Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake Interview – Improvements, Gameplay, the Future, and More

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Koei Tecmo is remaking the classic PlayStation 2 survival horror game, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly, and we recently spoke with series producer Makoto Shibata. He shared details about the game’s updated visuals and gameplay, as well as technical aspects like how it will perform on consoles and the studio’s take on new features like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution.

Fatal Frame is a classic survival horror series that first became popular on the PlayStation 2. With this remake, how are you balancing introducing the game to new players and staying true to what existing fans enjoy about it?

We built this game using Koei Tecmo’s powerful engine and Team NINJA’s extensive experience with action games. This allowed us to update the visuals while staying true to the original Crimson Butterfly‘s atmosphere. Importantly, the development team included both longtime Fatal Frame fans and people who worked on the very first game, and we incorporated their passion and insights throughout the process.

Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake is the second remake of the game. Besides better graphics and sound, what new features or differences can players anticipate?

We made big changes to how the game is controlled and how you see the world. The original game used camera cuts to suddenly show enemies and scare players. This remake uses typical third-person shooter controls with a smooth, unbroken camera view. To make this work, we redesigned the levels and how things are set up, focusing on letting players discover frightening things themselves. This creates a different kind of fear, but we think it makes the game much more immersive and feels more real.

The first game built fear by suddenly showing players the Wraiths through quick changes in camera angle as they explored.

Are there any plans to change parts of the story, how it unfolds, or the way scenes are shown to make it feel new, or will the story stay largely the same?

We’ve made a few changes to how cutscenes flow into gameplay, smoothing out the transitions between them. Some scenes that used to be separate cutscenes are now happening directly within the game world, using the in-game camera to make everything feel more connected and immersive.

What kind of post game content can players look forward to in the remake?

This game has several different endings, and we want players to discover them all! To help with this, and to make collecting everything easier, you can replay chapters and start new games while keeping your progress. Just like the original, you can also unlock NIGHTMARE mode for a really tough challenge. In NIGHTMARE mode, you can even upgrade the Camera Obscura, so if you’re up for it, give it a shot!

If this new version of the game is successful, is the team considering or hoping to remake other games in the Fatal Frame series?

If people enjoy this new version of the game, we’re hoping to remake other games in the series. When we do, it’s important that the game appeals to both loyal, longtime fans and players who currently enjoy a variety of modern horror titles.

“If this remake is well received, we would like to consider remaking other entries in the series.”

The first Fatal Frame 2 was scary, in part, because of the limitations of the PlayStation 2. Now that you can create much more detailed graphics, how are you making sure the new version still feels unsettling and realistic, rather than overly polished and clean?

The original game used visual effects like subtle noise and blur to give it an old-film look and create a specific atmosphere. We’ve kept this idea in the remake by including a gentle noise effect while you explore, preventing the graphics from looking too perfect. When enemies called Wraiths appear, this noise gets stronger to signal a change in the environment and build tension.

Old-school survival horror games are sometimes criticized for having puzzles that are too confusing. Are you doing anything to make the puzzles in your game easier to understand, like adding hints or quality-of-life improvements, while still making sure they’re challenging?

Honestly, the story reminders in the original game were kinda weak. But since we’re building this remake from the ground up, we totally revamped that whole system. Now, it’s way easier to keep track of what you need to do – objectives are right there in front of you, so you always know what’s next, and you can quickly remember where you left off if you take a break. Plus, we added a glossary, which is super helpful when you’re trying to remember all the details!

Fatal Frame 2 already has several different endings. Will players who return to the game find anything new, like extra scenes, items to collect, or things to unlock?

That’s right! Beyond the refreshed main story, exploring the new side stories unlocks even more details about the world. We’ve also improved the gameplay with collectibles hidden around the village and enhanced the Camera Obscura with new features and upgrades. Even if you’ve played the original game, you’ll discover plenty of fresh content.

As a game developer, what are your opinions on the PS5 Pro? How does its more powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) change the development process compared to making games for the standard PS5?

With more powerful hardware, we can now fully bring our creative visions to life. Developing for PlayStation 5 has been a great experience, and we find it’s a very developer-friendly platform.

With better hardware, things that were once limited can now be fully developed and used.

What are your thoughts on PSSR, and what kind of opportunities does it open up for this remake?

It’s something that we hope to make more use of in the future.

Okay, so everyone wants to know how the game will look and run on all the different consoles, right? I’m curious about the target resolution and frame rates for everything – the new Switch 2 both when it’s plugged into a TV and in handheld mode, the PS5, the Xbox Series S and X, and even the rumored PS5 Pro. Basically, I want to know how smooth and detailed the game will be on each system.

The game was designed to run at 30 frames per second to create the best possible graphics and a truly scary atmosphere. PC players who have powerful enough computers can choose to play at a smoother 60 frames per second. The game looks its best on high-end systems, with a resolution of 2160p on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X. It runs at 1440p on Xbox Series S and 1080p on Nintendo Switch. You can find more technical details on the game’s official website.

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2026-02-24 14:47