Finished my 1st run of the game and currently going for a NG+ Nightmare run! This game has become my favorite survival horror game ever now, surpassing Dead Space 2 for that title, and probably one of my fave games ever too.

Gameplay:

This game is a survival horror game, meaning you have to rely on the resources you're given to survive, fight back, and make it through the game. This was my entry into the franchise and I was taken aback by how much I loved the combat for this game. Your means to fight is the Camera Obscura over other conventional weapons that other survival horror games provide you. The player is allowed to upgrade the Camera Obscura and other facets related to it, along with resetting certain upgrades if you aren't satisfied with your current build! The Camera Obscura itself comes with an unlimited/infinite film as part of its ammo which is extremely underrated if you don't get a great handle on the combat. The infinite standard film when used with the right upgrades can really clutch up tough fights and help save your other film types for the stronger encounters! Along with different film types of varying strength and reload times, the player is also given different filter types that also have different effects on the many wraiths you'll encounter, which have additional uses outside of combat! For those who love exploring every nook and cranny a game has to offer, this game has some great exploration and extras for those with a keen sense of observation, some of which can only be found through the other filters and have varying rewards, including ways to upgrade your Camera Obscura, which would help in the longrun! Add to that the many sidequests the game has to offer and you could also wind up with a long and satisfying first playthrough of this game! The combat DOES take some getting used to but the best way to describe it is to think of your camera as not only your weapon but a means to sort of parry enemies before they can land their attacks! It's up to the player to recognize attack patterns/camera indicators, grab attacks that you can punish for BIG damage that in turn lead to Fatal Frames, and when to physically evade to avoid big chunks of willpower drain and damage! For those curious, yes, a lot of things and upgrades carry over into NG+ along with being able to unlock additional endings!

Story:

MANNNNNN.....what DO I SAY HERE!?!?!?! What a masterpiece of a game. I completed this game a few days ago but needed time to really process what I just played and witnessed. I held back tears during the ending but I was depressed for the following days, only wanting to play more of this game to see what else it has to offer. I legit can't stop thinking about that how things played out in the game, its narrative and the characters. Post game completion depression FOR SURE! You play as Mio who sees her twin sister Mayu get mesmerized by a crimson butterfly. She follows it and in turn, Mio follows her before she gets herself lost and hurt. Both sisters find themselves trapped in the fabled, lost and damned Minakami Village, where a taboo ritual takes place and a sense of sinister dread and evil lurks in every corner. It's up to Mio to reunite with her sister and for her to help both of them to escape that evil place. That's ALL I can say and will say about the game! This is a game and story where the LESS you know going in, the better and the more impactful it will be! There are additional side stories for the player to discover that helps unfold even more of the lore of Minakami Village and the many damned souls that reside in it!

Visuals:

This game is GORGEOUS and really shows the power and strength of Team Ninja's and Koei's Katana Engine! The lighting in this game and in many cases, absence of lighting, really help this game showcase its macabre beauty! Played on a PS5 Pro and I did notice sometimes albeit rarely, that some assets will load in when Mio gets closer to it but its not the enemies or anything important, just background items, which is no big deal and will probably get fixed soon.

Soundtrack/OST:

The OST is both a mix of atmospheric music and music meant to be very memorable during specific situations! The first house Mio and Mayu find themselves in really helps describe both how a track is atmospheric and memorable at the same time! One thing I would've loved to have heard was the Lantern save theme in this game that I did manage to hear due to a chatter bringing it up. Hopefully it gets added in at some point but that aside, the music is great, ESPECIALLY towards the end, without spoiling. The last few OSTs towards the end really helps make this game as memorable and iconic as it is! Music aside, the game's audio design is incredible too and helps create a creepy, dreadful and sinister tension throughout your playthrough akin to the sound design of Dead Space Remake!

PLEASEEE GO SUPPORT THIS GAME!!! It was recreated with lots of love and attention along with new additions that help it stand on it's own merits from the original! Safe to say, I became Fatal Frame 2 pilled and will EASILY go play the original or at least the og Xbox Director's Cut of the 1st and 2nd games! I do hope KoeiTecmo remakes both Fatal Frame 1 and 3 as well as gives us a Remastered Collection of the first 3 games as well! This is a series that EVERY fan and new fans of survival horror should experience! GGs KoeiTecmo and Team Ninja for knocking this Remake out of the park!!! THIS IS HOW YOU DO A REMAKE while ensuring to use Remake in the title to not supplant and respect the original game!!!! W Koei and Team Ninja!!

This game is basically the legacy of RE2 (og for me since I have yet to play RE2 Remake) and the other RE games before it (without spoiling and won't spoil going forward as well for those that haven't played it yet)! If anything, this game has made me want to finally play RE2 Remake to see how it compares to the legendary og RE2 and it's impact on not only Resident Evil but gaming as well!

Gameplay:

This game is a mix up of two different gameplay styles, each different for its respective protag, Grace and Leon. Grace's gameplay leans more towards classic survival horror and if you opted for the Classic gamemode upon starting RE9, you'll definitely feel right at home with the older RE titles that play like it, ink ribbons included! The game even offers a 1st person or 3rd person perspective as well for both Grace and Leon, with the devs recommending 1st for Grace and 3rd person for Leon, but feel free to play however you want to play the game of course! If you've played RE4 Remake, then Leon's sections of the game should also feel right at home for the player, and yes, you can parry as Leon too! If there's ONE slight gripe with the combat for RE9 that's spoiler-free, it is that infected are able to auto-pickup the chainsaw whereas Leon has to wait for it to stop spinning in order to use it, along with the parry prompt not being visible at times for Leon's sections and kinda having to instinctively parry just about everything in case you can parry it!

Visuals:

This is one of the most gorgeous and visceral RE games ever! To be fair, I haven't played RE7 or RE8 yet so I will keep that in mind for those games too and be fair to them! Seeing several of the enemy designs, new ones and all, was incredible, especially when it comes to seeing familiar RE related things such as Leon and RCD and for those that played the outbreak games, Alyssa to name a few things that were revealed to players through trailers! Capcom nailed it with the art direction in this game!

Story:

Grace Ashcroft is sent to investigate some killings that follow a disturbing trend. Those killings have her investigating the very place where her mom was murdered. Meanwhile, Leon is tracking down clues to the hints of a new biological terror threat that eventually leads his path to cross with Grace's! That's all I can say about this game's story but like I said earlier, the legacy of RE2 and the games before RE9! This game is a loveletter to all the RE games before it while giving us a new heroine to root for going forward with Grace Ashcroft!

OST:

Great OST but I can't elaborate much after that! It's a treat for all RE fans if you can catch it!

If you're a fan of survival horror, this game is a MUST PLAY for you! If you're a longtime RE fan, this is also a must play! I know some older fans have their gripes with how action oriented the games have gotten but personally, I've liked a lot of RE games since starting this RE journey! Og RE2 (and Revelations 1) are still tied for my fave RE games ever, but a few days past completion of this game, while Grace and her portion of the story hold up very well by itself, I have wondered how much more was this game elevated by Leon and the legacy of RE2 and other notable RE games this game touches upon.

With all that being said, onto playing the RE games that I have yet to play, RE2 Remake in particular to see how it stacks compared to my fave og RE2, followed by RE3 Remake, RE7, RE8 and RE Outbreak 1 & 2 along with both rail shooters and Deadly Silence to finally complete my RE journey <3 Feel free to join up on twitch to see the remainder of this RE-ppreciation!