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Mainline Entry 01 - Fatal Frame
Formats: Playstation 2 and Xbox
Also known as Project Zero, the series begins in 1986 with Miku and Mafayu Hinasaki, Miku exploring a haunted mansion after the sudden disappearance of her brother. The series is probably most identified by the combat system whereby players use a special in game camera to defeat the wandering hostile spirits. The game uses a fixed perspective camera system and 3D environments rather than Resi's 2D style ones of the earlier games and drew a lot of comparisons to other survival horror games of the time. Sometimes these comparisons cost the game points in its scoring but broadly it held its own.
Mainline Entry 02 - Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
Formats: Playstation 2 and XBox
Following on soon after the enhanced Xbox port of the original, the second game follows twin sisters in an abandoned village and increased the focus on the storytelling as Tecmo had learnt that many players dropped the original before completing the game. This, coupled up with some tightening of the gameplay systems led to a better reception and the consideration that this was the peak of the series.
Mainline Entry 03 - Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
Formats: Playstation 2
The third game largely followed the same pattern of the first two games in a similar manner to other horrors of the time such as Silent Hill 3, refine what's there and polish up the visuals. The game was largely just as well received critically as the previous two entries but failed to make the same impact as attention from gamers started to drift away from the series. As a result the franchise subsequently began to fade away from the minds of western audiences after this.
Mainline Entry 04 - Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Formats:Wii
The fourth game saw Tecmo work with Nintendo and Grasshopper to bring the series to the Wii. Despite an EU launch being lined up it never happened and so the game remains exclusive to Japanese audiences outside of a fan translation. Ruka is the lead character this time out and she has been held captive on an island for some time, though players eventually get to control other characters in her group as the adventure goes on. The game reviewed consistently with other entries and its success was a mixed story, selling very low compared to other Wii games but also the best the series had managed.
Spin Off Entry 01 - Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir
Formats: Nintendo 3DS
The sole spin-off the franchise has ever had, this game was an early 3DS title and made use of the systems often overlooked AR capabilities to recreate the ghost action of the main games but with players physically taking the photos themselves. The game wasn't that well received though so remains a one-off experiment.
Remake Entry 01 - Fatal Frame II: Wii Edition
Formats: Wii
Tecmo decided to go back to the second game for its next project and remade the title with the lessons learnt making the fourth one. A third person over the shoulder camera was used for this redo with new visuals, costumes and an investigation mechanic as well as previously closed off areas of the village. The remake enjoyed a western release and was well received for the care and attention it brought to the effort to recreate the original title.
Mainline Entry 05 - Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Formats: WiiU
The series powered on to its fifth entry, this time using the Gamepad to recreate the camera gameplay. Set on a mountain top and following three new characters, the game saw a global release but failed to make much of a dent on the struggling system. It tied to promote itself by including some DOA focused dlc but within the main series this entry holds the weakest reviews. It's currently unknown if the franchise will continue on to the Switch in some form.
Share your thoughts and memories of Fatal Frame / Project Zero
Mainline Entry 01 - Fatal Frame
Formats: Playstation 2 and Xbox
Also known as Project Zero, the series begins in 1986 with Miku and Mafayu Hinasaki, Miku exploring a haunted mansion after the sudden disappearance of her brother. The series is probably most identified by the combat system whereby players use a special in game camera to defeat the wandering hostile spirits. The game uses a fixed perspective camera system and 3D environments rather than Resi's 2D style ones of the earlier games and drew a lot of comparisons to other survival horror games of the time. Sometimes these comparisons cost the game points in its scoring but broadly it held its own.
Mainline Entry 02 - Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
Formats: Playstation 2 and XBox
Following on soon after the enhanced Xbox port of the original, the second game follows twin sisters in an abandoned village and increased the focus on the storytelling as Tecmo had learnt that many players dropped the original before completing the game. This, coupled up with some tightening of the gameplay systems led to a better reception and the consideration that this was the peak of the series.
Mainline Entry 03 - Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
Formats: Playstation 2
The third game largely followed the same pattern of the first two games in a similar manner to other horrors of the time such as Silent Hill 3, refine what's there and polish up the visuals. The game was largely just as well received critically as the previous two entries but failed to make the same impact as attention from gamers started to drift away from the series. As a result the franchise subsequently began to fade away from the minds of western audiences after this.
Mainline Entry 04 - Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Formats:Wii
The fourth game saw Tecmo work with Nintendo and Grasshopper to bring the series to the Wii. Despite an EU launch being lined up it never happened and so the game remains exclusive to Japanese audiences outside of a fan translation. Ruka is the lead character this time out and she has been held captive on an island for some time, though players eventually get to control other characters in her group as the adventure goes on. The game reviewed consistently with other entries and its success was a mixed story, selling very low compared to other Wii games but also the best the series had managed.
Spin Off Entry 01 - Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir
Formats: Nintendo 3DS
The sole spin-off the franchise has ever had, this game was an early 3DS title and made use of the systems often overlooked AR capabilities to recreate the ghost action of the main games but with players physically taking the photos themselves. The game wasn't that well received though so remains a one-off experiment.
Remake Entry 01 - Fatal Frame II: Wii Edition
Formats: Wii
Tecmo decided to go back to the second game for its next project and remade the title with the lessons learnt making the fourth one. A third person over the shoulder camera was used for this redo with new visuals, costumes and an investigation mechanic as well as previously closed off areas of the village. The remake enjoyed a western release and was well received for the care and attention it brought to the effort to recreate the original title.
Mainline Entry 05 - Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Formats: WiiU
The series powered on to its fifth entry, this time using the Gamepad to recreate the camera gameplay. Set on a mountain top and following three new characters, the game saw a global release but failed to make much of a dent on the struggling system. It tied to promote itself by including some DOA focused dlc but within the main series this entry holds the weakest reviews. It's currently unknown if the franchise will continue on to the Switch in some form.
Share your thoughts and memories of Fatal Frame / Project Zero
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