Vanishing ghosts

Vanishing ghosts or spectres (浮遊霊( ふゆうれい) fuyuurei; "wandering ghost") are spirits that appear during the game, but do not attack the player. (Spirits which linger indefinitely in a particular area, and do not appear or vanish, are considered Stationary Ghosts.) They have been a gameplay element since Fatal Frame, and Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir is the only game in the series not to feature vanishing ghosts.

They are usually visible for a limited period of time, and can be photographed for spirit points. Some will appear on the Spirit List after being photographed (except in Fatal Frame V), some only award points, and some cannot be captured at all. When a vanishing ghost appears, it may be accompanied by a reaction from the Filament, picture interference, a sound, a shift in camera angles (in FF1-3), a change in the environment or a response from the player character, but any or all of these elements may be missing.

Vanishing ghosts may advance the plot through dialogue, by leaving game notes or items behind when they disappear, or by guiding the player. Occasionally they must be photographed in order to complete puzzles or sidequests. Some are straightforward, appearing over the course of a normal game and easily captured, whereas others may only be triggered following the fulfilment of certain criteria.

Some spirits - for example, White Kimono, Azami Kiryu, Amane Kuze and Yo Haibara - only appear as vanishing ghosts, in which case they are considered Non-hostile Ghosts or Helpful Ghosts; others may be harmless appearances of spirits which otherwise attack.

See Also

• For other types of ghosts in the Fatal Frame Series, see Antagonist Ghosts, Helpful Ghosts, Hostile Ghosts, Non-hostile Ghosts and Stationary Ghosts.