Fatal Frame for the Playstation 2 - Part 2
Continued from previous post….. (which you can read by clicking: THIS LINK)
The premise of the game is simple. You play as Miku, a girl trying to locate her brother, Mafuyu, who disappeared into the Himuro Mansion when HE was trying to find his friend and mentor Junsei Takamine. Takamine had disappeared after entering the mansion with his Editor, Koji Ogata and his Assistant Tomoe Hirasaka, with the purpose of researching for a new book. Through the course of the First Night, you encounter the ghosts of these three as well as the notes and audiotapes they left behind. Your first encounter is with Ogata who at first seems to be watching Miku as she heads deeper into the Mansion. After defeating him, you come across Hirasaka who just wants to help Takamine out but ends up succumbing to the curse. After her comes Takamine, himself, who is the boss of the First Night. One thing that adds to the creepiness is the audiotapes… you get to listen to the thoughts and fears of the trio as the end creeps up on each of them. In addition, the tapes feature ghostly sounds and voices that most likely weren’t there when they were being recorded. After defeating Takamine you get your first full glimpse at the end boss, Kirie… she comes out of a mirror and approaches Miku and there’s nothing you can do to her… at least not yet. This becomes a trend in the game until Final Night, when she appears near the beginning of the level.
The Second Night brings the Blind Demon Ritual and with it comes my favorite ghost of the game and also one of the freakiest… Blinded. Almost as soon as the Night starts, you encounter her… a woman whose eyes were put out by the Ritual. She appears several times during the level, usually when you least want her to. Also on this night, you meet the Long-Armed Man, the spirit of a father whose child was lost to a ritual; the children he abducted as a ghost, thinking they were his; and a Folklorist and his wife Yae, who were researching the Mansion. The third night introduces four priests who were slaughtered by the head of the Himuro Clan, as well as the head of the family, himself. The first time I played, I had to fight him a number of times at the end of the Night, as my health was really low, and I had no healing items left. That fight was difficult, but it made the win all the sweeter when I finally succeeded. After the Third Night is over, it’s on to the Final Night. You work your way through the corridors and caverns beneath the Mansion until, finally, your final battle with Kirie awaits. The difficulty level you choose determines the ending you see. Sadly, I must admit that I haven’t made it to the second ending but I HAVE witnessed the first.
As you go through the game, you unlock new costumes and camera abilities. You unlock these abilities by either using the points you earn from exorcising the ghosts or from fulfilling certain goals (beating the game, taking pictures of all 108 ghosts in the game, finishing Battle Mode, etc.).
The replay value of the game is really high. This game is definitely worth a rental, at the very least, though I recommend purchasing it if you can find it. I can’t rate this game high enough. I wish I could give it more points but since I can’t, it gets a very well deserved 5 out of 5.
-- by Red Hawk of http://www.happyhorror.com
Tags: camera, ghosts, horror, japanese, ps2, survival horror, video game
