Now let's go ahead and get this out there - I scare easy. I 0ften enjoy being scared, although not always at the time, but it's no real task to set me on edge. I especially have problems with movies like The Ring and The Grudge, where eerie Japanese spirits endlessly terrorize the protagonists, who are all but helpless to fight back. Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment, because in spite of this I readily agreed to try my hand at Fatal Frame 2.
Fatal Frame 2 follows Mio, a young Japanese girls fighting through a village where eerie Japanese spirits endlessly terrorize her, and she is all but helpless to fight back. That's my formula to the letter! Mio is accompanied (and sometimes searching for) her twin sister Mayu, a codependent whiny little thing who attracts danger and dead people like a frickin' magnet. They are trapped in a deserted village deep in the woods, a village once protected by a series of rituals involving twin girls. The two sisters are tormented by the spirits of the villagers, some of whom are peaceful spirits and may even help out from time to time, but most of whom died in horrible ways and are out to return the favor.
The only weapon our little Mio has is a specially-designed camera which has the ability to exorcise ghosts. However, it is worth noting that before she got the camera, the ghosts were content to simply drift around aimlessly; they only get all poltergeist on her once she finds the camera. Nice job, sweetie. Next time, just paint a target on your back and wave your arms around a bit, huh?
The game is outstandingly good at creating atmosphere. Much of it comes from the eerily empty village and the ambient noises (creaks, whispers, and that u-u-u-u-u-h noise that the girl in The Grudge makes); however, some of it is simply due to the fixed camera angles. When the camera is so out of the player's control, it becomes very easy for the game to sneak ghosts up on the character and freak them out miserably. To further screw with the player's head, the game often has camera angles that show suggestively vacant areas where something *might* be, maybe ... but seldom is. Then when something is there, the player promptly freaks right out.
That's the beauty of the game - there are no slavering hordes of zombies or undead nurses throwing themselves at the player at every turn. Instead, the ghost appearances are relatively few and far between, striking only when the player has had enough of a break to let his guard down a bit. The ghosts are masterfully designed, each one with its own unique and macabre look, and toy with the player by wandering by just out of range, not attacking until the player's nerves are wound to the breaking point.
I know I did not deal well with my nerves being so wound. While exploring one of the many spooky houses (a slow process, as I am unfamiliar with Japanese architecture and was forever confusing doors with windows), I discovered a subterranean basement ... with a well in the middle. Knowing the game was about to ghost-bitchslap me, I ran right up to the well to force whatever was there to face me ... and there was nothing there. Just a well. Full of pride at my nerve, I strolled away ... only to have a dark-haired woman crawl up out of the well Samara-style and try to take me apart. I did NOT react well.
In fact, about anytime the camera's filament went red (an indicator of a hostile spirit), I broke into a mantra that went something like "oh-fuck-oh-fuck-oh-fuck-oh-fuck" and continued indefinitely until the spirit was dealt with. Ghosts definitely lower the quality of my speech, although not the quantity.
The game's atmosphere is pervasive in a way so strong, it cannot be readily alleviated. I even tag-teamed the game with a few other Chase/Bite members to try to break the mood. No dice! We only succeeded in freaking each other out - one of us would see a ghost the others had missed, and start panicking, causing the rest to panic as they searched for whatever was wrong. It was an impressive domino effect that left us gibbering fearfully for much of the evening.
The game's plot is impressive, if a bit confusing - twins with similar names frequent the plot, so we were not always sure who was who. The cutscenes are well done and add to the horror element, and are often intercut with flashes of terrible things happening in rooms the player has not reached yet. There are apparently several available endings, although our team has yet to press on to the end. Being that afraid for so long is exhausting, and I was running out of swear-mantras. We had to take a break.
Fatal Frame 2 definitely challenges the player, and summoning up the grit to push on through the creepier parts of the game is definitely an impressive feat. Anyone who loves a good scare will love Fatal Frame 2 ... but probably not until after the fact. ^^
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