| Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly | |
|---|---|
 North American PlayStation 2 cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Tecmo |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Director(s) | Makoto Shibata |
| Producer(s) | Keisuke Kikuchi |
| Programmer(s) | Katsuyuki Okura |
| Composer(s) | Ayako Toyoda |
| Series | Fatal Frame |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | PlayStation 2Xbox |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror, photography |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly[a] is a Japanese survival horror video game developed and published by Tecmo in 2003 for the PlayStation 2. It is the second installment in the Fatal Frame series, and features an independent story with little relation to the first title. The story follows twin sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura as they explore an abandoned village and experience encounters with the paranormal. Their lives quickly become threatened when the village spirits begin to possess Mayu and target them as sacrifices for an ancient ritual. Players must use a camera with powers of exorcism to defeat enemies and uncover the secrets of the village.
Development of Fatal Frame II began shortly after the completion of the first title. Because many players were too frightened to finish the original, Tecmo made the sequel's story more interesting to encourage players to see it through and finish the game. Despite this, horror was still the central focus of the game. Director Makoto Shibata kept the perpetual nature of spirits in mind during development. Ghosts reappearing in different locations, and being able to feel their presence even after their death were characteristics Shibata felt were indicative of a horror scenario.
Upon release, Fatal Frame II received positive reviews, and is widely considered to be among the scariest video games ever made. An Xbox port, subtitled Director's Cut, was released in 2004 and included improved visuals, audio, new gameplay modes and an exclusive ending. The game has also been re-released on the PlayStation 3 via PSN in 2013, and a remake of the game titled Project Zero 2: Wii Edition was released for the Wii in 2012 in Europe and Japan.
- ^ Calvert, Justin (November 26, 2003). "Fatal Frame II fully developed". GameSpot. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "What's New?". Eurogamer.net. 2004-04-30. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
- ^ Adams, David (2004-11-01). "The Butterfly Takes Flight". IGN. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
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