Tips & Tricks

By Danny Chihdo

Mio and Mayu Amakura, the twin sisters in peril at the heart of Tecmo®'s dazzling (and heart-stopping) Xbox® survival horror adventure Fatal Frame™ II: Crimson Butterfly DIRECTOR'S CUT are the bravest heroes in the history of Xbox games. Don't believe me? Mio (the game's primary character) doesn't pack a rocker launcher like a space a marine, a wooden stake like a vampire slayer, or one of those don't-cross-the-streams gizmos like Egon Spengler—but together, the sisters have to fight of a village full of ghosts with nothing more than Mayu's eerie psychic powers (always handy), the pluck that only comes with one of those sailor school uniforms, and, to even the odds just a bit further, a camera that snaps photos of those hungry specters, putting them to rest for good.

A tale of two sisters, a camera, and scary ghosts.

Viva Obscura
Well hey, you say, I'm a big tough Xbox gamer, how could a teenage kid with a camera and her weird sister be the bravest heroes in Xbox history? Play Crimson Butterfly for a few hours with the lights off and the sound up—maybe light a few candles, with the permission of an adult or spouse or adult spouse—and tell me you think even Master Chief would set foot in some of these places without something like Mio's Camera Obscura. This little baby's got it all—different film types that do varying levels of damage (naturally, the better film is harder to find); an upgradeable lens that, depending on the upgrade attachment, can slow ghosts down (very important when you run with Mio and Mayu—Mayu's even got a bum leg); and, of course, the ability to see, damage (if necessary), and capture images of real, live, scarier-than-the-American-Ring-by-half ghosts.

Some blue-filament "ghosts" are clues, like these.

Point and Shoot
Ghost hunting requires patience and nerve—if you're looking to run and gun (or anything and gun) you're in the wrong game. This is about mood, pacing, and fear; the Camera Obscura is often the conduit, if not the instrument, of that fear.

First you need a ghost. Usually you have some clue other than just your ghost-sensing filament, such as a "something's not right here" from Mayu or a yikes-did-you-see-that flash of the spook in question passing down the end of a nearby hall (that's why I prefer third-person; it lets the game designers put those scares in exactly where intended, and they have much better timing than I do). However you're alerted, no ghost, no ghost photo.

This is an … unconventional weapon, to say the least.

Next, you could just point at the ghost (use the filament's brightness to help center your shot), and, with the harmless lost souls and clue images that make the filament turn blue, go right ahead, for the most part. But usually, you want to stalk the ghost, figure out its patterns, so you don't get taken by surprise. Many a photo has been missed by charging after the ghost, only to find you can't get the camera up in time.

Step three is the tricky part—well, the first part of the tricky part—you've got to try and get a "shutter chance." What's that? When you have a dangerous ghost, i.e., one that turns the filament red (and hope it's only one—we'll get to that) you have to focus your shot. When the outer border of the reticule lights up, you can take a photo and do some damage. Or, if you can dodge the ghost's attack long enough, wait for the Stargate-looking circle around the center of the lens to fill up and turn red. That's a shutter chance—and you not only do better damage, you also push that sucker back.

The last step is simple to describe but tricky all the same—pull the right trigger and get that shot. Timing is everything. Don't forget to save your photos for future enjoyment. Or scary memories.

Store your photos for—wait, I know this movie!

Camera Tricks
Mio's amazing camera is almost an RPG character in Fatal Frame II, thanks to the extensive upgrades and modifications you can put into it. The Camera Obscura may be a "point and shoot" model, but it's not a gun—it plays differently, and requires a slightly different set of reflexes that take some time to hone. All the upgrades in scary-ghost town won't help if you don't remember to take the proverbial lens cap off …

Whatever you do, always check behind you.

• Practice moving while in camera view as soon as you get the Camera Obscura and there aren't nasty dead things trying to bite your face off, because everything switches around—movement and zoom move over to the right thumbstick (in third or first-person view in normal play, that's on the left) and aiming moves to the left side (you guess it—aiming is normally on the right). Just backing away from a ghost is often Mio's best defense, so get used to switching on the fly.
• Don't waste your powerful film on weak ghosts. You need it for the tough guys, so take the time to switch it out if you're taking a blue-filament shot or know that you'll be facing a tougher enemy soon.
• Then you're facing more than one ghost, try and maneuver Mio so that the ghosts are as close to standing in a line as you can get them. You'll see both of their targeting circles waving around in front of them. If you can get both of the circles in the center of your lens, you can get a double-shot that does damage to both (and does even more if you hit that all important shutter chance.)
• One last bit of advice: Don't panic. The scenario described above—find, stalk, time, shoot—is optimal. Sometimes, you won't have any choice; they'll pop in from out of nowhere. When that happens, get to a safe place first, and then make with the clicking.

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