Fatal Frame (1 Viewer)

[onewithnothing]

To be fair, these supernatural Japanese horror games would be good enough without the Ryona aspect, but with it they're just all the more entertaining! The series, particularly the third and fourth games, is a good source of Ryona for fans of psychological torture, strangling, and just physical pain in general.

As far as plot goes, each game is pretty similar: Your character is on a quest to save the life of someone that they love, who has recently disappeared in a mysterious setting. Armed only with the Camera Obscura (an antique camera which can exorcise evil spirits by photographing them) you must unravel the mysteries of whatever curse has taken your beloved family member and fight off the malevolent spirits that get in your way.

I have horrible descriptive skills, but the game is better than it sounds. More info can be found here:

http://www.cameraslens.com/fatalframewiki/index.php5?title=Main_Page

Now, onto they good stuff:

The protagonist of each game is ALWAYS a cute, innocent, young girl, and the actresses that play them always get the agonized squeals/screams just right. On the other hand, the antagonist of each game is ALWAYS a sadistic, cruel, beautiful ghost woman with her own specific method of tearing the protagonist apart (figuratively and, in one case, literally).

As these games progressed and graphics improved, the attacks used by the ghosts got more creative. They never get old for me.

Here are some examples from the games:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbILMwNoE9M&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W26wi9lMRK4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ-FBRId-uw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl_9U-K2xJc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2loKewgI_H8

 

[Mardion]

First things first, Fatal Frame is a great videogame series and I recommend FFr2 without any hesitation to all fans of survival horror. It's just one of those innovative games that appear rarely and redefine the genre. And it's scary as all get-out!

FFr1 and FFr2 are available in the Playstation2 and X-Box (and also in the X-Box360 and probably PS3 through backwards compatibility). The X-Box versions include extra stuff, like additional endings, modes and costumes. FFr3 is a PS2 exclusive and FFr4 is a Wii exclusive.



Now on to the ryona, having only played the first three games, I consider the third one by far the best as it's the only one that includes non-generic grabs from the ghosts... and boy, are they awesome! For example, you have the Ghost Headmistress who sends her flying arms that grab and lift Rei into the air, making her totally helpless and terrified, and then leaving her drop on the floor like a rock, not caring enough to hold her for long since she knows that they can capture her again anytime they wish... and again... and again..... And then there are some other sadistic ghosts, like the Rope Lady who sort of crucifies Miku, and the Snake Lady who lifts her off the ground and strangles her outright... and several others as well!


PS: Because of an error on part of the producers, the game is known as Project Zero in PAL territories like Europe.

Personal rambling : Because I'm a huge fan of the series, I was actually extremely reluctant to utilise the ryona in this game, as I am too emotionally attached to the characters! It was after I finished FFr3 for the fourth time that I convinced myself that the story of Rei was now over and any further gaming sessions were like a retelling in an alternate reality. Good thing FFr2 isn't big on ryona moments as I'd never be able to do that to Mio and Mayu.

 

[onewithnothing]

Mardion, you're totally right about it being a great series, and the second game tied with the third as my favorite! I did something similar to what you did regarding the Ryona for this game (first playthroughs are always serious). One exception though; when I saw Reika (snake lady) do her single-handed choke lift for the first time, I couldn't believe it. The whole scene was great--the way that Reika slowly lifts the girl up, just holds her there for a while, and then casually tosses her to the ground. They even had alternate camera angles; have you ever seen the close up on the girl being strangled before? The sight of Miku desperately clawing at her own neck is excellent.

After I saw that scene, I watched it several more times before moving on with the game. Reika remains my all time favorite for Ryona.

Fatal Frame 4 had excellent moments too, mainly because of the good effects. When a ghost tried to strangle the main character girl, her hands would grab, squeeze, and shake exactly where the girl's neck actually was.

I actually write fan fiction for this series (I'm in the middle of a FF2 story right now), and I was wondering if I could write a Ryona story. I know that there's a section of this forum for Ryona literature; maybe I could post it there.

 

[stealthz]

Same here. Now I am wondering what will the next FF look like. People start to get accustomed to the style, just like what has happened with Resident Evil and Silent Hill. And the developers need to be innovative, in order for the series to continue.

 

[onewithnothing]

I wouldn't worry about that, if I were you. I don't think that they will make a fifth one, unfortunately.

 

[Lightzero]

For my personal interest in ryona...
My favorite Fatal frame is :
- Fatal Frame 4 (there is strangle from woman in ceiling, and combine with cheat you can unlimited time to see it)
- Fatal Frame 3 (I like play as Miku, there is Kusabi, strangle from Rei, etc)

 

[ninjaryona]

Love this series though I've only finished 2. Totally stuck on 1 and 3. I love the girl cast of the series, especially Rei.