Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly is getting a PC remake, bringing its horror pictures to Steam

Smile and say AIEEEEE, horror followers! Tecmo and Team Ninja are bringing a “remake” of PS2 survival horror Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly to PC through Steam in early 2026. Why am I brandishing a glyph-covered Canon EOS 90D at you, whereas singing the Ghostbusters theme? Allow me to elucidate: Fatal Frame’s signature contact is that you simply defeat spooks utilizing a magic digicam. Naturally, this additionally implies that it’s a must to look steadily and calmly at mentioned spooks whereas they shimmer and sway in direction of you. Catch a few of that nonsense within the remake’s announcement trailer.

I’ve solely ever performed one Fatal Frame recreation, 2005’s Fatal Frame III: The Tormented, by which you alternate between a comparatively protected daytime condo and a dream manor the place the monsters are. I’m informed that Crimson Butterfly is the very best of the lot. It’s the story of dual sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura, who go to a stream in the future to reminisce about their childhoods earlier than the realm is submerged by the development of a dam.

Alas and alack, Mayu spots a pleasant crimson butterfly that lures her away to a “village of never-ending night”, residence to a “forbidden ritual”. I had the same factor occur to me whereas mountain climbing alongside the Dales Way, as soon as. The butterfly was a deceptively low cost Airbnb itemizing, the village was Kendal, and the forbidden ritual was all-night karaoke on the Olde Fleece Inn.

According to the Steam page, the Crimson Butterfly remake will likely be a “complete overhaul”, with “richer and more engaging gameplay in both exploration and combat”. In explicit, you’ll be able to anticipate a “Holding Hands with Mayu” mechanic that, presumably, permits you to maintain fingers with Mayu. I actually hope there’s extra to this so-called remake’s “richer and more engaging gameplay” than merely letting main characters maintain fingers, Tecmo.

I benefit from the nerdiness of Fatal Frame’s pictures mechanics. The digicam may be upgraded with completely different lenses and kinds of movie, and it is not unattainable that you simply would possibly study one thing about shot composition whilst you’re flashbulbing poltergeists. Given nerves of metal, you would possibly end up demanding that the ghost exit and are available once more, as a result of dang it, this one could possibly be worthy of the New Yorker. The ghost won’t hearken to you, after all, however do not let that cease you yelling at your TV display.

Two earlier Fatal Frame video games have made the leap to PC – Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. Our Mask of the Lunar Eclipse reviewer Kim Armstrong was not eager, commenting of the PC port, “while this unique combat may have carried the game’s lifeless story back in 2008, this rerelease is nothing more than an expensive reskin of a relic.”

We did not assessment Maiden of Black Water, presumably as a result of it was so terrifying that Graham (RPS in peace) refused to assign it and as an alternative threw it right into a lake one darkish and stormy night. Or presumably as a result of it was so boring that Graham (RPS in peace) refused to assign it and as an alternative threw it right into a lake one darkish and stormy night. He’s gone now, so it is unattainable to say for certain.