Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is a survival horror video game created by Tecmo for the PlayStation 2. It is the second game in the Fatal Frame series. Tecmo released it in Japan and North America in 2003, and Ubisoft released it in Europe in 2004. A version for the Xbox was released in Japan and North America in 2004, and Microsoft Game Studios released it in Europe in 2005. The story follows sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura as they become trapped in a village filled with ghosts. The village is cursed because of a failed ritual, and the sisters must re-enact it. Players control Mio as she searches the village for her sister, fighting ghosts using the Camera Obscura, a tool used in the game.
Development of Crimson Butterfly began soon after the first game was released in 2001. Key staff members from the original game, including director Makoto Shibata, producer Keisuke Kikuchi, and writer Tsuyoshi Iuchi, returned to work on the project. The goal was to improve the gameplay from the first game and create a strong story to keep players engaged. Singer-songwriter Tsukiko Amano wrote the game’s theme song, "Chō." Critics praised the game’s story and gameplay, and it is now considered a classic in the survival horror genre. A sequel, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented, was released in 2005. Two remakes were later released: Project Zero 2: Wii Edition for the Wii in 2012, and Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake for multiple platforms in 2026.
Gameplay
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is a video game where players control Mio Amakura as she explores the haunted Minakami (All Gods) Village. The game involves Mio searching for her sister, Mayu, or exploring the village with her. Short sections of the game allow players to control Mayu. The village is viewed from a fixed third-person camera angle, and the perspective changes to first-person when Mio uses the Camera Obscura, the game's main weapon. The goal is to explore the village, solve puzzles by photographing objects, and fight ghosts that live in the village. When Mayu is with Mio, she can help find puzzle clues, but ghosts can attack her. Puzzles include riddles that require solving clues and completing tasks within time limits.
Ghosts are shown by a light. A blue light means friendly ghosts, which can be photographed as collectibles. A red light means dangerous ghosts. Combat involves Mio using the Camera Obscura to fight ghosts. Taking pictures with the camera harms ghosts, but players must keep the ghost in view. Waiting for a ghost to attack allows for a powerful shot. The most powerful attack is called "Shutter Chance," which happens when the camera display turns red. During "Shutter Chance," a "Fatal Frame" moment allows players to take multiple shots for more damage. If Mayu is with Mio, ghosts can also attack her. If Mio or Mayu take too much damage, the game ends, and players must restart from a previous save point. The Camera Obscura can be upgraded using points earned from taking photos or by collecting Spirit Orbs dropped by defeated ghosts or found in the village.
Synopsis
Twins Mio and Mayu Amakura visit a forested valley in the Minakami region, a place they used to play as children. This area will soon be flooded because of a new dam project. Mayu has a serious leg injury caused indirectly by Mio, which makes the twins close but also creates tension between them. Mayu is led by a red butterfly, and Mio follows her. They arrive at Minakami Village, a place known for trapping people who enter. The twins search for a way out but find the village haunted by ghosts. Mayu is often separated from Mio, following the butterflies deeper into the village. Eventually, Mayu is possessed by the spirit of a girl named Sae Kurosawa. Mio is helped by Itsuki Tachibana, a kind spirit who mistakes Mio for Sae’s sister, Yae. Yae also appears in the village and influences Mio’s actions. The village’s history is revealed through documents and memories Mio experiences from the ghosts.
Minakami Village was built over a gate to the underworld called the Hellish Abyss. A ritual was used to calm the gate, which involved one twin strangling the other, supposedly uniting their souls and appeasing the Abyss. After many failed attempts, only Yae and Sae remained as twins in the village. Itsuki, who survived an earlier ritual, tried to help Yae and Sae escape. He sent for help from a friend named Ryozo, who brought his teacher, Seijiro Makabe, a folklorist. The villagers used Seijiro as a temporary sacrifice, called the “Kusabe,” but Ryozo escaped. When Itsuki tried to help Yae and Sae, Sae allowed herself to be captured so the ritual could be completed, believing it would unite her with Yae forever. Yae ran away. Itsuki died from sadness after Sae was captured, and the villagers sacrificed Sae alone. This caused the ritual to fail, destroying the village and turning Sae and Seijiro into vengeful spirits. Mio learns that, according to village customs, she will kill Mayu. She tries to escape, but Sae captures Mayu, determined to complete the ritual because she sees herself and Yae reflected in Mio and Mayu.
The story has different endings based on Mio’s choices. If Mio abandons Mayu, Mayu is attacked by Sae and wakes up in the real world without her sister, resulting in a game over. If Mio follows Mayu, the sisters are led by Sae and Yae through sacred paths. Mio fights Seijiro before reaching the Hellish Abyss. In a trance, Mio strangles Mayu, completing the ritual. This brings peace to Minakami Village, and Mayu’s spirit becomes a red butterfly. Later, Mio is seen with a red mark on her neck, symbolizing Mayu’s spirit. Completing the game on hard mode unlocks a new fight with Sae, allowing Mio to rescue Mayu. However, looking into the Hellish Abyss during this fight causes Mio to lose her sight permanently.
Development
Production of Crimson Butterfly began at Tecmo, the game's developer, shortly after the original game was completed in 2001. Makoto Shibata and Keisuke Kikuchi returned as director and producer, respectively. The basic gameplay from the first game was kept, but changes and new features were added. The team worked to balance the game's difficulty, as feedback showed the original was either too easy or too hard. The camera angle was adjusted until the game's release, and any elements that blocked the player's view were removed. The computer-generated images (CGI) cutscenes were created by Daisuke Inari, who described the challenge of blending horror with Japanese-inspired beauty as "mind-boggling." He used materials provided by Shibata to match the desired atmosphere. Development happened at the same time as the Xbox version of the original game. Kikuchi selected early staff to "push the envelope" of the gameplay ideas. After finishing other projects, the full team reunited to complete the game.
Based on feedback that the first game was too scary for some players, the team created a new storyline. Shibata's idea for the story came from a dream he had, which included a complete plot and ending that he needed to adapt for the game. Tsuyoshi Iuchi, who worked on the first game, returned as the scriptwriter. The story focused on the theme of twins and butterflies, with horror linked to the loss or harm of one part of a pair and drama based on contrasts between pairs. Kikuchi drew inspiration from stories by Seishi Yokomizo, Japanese and Western horror movies, and unspecified natural disasters. He specifically mentioned The Shining as a major influence. The team also used legends and folklore for ideas. As with the original game, female leads were chosen to highlight the characters' vulnerability and encourage player empathy.
The game included a theme song by singer-songwriter Tsukiko Amano titled "Chō." During production, Kikuta expressed a desire for a theme song, and Shibata suggested contacting Amano after hearing her debut single "Hakoniwa." Amano, who enjoys video games, agreed to work on the song before learning the game's genre. She was given concept art and a plot summary to guide her work. Amano explained that the song's lyrics reflected the perspective of a character named Mayu, who loses another character named Mio. She imagined a butterfly losing its wing while writing the lyrics.
Release
Tecmo introduced the game at E3 in May 2003. It was released in Japan on November 27, 2003, with the title Zero ~Akai Chō~. A free DVD was given to customers in gaming stores in October, and a novel was released in December that told a different version of the game's story. Tecmo published the game in North America on December 9 under the name Fatal Frame. Ubisoft announced in January 2004 that it would release the game in PAL regions. The game was released in Europe on April 30, 2004, as Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly. A version for the PlayStation 3 was released on May 7, 2013, as a PlayStation 2 Classic in North America.
As the original game neared completion, Kikuchi started planning an expanded version for the Xbox. This version included improved graphics, a first-person camera view, a new difficulty level, new outfits for characters Mio and Mayu, and a new ending. Kikuchi used Halo: Combat Evolved as a reference when designing the first-person mode to increase the game's scare factor. The new ending, called "Promise," showed Yae completing a ritual to save Mio and Mayu, creating a happy ending for the twins. The Xbox version was released in North America on November 1, 2004. In Japan, the game was released on November 11 with the American title, and pre-orders included a fan disc with behind-the-scenes details and trailers. In Europe, Microsoft Game Studios published the Xbox version on February 4, 2005.
Reception
Crimson Butterfly first appeared as the tenth best-selling game during its release week in Japan. By the end of 2003, it sold more than 64,400 copies. The Xbox version of the game received praise from critics but did not reach the top-selling games in the UK. In October 2013, the PSN re-release became the best-selling title in the North American Classics category.
Video game journalists gave positive reviews to Crimson Butterfly. Metacritic, a website that collects reviews, gave the PS2 version a score of 81 out of 100 based on 40 reviews. The Xbox version received a score of 84 out of 100 based on 37 reviews. The game was considered for GameSpot’s 2004 "Best Adventure Game" award. The Xbox version was also considered for the "Direction, Cinema" category at the 2004 National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards. Many reviewers noted that the game was a strong version of survival horror at the time but did not introduce major changes to the genre.
Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu called the game "first-class horror entertainment," though reviewers had different opinions about how scary it was compared to its earlier version. Kristan Reed of Eurogamer praised the game’s atmosphere and design, calling it the best survival horror experience she had played. She noted that the gameplay and mechanics were not very different from other games in the genre. Bethany Massimilla of GameSpot said the story and gameplay were appealing to fans of the series and genre. She only had one criticism: the game was not very challenging. Lisa Mason of Game Informer praised the scares, story, and gameplay but found the camera controls difficult to use. Andrew Reiner said the gameplay was not very different from earlier games but stayed engaged because of the scary moments and the relationship between characters Mio and Mayu. Steve Steinberg of GameSpy said the controls were not very good and there was no cooperative gameplay, but he still thought the game was better than its earlier version. Jeremy Dunham of IGN said the game did not have many new ideas but successfully achieved the goals of the original game. Justin Speer of XPlay called the atmosphere "absolutely chilling" and praised the combat, though he thought the variety of scary moments decreased later in the game.
The Xbox version of the game received praise for added gameplay features, improved visuals, and an extra ending. Lisa Mason said the Xbox version was better than the original. Matt Miller thought the game had a "perfect" story and atmosphere but said the slow combat and repetitive puzzles were weaknesses. Bethany Massimilla said the Xbox version was "an absolutely great update" to a game that was already "wonderfully spooky." Rob Fahey of Eurogamer said the game kept him playing longer than Resident Evil 4. Russ Fischer of GameSpy said the lack of cooperative play and short length were weaknesses but praised the improvements to gameplay and sound. Hilary Goldstein of IGN said the updated graphics and sound were good but thought the gameplay and character movement were too slow. Computer and Video Games magazine said the game’s pacing and older gameplay mechanics were weaknesses but praised the atmosphere and strong gameplay idea.
Legacy
A third game in the Fatal Frame series started development just before the release of Crimson Butterfly. The team planned it to be the last game for the PS2 generation and tried new ways to create horror in the series. The game, titled Fatal Frame III: The Tormented, was released in 2005 in Japan and North America, and in 2006 in Europe. The Tormented continues the stories from the original Fatal Frame and Crimson Butterfly, forming a trilogy of connected stories.
Since its release, many websites have listed Crimson Butterfly on lists of the scariest video games. In an article for Ars Technica, Ben Kuchera said the game’s atmosphere and camera-based gameplay kept players nervous throughout. In a 2014 interview, video game writer and director Neil Druckmann called the game "the scariest experience in any form of media." In a Game Informer article about horror games, Crimson Butterfly was chosen as one of the scariest games by several Western developers, including Bruce Straley of Naughty Dog and Drew Murray of Insomniac Games.
Crimson Butterfly has been remade twice. The first remake, Project Zero 2: Wii Edition, was made for the Wii and released in 2012 in Japan, Europe, and Australia. The graphics were updated, and the gameplay was changed to include elements from the fourth Fatal Frame game, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (2008). The remake added more story details, two extra endings, and content from the Xbox version. A second remake, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, was released on March 12, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, and Nintendo Switch 2.