Fatal Frame III: The Tormented: The Sleep-Filled Delusions

 We are once again back on our Fatal Frame bullshit. But this time we are brought into the world of Fatal Frame III: The Tormented. I would put this title on par with Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly in terms of combat. However, I think that Fatal Frame III succeeds the most with the main character's arc. Rei Kurosawa is easily my favorite of the protagonists thus far. It's the little details that set her apart from the likes of Miku or Mio. One of those reasons for me is that Rei does not feel like she could be replaced by another character. The game is about her for the most part and not about chasing a sibling into a ghost house or town like a darker Luigi's Mansion. Rei is the Tormented.

The game opens with Rei Kurosawa involved in a car accident that killed her fiancé, Yuu Asou. This event is the main catalyst for the game as Rei tries to figure out how to live without Yuu. The story to me was just as engaging as the previous titles. But seeing a character deal with the death of a loved one is very relatable. One of the key aspects of the game involves walking around your apartment, where you live with the protagonist of Fatal Frame, Miku Hinasaki. The comments that Rei makes on many of the things around the house showcase how depressed and depleted she is everyday.

Most of the hours spent in the waking world are spent resting. There are many instances where you won't see daylight. Rei just crams her clothes in the closet while Miku is very tidy and does all the housework. She also makes passing comments about how life used to be. The somber tone of the game's writing comes through so well i this regard. The fact that the game's main color is blue adds to the mood and atmosphere that is present throughout. A world where you wake up and the door at the end of the hall doesn't open. Just going through the motions until you drift off into a chilling hellscape with nowhere to hide from the ghastly demons haunting your dreams. 

The Manor of Sleep appears to those trying to chase after loved ones lost too soon. Once inside this dream-world, the game begins. The person who sees the Manor of Sleep and enters the domain is then subjected to mental anguish until they are killed within the manor. Leaving only black soot in the outline of their sleeping position. You die in the dream, you die for real. For many people, this is reminiscent of things like A Nightmare on Elm Street. But Director Wes Craven has gone on record saying that the idea of people dying in their dreams is derived from real world events. Very similar premises, but different executions at the end of the day. 

Rei's longing for Yuu causes her to engage the horrors in the Manor of Sleep. Uncovering the dark secrets behind the Curse Tattoos as well as how another calamity occurred due to emotional stress. On par with every Fatal Frame. Some Cult stuff happens and then the person being emotionally, mentally, and physically sacrificed by negligent elders becomes a terrifying and harrowing monster. The monster this time around was Reika Kuze. The Tattoo Priestess that presides over the Manor of Sleep and kills those that enter. 

A truly terrifying enemy because not only does she kill you pretty quick if she catches you. Reika has insta-kill moves and will chase you for long stretches. Especially in the final chapters of the game. With Kirie and Sae from the previous titles being more passive. The uptick on danger definitely put me on edge constantly. There are sections in the game where the miasma becomes too thick and you need Purifying Light to keep the game from going monochrome. The monochrome state triggers a chase from Reika quite frequently. Unless you remember the placement of Purifying Light, then you are running away from Reika until she can't follow you. Her chilling voice lines certainly do not help. 

Other than this mechanic, the game plays pretty much the same as Fatal Frame II in terms of combat. Yet the resources you get are scarce, like with the first game. Picking your fights are important because of the limited options. There are items that spawn everytime you enter the dream-world, but the combat has you constantly wasting ammo and health. It sucks because there are some interesting fight concepts that are not built for the game that is Fatal Frame III. I really miss the simplicity of Fatal Frame's combat. 

A big change to the gameplay loop was the introduction of playing as multiple characters. Not only do you get to play as Rei, you play as Miku Hinasaki and Kei Amakura. While Miku is nice to see, I can't understand why Kei is playable. He plays an important part in understanding the Manor of Sleep, but he is also the uncle of Mio and Mayu from the second game. So why not just play as Mio. Having all the playable characters be protagonists is good for fanfare. I can't imagine people were too happy that Mio is in the game, yet replaced by her boring uncle. 

Regardless, being able to play as other characters and doing things that cannot be done by Rei was fun. I enjoyed it for what it was. I don't get why they all needed stats though. That should've been universal. Kei is bad, he wasn't worth spending my points on. I barely spent any on Miku. You really only need to worry about Rei being able to do damage. I am curious as to how the next games will handle the combat that I detest so much. 

Other than combat, the voice acting in English has been bad, but for some reason it was absurdly bad for the most part in this game. That sucks because the writing is really good. There are so many lines that just fall flat. I am sure the Japanese Dub sounds fine. Just another thing that you have to deal with when playing PS1 and PS2 horror games. 

On a more positive note, I found the note section in the game to be really good at showcasing Rei's personality. You can tell the words were being written with how Rei would perceive something. I like touches like that in games. It makes it easier to see the character as more than just a vehicle. More games should do stuff like this. So many note sections are just excerpts from book. I want to know what the characters thinks about the events outside of a cutscene and text box.

People should play Fatal Frame III: The Tormented. Sadly, the access to this franchise is pretty bad outside of the two newest titles. And that sucks because this one is my favorite and it will probably never leave PS2 and PS3 jail. A game about moving on from the tragedy that befell you. Being tormented by the life lost. Going to sleep and waking up having to do it all again. Moving on, even when you don't want to.