Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake Review – Photographic Memories

We’ve been seeing remakes of a lot of classic games that modernize them well enough for current-gen platforms and audiences. This time around, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake is aiming high, pairing a visual overhaul with gameplay tweaks meant to make this the definitive way to experience the horrors of Minakami Village. But does it soar, or does it fall short? That’s what we’re here to find out.

"If I were to complain, the lack of graphical options is one area I wish the developers had worked on."

Let’s begin with the visuals. There’s a lot to like on that front, with textures and assets that bring a layer of realism to both indoor and outdoor environments that the PS2 simply couldn’t manage. Mio and Mayu look excellent, although their facial animations could have used a little more polish.

The way lighting works in this game is among its highlights on the visual front, with rays of it streaming through open windows and the foliage of the forest waving so realistically that it automatically makes everything feel more real as a result. And while the new spirit designs might prove divisive, I can safely say that they’re still scary as hell.

If I were to complain, the lack of graphical options is one area I wish the developers had worked on. There’s also a sort of grainy filter operating throughout the adventure, giving you the impression that it was all recorded on an older camera. It adds to the realism, yes, but it can get quite annoying after a while. An option to toggle it on or off would have been much appreciated, but it is what it is.

Moving on from the visuals, the gameplay has also seen some changes. You’re introduced to the new hand-holding mechanic quite early on, and I really liked the added layer it brings to Mio and Mayu’s bond. Holding Mayu’s hand restores both Health and Willpower, which is a nice touch. However, considering how the story often forces the two of you apart, I don’t think I was able to get as much out of it as I’d have liked.

"The Camera Obscura continues to be among the coolest ways to deal with enemies in any game I’ve played."

I’d have liked Mayu to be more involved in the game’s combat, but she continues to be problematic, her injured leg rendering her helpless and terrified in the face of any Spirits that you happen upon. Protecting her in a fight is an easy way to get a couple of free hits in; other than that, she’s largely a liability in combat.

Speaking of combat, the Camera Obscura continues to be among the coolest ways to deal with enemies in any game I’ve played. The remake adds focus, zoom, and filter switching to make it feel more like an actual tool than a simple accessory. The premise is simple: you point it at hostile spirits, wait for it to focus properly, and then snap a photo the moment they attack for serious damage. In theory, that makes things quite easy, and it indeed was simple in the original version. All you had to do was bait out enemy attacks and then click away to give the spirits some well-earned rest.

That isn’t the case in this remake, however, as the spirits are now far more aggressive and mobile in a fight. Features like Shutter Chance, Fatal Time, and filter-based Special Shots should have made encounters more dynamic, but the results are not consistent. They teleport wildly, forcing you to constantly pivot to find them, and move much faster, making lining up your shots a lot harder. I can see what the developers were going for, but it largely made combat a chore rather than a welcome change in the remake, and there are a few reasons why.

For starters, even with the remake’s freer movement and broader control improvements, Mio can still feel too slow once combat gets hectic. While that’s all right on its own (although it did make exploring the village feel too slow for my liking), it’s an absolute pain in combat. I spent half my time avoiding enemy attacks without my camera raised for a counterattack, and the evade doesn’t help matters by much.

"It’s a shame the combat feels so imbalanced, because the rest of the game is genuinely engaging."

It doesn’t let you reposition well enough to get a quick shot with your camera, and often puts you right in the path of a follow-up attack when you’re facing an enemy that does a few of them in a row. As far as moving around the arena is concerned, Mio definitely needed an upgrade, and it’s baffling that she hasn’t received one while her enemies have been dialled up to a hundred.

Mobility problems aside, Mio’s health and Willpower drain too quickly in combat, while healing supplies remain as scarce as they were in the original game. Once again, that’s an imbalance that’s quite costly, as you’re left scrambling to avoid damage as much as you can. It prolongs fights unnecessarily, forcing you into a cautious playstyle that quickly becomes tedious rather than exhilarating.

As it stands, combat in Fatal Frame II is too imbalanced to be fun, and I found myself trying to avoid fights as much as I could instead of taking on Spirits for some fun photographic play. It definitely needs some tweaking to level the playing field. I’m all for a challenge, but it’s a problem when that challenge stems from a game’s mechanics rather than its enemies. You only have to take on an enemy in a closed space to see what I mean.

It doesn’t help that the controls feel clunky when you’re in a fight, which is a very irksome issue when combined with Mio’s slow movements. Instead of an experience where you’re carefully lining up shots and timing them well to maximize the damage you’re dealing, you’re left chipping away at enemy health bars while hoping you can get out of the way when they teleport and come at you from another angle.

I really hope that the developers introduce some fixes on the combat front ahead of the final release. It desperately needs them.

"The game performs reasonably well, although limiting the framerate to 30fps across consoles might not be a choice that everybody would agree with."

It’s a shame the combat feels so imbalanced, because the rest of the game is genuinely engaging. I found myself going out of my way to find hidden lore drops that further flesh out Minakami Village’s dark history, while much-needed upgrade materials for the Camera Obscura remain cleverly tucked away in nooks and crannies that only the most diligent explorers are going to find.

The audio design is another highlight, with the remake adding 3D audio support that really helps offset an enemy’s aggressive teleporting shenanigans to a large degree when you’ve got a good pair of headphones on. Your camera’s reload gets a distinctive sound effect, and the game does a good job of telling you when you’re ready to launch your next attack. The soundtrack effects are also spot on, working well with the visuals to set a grim tone and moody environment.

The game performs reasonably well, although limiting the framerate to 30fps across consoles might not be a choice that everybody would agree with. I might have forgiven it if the framerate didn’t drop quite often on a base PS5, especially during combat, but it is what it is. A higher-framerate console option would have improved the experience considerably.

The side stories are another area that I loved about this one, introduced so organically that it can get hard not to let the game steer you away from the main story in favor of discovering more about the moody, grim world that the sisters have found themselves in. The story is as good as it’s ever been, and if you haven’t played the original, I cannot recommend it enough. This is a game that isn’t afraid to take you to some very dark places, both literally and metaphorically. There’s a new ending for you to unlock; however, there are reports that the Haunted House Mode or Deep Crimson Butterflies endings are not included in this remake.

Despite its many strengths, Crimson Butterfly Remake’s tedious combat holds it back from being a title I can recommend easily. While it’s going to have its takers, mostly die-hard fans of the franchise eager to dive back into its excellent world and narrative, I wouldn’t take this one on until it gets some much-needed adjustments to enemy aggression and your character’s movement speed.

However, if those issues aren’t likely to bother you, this is still a remake worth exploring, and one whose atmosphere remains difficult for other horror games to emulate. It’s unique, interesting, and as absolutely terrifying as it was in the past.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.