Fatal Frame

File:Thap fatalframe1.jpg

Miku has an ability that allows her to sense the supernatural.

Fatal Frame (known as Project Zero in Europe, Zero (零) in Japan) is a survival horror series, so far consisting of three games. The first and second games in the series were released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The third game is currently only available for the PlayStation 2. The series deals with exorcism, dark Shinto rituals, and most of all, ghosts.

Created by Tecmo, Fatal Frame is one of the more highly received survival horror games to date, largely due to the atmospheric music, dark and claustrophobic environments, emphasis on aesthetics and art design and the variety of spirits encountered during the course of the game. The main object of the game is to solve a mystery which is linked to old Japanese superstitions. The player's main enemies are ghosts; a few are friendly, but most are not. The only form of defense is a camera obscura, which allows the player to exorcise ghosts by taking a picture of them.

Fatal Frame Series

The Fatal Frame series currently exists as a trilogy, though a fourth game is expected on an unconfirmed date and on an as of yet unnamed console, according to Tecmo Games Producer Keisuke Kikuchi. [1]

Fatal Frame (2001)

File:Zero00.jpg

Miku Hinasaki, the heroine from Fatal Frame.

On a dark September night in 1986, a young college student named Miku has come to the Himuro Mansion to find her missing brother. Her brother Mafuyu went to the mansion to find his friend and mentor, a mystery novelist named Junsei Takamine, editor Kogi Oragata, and Tomoe Higarashi. Armed with only a flashlight, Miku enters Himuro Mansion, which has a long history of bloodshed, curses and horrific rituals. She later finds a mysterious camera that can capture/kill ghosts when she takes pictures of them.

This game also is loosely based around the true story (and also the legends) surrounding Himuro Mansion in Japan. The Mansion is rumored to be the gruesome death site of a Japanese family and several of its associates a few decades ago.

A version of the game was released for Xbox as well. New features/ghosts were added to the game on this edition.

In the Japanese release of Fatal Frame (Zero), Miku was a 17 year old High School student. She was made older to appeal more to western players. Alternative names: 零～zero～ (Japan) & Project Zero (Europe)

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (2003)

File:Fatalframe2wika.jpg

Mio and Mayu Amakura, the heroines of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly.

The second game in the series is actually a prequel, the prequel being in reference to two characters encountered in the first game, Ryozo and Yae Munakata. Twin sisters Mio Amakura and Mayu Amakura are visiting their childhood home when Mayu, who walks with a perpetual limp after a childhood accident, follows a mysterious crimson butterfly deep into the woods. Mio, concerned for her twin, follows Mayu, and the two girls are led to a lost village. This village has a dark past of rituals where they take a set of twins and has one kill the other in order to appease the gate to hell it sits on. As they investigate, they discover the camera obscura and are set upon by ghosts. Separated from her sister, Mio becomes determined to save Mayu and escape before they meet the same cursed fate as the village's former residents. As it turns out, Mayu, the more spiritually aware of the twins, becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of last murdered shrine maiden, Sae, who tried and failed to escape with her twin sister and now seeks to complete the horrifying ritual through the twins.

The game's aesthetic presentation was highly praised by both critics and fans alike. As the name would suggest, the dominant color for the game was a brilliant red, creating a very bold and striking contrast in comparison to much of the games shadowed and nocturnal settings.

Originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003, a Director's Cut edition was later released for the Xbox in 2004.

The game also had a Japanese theme song called Chou (Butterfly) by the Japanese artist Amano Tsukiko.

Alternative names: 零～紅い蝶～ (Japan) & Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (Europe)

Fatal Frame III: The Tormented (2005)

File:Zero300.jpg

Rei Kurosawa, the heroine from Fatal Frame III.

Fatal Frame III follows Rei Kurosawa, a 23 year old freelance photographer. While on a freelance assignment taking pitures of a supposedly haunted mansion, the image of her deceased fiance appears in the photographs. What is also terrifying, is a strange tattoo that is beginning to appear over Rei's body, and that the ghosts that haunt her dreams also don the same tattoo.

Accompanying Rei Kurosawa is Kei Amakura, a friend of her deceased fiance and nonfiction writer, as well as Miku Hinasaki, our heroine from Fatal Frame I, now Rei's assistant.

Fatal Frame III is very similar to FF2, in which the player will control the character of either Rei, Miku or Kei and use the Camera Obscura to capture and hunt down the ghosts. Rei enters the so-called House of Sleep through dreaming. She sees a figure resembling her dead fiance and follows him into the house, where she encounters various ghosts and mysteries to be solved. After solving the mysteries and fulfilling the mission of each chapter, Rei will wake up in her house, and the blue tattoo will gradually cover more and more of her body.

In some chapters, the player will play as Miku or Kei. They have different special abilities from Rei, making each of their play styles unique. Rei is capable of using the camera's flash to scare off some spirits, but can only use it a limited number of times. Miku has a special charm that decreases the speed of spirits when used. Kei, with his greater physical strength, can perform actions such as moving a bookcase or jumping from the roof of one building to another. Moreover, he can sit to avoid being seen by some spirits.

The central antagonist is a female ghost with a blue tattoo covering her body. She appears throughout the game, but cannot be confronted until the end of the game.

Unlike the previous game, the dominant contrasting color throughout the game is an luminescent but somber blue, signifying and setting the tone for the the theme of dreams and ethereal slumber.

Mio, one of the main characters from Fatal Frame II and Kei's niece also appears briefly. Moreover, the red flying butterflies also recur from the previous episode.

This game also had a Japanese theme song called Koe (Voice) by the Japanese artist Amano Tsukiko.

Alternative names: 零 ～刺青の聲～ - (Japan) & Project Zero III: The Tormented (Europe)

External links

Official websites

Fatal Frame

• Official US Website
• Official Japanese Website

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

• Official US Website
• Official Japanese Website
• Official European Website

Fatal Frame III: The Tormented

• Official Japanese website

Unofficial websites

General information

• Project Zero/Fatal Frame Series at MobyGames.

Reference

• Beyond the Camera's Lens - A Fatal Frame fansite devoted to unraveling the fact and fiction within the Fatal Frame. It has up to date news on the game.
• Shadow Obscure - Fatal Frame fansite covering both Fatal Frame I & II.

Reviews

• Interlaced - Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly review.
• Zero Shot - A Fatal Frame fansite, with news, fanworks, information, hints, tips, and more.
• Asplera Blog's Review - Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented review with screenshots.

Misc

• Fatal Frame: the Card Game (fourhman.com) - A free card game (you print out the cardset yourself) based on "Fatal Frame II."