Ithilion The Brave tests his courage! Let's Play Fatal Frame.

Hello and welcome! This is a video LP of the first of the four Fatal Frame games. Well, not counting the cell phone game at least. This will be a video LP and rather than go through files in the videos I shall transcribe them in the post containing the video to read at your leisure. Tapes will be shown in the video, however, as they're usually not long and I don't really want to upload a bunch of really short videos. I might change my mind later on, however.

For those not familiar with the series, Fatal Frame is a sort of survival horror game. The item management isn't as nutty as, say, earlier Resident Evil or Silent Hill titles(in fact, there is no item management except for only being able to carry X amount of each item), but some of the puzzles are reminiscent of those series. Unlike those games, however, your enemies are ghosts and your only weapon is a camera. The rest, however, can be explained in the videos.

Note that this LP is sorta blind. I have played through a lot of the first game before, but it was over a year ago and I've forgotten most of the scares and other details. Also, commentary is recorded live because otherwise what's the fun in doing a somewhat blind LP of a horror game? I eventually intend to do the rest of the series, including the fourth game.

List of relevant characters to date can be found here. The list has spoilers properly tagged and hidden and will be updating on a regular basis whenever I remember.

Here's the list of videos so far:

• Part 1 is... right down there.
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8

But enough of that, here's the first video.

And now to transcribe the files, even though they're just tutorials.

Camera Controls - 1

"While holding the camera, press the (circle) button to take shooting stance, and to enter Finder Mode. You can take photos with the (X) or (R1) Button while in Finder Mode.

While in Finder Mode, you can control the player's viewpoint with the Left Analog Stick. (Square Button: Move finder quickly. Triangle Button: Turn around.)

Use the Right Analog Stick to move around while in shooting stance."

Shooting Ghosts
"Hold up the camera with the O Button, and press the shutter with the X Button to attack ghosts. When the target is inside the circle, power (Mystical Power) accumulates. The damage you inflict on the ghost goes up as you accumulate more power in the camera.

Shutterbug Moment
While you have the ghost in your viewfinder, and the circle glows, take a shot.
You can inflict heavy damage when you take a shot during a Shutterbug Moment."

edited 6th Nov '10 5:31:39 PM by IthilionTheBrave

Ooh, Fatal Frame, nice. Did not know about the "based on a true story" bit, but I can't really say I'm surprised, such shenanigans can be a low-brow but admittedly effective tactic for upping the terror. From what I've heard about Fatal Frame, it doesn't really need much upping, though.

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Part 2 is up and features my first, and probably rather clumsy, attempt at subtitling. Not sure if I'll do it for the rest of the videos.

And now the files.

Research Notes Editor Ogata's Notes 4 - Looks like delirious nonsense

"September 12th

Now there's another rope!

And another rope...!"

Mafuyu's Notebook Mafuyu's notes 1 - Himuro Mansion and the missing novelist

"Himuro Mansion Investigation

Himuro Mansion was once the home of a large landowner that controlled vast areas of land. They also say that the site held some special significance that had to do with Shinto rituals of the region. (I couldn't find any detailed books about these Shinto rituals, though.)

The last master of the Himuro family line massacred his entire household. later, another family that tried to live there disappeared.
Because of incidents like these, nobody visits the mansion today, and it lies in ruins.

Maybe that's why there aren't any accounts of the Shinto rituals, and why the exact location of the place isn't recorded anywhere.

September 24th

I've had a bad feeling ever since I came to this mansion. I'm leaving notes in this notebook just in case anything happens to me.
I've got to find Mr. Takamine and the others fast... I hope it's not too late!"

News Clipping Clipping from a Local Newspaper "Dead Body found on Mountain."

"Late yesterday, a human body with no limbs was found in Himuro Mountain, located in the southern region of the prefecture. The body's hands, feet, and head were all torn off. The police is investigating the case as both a murder and accident.

The body has not been identified, but it is believed to be a man around the age of 30. The police is also taking into consideration the fact that a body, mutilated in the same manner, was found in the same location 15 years ago."

Power-ups

"About Power-ups

You can acquire Mystical Power by damaging ghosts. Select "Camera" from the Menu Screen (Triangle Button) to access the Power-up Screen. You can unlock the seal on the camera with the accumulated Mystical Power, and power up.

About Auxiliary Functions
When you unlock Auxiliary Functions Seal, you enable many special attacks. To use the enabled Auxiliary Function, press the L1 while in a shooting stance. The number of Auxiliary Functions you can use is limited to the number of Spirit Stones in your inventory, so be frugal."

edited 8th Oct '10 6:40:02 AM by IthilionTheBrave

Miku's not the most Genre Savvy person in the world no, but then again, if she was, she'd probably not search for her brother in an abandoned spooky mansion, and we wouldn't have much of a game

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Here lies the video:

And here are the files.

Research Scrap Ryozo Munakata Research Document. The Himuro family rituals.

"Secret Rituals of the Himuro Family

Many rituals and customs have been passed down through the generations of the Himuro family. Most of them are lost. The only things we have left now are some documents that record these rituals as a legend.

Hardly any of the oral history remains. This is because all Himuro family members are dead, and those who were close to the family have kept quiet about the ritual.

One ritual in particular, performed on December 13th, is shrouded in mystery. People who lived near the mansion stayed inside on that particular day, and even now, it is considered bad luck to leave the windows open on that date.

I can only assume that this is due to the cruel nature of the ritual, but the truth remains unknown."

Red Notebook Scrap Assistant Hirasaka's Notes 2 - Anxiety about Himuro assignment

"August 27th
The more I find out about Himuro Mansion, the creepier it gets. I'm sure it's the perfect subject matter for Mr. Takamine's next book, but, to be perfectly honest, I don't like this assignment one bit. It gives me a bad feeling...

There's no way I want to go to that mansion. But it's my job, right? I guess I'll have to go. And I wouldn't want to waste the chance to work with Mr. Takamine just because of a little bit of uneasiness, either.

It doesn't help I have this sixth sense for the supernatural, either. There's such a thing as knowing TOO much, sometimes..."

Red Notebook Scrap Assistant Hirasaka's Notes 3 - Seeing the woman in a white kimono

"September 10th, 8:00 pm
I clearly saw the image of a woman, in front of the mirror near the entrance. She had long hair and a white kimono. There were ropes tied to her arms and legs, and she dragged them along when she walked. I think I heard Koji talk about something like that, too.

There's something VERY wrong about this mansion."

Research Scrap Ryozo Munakata Research Document. The Secret maidens

"The Mystery of the Rope Maiden

Among the few documents found on the ritual, mention of the 'Rope Shrine Maiden' is made many times. Her arms, legs, and neck are bound by five ropes. However, no documents discuss the role she plays in the ritual.

One theory is that she is a sacrificial lamb, but I find it hard to believe that such a cruel ritual was practiced."

Okay...I'm not a very courageous guy, but the events of the first two sessions were rather tolerable when it comes to fear. That last video, however, made me scream about as loud as you did. I can only wonder what the future will hold...

Oh it gets worse. MUCH worse. And it's awesome.

Nope, it's not abandoned or dead or anything. Just a nasty Schedule Slip from my 3 year old nephew visiting for a week, college, and my stubborn insistence on recording late at night despite having to get up at 6 in the morning. I've currently recorded up to the end of the First Night, so we should be good for a while provided I don't forget to record more before I run out.

Behold, as I repeat things I did earlier in the video because of the time gap involved between the first few minutes and the rest of it! Also behold as I fumble around with the number puzzle on account of not being able to read Japanese!

And now, on with the files!

Strangling Ritual Text on Old Scroll. The Strangling Ritual

"On the 13th day of the 12th month, a maiden, cut off from the outside world for 3669 long days, shall be torn apart to provide power to the rope."

Red Notebook Scrap Assistant Hirasaka's Notes 4 - The kimono woman's name

"September 11th, 6:30 am
I saw that woman in the white kimono again. She's trying to tell me something. She knows I have this special sense for ghostly things... The woman's name is... Kirie. So, it's Kirie, huh?

I shouldn't get any closer than this. I don't want to get any closer... I'm scared."

Black Notebook Scrap Novelist Takamine's Notes 2 - Finding editor Ogata's body

"September 13th, 9:30 am
We found Ogata's body. His head, hands and feet were strangled off... What happened to him is just like the strange deaths that occurred here long ago.
There was a photo of Ogata near him. In it, there was something that looked like ropes on his neck, arms, and legs.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the Rope Shrine Maidens in the legends around here, the girls that had ropes tied to their neck, arms and legs, too...?

September 13th, 12:10 pm
Tomoe is acting strangely. She's been mumbling nonsense all morning. Something about ropes... And mirrors... I can't blame her for going to pieces, though, after seeing what happened to Ogata."

Five Stones Document Text on Old Scroll. The five stones

"Give thanks to the five gods' protection.

Place the stone, representing the five mirrors, in the correct location."

Old News Article "Taken by Ghosts? Four Children Missing"

"On the night of 3rd, the police received a report that four children failed to return home after 9pm. There is an old superstition in the surrounding villages about children being snatched away by ghosts, and some villagers indeed suspect that this is what has happened to the four kids."

Old Diary Scrap Folklorist's Diary 1 - Moving to Himuro Mansion

"May 20th
We've finally gotten through the move to Himuro Mansion. I had a hard time cutting through all the red tape with the local officians.
But, just as I'd hoped, the air is fresh here! It should be good for Yae in her poor health.

My daughter Mikoto seems to like this area, too. She's made friends here already, and is enjoying herself. Yae seems to think this old mansion is spooky, but I plan to do some work on it. Make it easier for her to live in. (One I get settled in my research.)

The best thing about living here is that I don't have to go out to do my research. It's all here in this mansion. I can be right by Yae's side all of the time."

edited 17th Oct '10 10:49:36 AM by IthilionTheBrave

And here's the next update.

And now the files as usual.

Red Notebook Scrap Assistant Hirasaka's Notes 1 - Existence of book about mansion

"August 20th
It seems a folklorist named Ryozo Munakata was studying about the various rituals passed down at the Himuro Mansion. He supposedly left a book of research, but I can't find it anywhere. I wonder if there's a copy in a library somewhere?

August 30th
I still can't find the book. I'll have Koji Ogata from the editing department do a search for it. I doubt he'll be able to find it, though."

Black Notebook Scrap Novelist Takamine's Notes 3 - Hirasaka's condition getting worse

"September 13th, 3:00 pm
Tomoe's condition is getting worse and worse. She can't stop shaking, and she keeps mumbling the same words over and over. I don't know if what's happening is anything supernatural or not, but in any case, I think we'd better leave as soon as possible.

Tomoe is in such bad shape, she can't even move. I guess I'll have to look for a way out of here myself. Even if we waited for help, I doubt anyone would come looking for us..."

That should be it. Yell at me if I missed anything.

Also, it's a bit harder, or at least a lot more awkward, to transcribe when the game is on a TV rather than one of my monitors.

Just went through and watched all the videos. Great stuff so far! My brother borrowed this game from a mutual friend of ours, but after playing an hour or so he got too spooked and had to quit. XD and I haven't even had the guts to start it, so...it's nice to see a Let's Play!

Current project: Cleaning up the Chrono Crusade examples one at a time. God help me.

Still plodding along.

The girl's scream paralyzes. No fun!

There is a cat on my desk as I type this. Let's hope she doesn't start grabbing at my hands. Regardless, files!

Red Notebook Scrap Assistant Hirasaka's Notes 5 - Looks like hallucinations she had

"September 12th, 1:45 pm
My sixth sense is telling me some children are playing here. I can't see them, but they keep calling to me. Are they playing tag? Or hide-and-seek, maybe? They might be the children in that photo.

September 12th, 4:30 pm
There were human heads in that room...so many of them! They were cut off by the Himuro family master... They were all trying to tell me something.

I never should have come here. I should have trusted that sixth sense of mine."

Black Notebook Scrap Novelist Takamine's Notes 4 - The Rope Shrine Maiden and Kirie

"September 14th, 10:00 am
That woman that Tomoe called 'Kirie' looks just like the descriptions of the Rope Shrine Maiden in the legends. And there's a strong resemblance, too, between the way Tomoe and Ogata died and the manner of the deaths in the folklore.

So that woman is the Rope Shrine Maiden, is she...?"

Research Scrap Ryozo Munakata Research Document. The Holy Mirror legend

"The Legend of the Holy Mirrors (The Mirrors of the Five Gods)

The Holy Mirrors, held in five shrines in this region, are most commonly known as 'the Mirrors of the Five Gods.' The legend tells that the five gods, before leaving this land, created these mirrors as a means of protecting the village.

Some legends mention another mirror. The story is that all five mirrors were used together in a ritual to fend off a huge disaster (whether this was the Calamity or not is not known).

It is not known whether the ritual mentioned above is related in any way to the one performed by the Himuro family, but there is the correlations of the mirrors.

However, the actual existence of the legendary Holy Mirror, one complete mirror, has not been confirmed, and it is not known what the legend is based on."

Old News Article Missing Girl's New Home Found

"The girl, who has been found after three days of mysterious disapperance, has been adopted. Mr. Hinasaki, a close friend of Mr. Ryozo Munakata (also missing) will adopt the girl.

The girl's parents were missing even after she returned, so the police was looking for a foster home or adoptive family. The girl does not remember anything from her disappearance, and the three other children are still missing."

Red Notebook Scrap Assistant Hirasaka's Notes 6 - Looks like delirious nonsense

"The mirror is breaking... Smash! A broken mirror... People on the floor, all over the mansion. So many people. All those people! What are they running from? And then at the end, with such desperate looks on their faces...!

Something's coming this way! From deep within the mansion... A coldness... It's colder than anything I've ever felt! I don't know anymore if this is a dream or real..."

Red Notebook Scrap Assistant Hirasaka's Notes 7 - Wants to tell Takamine something

"A little girl in a white kimono keeps pleading to me. I can't keep my mind focused, but her voice rings in my head and won't leave. But what does she want me to do for her? I can't even get out of this mansion anymore...

Broken. Five pieces...
The mirror...!

Tell Mr. Takamine...
...the way to break the curse..."

And that is all. It now occurs to me that I should create a "dramatis personae" sort of post to help organize things and facilitate connecting all the dots in the plot. And yes, my cat did start grabbing my hands and had to be removed from my desk. Silly kitty.

edited 26th Oct '10 6:09:28 PM by IthilionTheBrave

And here is the cast of characters, which I really should have made earlier. Oh well, hindsight is 20/230. Or maybe 20/20 and my finger slipped.

Currently, these are limited to the information given in the correlations chart in the files menu. I'll expand the info at a later point provided I don't forget and also give the stories for the ghosts.

Miku Hinasaki
She came to Himuro Mansion in search of Mafuyu.

Mafuyu Hinasaki
Miku's brother. He came to the mansion in search of Takamine. He may have been captured by the female ghost in a white kimono.

Miyuki Hinasaki
Miku's mother. She possessed spiritual powers, and gave the camera to Miku.

Koji Ogata
An editor who accompanied Takamine's research. Murdered by the mansion's ghosts while exploring with Takamine and Hirasaka.

Tomoe Hirasaka
Takamine's assistant. She disappeared while exploring the mansion with Takamine and Ogata.

Junsei Takamine
A mystery novelist who visited Himuro Mansion and disappeared.

Girl in White Kimono
A mysterious girl who appears inside the mansion. She helps Miku wherever she goes.

Rope Shrine Maiden?
A mysterious woman named Kirie. Believed to have been involved at the rituals performed at Himuro Mansion.

Holy...that's a lot of terrifying spirit midbosses you encountered in a short amount of time. And the girl with the snapped neck has an even scarier comeback later on? I have no idea how I can keep watching those videos without vocalizing my fears at a volume that'll alert the neighbours.

I think you're doing a wonderful job at this, and while I'm a pansy when it comes to horror, I do hope you continue.

Oh yes, Fatal Frame brings the scary. What's better than ghosts and creepy little girls? Creepy little girl ghosts, of course

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That ghost girl gave me the creeps. *shudder* Ghost children are inherently creepy, I believe.

@Endark Culi: The Broken Neck Woman becomes a random ghost after this (a fairly common one, in fact), but sometimes there's a chance for her to make a special appearance. Sometimes, the music will start up and the filament glows but she doesn't initially appear. When you raise the camera to look for her she instantly slides in from the side right in front of you while laughing. Terrified the crap out of me first time it happened. Although I might have just gotten "lucky" on that one.

As for the child ghosts... You haven't seen anything yet.

edited 26th Oct '10 4:40:52 PM by IthilionTheBrave

Oh, goodie. A well. Nothing good ever came out of a well in a Japanese horror story.

(I'm enjoying this LP immensely, nonetheless.)

Update was delayed because the video ended up slightly too long for youtube, much to my frustration. This update is slightly delayed because I was playing Alien Swarm.

And here's the tape picked up at the end of the video. It's separate due to some frustrations I had with tacking it on to the next video.

And now for the files, while a cat sleeps on my desk and another occupies my lap. I feel popular.

Black Notebook Scrap Novelist Takamine's Notes 5 - Holy Mirror, mystery of the mansion

"September 14th, 8:00 pm
In the materials Tomoe gathered for me, there's a paragraph about five pieces of mirror passed down through the Himuro family for generations. These pieces were said to seal off the Hell Gate and protect the region from a great disaster. They might have something to do with the current hellish situation.

Five Holy Mirrors in shrines around the area all broke in a small earthquake the other day. When I heard about it, it gave me the idea for this next work of mine. I think I brought a news article about it with me when I came here. It says there were only five Holy Mirrors in existence.

But according to some legends, there is another - - the True Holy Mirror. The folklorist also mentions this in his research documents, the ones I found in the mansion. (I think I dropped the research documents somewhere when I was trying to escape that cursed woman.)

Here are my theories. I think that the five mirrors that were destroyed in the earthquake the other day had the role of 'watching over' the True Holy Mirror. I don't think it was the earthquake that broke the five Holy Mirrors in the shrines.

I think it was a signal that the seal on the Hell Gate that the Himuro True Holy Mirror provides provides  ^*

had broken for some reason. The five mirrors were trying to warn us."

Or the only file, rather.

edited 30th Oct '10 11:42:05 AM by IthilionTheBrave

Was the hanging woman asking about the children Takamine's female assistant, or a new character? I couldn't tell.

Current project: Cleaning up the Chrono Crusade examples one at a time. God help me.

It was a new character. Yae Munakata, the folklorist's wife, to be more specific.

And here's the next update. Apologies for the delay, real life and all that.

Apologies for my bumbling about with the puzzle. Long night and distracted by a recording hiccup that apparently didn't carry over into the actual video.

And now for the files!

Black Notebook Scrap Novelist Takamine's Notes 6 - Takamine's last hope

"I'm about to go to the shrine deep within Himuro Mansion, where they say a piece of the True Holy Mirror is kept. The curse has already left its mark on my four limbs. There's no escaping it. About the only thing left now that I can do is try to reseal the Hell Gate. It's my last hope.

I've already found four of the Buddha statues I need to get a piece of the mirror. And I've managed to find an old document that tells of the location of the fifth statue.

'Make observance to the Buddha,' At the base of the large gate, 'So that the souls of the piteous maidens,' Can reach up to the heavens.'

If all goes well, no one will ever have to read these notes, and I can use them toward the content of my next book. In closing, I would like to thank my assistant and my partner, Tomoe Hirasaka.

If it weren't for the words she left with me, I wouldn't have been able to complete this, my final work. If I don't return, please give her a decent burial.

Signed, Junsei Takamine,
September 15th."

Five Buddhas Document Text on Old Scroll. The five Buddha statues

"Bury the Rope Maiden's spirit.

Place the five Buddha with her damaged limbs."

And we are now on the verge of the 2nd night, Demon Tag. If you thought some of the ghosts were bad in the first night... well... Just wait and see.

Eeesh, that rope ceremony isn't exactly pleasant. Incidentally, neither are ghosts that apparently are Made of Iron, or ghost iron, as it were.

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Not abandoned, but certainly delayed. Had a problem with the last batch of recordings that ruined them. I, meanwhile, forgot to have alternating saves just in case. Whoops! The good news is that the batch of recordings consisted of only 2 videos. The bad news is that I have to play through the entire first night again up to the start of the 2nd night before I can continue this LP.

I've also decided that the next LP I start, I'm building up a massive backlog before I start uploading them. Otherwise I have far too many schedule slips (especially during a college semester).

Ooh, that sucks. Loosing progress of any kind is a major bummer, and when you have to re-do stuff... yeah, it's not funtimes.

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Combination of college, Thanksgiving, and frustration with having to replay the first night have delayed updates far too long. Finals are coming, so I should start updating again soon. Only problem is that my computer is borked. I'll start updating again as soon as my computer is back up.