Official Japanese Website

Platform: PlayStation 2

Genre: Survival Horror

Number of Players: 1
 

Almost every game company has tried to make their own survival horror title ever since Capcom coined the term with the first Resident Evil game, but many of them have lacked the fear factor that they potentially could have. Even Resident Evil never really has been a game that I would consider to be fear inspiring, and the company that I have to give a lot of credit to when it comes to survival horror is Tecmo. Fatal Frame became a sleeper hit after it was released, and although I thought that a sequel wouldn't quite live up to the original game, the second ended up being even better. The Fatal Frame franchise isn't ending at two games, and I haven't actually heard of any plans to send the series to its grave just yet. The Tormented is the third installment, and Tecmo wants to make sure that you forget about any warm, fuzzy feelings that you might have.

Rei Kurosawa has entered into a deadly nightmare. Recently she was involved in a deadly car crash with her boyfriend Yuu . . . . . only he didn't survive. This was only the beginning, and now when she sleeps she finds herself drawn into the Mansion of Sleep, a mysterious place that is filled with the spirits of the dead. Rei also finds that when she wakes there is a mysterious bruise that is spreading across her body, but only she can see it. Now she must solve the mystery of the mansion before she suffers the same fate as the souls lost within its dark walls.

Before jumping into what is different, I'd like to point out that Fatal Frame III actually ties in with the other two games, but you don't necessarily need to have played them to fully enjoy The Tormented. Rei is a photographer and has hired an assistant; Miku Hinasaki. You may remember her from the original Fatal Frame where she searched for her missing brother, and the scars of this event still run deep. Rei also has been getting letters from one of Yuu's associates, Kei Amakura. It seems that his niece, Mio, has been experiencing some difficulty sleeping as well, and seems to have experienced many of the things that Rei is undergoing. Mio as well as her sister Mayu appeared in Fatal Frame II and now their uncle is trying to break Mio out of this deadly curse.

Rei is the main character that you will be controlling, but you will also find yourself guiding Miku and Kei through the mansion as well. The three of them will all have access to the Camera Obscura, one of the most important items in the Fatal Frame series. As many already are aware, your enemies in the Fatal Frame series are not of this world, and the camera has the power to sends ghosts into the netherworld. The Tormented will shed some light on the background of the camera as well as a few other items that have shows up in the series, but there have also been some changes in terms of what can be done. You will still be scoring points based on how you photograph the ghosts, and this can be used to upgrade your camera.

The Camera Obscura will being by allowing you to improve the amount of Spirit Power that can be charged, and the more you have, the more damage you will do. Having a greater range is important, and this can be increased as well as the sensitivity, which will increase your recharge rate. The camera also has different film; the same is the previous games that can be used which will increase the damage you do. You now have different lenses that not only can be attached but also upgraded with the points that you've obtained while fighting the undead. You will also find equipment that will add a variety of different features to the camera, though these are always active and don't need to be upgraded. One of my favorites in this category is Alarm, a function that will allow you to get another shot in and perform a combo, a great way to get rid of spirits faster and earn some points faster. You will also get a flash option later to stun sprits and even banish weaker entities immediately. You will only have a few chances to do this however, but these will be recharged.

As Kei, you have the ability to hide from spirits, and this is something I would really like to see carried over and made a normal skill for all characters as it can save film. Kei also can move heavy objects. Miku on the other hand can fit into small spaces, and you will find a few of these. If you've played the other Fatal Frame titles, you may also notice that some portions of the games will be included in the game.

You have two different locations that The Tormented is set in. Primarily you will be in the Mansion of Sleep and this is where you will find the spirits calling you, but when you are awake, you will be in Rei's home. Here you will gather other information based on what you've encountered in the mansion. You can develop photographs that you've taken and give them to Miku to find out more information. The real world however is only a fraction of the game, and the nightmare you are living while you sleep is the main source of things in Fatal Frame.

The Tormented is probably more atmospheric than the prior games where. There are a number of hushed whispers that you may hear as you wanted the dark hallways of the mansion. The ghosts are even more deadly than before and the AI tends to be very good. These aren't zombies like in Resident Evil, so they can simply pass through walls only to appear behind, and when looking through the camera, their looks can be horrifying. The only light sources you will find are candles and dimly lit lanterns in some rooms (your save point) as well as your flashlight, so the rooms will be incredibly dark and sinister. I've never felt as much tension in a game as I have here when doing something as simply as opening a door. I keep expecting something to jump out at me, something that was seen in the original game, but so far, nothing. But, that feeling is still there. Fatal Frame also offers some minor puzzle solving as seen in the previous games.

The only thing that I don't like about the game is the English dub. I'm not sure what effect was decided upon during these session, but it sounds horrible, like talking into a tin can, and I think that having the original Japanese audio included would still be a fantastic idea. We all know that the game is set in Japan based on the names alone, so having the authentic audio would be a great touch and I would assume make the game even more atmospheric.

Now, you may be wondering with my overexposure to horror if for some reason there are any ghosts in the game that give me a little bit of an uncomfortable feelings. Well, there are. Having an encounter with a spirit known as Crawling Woman at about 2 AM in the morning wasn't a pleasant experience. If you've seen Ju-on, think about the ending of the film with the mother crawling down the stairs and you'll know what this ghost is like. The little girls that keeps saying, "you killed daddy" isn't something that's going to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling, and there are some spirit that pop in out of no where only to disappear. The developers did a fantastic job at making anyone feel a little uneasy.

Fatal Frame has become a series that I see no danger of suddenly disappearing. People love this game, and with good reason; it can literally scare the hell out of you and I've heard stories and even talked with people that had to stop playing the game because they were too frightened. That's not the case for me, though there are times that I get paranoid or feel a sudden chill. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Fatal Frame makes its way onto the PSP at some point, but even if it doesn't, Fatal Frame III is the creepiest of the bunch thus far, putting it on par with Japanese films like Ju-on. Shut off the lights, close the curtains, and get ready for a new haunting, and one that may even stick with you in your sleep.
 

-mike-