In the previous article, we examined the differences between the Fatal Frame 2 Remake and other versions of the game. You can read about the new gameplay features and additional content there. If you missed that article, here's the link:
And today, we'll have a detailed review of the game. Let's analyze the positive and negative aspects of the Remake. And try to figure out which new features benefited the game, and which ones hindered it. And how good is the remake overall?
Creators of the Remake
The director and scenario writer of the remake is Makoto Shibata - the main creator of the "Fatal Frame" \ "Project Zero" series, who has worked on all the franchise installments.
And the development of the remake was handled by "Team NINJA", a studio that primarily specializes in samurai action games and action RPGs. So, in the credits, you'll find many people who previously worked on games like "Rise of the Ronin", "Nioh 3", and "Final Fantasy: Stranger of Paradise".
Because of this, fans were initially concerned that Team Ninja might turn the Fatal Frame 2 Remake into an Action game instead of Survival Horror. Fortunately, this didn't happen - the remake is made with respect for the original version and doesn't feel like an action game at all. However, now the game sometimes feels like a Survival Horror RPG (because the developers paid a lot of attention to side quests and the leveling up system).
Battles with Ghosts
The original PS2 version of Fatal Frame 2 had one of the best combat systems among old-school Survival Horror games - and I always loved how it handled the ghost fights. But the developers of the Remake managed to pleasantly surprise me and make the combat mechanics even better than before.
The ghosts have become more dangerous, faster, and have many new types of attacks. The battles themselves are also more dynamic and unpredictable. But at the same time, they carefully follow the traditions of the "Fatal Frame" series and never devolve into a banal FPS shooter.
Nintendo Switch 2 owners are especially lucky - they can play the remake with a realistic control scheme and hold the console in their hands like a real camera, making the battles even more engaging. But the PC/PS5/Xbox versions (with classic gamepad controls) are also fun to play.
At first, I was a little annoyed by the remake's sudden enemy power-up mechanic (called "Aggravation"). On higher difficulties, this can be a real challenge. But gradually, you develop different tactics for fighting the powered-up ghosts, and you realize that this mechanic makes the gameplay more interesting.
The improved leveling-up system and the idea of equippable amulets ("Charms") are also nice features. They add more depth to the combat system.
I also liked the new idea with four camera filters (Standard / Paraceptual / Exposure / Radiant). This allows players to customize their weapon settings for each gameplay situation. So you can experiment and use different filters against different enemies.
I'm also pleased that the developers have added some light stealth elements to the game, allowing you to hide from enemies like in Forbidden Siren. There aren't many of these scenes, and they're rather simple, but they add variety to the gameplay.
Perhaps the only downside to the combat is that towards the end, the game starts throwing "random encounters" at you too often.
This is especially noticeable in the final (9th) chapter of the game. There, we're presented with random encounters literally every 30 steps, like in old JRPG games. You can try to avoid the battles and run away from enemies, but it's still annoying and hinders exploration.
Because of this, the remake has noticeably more fights with the ghosts. While in the PS2 version you could only encounter around 100 enemies in a single playthrough, in the remake you'll probably have to defeat around 170-200 ghosts. It feels like the enemy count could have been reduced.
Exploring the Village
The process of exploring the village and its abandoned houses plays an important role in the gameplay of Fatal Frame 2. This aspect is implemented well in the remake, but not as well as in the previous versions.
One of the main problems with the remake is that all text comments on items have been completely removed. Apparently, the developers decided it would look too outdated.
However, in previous versions, text comments were an important element of the game. They were intriguingly written, helped build a sense of mystery, and were also a storytelling tool.
Therefore, it was interesting to check every item in every room and read what the heroine had to say about it. But in the remake, this feature is lost.
Another significant drawback is the abundance of unnecessary backtracking. This problem was present in the PS2 version of the game, but it got worse in the remake.
The game is designed in such a way that you have to run back to the save point to restore health after each battle (since the heroine now heals when saving). This adds a lot of tedious running around.
The limited inventory also means that the player often has to leave items on the ground and then return to them when there's finally room in their inventory.
The game also features many side quests, which mostly consist of backtracking, like "go to one end of the village, then go to the other end".
This all leads to us running back and forth between locations too often, while being ambushed by annoying "random encounters" with ghosts several times along the way.
However, despite these issues, exploring the locations still feels quite engaging and interesting.
The world around us looks beautiful, making it a pleasure to explore. The maps of the village and each house are well-designed. Healing items, diaries, and other collectable items are placed everywhere for us to pick up. The developers also added many small secret places to discover.
Navigation in the remake is more convenient than in the PS2 version. The devs added a minimap in the upper-right corner of the screen, and it's really helpful. But the game doesn't hold your hand too much, allowing you to freely explore each location.
I'm also really pleased that the developers expanded the village and added several new mini-locations (the bamboo forest, the temple, and the new area of the village). This is one of the best additions in the remake.
New Side Quests
The game now features 16 optional side quests (they are called "Side Stories") that players can complete while playing the game. Completing these quests typically rewards us with additional amulets and various diaries/notes.
These side quests are very story-driven. They delve deeper into the characters' stories and allow players to learn new information about them. This will surely please all fans of Fatal Frame 2.
However, from a gameplay perspective, the quests are quite tiresome. Most often, they boil down to tasks like "find several hidden objects/ghosts in different locations".
I personally enjoyed these side quests because they allowed me to learn new details about my favorite characters. However, if you're new to FF2 and are playing for the first time, you'll likely find the quests confusing and tedious. Because they were clearly created specifically as bonus content for hardcore fans.
Storytelling
Fatal Frame 2 is one of my favorite horror games. So, I was pleased to see that the developers meticulously recreated every element of the story in the Remake:
1) All the diaries and notes containing plot information have been preserved. Not a single diary was lost (feel the difference from the Silent Hill 2 Remake, where the devs simply threw out half of the story-related notes).
2) All the cutscenes and dialogue from the original PS2 version of the game have also been preserved. And the cutscenes' direction is as faithful to the original version as possible. The developers didn't change them much and even tried to maintain the same camera angles in most scenes.
The only thing missing in the remake are short two-minute segments where you could briefly play as Mayu. More precisely, the scenes themselves remain in the story, but now we see them from Mio's perspective, as she chases after her sister (although I preferred the original version of these scenes with playable Mayu).
The remake also adds a wealth of new story-related content, created with the help of the original game's scenario writer, Makoto Shibata.
There are about 50 new notes and diaries, new audio messages for the "spirit radio", side quests about the characters, and an additional ending called "Sprouting Wings".
The new notes don't contain any sudden revelations or shocking plot twists. However, they complement the game's plot and lore, further explaining the customs of Minakami Village and delving deeper into the characters' everyday lives and their psychology. So, this is a very welcome addition.
However, several issues with the story's presentation have emerged that could spoil the experience for newcomers playing the game for the first time:
1) The game has a "Spirit List" section with ghost descriptions, which contains a lot of spoilers. In the original version, it could be only unlocked on the second playthrough. But in the remake, it's unlocked right away - and you could spoil the entire story if you start reading the descriptions in this section.
2) Numerous side quests distract from the main story and disrupt the pace of the narrative, sometimes making it slow and disjointed.
3) The remake contains so many diaries and notes that newcomers can easily become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.
For Fatal Frame 2 fans, none of these issues will be a problem, as they're not afraid of spoilers and won't be confused by the plot. But for newcomers, such things can be a serious flaw.
Endings, Bonuses, and Replayability
Fatal Frame 2 Remake features several different endings, but the game is designed in such a way that endings can only be achieved in a specific order. Here's how it works:
1) On your first playthrough, only one ending is available: "Crimson Butterfly" (the main ending from the PS2 version).
2) After completing the game, the "Chapter Select" option unlocks, allowing you to replay any chapter. If you restart the game from Chapter 9, a secret side quest will appear. Completing it will unlock the "Abyss" ending (the alternate ending from the PS2 version).
3) If you replay the final chapter again after this, you'll unlock the "Promise" ending (this was the additional ending from the "Director's Cut" version for Xbox Original).
4) Then, you need to replay Chapters 8 and 9 via "Chapter Select" one more time (there will be two new quests). This will give you the new "Sprouting Wings" ending, created specifically for the remake. I really liked this ending, so I highly recommend you to see it.
5) But that's not all. If you replay the game on the "Nightmare" difficulty setting from the very beginning, you'll unlock the final ending, "Remaining Sun" (an expanded version of the "Sprouting Wings" ending).
The abundance of different endings is a nice feature that helps to increase the replayability of the remake. However, it's a bit disappointing that there are almost no bonuses other than the endings.
The remake does not include the bonus modes "Mission Mode", "FPS Mode", and "Haunted House Mode" that were available in the PS2, Xbox, and Wii versions. And most of the secret costumes for the heroines that were present in these versions were lost in the remake (only few costumes have survived).
Length of the Game
The original PS2 version took an average of 10-15 hours to complete, but the Remake takes much longer (due to side quests, new locations, and increased encounters with ghosts).
A first playthrough of the Remake will likely take you around 25-40 hours, depending on the difficulty level and how carefully you explore everything.
This is a huge length for a horror game. Because of this, the Remake is excessively drawn-out. And towards the end, it begins to feel almost like an RPG game, bogged down by numerous side quests and "random encounters".
But despite its length, I still found Fatal Frame 2 Remake interesting to play and not boring. Largely due to its engaging gameplay and captivating atmosphere.
However, even 40 hours isn't the limit. If you want to get the additional endings "The Abyss", "Promise", and "Sprouting Wings", it will take another 7-10 hours to unlock them.
And if you want to see the final ending "Remaining Sun", you'll have to spend an additional 20 hours replaying the entire game on the highest difficulty called "Nightmare".
So, a 100% completion with all endings could take 60 or even 70 hours!
But whether the "Remaining Sun" ending is worth the time is debatable. Actually, it's almost identical to "Sprouting Wings". The only difference between the two endings is a short, 1-minute epilogue scene after the credits. So, you might as well save yourself 20 hours and just watch that epilogue scene on YouTube.
Graphics, Camera, and UI
Graphically, Fatal Frame 2 Remake is done quite well by horror game standards. It looks roughly on par with Silent Hill F and Alone in the Dark 2024 (but falls slightly short of Silent Hill 2 Remake).
The abandoned village of "Minakami" looks beautiful and atmospheric. Wandering around it is a pleasure. And the interiors of the houses are well designed, making it interesting to explore.
The camera in the remake has also become more modern and dynamic (instead of the old-school fixed camera angles in the PS2 version). This makes exploring your surroundings more comfortable.
However, the game's visual style is somewhat marred by a poorly designed UI interface. The screen is cluttered with various interface elements (even though the PS2 version didn't have any unnecessary clutter).
For example, there's always an equipped item icon in the lower-left corner of the screen, which has almost no real use. And it can't be turned off.
Also annoying is the constant "R2 - Hold Hands" icon floating next to Mayu's hand (a reminder that you can hold her hand by pressing the "R2" button). It looks silly, and there's no way to turn it off.
Furthermore, the game has a ton of silly pop-up hint messages like "use the controller's left stick to walk". Most of them can be turned off in the menu, but not all.
Optimization and Bugs
Optimization in the Remake is surprisingly well done. In terms of graphics, the game is comparable to Silent Hill F, but is much less demanding on hardware. It will run smoothly even on older GPU cards.
However, the default game settings in the options are very inconvenient. Subtitle font size, controller settings, FSR upscaling settings, and hint message settings all have to be adjusted manually. As a result, the first 30 minutes of the game are spent constantly fiddling with menus instead of enjoying the atmosphere.
The PC version also has several minor but annoying bugs. For example, a bug with the in-game shop (which can cause you to lose points), a hand bug (sometimes the feature with holding Mayu's hand just stops working), a control loss bug (occasionally, the game stops detecting the controller), and a couple of other similar glitches.
But overall, bugs are rare and don't impact the game too heavily. Also, I wasn't able to find any truly serious game-breaking bugs (like the legendary "disappearing key" glitch in Deadly Premonition).
Character Designs
One of the remake's main problems is the poor redesigns of the main characters, Mio and Mayu.
In the original PS2 version, they looked like little girls. This gave the game a unique feel (since survival horror games featuring children are rare) and helped create the atmosphere of a scary fairy tale.
But in the remake, the heroines are much older (similar to the Nintendo Wii version) and, what's more, they're dressed like two cosplay models. Mio now wears a fancy dress with a large bow on the back. And Mayu now resembles the prostitute Anita from SlitterHead (but with a frilly skirt instead of a green dress).
This problem can be partially fixed by using alternate costumes with the old designs. They will make the heroines look noticeably better. But these costumes were only available for a limited time as a pre-order bonus.
Another issue is the quality of Mayu's 3D model. Her hair looks like a wig, and her hands are like those of a plastic doll. It's immediately obvious that the developers have skimped a bit here.
This is especially disappointing, because in the PS2 version, Mayu looked incredible (by 2003 standards) and felt almost like a real person. But in the remake, empathizing with her will be more difficult due to her poor redesign.
Ghost Designs
However, the enemy redesigns are done very well in the Remake. They are more creepy and realistic than in the original version. The animations are also quite impressive.
I especially liked the remake's rendering of the "drowned woman", "broken neck woman", and "fallen woman" (her design is even more erotic than before).
I'm also pleased that the remake recreated every enemy from the previous versions - not a single ghost was lost. And for many enemies, the developers came up with new attack patterns that weren't there before.
Music and Sound
The remake primarily uses the music from the original PS2 version. A couple of old tracks are missing, a couple of new ones have appeared, but it's about 90% the same music.
However, the remake's sound design is still inferior to the original. The problem is that the game suffers from a strange volume imbalance between different tracks.
When we walk around exploring the locations, the background music sounds so quiet that I almost can't hear it. So I had to manually increase the volume to hear this music.
And then the battle tracks (which play when ghosts appear) become too loud and annoying. Because of this, I had to constantly raise and lower the volume with the TV remote throughout the game. And no in-game settings can fix this problem.
Previous versions of Fatal Frame 2 didn't have such issues - the volume balance between the different music tracks was perfectly fine there. But I hope the developers will eventually release patches and fix these audio issues in the Remake.
Songs
The remake features two songs by Japanese singer Tsukiko Amano, which can be heard at different endings.
The first song "Chou" ("Butterfly") is the famous ending track from the PS2 version of the game. I really love this song, so it's nice that it was brought back into the game. In the remake, it can be heard at the endings "Crimson Butterfly", "The Abyss", and "Promise".
The second song called "Utsushie" ("Mirror Image") is a new track created specifically for the remake. It plays during the "Sprouting Wings" and "Remaining Sun" endings. I also liked this song, and it fits perfectly with the endings. Although stylistically, it's quite different from "Chou" - the new song sounds more like songs from "Kara no Shoujo".
Voice Acting
The voice acting in the remake differs from the PS2 and Wii versions - the developers completely re-dubbed the game with new voice actors. Also, the remake offers two voice options: you can play the game with Japanese or with English voices.
Both voiceovers are done quite professionally. And I think that the English voiceover is just as good as the Japanese one.
I was also delighted to see several familiar voice actors from SlitterHead and Silent Hill F in the English version.
For example, Mayu in the Remake is voiced by actress Xanthe Huynh, who played Nurse Lisa in SlitterHead.
And the role of a girl named Akane was given to actress Suzie Yeung, who played Julee in SlitterHead and Hinako in Silent Hill F. What a surprise!
Atmosphere
The remake does a pretty good job of capturing the atmosphere of the original version of Fatal Frame 2. Some aspects of the atmosphere have even been enhanced here (though not all).
1) The feeling of being in an abandoned village is captured very well in the remake. Perhaps even better than in the original version, thanks to the village itself being more realistic and larger.
2) Fights with ghosts have also become more intense and frightening. Because the ghosts in the remake are faster and more dangerous, and their behavior is less predictable.
3) However, the eerie feeling of "creepiness" in the remake has been somewhat toned down. Perhaps because the background music is too quiet or because of the abundance of unnecessary backtracking.
Or maybe because the game's graphics have become too beautiful. The original PS2 version of Fatal Frame 2 visually looked like a mix between Forbidden Siren and Silent Hill 1 - and this graphical style created a subconsciously eerie feeling. But in the Remake, this effect is lost.
But I can't say that the Remake has completely lost the creepiness. It's just somewhat less creepy than the original version.
Is the Remake Good for Newcomers?
One of the main questions is: which version is better for people who never played Fatal Frame 2 before and want to experience the game for the first time?
If you have a console and love games with old-school graphics, it would be better to start with the original version for PlayStation 2 or Xbox.
But if you only have the PC and you want nice modern graphics, the Remake is also a good place to start. However, I recommend you follow these three conditions:
1) Don't read the descriptions in the "Spirit List" section (it contains a lot of spoilers).
2) Don't get distracted by side quests during your first playthrough (these quests can be completed after you get the ending).
3) Use the classic costumes from the PS2 version (the heroines look better in these costumes).
If these conditions are met, the Remake will provide almost the same gaming experience as the original version.
Pros and Cons
The Remake's Main Advantages and Disadvantages
(compared to the original version)
(compared to the original version)
Pros:
+ Better graphics.
+ The village has been recreated quite beautifully.
+ Several new mini-locations were added.
+ Free camera instead of fixed camera angles.
+ Improved ghost designs.
+ The combat system has been reworked really well.
+ A deeper leveling-up system.
+ Interesting idea with 4 filters for Camera Obscura.
+ Many different "charms" that can be equipped.
+ The remake features some stealth elements.
+ Convenient minimap.
+ Lots of side quests.
+ New "Sprouting Wings" ending.
+ More diaries and notes in the game.
+ Realistic control scheme in the Switch 2 version.
+ The length of the game has been increased.
+ Convenient "Chapter Select" system.
+ Two voice acting options to choose from.
+ New song by Tsukiko Amano.
Cons:
- The redesigns of the heroines are disappointing.
- Short scenes with playable Mayu have been removed.
- The atmosphere in the remake is less creepy than in previous versions.
- The game is drawn out and is bogged down by battles and side quests.
- The pace of the narrative can be slow and disjointed at times.
- The remake may spoil the entire plot via the "Spirit List".
- No item comments.
- Too many unnecessary UI icons on the screen.
- The default settings are inconvenient.
- The PC version has some minor bugs.
- Audio volume problems.
- No bonus modes from previous versions.
The Verdict
Fatal Frame 2 Remake is a good example of a beautiful and high-quality remake that manages to skillfully balance modern and old-school approaches to game design.
While the remake is inferior to previous versions in some aspects, it compensates for these shortcomings with various improvements and pleasant additions.
Overall, this remake is sure to please both long-time fans of Fatal Frame 2 and newcomers who want to play the game for the first time.
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Author of the article: SilentPyramid
Publication date: 23.04.2026
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