Fatal Frame has been around for quite some time now. First landing in 2001, the series saw a moderate amount of success and garnered a niche, but vocal, fanbase. Primarily backed by Koei Tecmo, the franchise has seen involvement from Nintendo as well as Grasshopper during its two-decade run, allowing the series to live in relative obscurity.

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There are no bad Fatal Frame games, at least not in the mainline. They are all interesting takes on the horror genre, and whilst they do share some elements, each game tries to inject new themes and concepts to keep the spooks fresh. That being said, every game tends to be about spooky cults in spooky places, and you better believe photography is rampant.

5 Fatal Frame 4: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse

Fatal Frame 4 protagonist hunched over with a flashlight

Fatal Frame 4 is a bit of an odd duck - an obvious one at that. Headed by Grasshopper and funded by Nintendo, Fatal Frame 4 suffers from a myriad of issues that really hold it back. The biggest one, however, is the lack of a western release. Considering every other Fatal Frame entry before and since has made it west, it’s baffling that Nintendo refused, on numerous occasions, to localize this entry.

If that wasn’t enough, Fatal Frame 4 suffers from being on the Wii. This means motion controls that make the game uncomfortable to control. There’s also an overreliance on agonizingly slow movement, long corridors, and narrow hallways. Beneath all of this is a decent game, but if you want to actually play it, you will have to jump over all kinds of hurdles.

4 Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water

Fatal Frame battle with multiple ghosts

The fifth entry in the series, Maiden Of Black Water feels like a continuation of the ideas introduced in Fatal Frame 4 but done better. Motion controls exist, but are nowhere near as prevalent, and, in the recent remasters, can be turned off. Several mechanics make their return but have been tweaked to be smoother and less time-consuming.

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Outside of that, Maiden Of Black Water is a great, but padded entry. Walking around Mt. Hikami as Ren, Yuri, or Miu is a blast, and the disturbing themes that surround the story help maintain a tense atmosphere - even if it’s not actually all that scary. Combat is fun, rewarding, and loaded with enough depth to keep it fresh until the end. If they had trimmed the fat a little and removed some backtracking, then the game would have reached even higher heights.

3 Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented

Fatal Frame 3 ghost reaching out

Fatal Frame 3 has one of the stronger narratives in the series. Tackling poignant themes like grief and loss, Fatal Frame 3 tells an intrinsically relatable and deeply personal story. The game slowly descends into the familiar in the last chunk of the game, but the vast majority of the game’s plot is delivered perfectly.

A few odd decisions cause the gameplay to falter, unfortunately. Things like the points system being way too generous, item balance being heavily tweaked, and basic quality of life elements that have been around since day one, being hidden behind late-game side quests. None of this hampers the enjoyment, tension, or horror Fatal Frame 3 offers - they are just interesting quirks that series veterans will likely pick up on. It helps that Rei’s house (the abode of the main protagonist) is an excellent dispenser of plot and spooks that bookends each segment perfectly.

2 Fatal Frame

Fatal Frame 1 Ghost seen through Camera Obscura

This is where it all began - the birth of Fatal Frame’s uniquely disturbing brand of horror. It just so happens that the game holds up magnificently. Everything from the game's plot, characters, themes, and visuals stand the test of time, with only a few ghosts looking a bit goofy. The game is dripping with an atmosphere that simply wasn’t seen in 2001, even if, like with most entries, the game failed to be truly scary. It’s all about that tension.

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Exploring Fatal Frames' spooky mansion feels a lot like traversing the Spencer Mansion in Resident Evil, and this is a good thing. Uncovering secrets, keys, and shortcuts whilst fighting the undead is a timeless formula, and Fatal Frame executes it almost perfectly. The only downsides are the noticeable padding during the final stretch and the simplicity of the combat. Even then though, having to slowly wait as you charge your shots, enemies unnaturally closing in, never stops being tense.

1 Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly

Fatal Frame 2 twins running through a horde of ghosts

Like with every sequel to a groundbreaking new horror IP, Fatal Frame 2 takes what the original did, improves upon it in practically every way, and more-or-less perfects whatever formula the developers were trying to concoct. Fatal Frame 2 is easily the best of the bunch, with everything just clicking into place like an intricate wheel puzzle. The inclusion of twin protagonists absolutely sells the game's story and having to keep your crippled sister safe as she slowly succumbs to possession is rather dastardly.

It takes a lot of its narrative from Fatal Frame, with the story following most major story beats. This is more than made up for with the suffocating ambiance and spine-chilling tension that oozes from every grimy texture. It’s not an exaggeration to say the atmosphere rivals Silent Hill 2. The combat has also been beefed up with additional special actions that can be performed, and a new resource bar to manage it all. Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly isn’t just the best game in the series, it’s one of the best horror games to land on the PS2 - which is saying a lot.

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