Fatal Frame III: The Tormented - Nitro Rad

[@Hatsworthful]

Fatal Frame: the game of what happens when you mess up messed up rituals

[@henotic.essence]

Lots of shrine maidens are gonna be out of jobs now lmao

[@PhongTran-uc6mk]

@@PikaLink91 probably Japan's insistence on maintaining harmony at the expense of everything else, even people's lives. Now go through that messed up ritual girls or we're all going to get screwed. It's just bleak.

[@TotalNigelFargothDeath]

@@PikaLink91 Maybe that's why they're so advanced, placing more importance on the collective rather than the individual.

[@TotalNigelFargothDeath]

@@PikaLink91 Yeah, suicides are rampant in Japan, quite sad.

[@deathserpent9747]

Double the oof, double the problems

[@DrYomismo]

When this one was released, I was living in a apartment inside a cathedral (with my uncle, who worked as a guard there). On saturday and sunday nights I was all alone in the building, and that was when I chose to play this game, in the living room, lights out, with a pretty big tv for the time and some old but loud speakers. The finishing touch was leaving the room door open, and since it was right on the edge of my peripheral vision, it made me check every couple of minutes the dark corridor behind it, waiting for the ghost of a dead priest to show in any moment. It was slightly difficult to sleep after that, but I regret nothing.

[@junichiroyamashita]

It should have been the opposite, japanese ghosts have no power in a western cathedral.

[@Ajehy]

@@junichiroyamashita - Or perhaps they could walk right by vestiges of Western holy power because they don’t belong to the same belief system? That’s actually a cool fantasy idea…

[@CrackdanieIs]

Surprised you could even get through the doors of that cathedral with those giant balls

[@hahe8530]

Okay, Postal Dude.

[@goosegoosehypotenuse5067]

Me: Oh boy, I can’t wait for Nitro Rad to get to Fatal Frame 3, that was my favorite! NR: Hope they cut down on the back tracking this time! Me: Oh no

[@ferchsakura]

PikaLink91 I’ll never understand why people prefer FF2 lol To me FF3 was just a lot more fun and a lot better.

[@JayWolf1985]

@@PikaLink91 I am in the same camp where I far prefer FF1 & 3 over FF2. But different strokes for different folks. Also, honestly, I can't say I agree with Nitro Nad that you usually have no direction in the game for what you are supposed to do, because there were only a few spots in the game that were like that for me, where I ultimately got stuck, and usually it was because I overlooked a detail. And it's really weird that NR & I have the exact opposite opinions about the "backtracking" in the games. In 1 & 3, I never really noticed it, or it never really bugged me, because it felt like I was always moving the plot forward, or finding some new piece of the puzzle, or just extremely engrossed in the atmosphere. But in FF2, I was very aware of any backtracking that I had to do, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that I just didn't much care for the story, which I personally found beyond predictable, and I just couldn't connect with Mio or Mayu. I also really appreciated all the "world building" notes in FF1 & 3 too, because it really fleshes out how nightmarish & fucked up the location and/or situation is. I will agree though that Kei's sections in FF3 are pretty weak & irritating though.

[@PrincessLadySerenity]

Honestly after watching playthroughs of all 3 of the original games over the years, the only one I really felt motivated to own was Fatal Frame 3. I loved the design of the game, i love the combat, I love the multiple characters and the story really hits home for me. FF1 is a good game but it always felt a bit too slow with the combat and such for my tastes. And I've got kind of a grudge against FF2, partially for the "it's perfect, how dare anyone dislike it" fans and partially because I really, REALLY hate the "twins are creepy, also lets stuff the plot with incest themes" aspect to the story. (And Mayu too, tbh, especially since it's strongly hinted that she's manipulated Mio for years with her ankle because she doesn't want Mio to ever have a life outside of her.) I won't deny that I used a walkthrough for FF3 pretty much every time I played it because it is kind of a big confusing map, but even so I completed it like, three times in a summer because of how much I loved the game. And I agree that I never really noticed the backtracking in 1 & 3, but it irritated me to no end with 2. Yes the houses were smaller and more compact, but the town itself is big and there's a lot of pointless "go to this random house we really didn't tell you to visit because we need to progress the story," whereas somehow the backtracking in 1 and 3 felt a bit more organic somehow. Maybe because in 3 it's all set in dreams and sometimes dreams are kind of illogical. (And I have to agree that as much as I like Kei as a character, he's kind of a burden in-game. I understand the meaning behind why he was designed like that but it's not really fun to play his chapters. Plus the "girls are too wimpy to move this" implication is ugh, cultural differences or no.)

[@blazingwaters7469]

@@PikaLink91 How dare someone have differing opinions on video games

[@KassFireborn]

I think it's a fundamental taste disconnect. For some people, the backtracking and getting to intimately know a space is a feature; you hear a lot of people say that about the first Resi game, for example. For some it's a flaw. And I will freely admit as much as I love this game, it was fucking aimless sometimes with where to go/what to do, so that would exacerbate an existing issue.

[@TheXenogirl08]

I could understand being annoyed with the Himuro Mansion and Lost Village maps returning if I played the games back to back like you are, but there was a few years gap between me playing this one and the first two games so I remember my wife and I getting very excited when we ended up back there. It was a nice little nostalgia moment haha.

[@VisserZer0]

I played them pretty much back-to-back, but those areas are so small that it never bothered me.

[@UnicornStorm]

I had this "wait-a-minute" -moment when I recognized those areas and then saw their names on the map. It was quite nice. I do agree with his opinion on the level design overall, but I liked returning to those older areas

[@Kelohmello]

Yeah, I agree. They're good things, not bad things.

[@tonk82]

They are short, and i played the game a few years after the first two, so it never bothered me. I think its well done.

[@ARMORXV]

I remember one year for Christmas I got both Fatal Frame 2 (Xbox Edition) and Fatal Frame 3. I was so impatient to finish Fatal Frame 2 because of its slower pacing and I was so hyped seeing trailers for the third game on KZbin, so I quit 2 and started 3 about a third of the way through. It was kind of weird seeing those key locations from All God's Village in 3 first before seeing them in 2 haha

[@KassFireborn]

See, the fact that there were rooms taken from prior games _but the layout is wrong_ actually extremely heightened the sense of dream-horror-logic for me and made it scarier. Also, couldn't disagree more on the story elements. This was about survivor's guilt, and checking in on the survivor's guilt of previous characters established to have connections to these cameras makes a great deal of sense.

[@margaret6839]

100% agree

[@D00000T]

The dude is definitely coming at these games from a more gameplay side of things than plot and themes which is fine, many critics do the same thing. It’s just that you’ll sometimes encounter the mgs4 dilemma for some games where some people say it’s amazing because of the plot elements while others say it’s fine because the gameplay was what they were looking forward to more instead. It’s hard to say FF3 wasn’t carried a good bit by its writing and world building (except for its connection to FF2. I think the dude is right about how Kei’s nieces could have been anyone else and didn’t really need to connect FF3 back to a previous game)

[@AmirysMewen]

@@D00000T honestly I think instead of Kei it should have been Mio that appeared in ff3 Since Miku appeared so if one previous protagonist appeared so should the other one

[@ifgezroxy]

100%! This is hands down my favorite of this series. I love how you have to research developed pictures to learn more. And when the survivors guilt slowly starts pouring in the real world, to your "safe space". Where you can pet a cat!! And that the main character is now professional, accomplished person. But that is just my opinion.

[@MrNinjafreak]

FF1: Miku is ok character FF3: Miku is ok character FFV: OH SWEET ALABAMA

[@azizabdul8914]

Miku fucked her big brother and gave birth to a hapless inbred! can't have shit in Alabama.

[@powerbeard5653]

@@azizabdul8914 does ghost incest still make deformed babies? really makes you think

[@azizabdul8914]

@@powerbeard5653 literal fatherless behavior

[@GameboyFanatic]

@@powerbeard5653 If you count having a non physical presence as a deformity sure. Also I got 69th like on the original comment lol

[@slaviclad9705]

I dont know why they keep bringing her back, she is not interesting at all

[@JDelwynn]

It's kinda funny that all the things you see as a negative are the things I love about the game. Like how they give every ghost a backstory and explain everything through the notes, it's like I'm researching the spooky stuff myself. It's great when you see something and be like "Oh, I read about that earlier!". Or how the mansion doesn't always make sense, being a dream and all. I played through the first three as they came out so I love how this one was kind of like the end of the series, tying the first two together with a neat story.

[@arbsan8366]

JDelwynn I agree! Love how each ghost had a story and I just loved the mini stories in ritual in the game! To me it just shows how detailed the game is and I love being invested in the different ghosts back story. But I’m upset the stoped making anymore FF games after Black Maiden because this game to me is such a gem and has such a potential to be way more horrible and scary

[@noname-vp6vf]

Agree. I love how the story just unfolds slowly and how it makes you speculate. It feels very familiar to Silent Hill 4 story, in fact i'm pretty convinced the devs might took SH4 story as an inspiration.

[@ifgezroxy]

Same here. I love how the pictures are now something tangible, it is not just way of dispatching the ghosts, but also opens up the lore. And I love the sleep manor too. My favorite game of the series.

[@ifgezroxy]

Exactly! And how this story elevates the stories of previous games, and makes me like ff 1 & 2 even more. Because this fleshes out the previous games more.

[@Turtleproof]

"It's raining again." Spoiler: "It's raining again." "It's raining again." "It's raining again." "It's raining again." "It's raining again."

[@LadyLeviathan]

It's raining where I am too

[@patch-fm]

But... it's not raining

[@patch-fm]

*Proceeds to cry* yes-yes it is.

[@LadyLeviathan]

@@patch-fm oh, it stoped

[@nullnvoid1999]

It's raining somewhere else again.

[@Stevin20687]

Opening of Fatal Frame 4 Review. Nitro Rad with a dead eyed stare: "It has both."

[@dimentiorules]

Does it? Have you played it, or are you just guessing?

[@Stevin20687]

@@dimentiorules I haven't played it (don't have a modded Wii nor a NTSC/J or PAL Wii). However, remember in his Fatal Frame 2 review he look at the Wii edition? When he showed the new gimmicks he stated that were not that good? Fatal Frame 4 started that stuff. So it dose have both gimmicks and Wii jank.

[@Turtleproof]

I feel fortunate that I didn't drop $80 and download the Wii translation patch on it, I instead watched a playthrough and hoo boy is it underwhelming.

[@VisserZer0]

@@Stevin20687 If you have a decent PC, it's possible to install the English patch to a .iso file and emulate it with Dolphin. You can even use a real Wiimote with it.

[@Stevin20687]

@@VisserZer0 Yeah that is an option. Just need to update my PC's hardware to handle doing that (doesn't have a GPU and my motherboard + CPU are old. I think they were released around 2003 - 2006, could be wrong about when it was released.)

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

Me: "Hm, I still don't know what to play for Halloween" Nitro Rad: "OH BOY"

[@chrisgonzalez5883]

@Z390 that it was also a good anime.

[@welon17]

Why don't you go and get a good old horror game instead of one of those lazy wannabes like PT or RE7? Disclaimer: RE7 is an excellent horror game, and I respect it. But if you think is one of the scariest games ever made, you are a total sissy.

[@welon17]

@ it's just a scripted horror like any indy hallway horror games with jumpscares in it, the only difference was the budget. They even used the same story in SH3s Haunted House for PT! I think even they admitted it. It's a very pretty looking Layers of Fear. I'm not familiar with what went down between kojima and konami, but konami took one of the stupidest decisions a company can make. But kojima is an expensive developer, so maybe they saw him as a threat.

[@Maioly]

My favorite game in the fatal frame series but maybe that is just because it actually touches on one of my greatest fears and sources of anxiety, loss... also star crossed lovers I also totally did not cry when that beautiful credits song started playing, with that ending...

[@MineSlimeTV]

OH dear..Poor friend..I hope you are well and I acknowledge such form of fear it is a way of appreciation for people that you care by doing such a thing..but I do not want it ti over stress yourself as I do know that you experiencing it in such way will make you beleive that you will "drop your guard down" But by doing so you are always going to drag yourself a burden that will perhaps actually just be the cause of your great fear..You carrying it whitout you and you unaware of what will happen if you let it go If you want to I can gladly help to you Friend I will try my best if you wish so

[@originaluseername]

"ToTaLlY dId NoT" yeah actually you did

[@Maioly]

@@originaluseername yep

[@rosewaterlily2886]

No, there were just a lot of chopped onions in the room while I was playing...

[@originaluseername]

@@rosewaterlily2886 *_NOT FUCKING FUNNY, MR."i'm so unoriginal mcican'tbeclever_*

[@rawrclandestiraptor]

I kind of think you missed the nuance of the level design in relation to the house being the "Dreaming Mansion". While I get that it may seem tedious because of how it's large, meandering, and there's a lot of backtracking, I think that is kind of the point. The whole manor is a dreamscape. The design of the house was meant to be that way because the family kept expanding the house in ways that didn't make sense so that Reika (and the Rift) would be trapped and wander inside forever. I found it an absolute joy when I got to play as Miku and Kei and got to explore previous locations from the first two games. I think you might not have clicked with the game because I don't think you really connected with the story. You saw the notes as something you just had to collect and only gave you minor connections to the main story. But in this series, the reward, largely, is getting to know the little details about the ritual and the suffering the inhabitants of the manor had to endure. They're just enough to entice you and leave you wanting to know more. It may not be your style, but I really loved this about this series. It wasn't just "this is the story, kill last boss, get ending". A lot of the appeal is getting to piece together the full story and getting to know how bad everything got. Fatal Frame 3 is probably my favorite out of the whole series. I like that it dealt with a heavy topic. Survival's guilt is never easy. From the first two games, you would never really expect any of those who survived to ever be fully okay after their ordeals. Miku lost her only living family member because he CHOSE TO STAY BEHIND FOR A GHOST GIRL WHO TRIED TO KILL THEM BOTH BECAUSE HE FELT SORRY FOR HER (I am still very salty). Mio has had to strangle her her twin sister to seal away the Repentance. Kei wants to save his only remaining niece and is also still grieving the loss of Mayu. Rei has just lost the love of her life in a car accident where only she survived. It was only natural that all of them would have come looking for whomever they've lost inside the Manor of Sleep. The ending was bittersweet and I can understand that getting through the whole game once was a real task and getting those extra photos at the end just doesn't seem worth it. But once you've actually become heavily invested in the series and the interwoven storylines, it makes you want to give them the best possible outcome that you know these characters deserve. For some people, that alone is enough to make it worth it to give them that chance. excuse the wall of text but i just really love this series and honestly for anyone even thinking of getting 4 and 5, DON'T. stop here. it all goes downhill really fast.

[@Miss_Mikiqo]

I absolutely agree with you on everything you said. I however did enjoy 5 quite a bit. It wasn't as scary as the first 3, but it was definitely playable.

[@captainmarsh3664]

If I'm going to be honest, story relevance can't really excuse "bad" game design. Nitro does say the story can be whatever the writers want, and I imagine it must be incredibly frustrating having to meander through areas you had recently spent a lot of time in in a previous installment.

[@AndrewSF8898]

@@captainmarsh3664 RE7 would be a good example of a large house being expanded upon without involving heavy levels of backtracking. It IS possible to make a huge house without making it seem repetitive. The multiple playable character aspect could've been used as an advantage for this.

[@rawrclandestiraptor]

@@captainmarsh3664 I don't recall those sequences being long enough where you had to remember the layout of the other locations. You were kind of just nudged along and it was just kind of paying homage to the first two. But it's been years since I've picked up the game so I may be remembering things wrong. Edit: But generally I do agree that story relevance can't really makeup for poor design.

[@captainmarsh3664]

@@rawrclandestiraptor That's fair. I don't assume they're as bad as he makes them out to be, it more than likely started to wear on him playing all the games back to back along with his apparent backtracking problem with the series.

[@davidbenjes7701]

Little surprised the Graphical improvements weren't mentioned. When you consider all 3 games were running on the same PS2 Hardware, the difference between the first game and this are impressive. I especially remembering liking the sharper layered textures, greatly improved character models, and use of the blowing cloth effect in this game.

[@sylviadelaney245]

I think it's a shame that you don't really appreciate one of the best parts of the fatal frame games, that being all the extra lore offered by the various pieces of text and the stagnant photographs that can be investigated found or taken throughout the game as those things are meant to enhance the experience not harm it. And they've been a core part of the series since the very first entry which even had the extra nifty Correlation chart that was later unfortunately dropped as early as the 2nd game. The fact that you can't appreciate these games for more than their scares and the very surface layer of their stories ultimately is what probably led you to a reaction as bland as "Mio was shoehorned into Fatal Frame 3" or "I don't care" about the pictures in the credits for the ending you can get if you do some extra stuff in a new game plus run. An ending which the developers at the time said was one they hoped players would appreciate as they considered it canon and it was a happy and hopeful ending for these beloved characters. I guess you're one of those who'd be just fine with Mio staying a wreck like she was at the end of 2 and Miku going on to what 5 does with her. I'm not saying scares aren't important in a horror game or that a simple story is not enough, but your review makes it sound like scares are the only thing that matter and like only the surface layer of a story are important for horror.

[@Nekufan1000000]

I agree with this on a point as well. The way he dismisses the combat in some instances is sad too. Ghosts walking into wall is a positive? In a game where enemies deal like 1/3rd of your HP and you have limited resources... Even Resident Evil on Hard wasn't that grueling, and I know, I've played 1, 3, and 4 on their hardest modes (I don't like 2 as much as everyone else). Fatal Frame is fucking ridiculous with the combat. The ONLY saving grace is the refilling type 14 letting you go buck wild on normal ghosts, otherwise the game would be totally incompletable to a lot of people who would waste film trying to get zero shots and failing. Heck, I've beaten Fatal Frame once already and I'm replaying it because it's October and I'm finding the enemies really annoying now that I'm going for zero shots. Things I used to just gun down with ease are taking huge chunks of my life because waiting for them to go for an attack often means they suddenly shift positions erratically and obnoxiously. My worst case so far being the crucified guy at the end of night 1 and how his lunge makes his head go far enough back you can't ZS him once he starts moving. These aren't GOOD gameplay mechanics. They make sense in terms of the game, yes, but something being logical doesn't mean it's immediately fun. I think there's a reason Fatal Frame turned into a niche horror series while Resident Evil and it's weak scares have continued to flood the mainstream. RE is fair through and through, Fatal Frame has a lot of moments where you just set the controller down and walk away from the bullshit. Also the first game has a final boss that kills you in one hit? Like... to quote AVGN, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

[@sylviadelaney245]

@@Nekufan1000000 With Fatal Frame 2 and 3 the ghosts all have patterns you can exploit and some have specific phrases you can listen for to catch shutter chances and fatal frames. The first game not really. Blinded Woman you'll encounter 7-8 times by default and the best strategy is stay still and move after you've shot her but not for too long or you won't be able to reposition yourself before she hears you and charges at you. Best of luck with Kirie if you're risking going in with lower tier film and remember you can only damage her if you've let the camera fully charge.

[@glanni]

@@Nekufan1000000 it's not that ridiculously hard. You have a lot of things that help you, like the red glowing thing which tells you if you're facing the ghost or not, their sounds, and as long as you keep moving you have good chances of not getting hit by an attack by a few inches, which is quite forgiving sometimes. The ghosts walking into the wall is not a design flaw, it's making up for the lack of intelligence, since PS2 games didn't really have intelligent npcs. And since they're ghosts it really makes sense from their point of view.

[@eaglehood224]

Ever heard of The Suffering? You might find it interesting.

[@pious83]

The first one, yeah. The sequel? ... _Sigh_

[@EteamProductions]

Man the first Suffering was GREAT. An amazing lore, great bosses, a very cool moral system for its time and the concept of physically turning into a monster but that also making you more of a monster mentally yourself as a character and player was really cool Just don't play the sequels

[@BBC190]

@@EteamProductions Yeah it was a great game. Though I liked ties that bind as well.

[@marxxplaysgames]

What about the Condemned games

[@Rustyhound-Cartoons]

I always remember it for being that one game with a 21 year old age restriction rating in my country

[@Low_Standards_Gaming_YT]

Me and a friend of mine always joked when Kay showed up saying "Oh. Time to do things THAT ONLY A MAN CAN DO."

[@marley7868]

like cower in a corner hoping the scary ghost passes by

[@lalehiandeity1649]

Being serious, men are better at moving heavy objects.

[@violetinreal8188]

​@@lalehiandeity1649I've seen some weak men, dude

[@Cosplaybuddygiraffes]

Well. At the very least this game is gonna motivate me to get back in the gym and make my “weak girl arms” buff

[@Shift_Salt]

Get beefy

[@WheeledHamster]

Cosplaybuddygiraffes Sorry still require a man to move the dresser. Still not man enough.

[@LakituAl]

Maybe it's ancient magical furniture that detects gender and nails itself to the floor if it's not being touched by a man. Made by sexist wizards, of course of course.

[@TheXell]

Just use the "Rearrange Furniture" buff that gives women infinite strength.

[@user-hz7pk9vb6z]

I've heard that if you cast "Shopping Spree" while doing a hand stand it glitches allowing you to cast infinite stamina on your hands instead of your legs. Combined with, "Rearrange Furniture" it makes quick work of any pesky sexist-wizard spells.

[@phoenixx-7997]

Aside from them shoehorning Mio and Mayu in through Kei, imagine if there was a story where the main protagonists of each Fatal Frame game get together to make some kind of paranormal photography club with each of their own version of the Camera Obscura and their own set of abilities. Sounds dumb, I know. But it's kinda fun to imagine they would make their little photography club which is actually for them to track down and prevent more ritualistic curses.

[@KazeMemaryu]

Shhh, please, no more. Some mobile developer might take your idea and actually do it!

[@inplane9970]

That would actually make a ton of sense. At this point in their universe, paranormal activities are a phenomenon so it's natural people with similar experiences would get together. Would be pretty interesting to see them undertake different paranormal expeditions that dont have to be super grand with prophecies tied to them. Could be something as simple as ghosts haunting a neighbourhood.

[@ARMORXV]

As a kid growing up playing the series, I always had this cool idea for a new Fatal Frame game where you go to different peoples' homes in a town or city and exorcise the spirits there with your camera. Once you completely exorcise one area, you move onto the next. Don't know how it would have a plot to connect everything together, but it would be interesting. It's kind of like in Clock Tower 3 where you complete a level by defeating Subordinates and help innocent spirits move onto the afterlife

[@Upsetkiller456]

I think the inclusion of Mio and Mayu makes TOTAL sense given the theme of "survivor's guilt" It would only make sense that Mio would get dragged into the manor of sleep after strangling her own sister to death.

[@AmirysMewen]

@@ARMORXV something like that could work for an open world game with side stories involving mysteries unrelated to the curse in the main story

[@9Godslayer]

This was the first game where I legitimately thought that nearly everyone involved with this ritual deserved it. It was also the saddest I felt fighting the last boss in a game of this series.

[@markoyamashitach]

14:27 Was I the only one waiting to see a tie-in for James holding a glass of water? I watched the video twice and never saw a reason. Guess he was just thirsty.

[@VENLEE9597]

yeah those is a "Photograph Ending" where all characters is survived including Mio and Kei. and is a canon ending for Fatal Frame 3. Mio was originally planned to be the third playable character in Fatal Frame 3 but it turns out using her uncle instead. don't know why's the reason. I actually happy Mio is alive and Kei introducing her to Miku and Rei, cause Mio is my favorite character though ❤

[@venom3421]

Yeah I personally like that ending too and I thought NR saying he doesn't care is kinda mean but hey its his opinion

[@Miss_Mikiqo]

I loved seeing Mio being introduced to everyone else. In my opinion it probably would've been a great way for everyone to get over their grief together because of the fact that they knew none of them were truly alone.

[@elpretender1357]

They needed her uncle instead because this games needs at least one man to be finished lmao

[@livingcorpse5664]

It's really ballsy for a late 90's/early 2000s game to have the tattoo ghost be topless even if it's doll anatomy. I mean this was a time where parents assumed there was sexual content in a game without seeing it cause their friend "told them".

[@CrazyPangolinLady]

Remember the part when the ghost crawled out of the mirror? Hated that part

[@09Galvin]

or showed up when you enjoy seeing Rei was taking bath?

[@tombraider200571]

"I hope it doesn't have both" RIP james....RIP thats all FF becomes.

[@tehcrusher]

end of video

[@orpheustalos574]

Maiden of Black Water nuf said

[@xSweetP0tat0X]

This was the first Fatal Frame game I played, and I played it sooo many times. I would play it in broad daylight and I would still be terrified, especially of the scares in the house when Rei is awake. It's also super sad to me, a lot of the ghosts are just tragic, the crawling woman, the woman from the airplane accident, the long-haired woman, just to name a few. I get though why you wouldn't like, but I still love it lol.

[@Dzaran]

For me, the story of Fatal Frame 3 was always the most serious out of them, due to the subject matter. The theme of "Survivor's Guilt" is such a heavy topic to handle and they treated it VERY seriously. I don't want to dump any spoilers here, but I will say that Kei is searching for his missing niece, as in, the one who survived and became cursed AFTER the previous events they went through. Just want to make that clear. You'll know what I mean if you've played it. I'm curious to see the Wii game, that's the only one I haven't played in the series since it was never officially released outside of Japan... I think?

[@Dzaran]

Also, yeah, I'll admit I cried at the end of the game... although, to be fair, I did at the end of Fatal Frame 2 as well... Fatal Frame 2's ending is so tragic, while Fatal Frame 3's ending is bittersweet...

[@Miss_Mikiqo]

4 was never released outside of Japan because Nintendo was more or less experimenting with the Wii and how the game would operate on that system with motion controls and whatnot. Unfortunately it did not run the greatest in the world. It was very glitchy and buggy to the point where the game would not function properly and prevented you from getting a 100% Ghost List. The story was also kind of all over the place and didn't connect as a whole in my opinion.

[@Dzaran]

@@Miss_Mikiqo Ah, I see. Thank you very much for the info! Much appreciated! ^.^

[@Miss_Mikiqo]

@@Dzaran I also researched a bit a found out it originally was also supposed to have a Europe release but like the US, was also cancelled back in 2009.

[@Dzaran]

@@Miss_Mikiqo Ah, it probably did so badly with the problems you mentioned that they just cancelled releasing it anywhere else.

[@masterquest5476]

Loving this series on Fatal Frame so much! I’d love a remake of the first three so much...

[@RaxiazRedux]

My first time hearing about Fatal Frame was from an online girlfriend I had around 13 years ago. As immature as our relationship was, I miss that girl. Hope she's doing ok. :)

[@PrinceSoph]

Well this is new. I don't agree with anything you said. I do think you're prioritizing the "scary" experience over the story and that just does not allow you to see the full picture The Tormented paints. 2 tells the story of Mafuyu's and Miku's grandmother, Sae. That is why they have certain abilities. Also, Kei is not in there because of Mayu, he's in the mansion because of Mafuyu and Rei's boyfriend, friends of his and cooperators. And Rei's boyfriend matters because he's related to the creator of the camera obscura system. He probably gave one to Mafuyu and that is what Miku finds. All this information is in the games. All the "side plots" that "ammount" to nothing paint a picture and a story. Explains the tragedy and why is everyone there and because of this obsession that horror needs to be "mysterious" you're just not seeing it. The same way Silent Hill builds itself over the rules it created on the first game, Fatal Frame spins a series of mysteries that gives you snippets of what brings it all together. The camera obscura and it's creator. Are the games a "spooky" experience? No. But it is an incredible story with clues to follow to the bigger picture. And also, the "extra" ending? Not a post game thing, you can do it on your first try. It is the canon ending.

[@ferchsakura]

But Kei IS indeed in there mainly because of Mayu (and Mio). He spends the entire time in the mansion trying to look for her, if it was because of Yuu then he would have his apparitions in the mansion. Also yes, to get the cannon ending you have to take a different route with Rei and you can only achieve it once you have beat the game once and start a new game in hard mode. Or that’s at least what I remember.

[@PrinceSoph]

@@ferchsakura if I recall correctly, he sees both Miyu and Yuu. And when he stops waking up the names he mutters are Yuu and Mafuyu, not Miyu.

[@C--vp3vk]

how dare somebody want a scary game to be scary and not care for sloppy game design that's excused for story purposes

[@PrinceSoph]

@@C--vp3vk well, because just boxing a story into a genre and then judging because it doesnt fit the standard it's stupid.

[@PrinceSoph]

@@C--vp3vk also, game mechanics in a story based game most often are slaves to the plot. It's part of the storytelling. So yes, I find it tasteless to call it "lazy game design" when it clearly fits with the theme and story of the game.

[@doughnutheart9509]

Oh my god yes do the rest of the series i stopped playing it after the third one and never had a chance to buy the 4th and 5th one

[@CountessChuchoteur]

Oh geez, you better hold onto your socks, because there's a bunch of shit you're going to see that'll make you go, "Really? REALLY?"

[@RinitaChan]

Perhaps the “only a man could move this” could be reworded as “I don’t think I can move this on my own. Maybe Mr. Amakura would have an easier time with this...”

[@MidnightRaziel]

i love coming back and falling asleep to these type of well made videos. (That's a compliment by the way) Also kudos for not resorting to the awful fallacy of obnoxious audio spikes in an pitiful attempt at a laugh or scare like so many other content creators do. Just an overall good review.

[@glitchygutz]

Hell yeah it’s the spooky month! I’m excited for the horror games you’ll cover! Obligatory ‘I’m early’ lmao.

[@Heffy_Boi]

Mannnn, nothing quite as satisfying to me quite like finishing an incredibly frustrating game and having someone who brings up all the same criticisms I had during my many hair pulling moments throughout the game. Great video as usual, Raddy boi!

[@joannacarey2756]

The first game that I completed from my first ever console. Also, the reason why I learned English by myself. I understand that the notes and excessive content to read can be annoying to you, but that aspect of the game and franchise is actually my favorite part. Is like reading a book, you learn so much about everything in the game. Not only the main plot, but also what happens to each character and ghost. Something that I also enjoyed and you didn't was going back to already visited areas. Of course, there were moments that it was too much, but every time that you return to a place there is something new and engaging to do. That's why I was able to enjoy so much, my favorite Fatal Frame and a game that I will never forget.

[@anti-roxas850]

Plan on playing *White Day: A Labyrinth named School* ? One of my favorite horror games. It does have its problems, but watching this Fatal Frame videos reminds me of that game. Especially the importance of notes to the lore (which was my most favorite concept of White Day). I don't want to say much, but I HIGHLY recommend it for you for a review.

[@L16htW4rr10r]

Running away from the janitor is the most painful thing in the world. Especially near the end.

[@TheRealLazerBlazer22]

Holy hell yes. I second that. I'm all for a White Day review. I absolutely loved that game.

[@Upsetkiller456]

I think it's funny and lore fitting that when you play as Miku you are basically the fucking terminator. Her camera is insanely overpowered even without the slow-mo. Makes sense since she is more in-tune with the spirits

[@luigiymario2xd]

Nice! I've been waiting for this video and you actually just uploaded it when I was looking at your videos, nice!

[@michaelcosgrove6086]

Can't wait for the video on Fatal Frame 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse!

[@RobotnikHolmes]

Ooo, this one used to be my favourite of the series! :D I think it was the ghostie designs and the antagonist that just gripped me. You made an impressive video on it and its features, and I thank you for making this game more in the public eye!

[@Jezroth]

Just wanted to say, I recently found your channel and have been binge watching your Halloween stuff over the years. This came out just in time for me to continue XD Enjoying your stuff man!

[@prawnchips9461]

I agree, FF3 have a lot of diaries and documents to follow that it seems too wordy. But now Rei has her own notes that summarize all documents she found, making the story easier to follow by reading her notes.

[@AkhKhetSahRenBaKaIbShutSekhem]

Great Video as always. I personally really like the worldbuilding and story and didn‘t mind the reading at all. I think it‘s a perfect conclusion to the trilogy.

[@TJtheEevee]

Fatal Frame 3 is actually my all time favorite entry, though I do love 2, it's just that 3 is the one entry I've replayed multiple times.

[@ohamatchhams]

Funny that I spot this just after watching videos about Silent Hill games and Pathologic 2 in some other channels lol

[@andrethyst905]

So I'm currently living in Japan, and that "only a man could move this" is something that just passes as at least somewhat normal here (at least from what I've seen). The idea of gender roles is pretty strong here compared to the US (I don't exactly know for other countries as I've never been), and that unfortunately does include things like a woman I live with asking me "You're a man, could you get this thing down for me?" despite the object being clearly within her ability to carry. Honestly it's infuriating if you ask me, but it doesn't surprise me that a line like that would appear in the game.

[@Karakuioshi]

I love how the manly man who is the "only one who can move the chest" is also the only playable character that has to stealth through ghosts.

[@altnova6643]

They DEFINITELY should have worded that line better.

[@Noplayster13]

AltNova I guess... males are physically stronger than females. Only really unhinged people dispute this. I think most people who were offended by this line were desperately looking for something to be offended by.

[@altnova6643]

@@Noplayster13 Like James said in the video, they worded that line terribly, it literally means: "yeah, only a manly dude can move this dresser, you girly girls can go play somewhere else". We all get what the dialogue meant, but they made it sound so (the 's' word that I'm not gonna write because feminazis ruined it).

[@Noplayster13]

AltNova It does not literally mean that. You’re putting words in the mouth of the writers by interpreting it in the worst way it could ever possibly be interpreted. Here is a way to interpret it that does not involve the writers being evil misogynists: Rei is a physically fit, full grown woman in the prime of her life. She tries and cannot budge the furniture. However, she feels that it’s not out of the possibility of being moved by a human. She quite naturally assumes that a male would have the necessary muscle mass and density to be able to do it even though she can’t. She understands the fundamentals of human biology, that the difference in strength and leverage between the sexes is rather significant. And here is the important part: she was secure enough in her own worth to casually admit that. There was no “manly man” beating the pathetic “girly girl” nonsense here. That stuff came from *your* mind, not theirs. I won’t go so far as to say you’re projecting, but that narrative was living within you, which is why you interpreted it the way you did.

[@altnova6643]

@@Noplayster13 Ah, I understand where you're coming from now. Yes, you're absolutely correct, you know why? Because this is how I interpreted this sentence too. But how one interpret a sentence versus what it actually means are 2 different things. The characteristic of the word "only" is "very exclusive", if you know what I mean. i.e. "This machine can only be fixed by a mechanic" means that no one BUT a mechanic can fix this machine. This is what that line of dialogue LITERALLY means, we understand that sentence how the writer wanted us to, but the sentence itself doesn't mean that. This is a simple case of applying words' characteristic into a sentence, no projecting here my dude.

[@iliasghailani1552]

I remember when I was a kid my dad brought me a ps2 with a whole set of games and fatal frame lll was one of them I remember playing it at night just starting that first night dream made me reluctant about Finishing the game just the sound effects made clutch on my seat. They really nailed The suspense on this game and the fact that you can think anything can happen. I wish horror games nowadays could take inspiration from these games and listen more to the veteran audience of horror games

[@minakohiashi8882]

4:40 You can go to sleep and just wake up healing items respond you're allowed to farm healing items. This game is more forgiving with healing items

[@NitroRad]

I'm preeeetty sure doing that resets your healing items back to what they were when you first entered, so you can't do that. Might be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's what happened when I tried.

[@jackgarrison8497]

@@NitroRad THE MANOR OF SLEEP IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND YOU'RE WAY AROUND!

[@jackgarrison8497]

@@NitroRad WE ALL HAVE TO ADMIT THAT KEA SUCKS IN THIS GAME!

[@jackgarrison8497]

@@NitroRad YES THAT LINE IS EXTREMELY SEXIST I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS THE CREATORS INTENSION OR NOT!

[@jackgarrison8497]

@@NitroRad YES THANK YOU THE CREATORS OF THE BIOSHOCK AND DEAD SPACE GAMES FOR MAKING AN OPTIONAL ARROW TO TELL YOU WHERE TO GO TO NEXT!

[@admiralmage1544]

I mean, Fatal Frame 4 cant be that bad, it’s got Suda51.

[@Real1Gaming]

Certainly better than Fatal Frame 1 imo.

[@gurriato]

That's basically a guarantee that it can't be good.

[@jillvalentinedontcryformea8966]

I love the ps2 era graphics its just genuinely scary and creepy.

[@henotic.essence]

The Fatal Frame series has these 2 bit shrine maidens that somehow mess up EVERY ritual that their societies GREATLY rely on for their survival. It's insane. Lmao

[@hheecckk526]

in the first minute in the video you show an interview that says that ff3 is a compilation of the 2 other game but then later you complain about ff2 characters being in the game. you see miku in the game and seem fine with it but you say ff2 characters were dragged in and is lazy. idk man feels a bit biased lol i should add that if you think its forced to have ff2 in ff3 you should hate how ff5 forces miku into the plot of 5 and ruins the entire games story and characters because of it. not every character but 2 specifically

[@hollywoo81]

I think his complaint is because Miku is directly related to FF1 whereas Kei isn't quite, we never see or hear about him in FF2 so we're suddenly supposed to care about him. The name Amakura is a giveaway but I think it was that they made him distant enough to not have it be a collectathon of protagonists but also they didn't really dig in too deeply about his relation, past and involvement with the twins.

[@hheecckk526]

@@hollywoo81 ill definitely agree to the lack of development kei gets. Miku already had all of her development and this game focused on rei so kei is just kinda...there in regards to the plot. They should have developed him more but hey at least they give us something to go on. If he wasnt the uncle then id fully agree that ff2 feels forced but since the twins couldnt be used again so they had to come up with something else.

[@hollywoo81]

@@hheecckk526 yeah, like I personally didn't mind because I'm a huge FF fan and I played this with my sister, so it was just fun and less of a solo chore, you know? I think they originally wanted the twins but felt it was too on the nose, not to mention kind of a spoiler if anyone hadn't played 2

[@bunsmasterbunny]

hhheeeccckkk526 5’s version of Miku is objectively non canon. It’s impossible for the world shown there to be in the same world as 1 and 3.

[@hheecckk526]

@@bunsmasterbunny hisoka and rei are related so its still in the same world along with the guidebook of 5 explaining mius was conceived during mikus dream during 3. its all canon its just they decided to ruin mikus character by making her sex up her dead brother. in 3 she says regrets having survived the first game because she was that obsessed with her brother which alright fine whatever but i cant get behind incest especially if one of them is dead

[@bunsmasterbunny]

+ @Nitro Rad I just don't think this series is right for you if you don't enjoy the backtracking or reading notes to figure out the story. It may not be to your taste, but there was nothing clunky about how the storylines in Fatal Frame 1 or 3 panned out, nor was there anything wrong with the backtracking in any of the games because they show you new and interesting things happening each time, and getting to know the environment briefly only to find out more about it when you come back is a great part of exploration gameplay and fits a Classic style Survival Horror game. I have my issues with 3's story (Mio not being the third character despite it being the chance to develop her character away from Mayu which would make an already great character even better and despite it being her story (The one with the most potential for emotional storytelling, though Miku's is great too) simply because they felt it would be too much to tell), (Reika's situation feeling like a remixed version of Kirie's situation), and the true ending being in photographs (Normally I don't mind this, but in the case of 3 they've admitted the ending was intended to be much longer which would have given on screen character interaction and development between Rei, Miku, Kei, and Mio which would have strengthened the theme of moving on tremendously), but there's nothing wrong with how the story itself is told.

[@sadrabbit53]

11:40 Lol the salt at having to take the long way. Favoriting just for that.

[@hisroyalvlogness2240]

Yeah, just in time for bed in Australia! Spoopy time

[@Shift_Salt]

Wow, it's morning where I'm at. lol

[@ciasteczkoimbirowe1160]

That's scene from the 6th minute of the video. Thanks for showing it. Now I won't sleep ever again xD

[@GrAvYxxBooN]

You look pretty exhausted in this video. Not pointing that out to be mean, just wanted you to know that the fans are here to stay and that you should feel free to take your time making content. You're a great creator!

[@temnbl1]

Why didnt you mention the Miasma system?

[@imjustagirlnotathreat2289]

Omg that's true!:/

[@hollywoo81]

the Miasma system gave me grey hair playing it, I try not to think about it

[@Upsetkiller456]

Introduced super late in game, Felt annoying at some parts and good in others.

[@agamaz5650]

YESSSSSSSS MY GOOOOD THANK YOU I WAS LIKE WHERE IS THE VIDEO FOR LIKE 2 DAYS THANKS FINALYYYYYYYYYYYY

[@Upsetkiller456]

The first time you enter a crawl space as Miku was straight up terrifying. The way the camera slowly pans over to the space and is just like "ya dude, get some more undies."

[@salokin3087]

Huh, its *spooky* month again

[@ellenbrouwerartist]

Take a shot every time they fuck up a ritual.

[@Arkonu]

“Shall we begin...” “The ritual.....?”

[@seemangalbj]

Didn't realize you were so close to 200K. Congrats

[@cloudstrife4534]

I personally liked the inclusion of Miku, and even Mio into the game. I know it was just fanservice, and it served no real purpose. But I felt like the connection to 2, as superficial as it was, played into what the creator said about 3 being a compilation of the first 2 games. It was it's own story, but it incorporated characters from the previous games to put a fitting cap to the PS2 era of Fatal Frame. And I also think that making the niece Kei was looking for a new character wouldn't be any more significant than a character from a previous game. The connection was tenuous at best, sure. But it served Kei's story purposes just as well as a character made up for this game. That's just my opinion though, and I get thinking that it was a silly addition to the story.

[@bunsmasterbunny]

cloudstrife4534/Maysayer It served a purpose. To show people overcoming their trauma and continuing on living.

[@cloudstrife4534]

TheZeldaExperienceWithin That's true, that's a good way of putting it.

[@Calios]

Been looking to this one for quite a while now, thank you NitroRad!

[@pippo17173]

6:02 Mommy can we get to mcdonalds.

[@maziio646]

The scares in the house , in plain daylight were soooo good

[@Reinrosannir]

Amazing video as usual! Would love to see you review Kuon.

[@jz1443]

I remember some of the same qualms, but also that those irritations where mainly because I was trying to plow through it all at once.. It was still *perfect* as the send off for the 3 games, like it was intended to be. The "annoying lore" also filled in a lot of plot holes from past games, and was intended to be for people that played the 1st two games and liked them. But also, Rei was like an analogue for all the past games characters also, without choking her twin sister or the like..

[@MagicMaster667]

It's the most, wonderful time, of the yeaaaar~ 👻

[@ClassicKrusty]

U really wear ur heart on ur sleeve the way u review games. Great approach and analysis =)

[@expired-deku7130]

this line was never an issue...it was thankfully released before everyone got offended lol I think having so much to read was a nice way to explore the lore of the world...it honestly made me love the enemies more knowing that I've read about their story. That's what I think they wanted to go for. Mio was actually meant to be the 3rd main character....but they made the god awful decision to bring in Kei....like I like his story..trying to find out what happened to the girls but Mio should have been it.

[@Stonepotwaffles]

Thanks for being good to watch in the background

[@imjustagirlnotathreat2289]

FF2 and 3 are both my favorite. I cried over both games' ending and i just looooooove the songs the play at the end. I didn't mind all the text and the backtracking in FF3, i enjoyed so much. And yeah, once the series was acquired by nintendo it got ruined.

[@ferchsakura]

PikaLink91 I mean, the Fifth was terrible and the game for the DS was just worse lol The only good think I remember from the DS version was this one part where you would have to look up to take a picture of this kid on the ceiling. But other than that it lasted like 2 hours and it was in your bedroom which I personally didn’t find so cool lol.

[@imjustagirlnotathreat2289]

@@PikaLink91 The FF games that came out after the first 3 don't have the same feel. I don't know how to explain that but they just don't. They might look like FF on the surface but don't feel like it. Plus there was some argument between the creators of FF4 and nintendo about translation to bring the game outside of japan which never happened because of nintendo. It was the first FF exclusively made for nintendo and they already managed to fuck it up. The female characters were sexualized (more evident in FF5) making them dress in a way that doesn't match the horror vibe of the series, making them look like Dead Or Alive characters. That's why.

[@imjustagirlnotathreat2289]

@@ferchsakura Yeah just the overall quality of the series took a hit.

[@imjustagirlnotathreat2289]

@@PikaLink91 1) I never said that FF4 not being localized is the game's fault. 2) Do you even know what sexualized even mean? Because it doesn't mean someone who's just...beautiful :/ 3) Yeah Koei Tecmo is also behind DAO so what? That justifies making every female character look the same? Regardless of my or your opinion, you can't deny the female characters in the trilogy and the ones after the trilogy look even remotely the same, come on, that's disingenuous. 4) Clearly we'll never agree on this matter so this my last comment. I mean I'm glad you kept being satisfied with the series even after the PlayStation era, more power to you!

[@kazekothestrange8402]

I don't know if anyone else has said this (probably, considering how long the video's been up), but the way Yuu and Rei's names together make 'yuurei', meaning ghost, was always a little detail that I loved.

[@legandaryprinnygamer8886]

I know you likely already planned all of your Halloween videos but part of me hope you cover the Gregory Horror Show for I believe ps2

[@Lemon0Zero]

Oh boy! I cant wait for you to play 4th and 5th! They are not that scary but there was one in the 5th that freaked me out mostly because its connected to an urban legend. But excited to see your review on both games!

[@DaveReturnsagain1]

Well I feel 5 is fairly scary and disturbing in several areas, not to mention it hits on some very hard topics. Personally I love 5 and feel it gets a lot of unfair hate, mainly because we have people moaning that Nintendo "Ruined" the series. Usually forgetting the fact that this series has never sold all that well and is fairly niche at best. I personally love this series, but I would hazard a guess and say the vast majority of people probably didn't even know about the series until he started reviewing them. I can't say a lot about 4 but I feel it is a grey area for the series as a whole. Guess I will find out soon.

[@bunsmasterbunny]

@@DaveReturnsagain1 People hate on 5 because of the lackluster story and non canon characters (miu and ayane), as well as the unrealized potential with its gameplay mechanics.

[@DaveReturnsagain1]

@@bunsmasterbunny Well to be fair Ayane is an extra after the story. So that feels a bit irrelevant, yes Miu was just wasted potential as for the story I didn't find it particularly lacklustre. Especially given 4 and 3 but alas guess I will be in the minority on that one.

[@bunsmasterbunny]

DaveReturnsagain1 3 and 4 have way better story’s than 5. 5 has the potential to have the strongest story, but it doesn’t focus on it enough, instead spending 2/3’s of the game on things that either don’t happen or are unimportant. It’s a very unorganized setup.

[@isenokami7810]

Totally agree with you on the “there’s a story reason” thing. Granted, I can kinda go on with that if the story reason is clever and, you know, good, but I really get the feeling that this one is crap. Or, you could use “story reasons” to have something good. My main example is from Kingdom Hearts, where completing the Hollow Bastion keyhole increases the variety and strength of Heartless everywhere. It effectively puts the difficulty and EXP payouts on roughly the same level in every world (and to a lesser extent item drops via mixing of Heartless types), allowing you to freely choose which worlds you want to hang around and grind in if you so choose, rather than do the KH equivalent of the circle walk across a single world. Shame later KH games didn’t do this.

[@bunsmasterbunny]

Ise no Kami The reason isn’t crap.

[@mrdreamy1747]

My favorite part of this video had to be that James said "IF THE MAP WASN'T FREAKING GIGANTIC" with an echo effect and a second image of the map over the game's map. I got a chuckle out of that.

[@samuraiboy497]

Well Backtracking in horror games is scary for me cause on your way back through these areas anything can happen so it’s always tense this is a big thumbs up for people who fear this like I do you never know what’s gonna happen next when you think your safe

[@MsUnamusedNerd]

Kei never had an experience with all gods village. That would be his name is mio. I’m not sure how he got afflicted by the tattooed curse but judging from what I know about it I’m assuming his niece dreamt about him and that caused him to be affected by it since that’s one way to catch it. Scary.. Also Mio does have a reason for being in the game. This game has the theme of survivors guilt so she obviously feels guilty for surviving what happened and all gods village… Which of course is the ending of the game. If your heart yearns to be with a deceased loved one, like your fiancé or twin sister, you’re going to get the tattoo curse .

[@BlackFurryNight]

Hi Rad, great series. Please do the Parasite Eve series next.

[@Shift_Salt]

Ah, such an interesting winding staircase of a series.

[@BHM_Productions]

I absolutely loved Fatal Frame 3. I agree with Nitro in that it was very scary. I also always loved its visual style and atmosphere.

[@YAIAAC]

10/10 Toilet Ghouls The bathroom scares in this game spooked me 10x worse than watching Psycho as a kid. I still think about those moments regularly when i even just walk past my bathroom.

[@judas_christ01]

My biggest gripe about this game is that if I don't play it for about a week, I can't remember what I'm supposed to be doing and just spend an hour wandering before giving up and having to start over

[@ShrimpGaslight]

Unlike in Western countries, gender roles are pretty fundamental in Japan and every other Asian country Tbh the women players in Japan wouldn’t even bat an eye at the “a man can move this” statement.

[@YarugumaSou]

The world was still more sane in 2005

[@Lambodera]

Oh boy... The hating on Kei as "fan service"... Can't wait to see your reaction to a certain character being in the fifth game. I do happen to agree that the level design is horrible and confusing in this one, though. That's why I uh... never finished it. I got sick of wandering around aimlessly for hours trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Looking forward to the next part! Keep up the great work, man!

[@abbbou]

The backtracking is a key component of these type of games. I understand that not everybody may like this sort of level design, but it's by no mean a flaw. Traversing the same locations multiple times is how you get to intimately know the map and establish a bond with it. And it's the best way for developers to place the most memorable scares (as you admitted yourself). I may be exagirating, but you seem to judge these games according to how similar they are to silent hill games in term of level design. FF2 is like SH = masterpiece! every other entry = meh! You also criticized the amount of reading materials, and I would have agree with you if it was the only way to tell the story. But it's not! The game has plenty of cut-scenes (of good quality) and the reading materials are there just to enrich the lore. You don't have to read all of it to understand the story. You should probably try review these games for what they are, not for what you want them to be.

[@Upsetkiller456]

There is a huge difference between good backtracking and bad backtracking. Good back tracking will constantly have you unlock new areas and "peel back" what was already there. Bad backtracking is just straight going to a spot you've already been to just to grab a new item that decided to spawn in. This game is VERY guilty of bad backtracking in the latter half. First half isn't so bad.

[@peppinoandweskerfriendsfor3450]

Quiet jump scares that aren’t in your face are so fucking good. I’m looking at you, FNAF

[@redtomb3167]

It's my first time seeing this game but OH I SEE HOW IT IT OKAY ALRIGHT OKAY ALRIGHT OKAY

[@L16htW4rr10r]

Same. X,D

[@mattlarrubia]

You just tackled everything I felt playing this game

[@jenniferohrstrom9831]

I can't agree that Mio and Mayu being brought into the story is a bad thing, at least not any worse than brining Miku into it. That article mention specifically says that they wanted to bring the previous two games together, hence the inclusion of them and some locations from the games. I suppose it could have been Mayu, rather than her uncle, but would suspect that they wanted to use different relationships to the deceased loved ones, rather than both Mayu and Miku having lost a sibling. It could perhaps have been done better, but I think it's fine the way it is. Also, griping about "only a man" is pointless in my opinion. Like it or not, men are typically stronger than women, and neither Rei nor Miku look particularly strong. It is what it is.

[@solidskullz5736]

watching this is 2 am is probably a bad idea

[@666karva]

YASS!!

[@thomassager6396]

YASSSSS QUEEN

[@alistair4909]

Yaaasssssss

[@EternalightVXe]

I was surprised you didn't mention the "candle" mechanic in the later chapters. Fatal Frame 3 has the best atmosphere in the series IMO. 1. The old abandoned Japanese shrine/mansion. Sometimes you hear someone crying, or some children singing. 2. Some ghosts wandering when they're awake, and it's always raining making a pretty depressing atmosphere. 3. Using the topic of "Survivor's Guilt" and moving on after we lose someone in our life.

[@glanni]

Great points! Also, let me mention the existential horror elements which make every single scary element go under your skin even more. 1. The fact that this place exists in the characters' dreams is very immersive because it's not as easy to separate the real world from it. In the other games it's always a physical place which I know isn't real, but who has full control over their dreams. Of course we know it's still fantasy, but because real life doesn't fully disprove it one might still feel slightly more unsettled. 2. The idea that this priestess takes all the pain of people and keeps it forever is very uncomfortable because forever is a damn long time. 3. In the game we meet Yoshino before she's spirited away, and afterwards she's just like the other ghosts, and this is really creepy. Then we meet other people who also suffered this fate, and we know Rei will too if we don't save her (which we don't know is even possible). Even playable characters are being spirited away because of our doing. (Miku survives, but if you choose to let her follow Mafuyu it actually doesn't make sense since the game even warns you you can't return). 4. The whole 'if you follow the dead in your dreams you can't return' idea is extremely haunting. 5. The ghosts start seeping into Rei's home after time, and that after you start feeling slightly more comfortable there. Yikes. The game and its themes are more tangible and personal than those of earlier games, which makes it more deeply scary. I have a love/hate relationship with that game for I'm a big chicken. It's my favorite game out of the series.

[@glanni]

The candle mechanic is genius tho, imo. I highkey hate it.

[@lazy-a-ile8608]

"Only man can do this"... Pretty sure most women don't have that thin of a skin about it buddy.

[@higashiyama7243]

I'd say the 4th one of the series is definitely the best and the scariest one of them all. Hope you'll get to play it since the English patched version is kinda rare lately xD.

[@ianbowden2524]

Have you ever heard of a woman moving a dresser? I'm pretty sure modern science denies it's possible.