsive than any other Fatal Frame.The additions of the Ninja team to the village and the new side stories are great.Even smaller options like being able to hold Maya's hand and guide her through a village, which restores both willpower and health to both sisters by slowing movement, is a thoughtful change that emphasizes their bond through gameplay.I also appreciate that Crimson Butterfly Remake doesn't force you to fight everyone.Sometimes the best (or only) option is to slip past or run away.

What bothers me is the addition of camera obscura.You can carry abilities such as increased damage, reduced health or willpower when hit.doneFinding prayer beads in the village allows you to change things like the camera's focus, focus, or manual zoom in and out, which were not selected or locked after completing the original game.These are good changes.I was able to focus on keeping the packages within the frame while rotating, but I freely used the zoom function.

Where Crimson Butterfly Remake fails is in the addition of interchangeable filters, each of which comes with its own unique capabilities, most reminiscent of the original mirrors.Dealing with wraiths is more severe and Radiant filters are short-lived but do great damage.Each has additional uses outside of combat: Paraceptual filters allow you to track traces of spirits, exposure filters can reveal hidden places and ghosts, and Radiant filters can open doors and blood-stained objects.In battle, however, they become a record.

Part of this has to do with increasing fragility.Every time you take a picture of mud, you risk making it worse.Basically, they turn red, regenerate health, take very little damage, attack often, and hit hard.First, this is incredibly frustrating, especially if you're using high-quality film, or if you're fighting multiple ghosts in a small room at once.The exposure filter is great.to deal with worse rolls, though you only get it when you start seeing really crazy rolls, and you have to spend a higher quality roll to get it back to normal with Cap Chance (which also automatically triggers Fatal Time).The problem is not that there is no answer, but that there is one answer, at least for a while. Exposure filter and a good film: It becomes the game of Simon Says, and I often used a better film for those weak ghosts to try to end their later life before it increases, which works great until it doesn't.

This problem applies to other filters as well. Options like the Paraceptual filter are great for dealing with all those distant ghosts.However, Radiant Filter is what really breaks the Crimson Butterfly remake.This is especially true if you upgrade focus which makes it better. Yes, the low range means it's harder to hit, but upgrading it will increase the damage so much (especially if you use anything other than Type-07 film) that it makes everything else trivial, even extended brawls and boss fights.In the end, Minakami isn't trapped in the village's haunted room.They were locked in a room with me. Well, me, a fully upgraded radiant filter, and a truly fully upgraded radiant filter.Combine that with a good movie and you didn't stand a chance.

Yes, shooting through the ghosts I fear was a lot of fun, even though I didn't take Pulitzer-worthy shots to do it (although I was still awarded for quality), and I was never really scared because Mio was still vulnerable.But as I wandered around town collecting prayer beads, zooming in on my camera, photographing twin dolls, and seeing side stories, I realized just how "playable" some of these new additions are.I had to figure out how to escape the ghost town, and while I could argue that finishing the side stories gave me a better understanding of what happened here, what I was expected to achieve and what I was competing for, the rest is... artificial.One step closer to another upgrade.A bit of candy littered the floor, and I bought it because it's a video game and you do it with or without the space.Would getting rid of fixed camera angles really help, or just alleviate some of the conflicts?Is this a good design choice, or is it just modern that makes me feel more comfortable?Removing film grain makes the image clearer, but removes detail.

Once you start seeing these things, you can't stop.Subject matter: the filters.A detective who makes a camera to chase away ghosts is interesting and relevant to the story of the Crimson Butterfly.On the other hand, the filters are more destructive to ghosts, or allow you to see walls, or open doors sealed with bloody hands, only to solve game problems.They feel out of place with the Crimson Butterfly world and they destroy their horrors.I went from saying things like "man, I hope there's no ghost in that well" to "Get out there, lady. I dare you. I dare you two dogs. I've got a Radiant filter and a bunch of Type-90 pictures to tell you to sit down."

It's a video game powered fantasy, as a way to brrrr my dopamine-seeking crocodile brain.This is stuff that would make a lot of sense in Resident Evil, but it's different with Fatal Frame.The power of the crimson butterfly is that Mio and Mayu are ordinary girls thrown into a terrible, supernatural situation.No matter how powerful Camera Obscura is, Mio is always vulnerable when using itHe always has to deal with things that follow him, open himself up to harm and not blink.This means that when he goes to Kurosawa's house and his flashlight breaks, or he's hiding from a bunch of ghosts, and the crimson butterfly is more effective when you share his fear.

Mio is not a brutal combat veteran or a superhero masquerading as a civilian like most video game characters.She is a young woman trapped in a haunted village;she is trying to survive and protect her sister and she is scared.Her weapon is a camera, not a gun.She cannot physically overcome what threatens her.These are things he can barely understand, let alone fight.to face her fear and that is what makes her brave.By creating a more seamless version of Crimson Butterfly that offers many combat options and allows you to become stronger as a result, Team Ninja inadvertently watered it down thematically.

It's one of my notable complaints about a remake that honors and enhances the art it attempts to recreate, a blemish on otherwise immaculately restored photography and one I'm struggling to impress as I ponder this review.I don't think this mismatch between thematic intent and modern convenience ruins or deeply damages the Crimson Butterfly remake, and I doubt most people will care.But Crimson Butterfly makes it feel like an action game from which you can upgrade the horror if you want.I think that diminishes him somewhat as a result.