Fatal Frame

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Tecmo
  • Release Date: Mar 4, 2002
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 131 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 110 out of 131
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 131
  3. Negative: 4 out of 131
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  1. CloudStrife
    Apr 10, 2005
    10
    One of the best Horror Games, or the best? Anyway it is VERY Scary even if you play it at daylight! i tried to play it once with headphones and i almost pee on me!!
  2. LissaR.
    Nov 13, 2004
    10
    This is the best survival horror game out there, especially if you're not too scared to play it in the dark. I'm a big fan of the Silent Hill and Resident Evil games, but this game easily blows them both away. It's really too bad that so many people have been closed minded about it because you fight with a camera. The only way that this game could have been better would be This is the best survival horror game out there, especially if you're not too scared to play it in the dark. I'm a big fan of the Silent Hill and Resident Evil games, but this game easily blows them both away. It's really too bad that so many people have been closed minded about it because you fight with a camera. The only way that this game could have been better would be if Miku's voice actress didn't sound brain damaged half of the time...… Expand
  3. Higher_Standard
    Aug 17, 2010
    9
    This game and that **** with the messed up neck still scare me to this very day. The sounds are amazing and give an effect of almost surround sound-like quality even on a normal stereo television. Very terrifying ambiance. Story is quite interestingly done also.
  4. LouisD.
    Aug 28, 2003
    3
    Fatal Frame could have been acceptable, but the lack of weapons and action really hurt the game. Truly disappointing.
  5. tsakiym
    May 18, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it.................................… Expand
  6. ORevisor
    Apr 6, 2018
    2
    O delay dos disparos da câmera de Miku são terríveis, a ponto de acabar com a graça do jogo. Se tivesse começado a jogar a série pelo primeiro jogo provavelmente não jogaria os demais.
  7. DemonicRobots
    Oct 19, 2021
    7
    Fatal Frame is a very good entry into the survival horror world during a time where Silent Hill and Resident Evil reigned. It features a young girl searching for her brother in a haunted mansion, fighting enemies with only a special ghost camera to defend herself. The story is good albeit simple, with a focus on what happened before you arrived in the Himuro Mansion. The gameplay was aFatal Frame is a very good entry into the survival horror world during a time where Silent Hill and Resident Evil reigned. It features a young girl searching for her brother in a haunted mansion, fighting enemies with only a special ghost camera to defend herself. The story is good albeit simple, with a focus on what happened before you arrived in the Himuro Mansion. The gameplay was a good change of pace, focusing on first-person camera shooting to defend yourself from ghosts, and incentivizing you to stare at your horror while fighting it rather than running away. All the ghosts are relatively unique characters and you can even find out their background and how they died. The puzzles are decent as well, but they really don't do much or involve any unique mechanics. Usuaully to unlock doors you don't get keys but rather find a blue zone, aim your camera at the blue zone, and that unlocks it. You have an upgrade system as well but it is very basic, and it is more making you more powerful rather than changing how you play and creating unique playstyles. The NG+ content is good as well, but the location being only one place that you've already gone through multiple times in one playthrough makes it seem like it simply wasn't big enough for what they wanted, and that shows. For a first game though they created really good bones, and it certainly did a good job sneaking its way into the third-place survival horror spot on the PS2, beating out Obscure, Siren, and more.… Expand
  8. RobG.
    Oct 7, 2003
    10
    I'm pretty sure i just shat myself... by far one of the scariest games i've played. Excellent effects, outstanding sound... i'm not kidding...i think i really did shat myself...
  9. Tomyo
    Jan 27, 2004
    10
    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh way to scary.
  10. JarrodC.
    May 7, 2002
    10
    This game is scary as hell!!!! Great graphics! I found myself haveing to put the game down as it was getting too scary at times. And I don't scare easy. This game blows away Resident Evil and Silent Hill!!!!
  11. JohnT.
    Mar 13, 2002
    8
    Think Silent Hill minus weapons, set in Japan, and you're not far off. I actually found this game to be pretty creepy, and there were a few few spots which make you jump. Not overall as scary or unsettling as the first Silent Hill, but I thought it was pretty cool. Along the way you pick up notes and scraps that unravel the story, as well as audio tapes which let you listen to the Think Silent Hill minus weapons, set in Japan, and you're not far off. I actually found this game to be pretty creepy, and there were a few few spots which make you jump. Not overall as scary or unsettling as the first Silent Hill, but I thought it was pretty cool. Along the way you pick up notes and scraps that unravel the story, as well as audio tapes which let you listen to the other character's problems in the mansion. … Expand
  12. JIFAN
    Nov 13, 2003
    9
    This is the scariest game I've ever played, indeed, I have not finished it yet, too scary.......... ha
  13. JamesV.
    Sep 29, 2003
    10
    Scarier than most movies.
  14. FonstleL.
    Mar 15, 2004
    10
    This is extremely scary man.
  15. EmilyB.
    Nov 20, 2003
    10
    Loved it.
  16. EmilyB.
    Nov 20, 2003
    10
    Loved it.
  17. MarceloJ.
    Dec 25, 2006
    9
    This game keeps me in the edge of my seat, and my heart beating amazingly fast. The only game that creates this fear with more intensity is Silent Hill, but this one gets really close. A must have for horror fans.
  18. Macdealer
    Feb 10, 2016
    10
    My favorite game/series in the world. The first PS2 game I played, so it touched my heart. The story is intense, read all the files you get in the game, is great.
  19. CrazyNed
    Oct 24, 2013
    8
    About to beat this for the first time and while I readily admit that it is consistently creepy and occasionally intense, it is not nearly as 'scary' as "Silent Hill" (and its three immediate sequels). The best thing going for it is easily the story behind it and the folklore found within while its weakest link, by far, is the awful voice acting (for the US version). When all is said andAbout to beat this for the first time and while I readily admit that it is consistently creepy and occasionally intense, it is not nearly as 'scary' as "Silent Hill" (and its three immediate sequels). The best thing going for it is easily the story behind it and the folklore found within while its weakest link, by far, is the awful voice acting (for the US version). When all is said and done, it trounces the "Resident Evil" series easily though... is that really that hard to do? and I am looking forward to booting up the sequel.… Expand
  20. Rox22
    Sep 26, 2013
    8
    I got this game on day 1. It was scary, deeply atmospheric and some fantastic visuals. Not to mention the ghost hunting with a camera was a great, and unique way of combat that really felt refreshingly different.

    Controls are a little clunky and slow at times and the story a little hard to follow at times, however the deeper into the game you get the clearer things get and the easier    I got this game on day 1. It was scary, deeply atmospheric and some fantastic visuals. Not to mention the ghost hunting with a camera was a great, and unique way of combat that really felt refreshingly different.

    Controls are a little clunky and slow at times and the story a little hard to follow at times, however the deeper into the game you get the clearer things get and the easier they become.

    Overall:
    A spooky and deeply atmospheric game that really does something different to the survival horror genre.    … Expand
  21. YoutubeTGW
    Feb 24, 2014
    7
    I played the second one before this because this one was really hard to find. The ending just like this made me mad because of the dumb choice the character's brother made…All in all I did enjoy it.
  22. animefan
    Dec 8, 2013
    9
    It is a 9 for me just because the other 2 were longer. It's good for what it is and this kind of game isn't supposed to have weapons and action so forget about that, this isn't silent hill. This is slow paced and scary so it is supposed to surprise you and make you jump when it's quiet and you don't know what to expect. Weapons and a lot of fighting would ruin it badly.
  23. guiletheguiles
    Sep 29, 2022
    8
    I remember trying to play this game back when I was a kid and just not being able to get with the program. Well, now I was finally able to beat it.

    Fatal Frame is a unique horror franchise. There are similar ideas in gaming out there, but nothing quite like it. And the 1st entry, although rough around the edges, kickstarts all of it. The atmosphere is top notch from beginning to end.    I remember trying to play this game back when I was a kid and just not being able to get with the program. Well, now I was finally able to beat it.

    Fatal Frame is a unique horror franchise. There are similar ideas in gaming out there, but nothing quite like it. And the 1st entry, although rough around the edges, kickstarts all of it.

    The atmosphere is top notch from beginning to end. The game's photography, sound design, use of silence, mood and soundtrack all act in synchronicity in order to create this unholy and ominous environment. And to back all of this up, you get a very small, but creepy cast of characters moving and sounding as chilling as possible to move the plot forward. It's quite amazing, really.

    The story is also very simple. It's good, keeps you interested and gets you going through the house. It's just not up to par with future games.But the ending surprised me! It was unexpectedly bittersweet. And since I played the 2nd one and a bit of the 3rd, it's just nice to see how it all ties up.

    Using the camera feels VERY clunky, but you get used to it. Especially with the ghost capturing system forcing you to stay on your toes to catch secrets and wandering aparitions around the mansion. All that weird, ghastly clunkyness combined with a frightening (and a little repetitive, I admit) soundtrack just makes it work.

    One other thing, and that's what I loved the most about the game: the mansion! It's such an impressive well-done scary setting. The level design was so beautifully crafted that reminded me of RE1's mansion, Dead Space's Ishimura or Batman's Arkham Asylum. Simply brilliant

    But despite this game's well-done aspects, this game is riddled with flaws. I'm not gonna list everything here because it's not hard to find them. Just play the game and you'll know it. But some things are unbearable! Movement is VERY slow, using the camera feels awkward, puzzles are boring, voice acting is bad (the english one, at least), you constantly clip through stuff when running and sometimes it's just hard to see things due to how dark it can get.

    The WORST thing, hands down, has to be the combat. Anything that deals with the game's difficulty, in general, to be honest. Ghosts are faster than you, they blend with the environment, you die in 2/3 hits and resources, especially healing items, are extremely scarce.

    It's completely unbalanced I just don't understand how they missed the mark with something so essential. The blinding woman from chapter 2 and the entire chapter 3 are a mess! Everytime I thought about battling a ghost, no matter how interesting it was, I just DREADED the idea.

    Fatal Frame 1 is a VERY good game. The beginning of a series that I absolutely love, but it's impossible to hide how burdensome it can be at times. If you love survival horror games, I'm sure you love it. If you're just in for a good time in the series, start with the 2nd one.    … Expand
  24. sckolar
    May 20, 2014
    8
    Fatal Frame a good game. Unfortunately it is not a great game. If it were not for the following, then it would be great

    -Short. It is literally between 4-6 hours long. You can complete it rather quick. However, Despite that the game is absolutely flavorful and the core concepts are original, making you not regret buying the game -The game does a poor job in preparing you for fights    Fatal Frame a good game. Unfortunately it is not a great game. If it were not for the following, then it would be great

    -Short. It is literally between 4-6 hours long. You can complete it rather quick. However, Despite that the game is absolutely flavorful and the core concepts are original, making you not regret buying the game

    -The game does a poor job in preparing you for fights when the game gets hard. It doesn't gradually get harder, at one point it will all of a sudden be tough. Keep in mind that in the beginning it's easy. You have tons of film and medicine, however halfway through the game out of nowhere, the game decides to make everything scarce, and if you run out of film in the middle of a ghost fight, you're dead. You cannot leave rooms when being attacked by a ghost. I died several times in particular places because of this. Most parts of this game are fun, but when reaching these particular moments the game would simply piss me off.

    Aside from the two major drawbacks the game introduces it's own unique combat against ghost... Taking a picture and computing it inside the camera! The game has a creepy atmosphere, and you can feel a bit frightened even after putting the game down for years.    … Expand
  25. frederik1478
    Mar 20, 2020
    9
    My favourite game in the series and It is not too long and it has a lot of replay value the best part is that you feel nice satisfied by the end satisfied
  26. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Apr 2, 2023
    8
    A Japanese survival horror game in the vein of Silent Hill and Resident Evil. However, it is scarier than both. The setting is a haunted old mansion in 80's Japan. You play as a young woman trying to find her lost brother. And she's only armed only with a magical camera that can capture evil ghosts. The creepy music and sound-effects are truly unsettling. Fans of Japanese horror moviesA Japanese survival horror game in the vein of Silent Hill and Resident Evil. However, it is scarier than both. The setting is a haunted old mansion in 80's Japan. You play as a young woman trying to find her lost brother. And she's only armed only with a magical camera that can capture evil ghosts. The creepy music and sound-effects are truly unsettling. Fans of Japanese horror movies will really like Fatal Frame. It's filled with non-stop spooky moments and tense battles. I would rate it with an 8.3 out of 10.… Expand
  27. XV_
    Oct 24, 2018
    6
    My favorite part of Fatal Frame is the prologue, it has a nice and creepy rhythm and atmosphere and also promises a lot, the thing is that by one hour or two after that, it seems that all those promises about everything are gone.

    I have a lot of problems with FF, the story is interesting but never really good, the combat is good till you find that the ghosts have the upper hand and they    My favorite part of Fatal Frame is the prologue, it has a nice and creepy rhythm and atmosphere and also promises a lot, the thing is that by one hour or two after that, it seems that all those promises about everything are gone.

    I have a lot of problems with FF, the story is interesting but never really good, the combat is good till you find that the ghosts have the upper hand and they patterns are very fluid and semi-random Vs. your clumsy and slow controls, it also has a lot of backtracking but everything seems too similar that you will be watching a lot your map instead of your surroundings, speaking of surroundings, the exploration is awful and is one of those games that you need to check on everything and doesn't even have a visual cue (in critical parts at least) for you to guide yourself, also there's one puzzle that involves Japanese characters that really annoyed me because you have to somehow now its mechanics beforehand. I was about to quit this game so many times but I endured it because this game will not beat me (and because is really short), in the end, I kind of enjoyed some parts of this game but that's about it, although I sure hope the sequel is way better than this.    … Expand
  28. laniesweet
    Oct 19, 2021
    7
    A great, scary time hampered by clunky controls and bad voice acting. It's definitely one of those games I'd love to see a remake of since it was so good despite its flaws.
  29. BeeSting1
    Jan 1, 2021
    8
    Like a good Japanese horror film.

    Good - using the camera as basically a gun taking down spirits is an interesting take. The only other game that I experienced this was outlast, which obviously came out much later. So much respect to fatal frame as far as I know, being the first for integrating a camera so heavily into the gameplay. - the game faithfully recreates the terror I    Like a good Japanese horror film.

    Good

    - using the camera as basically a gun taking down spirits is an interesting take. The only other game that I experienced this was outlast, which obviously came out much later. So much respect to fatal frame as far as I know, being the first for integrating a camera so heavily into the gameplay.

    - the game faithfully recreates the terror I feel when watching an Asian horror, more specifically a Japanese horror film. It has the long haired young female spirits that haunts. As well as the jump-scares, and the creepy camera angles where you see the ghost suddenly appear behind the protagonist.

    - the music and the sound in the background is eerie. There is moaning, deep whispering, and just all sorts of terrifying ambient sounds. But at the same time, it's not too overwhelming where it would become annoying. It had the perfect balance, which heightened the tension.

    - I like being able to follow the story of the previous group of people that visited this mansion through notebooks crafts and tapes. The information is given bit by bit which I'm covers their story at a good pace.

    - the voices in the tapes were bad quality, which contributed to the atmosphere perfectly

    - enemies move an unpredictable ways making the combats a bit challenging. But most importantly it's maintains a level of adrenaline. Ghosts can disappear in front of you and reappear behind you, so I had to keep moving around. Being immobile while zoomed in with the camera also added to the tension, forcing me to juggle how much damage I want to inflict versus keeping a safe distance. The game forced me to find that balance between aggressiveness and defense.

    - it's interesting being able to use the camera and find points of interests like ghosts and hidden things. Kind of like a dowsing tool, it was fun to uncover secrets like these using the light.

    - the hovering head ghost was probably the scariest one, since it was small and it could go between floors and through walls straight at me. Plus a travelled fast. And when I zoomed in with the camera, I saw the face directly.

    - upgrades were pretty cool. Once my camera started to get a lot of upgrades, I felt like I could take on more powerful ghosts which made the game play more fun.

    - sometimes the difficulty comes from limited space.

    - the game uses very scary sounds, and unique sounds. Such as tightening of a rope which fits with the story.

    - The lighting was balanced perfectly. It was just dark enough that I could see what I needed, most of the time. This maintained a perpetual tension every where I went.

    Bad

    - the constant camera angle changes can be disorientating

    - despite there being so many control configuration options, there isn't a single one that allows me to use the left control stick to move, and the right control stick to aim. I would have preferred that because every single shooter out there does it like that, but for fatal frame it's backwards, which feels very awkward.

    - some parts of the game has me back tracking to places without hints. At times I'd just be wandering around old areas to try and find a cutscene trigger or an old item I can now scan with camera

    - sometimes the ghosts well teleport right behind you and you'll have zero reaction time to run. sometimes they'll even come straight through a wall right beside you, again giving you no time to react. Some ghosts will even stunlock you, in a very unfair way.

    - the fix camera angle works against the first person shooting sequences. Because every time there's a camera change the direction controls change as well, which highly affects the fights, since positioning is so important.

    - there are too many camera angle changes. Many times I feel like I'm being challenged not because of the difficulty the ghosts have, but rather my struggle with the constant change of directional inputs. Sometimes I be running away from the ghosts, but the camera suddenly changes, and I end up running into a wall and the ghost gets me.

    - some ghosts shorts a bit unfair to fight. Like the blind ghost, at times I just be walking very slowly far away from her, but she's still dash straight towards me, despite her not hearing anything. And then there's another ghost that randomly teleports right behind me and attacks me, allowing me no chance to react I do anything. Healing items we're kind of scarce, and I'd usually just have enough to survive. So these unfair encounters we're a little annoying.

    - there needs to be a shortcut for changing films. Very inconvenient to have to go into menu every time.

    - the voice actors of the main characters aren't that great    … Expand
  30. Zallen
    Jun 14, 2023
    9
    Фотосет с призраками на 8 часов геймплея, или как тян искала братика в доме любителей шибари.

    Из минусов: - игре 20 лет. Из плюсов: - атмосфера: гнетет, скребется и затягивает в пучину одинокого дома полного паранормальной х*йни. - звук, отдельный респект, 2002 год, а качество бухтелок, кряканья призраков и прочих шорохов на таком уровне, что заставляют постоянно быть в напряжении    Фотосет с призраками на 8 часов геймплея, или как тян искала братика в доме любителей шибари.

    Из минусов:
    - игре 20 лет.

    Из плюсов:
    - атмосфера: гнетет, скребется и затягивает в пучину одинокого дома полного паранормальной х*йни.
    - звук, отдельный респект, 2002 год, а качество бухтелок, кряканья призраков и прочих шорохов на таком уровне, что заставляют постоянно быть в напряжении и по настоящему пугают.
    - призраки, 90% ебак уникальные и проработанные, появление нового 'прозрачного' почти всегда вызывает ах*й, а фотосессия рискует стать фатальной.
    - сложность, игра дает сопротивление, не балуют игрока ресурсами, призраки отрывают достойные куски хп, а сейвы не особо частые, но всё-таки ошибки прощаются.
    - геймлей, в духе первого RE, бегаешь по атмосферному дому, периодически разгадывая головоломки на смекалку и это приправлено уникальной 'боёвкой' фотографирования, к которой надо еще наловчиться, от чего исход стычек с призраками полностью зависит от умения игрока обращаться с камерой.
    - сюжет и общий лор, по ходу игры всегда интересно, что будет дальше и что же случилось в этом доме, какая предыстория у происходящего и чем в итоге всё закончится.

    9ть 'зеркал' из 10ти.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

86
#86 Best PS2 Game of 2002
27
#27 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2002
92
#92 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. GameZone
    90
    I am happy to report that after many hours of lost sleep, hearing things that weren’t really there, and near fatal heart attacks it definitely is not only the most terrifying game experience I have ever had, but one of the more solid ones I have had as well.
    Read full review
  2. PSM Magazine
    60
    Feels quite derivative of a lot of other horror games. [Apr 2002]
  3. GameSpot
    71
    You'll honestly find some sequences rather creepy...As far as horror-themed games go, Fatal Frame is one of the most interesting--in regard to its premise and the way it plays--to surface in a while.
    Read full review
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