Fatal Frame 2 - Differences Between the Remake and the PS2, Xbox, Wii Versions

FATAL FRAME 2 REMAKE

I'm a huge fan of the Fatal Frame / Project Zero series, and I especially adore its second installment, "Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly." So, it's nice to see how this game has been reborn time and time again over the past 20+ years.

It was originally released in 2003 on PlayStation 2. Then, an updated version for the Xbox Original appeared. After that, a Remake for the Nintendo Wii was published in 2012.

And recently, in March 2026, a second remake was released – this time for PC, PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox X/S.

In this article, we'll examine all the differences and additional content in the new remake. And in the next article, we'll have a detailed review of the remake.

Fatal Frame 2 Remake - New Features in the PC, Switch 2 and PS5 version

New Gameplay Features

The gameplay formula in the remake follows the traditions of the original version: we wander through the mysterious village, collect useful items, and fight deadly ghosts. However, the developers have added many new features:

1) The game now includes some stealth elements. In several scenes, we'll have to hide from ghosts or sneak past them to avoid being noticed.

2) Ghosts react to sound and light. And we can turn off our flashlight to avoid attracting unnecessary attention (in the PS2 version, the flashlight couldn't be turned off manually).

3) The main character can now crouch and move quietly while crouching (it works just like in Forbidden Siren). This is useful for stealth scenes.

4) An instant dodge move has been added, similar to Silent Hill 2 Remake. While performing the dodge move, the heroine becomes invulnerable for a second, which is quite helpful during combat.

5) A new stamina bar called "Willpower" has been added to the game. It decreases while running, dodging, and being attacked by ghosts. If this bar is depleted, enemies can knock you to the ground with one blow and deal massive damage.

6) When the heroine's life gauge is low, she begins to limp and move slowly (like in the early Resident Evil games).

7) The remake has a severely limited inventory. You can only carry 10 healing items and a small amount of film for your camera.

8) An in-game store has been added where you can purchase healing items (a similar idea was previously present in Fatal Frame 4). You can access this shop during a save.

9) The game also automatically restores all your hit points when you save. Therefore, the idea of conserving healing items is not as important in the remake as it was in the original. And you can't get stuck because you suddenly run out of healing items.

10) The camera upgrade system in the remake is more complex – you can upgrade more different parameters. And upgrading plays a more important role here than in previous versions.

11) The game also features the ability to equip amulets with useful buff effects (for example, "damage reduction" or "attack boost"). This works exactly like the omamori talisman system in Silent Hill F. There are about 70 of these amulets in FF2 Remake.

12) You can now change the difficulty at any point in the game through the menu.

13) The developers added a cute feature to the game: our heroine Mio can hold her sister Mayu's hand (like in the old game "Ico"). This can be useful in dangerous situations – you can quickly grab the sister's hand and escape from enemies together.

14) Camera Obscura (our main weapon) now has four different modes: "Standard", "Paraceptual", "Exposure", and "Radiant". Each mode has its own balance of power, reload speed, and range. This helps you choose the optimal tactics for each enemy.

15) "Exposure" mode has an interesting special ability: it can materialize objects from the past. Thanks to this, the remake adds several new mini-puzzles based around this idea.

16) The Nintendo Switch 2 version features a cool control scheme that allows you to hold the console in your hands like a real camera (the same control scheme was used in Fatal Frame 5). But unfortunately, this feature is not available in the PC, PS5, and Xbox X/S versions.

17) After completing the game, a secret "Chapter Select" option appears in the main menu, allowing you to replay any chapter again. This is quite convenient and useful (especially for unlocking the additional endings).

Fatal Frame 2 Remake and Project Zero 2 Wii Edition comparison

Features from the Wii version

The new remake is heavily based on the Nintendo Wii version of the game ("Project Zero 2: Wii Edition"), which was released in 2012. Therefore, most of the features from that version have been used again here:

1) The remake uses a dynamic "behind-the-back" camera, like in the Wii version (earlier versions of Fatal Frame 2 for PS2 and Xbox had fixed "cinematic" camera angles).

2) The developers have brought back the "Yomigaeri" feature (but now it's called "Aggravation"). At any point during battle, an enemy can randomly become enraged and "aggravated", which makes them much stronger and more resilient.

3) A minimap of your surroundings is always displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen, helping navigate the confusing corridors (this on-screen map originally appeared in the Wii version).

4) Remember the interactive scare scenes when we had to slowly reach out the hand while taking items lying on the ground? This idea has also returned. During such scenes, a ghost can suddenly grab our hand if we don't pull it away quickly.

5) The remake features the auto-aim system from the Wii version ("Target Lock"). I think that it simplifies the gameplay too much, but you can just choose not to use it if you feel that the game becomes too easy with auto-aiming.

6) The main heroines' designs in the new remake are also heavily based on the Wii version (in the PS2 and Xbox versions, they looked much younger, like children).

Fatal Frame 2 Remake - New Story Content and New Endings

New Content in the Remake

1) The remake features several new mini-locations: a bamboo forest, a large shrine temple, and an abandoned area of the village. This is a very nice addition, since in the original version the village was a bit too small.

2) A new ending has been added that wasn't available in previous versions: "Sprouting Wings / Remaining Sun" (there are two versions of this ending with two different names). The "Promise" ending from the Xbox version is also present here.

3) The developers have added around 50 new diaries and notes with story-related information (the PS2 version had about 70 of them, and now there are 120).

4) About 10 new audio messages for the Spirit Radio have been added.

5) The list of hidden ghosts that can be photographed in the game (Spirit List) has been significantly expanded. Previously, there were about 200 of them, and now there are 375.

6) The remake adds 16 side quests, which will reveal new information about the characters.

7) Another bonus side quest involving finding dolls has been added (it's just like the doll quest in Fatal Frame 4). 47 pairs of twin dolls are hidden in different corners of the village; finding them will reward you with special amulets.

8) The game has been completely re-dubbed in English and Japanese (with new voice actors).

9) Several new music tracks have been added. However, they are few and far between, as the remake primarily uses music from the PS2 version.

10) The remake features a new song by Tsukiko Amano, called "Utsushie". It can be heard during the "Sprouting Wings" ending.

11) A couple of bonus costumes have been added that weren't available in previous versions. The developers also collaborated with Konami and added Hinako's costume from Silent Hill F.

12) A "Photo Mode" has also been included, allowing you to take cool screenshots of the game (it's basically the same as "Snap Mode" from the FF4 Remaster).

Fatal Frame 2 Remake - Short Stories Book in the Japanese Premium Edition

Fatal Frame 2 Short Stories

In addition to the new content in the game itself, the developers created two short novels based on FF2. These stories can be found in the book that was included with the Japanese Collector's Edition of the remake.

The first novel is called "The Forest where the Promise Disappeared". It is a prequel to the story of Fatal Frame 2 and describes events that occurred before the start of the game.

The second novel, "Butterfly of Black Flame", is an alternate ending for the game that wasn't included in the remake and remains only as a short story.

Both novels were officially published only in Japanese, but they were recently translated into English.

Lost Content

Unfortunately, some interesting things from previous versions were lost in the remake:

1) For some reason, scenes where you could play as Mayu (the main character's sister) were cut from the remake. They were short, but quite creepy - so it's sad that they were removed.

2) In the previous versions, the main character provided a lot of text-based comments about various objects in the rooms. In the remake, all of these comments were deleted.

3) Two exclusive endings from the Wii version ("Shadow Festival" and "Frozen Butterfly") were not included in the game.

4) The original version had a really cool three-minute intro video with CG graphics. It was completely removed, and no attempt was made to recreate it.

5) The bonus "Mission Mode" that was present in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions was cut from the remake.

6) The first-person view mode ("FPS Mode") from the Xbox version also wasn't included.

7) The "Haunted House Mode" from the Wii version is missing too.

8) Most of the bonus costumes from the previous versions were lost (there were costumes from the games "Kagero", "Soumatou", "Dead or Alive", "Super Mario", and a bunch of joke costumes).

9) Several good music tracks have mysteriously disappeared from the game. For example, the two tracks that played on the title screen and save screen in the PS2 version. And another track with eerie religious chanting that could be heard in the room with the red lamps.

10) The remake does not include the song "Kurenai" from the Wii version (but the creators managed to preserve the legendary song "Chou" from the PS2 version, which I really love).