Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake

Genre: Graphic Adventure / Horror

Players: 1

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Review:

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly was originally released in 2003 on PlayStation 2, with a port to the original Xbox in 2004, and a Japan-only remake on Wii in 2012, with this modern remake releasing in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Seen by many as the pinnacle of the Fatal Frame series, Fatal Frame II focuses on a pair of twin sisters, Mio and Miyu, who find themselves drawn to the haunted Minakami Village, where they must fend off malevolent ghosts using the series’ signature “camera obscura”.

Given the extremely high quality of other recent “Survival Horror” remakes like Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, as well as Silent Hill 2, one might expect something similar of Fatal Frame II’s remake. However, this release doesn’t set its sights quite that high, and even with its lower ambitions it still stumbles from time to time. To its credit, the character models for its twin protagonists and creepy ghosties are outstanding, there’s excellent lighting, and good texture work. However, there are also some very noticeable framerate stutters, and extremely frequent pop-in that mar the otherwise solid presentation here.

This release adds a number of gameplay elements as well. There’s a new “willpower” system not present in the original, added upgrades to the camera obscura, added side-story content, and two new endings. However, the core gameplay and content of the original game remains intact.

That gameplay won’t be for everyone. Using a camera to battle ghosts in this game can be a tedious game of keep-away as you gradually whittle down the spirit’s health, and the hand-holding mechanic to drag your twin sister along with you can feel clunky at times.

However, there’s also an argument to be made that this is intentional, since Miyu’s need to be dragged everywhere is clearly the result of an injury we see at the game’s onset, and this plays a significant role in the story as well, with the sisterly bond between the game’s two main characters one of its strongest elements that this gameplay frustration underlines. But when you’re trying to maneuver a tight hallway while holding your sister’s hand and she gets right in your way, it’s hard not to feel like this mechanic definitely overstays its welcome.

Overall, I think Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake is a solid but flawed remake of a solid but flawed game. Make no mistake, this is still an essential game for Horror game fans, but this isn’t the sort of triumph we got with Silent Hill 2 Remake or the Resident Evil 4 Remake. But as long as you keep expectations in check, and can forgive the technical flaws that plague this game, I think you’ll find it worth playing.

tl;dr – Fatal Frame II Remake is a remake of a PlayStation 2 Graphic Adventure and Horror game (or as some call this sort of game, “Survival Horror”) where players guide a pair of twin sisters through a haunted Japanese village while fending off ghosts using the series’ “camera obscura”. This is a solid but flawed remake of a solid but flawed game, with frequent performance issues, clunky game mechanics, but nevertheless an engaging story and gameplay. It may have its problems, but Horror fans will still want to pick this one up.

Grade: B-

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