Fatal Frame is a survival horror masterpiece with a unique combat system which is only hindered by some brutal difficulty spikes and a few unfair enemy encounters.
-Story: the game's story is something I would call a 'typical creepy Japanese horror story'. We are playing as a young girl looking for her brother in a haunted mansion, where we are slowly but steadily learning about the horrors of what happened in the residency way back in time. Without spoiling anything: the main focus is on a ritual which went terribly wrong and has been causing further awful events ever since.
-Atmosphere: Fatal Frame uses the fixed camera angles masterfully. I would argue it is on par with Resident Evil or even better. The jump scares are also perfectly executed, they never feel cheap, they are never in your face too much yet they are always effective. Add to these the eerie sounds emitted by ghosts and the suspenseful music and you get Fatal Frame's memorable and scary atmosphere. My only gripe in this aspect was the lack of diversity in the environment. Most of the playtime is spent inside the mansion which unfortunately gets monotonous pretty fast.
-Gameplay: what I loved most about the game is definitely its one of a kind combat system. Instead of the usual melee and ranged weapons, the player uses a special camera to photograph ghosts wandering around the mansion. This is not only a unique and fun way to fend off enemies, it really adds to the scare factor as you have to follow enemy movements in first person mode and often wait for their attacks to deal sufficient damage. The camera is also involved in finding clues required to progress and it also plays a key role in the story. My biggest issue with the game was some of the ghost's attack patterns (or rather their ability to teleport behind you and attack instantly) and a few enemy placements which made it almost impossible to avoid some damage during combat. Despite this, I still loved the gameplay of Fatal Frame. So much so that it quickly became one of my all time favorite horror games.
-Story: the game's story is something I would call a 'typical creepy Japanese horror story'. We are playing as a young girl looking for her brother in a haunted mansion, where we are slowly but steadily learning about the horrors of what happened in the residency way back in time. Without spoiling anything: the main focus is on a ritual which went terribly wrong and has been causing further awful events ever since.
-Atmosphere: Fatal Frame uses the fixed camera angles masterfully. I would argue it is on par with Resident Evil or even better. The jump scares are also perfectly executed, they never feel cheap, they are never in your face too much yet they are always effective. Add to these the eerie sounds emitted by ghosts and the suspenseful music and you get Fatal Frame's memorable and scary atmosphere. My only gripe in this aspect was the lack of diversity in the environment. Most of the playtime is spent inside the mansion which unfortunately gets monotonous pretty fast.
-Gameplay: what I loved most about the game is definitely its one of a kind combat system. Instead of the usual melee and ranged weapons, the player uses a special camera to photograph ghosts wandering around the mansion. This is not only a unique and fun way to fend off enemies, it really adds to the scare factor as you have to follow enemy movements in first person mode and often wait for their attacks to deal sufficient damage. The camera is also involved in finding clues required to progress and it also plays a key role in the story. My biggest issue with the game was some of the ghost's attack patterns (or rather their ability to teleport behind you and attack instantly) and a few enemy placements which made it almost impossible to avoid some damage during combat. Despite this, I still loved the gameplay of Fatal Frame. So much so that it quickly became one of my all time favorite horror games.