Fatal Frame 2 Hits PSN Tuesday, Series Director Speaks

Editor’s note: Following yesterday’s restrospective on the original PS2 Classic Fatal Frame, series director Makoto Shibata returns today to talk about the development of Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly, which comes to PSN next Tuesday.

The Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly project started relatively soon after the first project concluded. Since we received lots of feedback that players got too scared to complete the game, we shifted our attention to making the storyline more interesting, to encourage such players to overcome the scariness in wanting to see the end of the story.

The storyline is based on a dream I had after the initial project concluded. Thinking back about it, I recall it being a complete dream in many ways. The dream was scary, magical and traumatic, and it had a perfect plot — even with a title and a structured ending. Thus, it was simply a case of how to interpret the dream and recreate it as a game.

In a psychic horror scenario, it is normal for ghosts and spirits to not appear in the exact locations where they previously appeared. Even at any exact locations where spirits died, one can feel the presence every now and then. Also, the way a given spirit makes an appearance may be different on occasion.

Such never-ending loops of thoughts are the core characteristic of psychic horror.

One may notice a slight difference in what the true meaning of the story concludes when playing the game. The more times you play through it, the more different outcomes you’ll feel every time as a result. This is actually a reflection of what happened when I was trying to figure out the meanings behind the dream I had mentioned earlier on. This never-ending illusion is something which has been reflected in the game. I recommend it to anyone who has not encountered any spiritual occasions in real life, to try and get an idea of what they are missing.