The Rumors of Himuro Mansion...
Heya all, it's Cloudman again with another halloween-related thread; However, this is not part of my ongoing "Creepy House" series, but a sub series to go inbetween it, one which I call...
In this smaller series, I want to dive into one of my favorite games, and my favorite horror video game series, Fatal Frame, to go along with the soon to be released, Fatal Frame 5. It is a series I love and hold strong feelings toward, to the point where I just want to gush about them with others and inform others of the series. So I hope to do that here in my "Dark Room" series. Now, I'm not the best writer out there. Heck, I'm a terrible writer, but I just want to let my thoughts and feelings out on the Fatal Frame and perhaps interest others to it. I do feel it is a great series that never got its time to shine. Maybe because the first few games were just too much to take, haha... #2spooky4me x )
Do you dare play it...? ; )
Anyways, let's start things of with the first game, simply known as Fatal Frame. (Zero in Japan and Project Zero in Europe). Let's first go into the story.
Story
In Fatal Frame, you take the role of Miku Hanasaki, a girl who goes to an old mansion at night, known as Himuro Mansion, in search of her brother Mafuyu, who had gone missing 2 weeks ago in the very same location. Shortly after entering the mansion, she finds the Camera Obscura, an old special camera which is said to have the power to "expose things the normal eyes can't see". She learns of the camera's power when she is attacked by ghosts of the mansion and uses it to defeat and capture the ghosts (at least according to Mafuyu). So with camera in hand, Miku goes further into the mansion to find her brother, as well as learn of the mysteries surrounding it...
...And that just about covers the story, for the most part. Now the next question, how does this game play? Well, let's talk about it~!
So this is Himuro Mansion... o:
Gameplay
I suppose you can say Fatal Frame is like a third person shooter, in the likes of the old Resident Evil games. It also has a mix of first person when you enter viewfinder mode to fight against the ghosts. There also feels to be a slice of Silent Hill in the game, as it was a sort of encouragement for the developers, stating they "tried to emotionally reach out to players and get them to feel things they cannot actually see on screen..." However, there are a few key differences in Fatal Frame that make it unique from any horror games out there in the market. You battle against ghosts using your primary weapon: a camera, the Camera Obscura to be exact. As I stated before, it is a special camera that has the power to exorsice ghosts.
Witches and ghouls, the Camera Obscura...
When you use the camera, you enter viewfinder mode, which you view the area through your camera frame. This is where your ghost fighting and exorcising will happen. You'll notice some things when you enter this mode, such as the circle in the center, the numbers on the side, and the kanji at the bottom (they are on the circle in the Xbox version). Let's break these features down, shall we? ; )
For starters, the circle in the center will be where you'll take when you attack. Think of it like aiming in shooters, haha. The numbers on the bottom left are the number of shots you have left. In the game, you use film as your ammunition, with different kinds ranging from weakest to strongest film. They are divided into types, from 17, 37, 74, and 90. (So be sure to save the type 90...) You'll be able to differenciate them by their colors as you find these throughout the game, the stronger ones being rarer. And last is are the characters below. These are special characters that will light up when you focus on a ghost, but what they do, well, I can explain that later.
The world throught the view of the camera...
So the unique thing about this game is that your attacks do stronger damage THE CLOSER THE GHOST APPROACHES YOU. This is great in that generally the sensible thing to do is get as far away as possible from frightening threats. Fatal Frame challenges to do the exact opposite, to face the fears, and confront it. When you take aim, this is where you'll notice the characters at the bottom start their action. You'll know you're on target when the circle in the center turns a light blue. As you focus on the ghost, they will begin to light up, acting as a sort of charge. Your shot will be at it's strongest when they are all lit up. You'll know the best time to strike when the circle and characters change from blue to a fierce red. This short moment is known as the fatal frame. It causes the most damage and knocks the ghost away. It also rewards you the most points, giving you extra bonuses, such as fatal frame and center shot. So wait for this timing to get the strongest shot and the most points. Points are also very important because you can use them to upgrade functions in the camera to make it stronger. So be sure to take aim and let the ghost come... ; )
Smile for the camera... : D
There are also another type of ghost that wanders the mansion. These are docile ghosts who will appear out of nowhere (usually spooking you) and do certain actions, like walking, climbing stairs, and so on. But don't worry, they are no threat to you. These are important though, as you can take their photo, which reward you with more points. However, they appear only briefly. So you have to be quick and take a shot before they are gone. So be at the ready always ; )
Aside from capturing ghosts, there is also a bit of puzzle solving aspect to the game. So if you enjoyed puzzles like from Resident Evil, you may enjoy them here, although some puzzles just require getting the information from your files rather than actual puzzle solving, but I'll back to that.
Oops, my mistake...
So with the basics cover, I'll cover the rest of the game, mostly my thoughts on it, starting with the good...
The Good
If there is one thing Fatal Frame does extremely well from the start of the game is atmosphere. Upon starting it (minus the introdutions, opening cutscenes, and comically bad dialogue), you are greeted to ominous background sounds, as if voices are moaning all around you, as well as a hazy black and white setting of an old run down Japanese mansion. Later on, color is present in the game, but is a faded sort of color, as if they are deteriorating like the mansion itself. The game is also very dark, with the strongest light source being the faint glow of your flashlight and a few faintly lit candles and lanturns. It's as if the darkness is slowing consuming the presence around you... As you go further into the mansion, the background sounds will change to other ominous sounds, leaving you restless. Sometimes, there isn't even any sound, except the sound of the floor creaking below you as you slowly traverse through the mansion. It always leaves you with a sense of fear, never giving a moment of relief. Even in the presense of a save point, you are not safe, for ghosts can still attack you, but when one does, you'll never know. The sense if fear is always lingering around you, and it is just... so great!!!
Hey there... : D
Another thing I really enjoy in the overall Fatal Frame series is system of battling ghosts. I loved how the game challenges you to confront the ghosts and let them come to you, seeing the horrific looks of the ghost and risking the chance of taking damage. It also makes for a good risk vs. reward system, bring up questions such as "Should I play it safe and attack from afar for minimal damage, or let the ghost come closers and risk taking damage, but make a stronger hit, getting more point as well and saving film..." which you have to quickly decided in the moment. It's risky, it's frightening, and it's excellent.
There are other small touches in the game that help further enhance the fear of the game, such as the player character slowly opening doors, adding a sort of tension and panic for the player with perhaps the thought of fear of the unknown beyond that door. It's sort of reminiscient of the loading screens of Resident Evil. It always spooked me as well when the door quickly shuts behind you, as if something is following closely behind. Also, the running speed of the main character, going at a somewhat frustrating slow speed when you have the urge to rush away from ghosts chasing you, but can painfully only lightly skip away. It's another small detail that adds to the fear and intensity of Fatal Frame.
So through most of this, I have been listing the good points of Fatal Frame, but of course, it does have its flaws. Let's get into that.
The Bad
Throughout the game, you will come across doors that are locked, or become locked, and the game uses keys in a rather unique, but sometimes frustrating way. At times, there is a presense on the door that prevents you from advancing until you complete a task. You must take a picture of the presense. You will then be presented with a photo of a specific area in the mansion. You must find the location in the photo, and take a photo of it. So this becomes a sort of "fetch quest" or photo hunt. It is also frustrating when you forget where that specific area is and must search the entire mansion to find it. It can be argued that this overall adds to the horrorific setting, leaving you with the daunting task of having to trudge the mansion again with a chance of meeting more ghosts, but it is also bothersome and frustrating, adding unnecesary backtracking to the game. It becomes more tedious when the area in question is in the same room as the locked door, making it seem rather pointless and a waste of time.
Another issue in the game were the puzzles, but not in the sense of solving them. In the game, there are chapters. At the start of each one, certain aspects of the game would reset, like the items and... some of the puzzles. There were a few locked doors with puzzles that would require you to solve them again if you wanted to enter that room again. Why not just leave it open? It seems rather unnecessary to do it again, when I have already solved the puzzle once already.
Fancy seeing you here again... ; )
Lastly, I had an issue with the use of cutscenes. I felt at times, cutscenes took away the element of surprise that is done so well in Fatal Frame. When you explore the mansion, there is a chance you will meet something, but not knowing when that will happen adds to the fear and suspense. Cutscenes, however, take that away. Often, it is used to introduce particular story based ghosts, but by doing so, it is immediately made aware that the ghost will attack the player after it ends, taking away that element of surprise. Cutscenes can be an important tool in games, such as advancing the game and explaining story elements, but for a horror game, it can have a negative effect, taking away some of the fear and suspense away.
Heere coomes Mr. Bill's Ghooooost...
Overall, those are my main issues with the game. They do not ruin the overall experience of the game, but they are minor issues that keep the game away from perfection. Overall, I think Fatal Frame is an excellently made horror games, and one of the best available in the horror genre. It is also my personal favorite in the series. If you are interested in playing a horror game, I would highly recommend playing this. It is an excellently crafted game and one I think will give you plenty of spooks ; ) I hope you enjoyed reading my review and thoughts of the game. And as always...
Thanks for reading...!
Fatal Frame is available to download on Playstation Network. It is also available for the Playstation 2 and Xbox.
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Stay tuned for next time, when I cover the next game, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly. : )
Dance my pretties!
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