Project Zero 2: Wii Edition
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition, known as Zero ~Shinku no Chou~ (零 〜眞紅の蝶〜, lit. "Zero: Deep Crimson Butterfly") in Japan, is a survival horror video game developed by Tecmo Koei Games and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It was released in Japan and Australia on June 28, 2012 and in Europe on June 29, 2012.[2][3][4][5][6] The game is a remake of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003.
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition | |
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European cover art | |
Developer(s) | Tecmo Koei Games |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Makoto Shibata |
Producer(s) | Keisuke Kikuchi[1] Toru Osawa Toshiharu Izuno Kozo Makino |
Designer(s) | Tomo Matayoshi Takanori Murakami Shingo Suzuki Hisanori Takeuchi |
Writer(s) | Makoto Shibata Tsuyoshi Iuchi |
Series | Fatal Frame |
Platform(s) | Wii |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Survival horror |
Mode(s) | Singleplayer |
Gameplay
Deep Crimson Butterfly has different features compared to the original game, like a dynamic over-the-shoulder third person camera angle first used in Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, instead of the classic fixed camera angles; the map and layout of the game have been updated to work better with the new viewpoint. It also features several enhancements; the graphics and character models are vastly improved, and the old costumes were replaced with new ones, designed with more emphasis on the back since it is constantly in the player's view.
Just like in Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, the game contains "ghost hands" which may randomly pop up when the player attempts to pick up an item. Unlike Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, however, the Ghost Hands can damage Mio, with the player being able to pull back Mio's arm to evade them.
The game now has an investigating mechanic which allows the player to see many new locations and things that weren't in the original game, as well as several newly created objects that can be opened, moved, and peeped through.
Each ghost now has many new attacks and special abilities given to them. An updated form of Blooming from the fourth game, called a "Dark Return", can randomly occur, which restores a ghost's health, makes their attacks do more damage, and grants them more abilities.
Several areas throughout the game are newly accessible, such as the shores of Whisper Bridge, the atrium of the Ōsaka House, a new hallway in the Kurosawa House, and the room on the top floor of the Kiryū House which could not be explored in the original.
The Camera Obscura, while its external aesthetics are identical to those of the original camera from the PlayStation 2 release, has a new viewfinder and re-done controls, a lock-on function, a revamped upgrade system, a completely new way of using lenses, newly created lenses, and the capture circle has been changed from a proximity charge to the standard charge system found in every other game of the series.
Each time the player defeats a ghost, several newly created lines of dialogue for said ghosts come out of the Wii remote.
A minor two-player mode is also supported in the main story, where a player with a second Wii remote can take Syncro shots and deal double damage to ghosts, as well as hear newly created dialogue come out of the Wii remote.
A mini-map has been incorporated into the game, as well as the system from Mask of the Lunar Eclipse that shows the player where each key goes. Furthermore, the amount of healing items in the game has been decreased, and some fights that were optional in the original are now mandatory.
A few unexplained occurrences in the original game are now resolved. Additionally, many new cutscenes have been added to the game, expanding on the story, and several of the cutscenes from the original have been extended as well.
The way the player obtains the endings in the game is no longer determined by what difficulty has been selected. Instead, endings are now determined by how the player plays the game. The game receives two completely new endings in addition to the ones obtained from the original and Xbox versions.
The game has a new theme song not in the original.
A new mode, Haunted House, has been added, replacing Mission Mode. In this mode, players slowly walk around a set course in first person view while scary events randomly occur. The players can search for haunted dolls while a ghost chases after them, along with taking pictures of ghosts from the main game and receive rankings on the spirit level (based on the player's fear meter that amasses when playing). A second player may attempt to scare the first one by pressing buttons on a second Wii remote, causing random events to occur.
Plot
Just like in the original, Project Zero 2: Wii Edition is set in the Minakami (皆神村) region of Japan. While a dam is being planned for construction in a forest at this location in the game's present, the site is also home to Minakami Village (lit. "All God's Village"), a "[l]ost" settlement where the majority of the game takes place. The player learns that Minakami Village was host to the "Crimson Sacrifice Ritual", the failure of which caused the settlement to vanish—thus earning it the name "The Lost Village". In the game's present, there is an urban legend about the Lost Village, where people who become lost in the Minakami forest will become trapped forever in the village.
The protagonists, Mio and Mayu Amakura, are twin sisters who are visiting their favorite childhood playspot in Minakami, before it is lost in the dam construction. The main antagonist is the vengeful spirit of Sae Kurosawa, the sole Twin Shrine Maiden sacrificed for the failed ritual. She yearns to reunite with her twin sister Yae, whom she mistakes Mio for, and possesses Mayu to try and complete the ritual with her. Other characters include Itsuki Tachibana, a young man who also mistakes Mio for Yae, but instead tries to help her and Mayu escape; and Seijiro Makabe, a folklorist who visited Minakami Village with a Camera Obscura prototype (the same camera Mio uses in the game) and his assistant, Ryozo Munakata.[7] Makabe later became a temporary sacrifice for the Abyss, known as a Kusabi (楔). Although Mio and Mayu's story takes place after Miku Hinasaki's, the events of Minakami Village occur before those of the Himuro mansion in the original game.
Development
Reception
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IGN called the game "an enduring classic that every horror fan should have in their collection."[14] Nintendo Gamer called it "the best horror game on Wii, by some margin."[17]
References
- "Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly - Credits". allgame. 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition". Nintendo of Europe. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition". GameSpot.com. GameSpot. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition Release Summary". GameSpot. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- Juba, Joe (9 March 2011). "Fatal Frame Team Announcing New Project". gameinformer.com. Game Informer. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- "『零 ~眞紅の蝶~』傑作和風ホラーアドベンチャーがついにWiiで登場". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). Famitsu. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- Tecmo (27 November 2003). Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (PlayStation 2). Tecmo. Scene: Green Diary 5 (in-game file).
Ryozo Munakata: Itsuki, I pray that you read this. I can't stay in this village any longer. I told Yae and Sae that I would come for them on the day of the ceremony. After they make it out of the village, I'll take care of them. Don't worry. When I get them out, I'll come back for you next.
Ryozo Munakata - "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition". GameRankings. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
- "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition for Wii Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
- Sykes, Tom (2012-07-14). "Project Zero 2 review: Seven years old, but still terrifying". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- "紅"から"眞紅"へ――。『零 ~眞紅の蝶~』プレイインプレッション. ファミ通.com (in Japanese). Famitsu. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- Schilling, Chris (9 July 2012). "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition Review". GameSpot. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- Dunham, Jeremy (19 November 2003). "Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Review". IGN. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- Hughes, Maes (29 June 2012). "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition Review". IGN. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (Wii) Review". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
- "Project Zero 2 Wii review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- "Project Zero 2: Wii Edition review". Archived from the original on 2012-07-02.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Fatal Frame (video game series) |
- Official website (Japan) (in Japanese)
- Official website (Europe) (in English)
- Official website (Australia) (in English)