Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
零～紅い蝶～ Zero ～Akai Chou～ Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly
Developer(s):	Tecmo
Publisher(s):	Tecmo
Distributor(s):	Tecmo & Ubisoft (Euro)
Release date:	2003, 2004, & 2005; rerelease (Japan) 2007; PSN (US) 2013
Genre:	Survival Horror
Game modes:	Easy, Normal, Hard, Nightmare, Fatal (Xbox version)
Ratings:	US: ESRB - Mature 17+ Japan: CERO - 15+ Europe: PEGI - 16+
Regions:	Japan, US, Europe
Platform(s):	PlayStation 2, Xbox

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is the second game in the Fatal Frame Series, released for the PS2 and Xbox consoles.

Release dates

PlayStation 2

• Japan - November 27th 2003
  
• South Korea - November 27th 2003
  
• US - December 10th 2003
  
• Europe - April 30th 2004
  
• Japan re-issue (PlayStation 2 The Best) - August 5th 2004
  
• Japan re-issue (PlayStation 2 The Best) - November 11th 2007
  
• Korea re-issue (Big Hit Series) - June 5th 2008

Xbox

• Japan - November 11th 2004
  
• US - November 1st 2004
  
• Europe - February 4th 2005
  

PSN Store (Digital Download)

• US - May 7 2013 (The digital download was temporarily removed due to numerous glitches, and restored on July 20 2013.)

Storyline

"Didn't we always promise each other... that we would always be together?"

―Mayu Amakura (to Mio Amakura)

Mio and Mayu, twin sisters, are visiting their childhood home. This spot, a secret hideaway for the pair, is due to be swallowed up by a lake come the end of the summer.

Lost in her memories, Mio finally raises her head to find that Mayu has vanished. Looking around, Mio spots her sister following a crimson butterfly deep into the forest.

Mayu flees through the forest as if being led on by the fluttering insect. As she runs, her fleeting form begins to be overlaid with that of a woman dressed in white.

Chasing after her sister, Mio suddenly finds herself alone on a foggy mountain road.

Carried on by the wind, a sad song floats towards her ears. Then, she starts to see lights through the gaps in the trees.

As though accepting their unspoken invitation, Mio follows the road of festival lights.

However, when the dense forest opens into a clearing, it is Mayu who is standing there, alone, surrounded by countless crimson butterflies,

"...Mayu?"

Responding to Mio's call, Mayu slowly turns around. The crimson butterflies dance away as one,

"The Lost...Village..."

Spreading there before the twins, crouching in fog and darkness lies a mysterious village...

The vanished village, "All God's Village."

The village is said to have once stood in the forest, deep in the mountains. This forest is soon to be lost due to the creation of a new dam.

The story goes, that on the eve of a special festival, the village suddenly vanished, leaving the forest wreathed in thick fog.

Many also say that should you happen to get lost in this forest, you will be spirited away to the lost village.

The village where the crimson butterflies dance. The village held forever in the grip of a never-ending night.

- - -

- Opening description from the "Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly" Manual.

Main Characters

Mio Amakura (天倉 澪) (15)

Mio is the younger sister of a set of twins. She has a slight sixth sense, but not as strong as her twin sister Mayu. When Mio and Mayu were little Mio playfully ran away from Mayu in the forest. Mayu, trying to keep up, slid and fell, resulting in a permanent limp to her right leg. After this happened, Mio felt so guilty she promised she would never leave Mayu behind again. She's been protecting and looking out for Mayu ever since. When Mayu wanders off into the forest chasing a butterfly, Mio chases after her.

Mayu Amakura (天倉 繭) (15)

Mayu is the older twin sister of Mio. She has a very strong sixth sense. Due to her injury, Mayu can't walk very fast, and always walks with a limp. When Mio and Mayu were little Mio playfully ran away from Mayu in the forest. Mayu, trying to keep up, slid and fell, resulting in a permanent limp to her right leg. Mayu's worst fear is being left behind by her sister. When she and Mio are visiting their secret place in the forest, she spots a crimson butterfly and chases after it.

Chapters

• Chapter 1

The Lost Village

• Chapter 2

Twin Shrine Maidens

• Chapter 3

The Repentance

• Chapter 4

Forbidden Ritual

• Chapter 5

The Sacrifice

• Chapter 6

The Remaining

• Chapter 7

Sae

• Chapter 8

Half Moon

• Final Chapter

Crimson Butterfly

• Chapter Zero

Hellish Abyss

Regional & Console Differences

Regional

• As always, the main series name differs in Japan, Europe, and North America.
• Voice actors.
• Some of the hidden ghosts in the game have different names depending on region. In Japan, the ghosts were of creators Keisuke Kikuchi and Makoto Shibata and people in the game industry connected with Famitsu Magazine. For the US, they were instead editors of video game magazines, but the creators were not replaced. The European version had six completely different ghosts replacing the creators as well as the four ghosts. (See Fatal Frame II Spirit List for a complete list.)
• In the Japanese version, Mio calls Mayu "onee-chan" (which translates to "older sister"), although no mention of which twin is the elder is mentioned in most other languages. This set up a plot twist wherein the player thought they were playing the younger twin, the one destined to be sacrificed, until it was revealed late in the game that the village considered the older twin to be the one who was born second, making Mio instead the twin who was destined to sacrifice her sister. While there is some vague, offhanded reference to this in other regions, the decision to have Mio call Mayu by her name instead made it much less likely that players would pick up on the plot twist.
• After the game was originally released on the PS2 in all regions, it was ported to the Xbox with a litany of new features and a few other changes detailed below. The Japanese Xbox re-release has all the bug fixes from the North American version, and the Japanese version of this game uses the "Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly" name, instead of 零～紅い蝶～, as well as a variation on the US box art and title card.

Console

• North America and Japan: The Xbox version of the game changed the above-mentioned "regional" ghosts, using a completely new set of ghosts. The creators were not changed in the US version. For the Japanese version, Tecmo held a contest for fans to be included as these ghosts.
• In the PS2 version of the title screen animation, an eerie instrumental melody plays over a simple image of two shrine maidens. For the Xbox version, this is replaced with a slideshow of various locations, including the Kureha Shrine and the small outdoor garden in the Kurosawa House, set to the chanting of the Veiled Priests.
• The Xbox version also includes two new modes: "FPS", a fully first-person mode with a redesigned camera, and Survival Mode, a mini-game of sorts with a new boss. Also included was a new difficulty level ("Fatal") and a new fully-rendered ending ("Promise"), as well as several new costumes and accessories.

Box Art

• 
  US, PS2
• 
  EU, PS2
• 
  JP, PS2
• 
  JP, PS2 Variant 1
• 
  JP, PS2 Variant 2
• 
  South Korea, PS2
• 
  South Korea, PS2
• 
  US, Xbox
• 
  EU, Xbox
• 
  JP, Xbox
• 
  Asia, Xbox
• 
  South Korea, Xbox

Logos

• 
  Japan
• 
  US
• 
  Europe

Promotional Material

Asia

• Japan

• 
  Famitsu Wave DVD
  Dec-2003
• 
  Famitsu Wave DVD
  Jan-2004
• 
  Famitsu Wave DVD
  Feb-2004
• 
  Famitsu Wave DVD
  Mar-2004
• 
  Famitsu Wave DVD
  Apr-2004
• 
  Famitsu Wave DVD
  Oct-2005
• 
  Weekly Famitsu
  1 Aug-2003
• 
  Weekly Famitsu
  3 Oct-2003
• 
  Weekly Famitsu
  14 Nov-2003
• 
  Weekly Famitsu
  5 Dec-2003
• 
  Weekly Famitsu
  12 Dec-2003
• 
  Dengeki Online Article
• 
  Dengeki Online Article
• 
  Dengeki Online Article
• 
  Poster
• 
  Poster
• 
  Poster
• 
  Poster
• 
  Poster
• 
  Poster
• 
  Poster
• 
  Xbox Retailer Information
• 
  Playstation Retailer Information
• 
  Promotional Store DVD
• 
  Advertisement Slip
• 
  Advertisement Slip
• 
  Advertisement of TPM Vol. 24
• 
  Advertisement of 2nd Japanese Reprint
• 
  TPM Vol. 23 Page 16
• 
  TPM Vol. 23 Page 18
• 
  TPM Vol. 23.5 Cover
• 
  TPM Vol. 23.5 Page 2
• 
  TPM Vol. 23.5 Page 8
• 
  TPM Vol. 24 Cover
• 
  TPM Vol. 24 Page 2
• 
  TPM Vol. 24 Page 4
• 
  TPM Vol. 24 Page 28
• 
  TPM Vol. 25 Page 14
• 
  Famitsu Xbox Magazine Jul-2004
• 
  Famitsu Xbox Magazine Oct-2004
• 
  Famitsu Xbox Magazine Nov-2004
• 
  Famitsu Xbox Magazine Dec-2004
• 
  Famitsu Xbox Magazine Jan-2005
• 
  Famitsu Xbox Magazine Feb-2005
• 
  Dengeki PlayStation Issue 293 Dec-2004
• 
  Dengeki PlayStation Issue 252 Oct-2003
• 
  Dengeki PlayStation Issue 254 Nov-2003
• 
  Dengeki PlayStation Issue 255 Nov-2003
• 
  Dengeki PlayStation Issue 256 Dec-2003
• 
  Dengeki PlayStation Issue 259 Dec-2003
• 
  Dengeki PlayStation Issue 261 Jan-2004
• 
  Dengeki PlayStation Issue 268 Apr-2004
• 
  Game Lab Magazine Jan-2004
• 
  Playstation Clear File Bonus

North America

• United States

• 
  Poster
• 
  Playstation Magazine Aug-2003
• 
  Playstation Magazine Feb-2004
• 
  Tecmo E3 2003 Line-Up EPK (Electronic Press Kit)
• 
  Tecmo E3 2003 Line-Up EPK (Electronic Press Kit) Menu
• 
  Registration Card
  Front
• 
  Registration Card
  Back

South America

• Brazil

• 
  Super Gamepower Issue 109

Europe

• 
  EU, PS2

• United Kingdom

• 
  Retro Gamer Load 216

• France

• 
  FR, Joypad Issue 137 Page 80

Oceania

• Australia

• 
  Playstation 2 Magazine Apr-2004
• 
  Playstation 2 Magazine May-2004
• 
  Hyper Magazine Aug-2004
• 
  PS2

Game Inspiration

The main inspiration for the game's story was a dream Makoto Shibata had after Fatal Frame was complete. He has also said that the Osaka House was based on a relative's house that he used to visit as a child.

Keisuke Kikuchi has stated in interviews that Fatal Frame II drew inspiration from Japanese detective stories of Seishi Yokomizo and both Eastern and Western horror cinema (specifically The Shining, since it is Kikuchi's favourite movie).

From interview with Keisuke Kikuchi:

"There isn't any specific story that formed the basis of the game. But the development team studied horror movies and novels from Japan and the West as well as many legends, local traditions, and actual events to extract the most horrific essence of each."

―Keisuke Kikuchi

From an interview with Keisuke Kikuchi on Gamers.com (no longer online):

"We've taken inspiration from a lot of sources - horror movies, both Japanese and Western, novels, and so on. Also, actual events, disasters, things like that, and legends and traditions. We've taken the essence of many different sources and put them together. It's not like we found the story and said "here's what we're going to put in the game." What makes the story scary, we've mixed together from many different sources."

―Keisuke Kikuchi

In the fanbook, Sugisawa Village in Aomori Prefecture is listed in a section called Dark Legends of Japan.

Supplemental Material

• Zero Akai Chou Master Guide
• Zero Akai Chou Complete Official Capture Book, including Tamashizume
• Fatal Frame Fanbook, including Zero ~Akai Chou~ Mini Novelisation
• Zero4D
• Crimson Report (DVD)
• Fatal Frame II: Premium Fandisc
• History of "Project Zero" (DVD)
• Lusty Brown Butterfly (unofficial)

Remakes

• A remake of Fatal Frame II for the Wii was announced at Nintendo's 2010 conference, with promotional images and footage. The game was released in Japan, Australia and Europe in July 2012. For more information, see Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly.
• A remake of Fatal Frame II for Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam was announced on 12 September 2025 through Nintendo Direct. See Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake.

Misc. Info

• The game's image color is red.
• The game's main theme is 'symmetry'.
• The styling of the 零 character in the game's logo originated in a rough sketch of Miku Hinasaki, protagonist of Fatal Frame, in a European magazine. The character was added by the artist due to the high interest in Japanese kanji in Europe at the time, but was eventually made into part of the second game's (and subsequent games') logo.
• The theme song is Chou by Tsukiko Amano.
• This game is now discontinued.
• The US version of Tecmo's website was designed by the Barbarian Group
• For a list of staff who worked on the game, see Fatal Frame II Credits.
• The save icon for the PS2 version is a Crimson Butterfly.
• The game sold 0.16m units globally.
• Until the release of Fatal Frame III in 2005, Fatal Frame II was believed to be a prequel story set 30 years prior to the events of Fatal Frame. The original date references may have referred to Yae's storyline rather than Mio and Mayu's.

Official Links

• Official PS2 game website (Japanese)
• Official Xbox game website (Japanese)
• Official English website, currently down - partially archived by the Wayback Machine

References

Fatal Frame Series
Fatal Frame - Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly - Fatal Frame III: The Tormented Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse - Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly - Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water - Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake