Fatal Frame, known as Zero in Japan and Project Zero in EU/AUS, is a survival horror game and the first in a series that has seen releases from 2001 to 2021. Set in 1986, the first game focuses on Miku Hinasaki who investigates the disappearance of her brother Mafuyu in the haunted Himuro Mansion. The ghosts are fought with the Camera Obscura, an antique camera that can capture them - the player shoots with different types of film with some being stronger than others. The game was a slow-burn, gaining momentum in the US/EU where the Japanese films The Ring and The Grudge were becoming popular.

The Wheel wants desperation; the Wheel demands panic. How about a game where to damage ghosts you HAVE to look at them? Turning away could be fatal... frame. Clever joke there.

Fatal Frame, or to call it by its less cool but more correct EU/JP name, Project Zero, is a slice of classic PS2 survival horror. Expect devilish puzzles, resource management and spooky enemies getting all up in your grill. As Miku, you use a weird old camera to keep ghosties at bay while you explore a haunted Japanese house in search of your brother, Mafuyu. Can Miku solve the mysteries of Himuro Mansion and the grisly rituals that have taken place there over the years? Or will she die wetting herself as a Ghost launches itself at you the player, POV style?

The game takes place over 4 acts. Taking progress simply as Acts>Time feels far too broad, as some of you whelps struggle with survival horror and may never make it out of Act 1 - so, we’ve anticipated your failure and planned for it. We will use mandatory ghost encounters to delineate submissions, and below is a list of them, which you can tick off as you play - the room the battle takes place in is listed to help identify them. If you are genuinely confused about your progress, you can always pop a save state at the end of your time and pass that to Garlips, who can ascertain where you fall in the list.

Scoring:

Completed Act > Minibosses Defeated In Furthest Act > Deaths > Time.

Helpful Information:

• Read. The. Manual.
• Please use the NTSC US copy of the game unless you have a real good reason - this ensures a level playing field (just in case there are differences).
• Time starts on the Himuro/Intro screen disappearing. You can pause the timer anytime there is a cutscene or FMV, and also when listening to tapes or reading files. Other menuing MUST be timed. This pausing allows you to enjoy the story without worrying about losing time on your submission - if you're abusing this trust to game the system this will not be looked upon favourably.
• Saving is encouraged, but death is punished.
• The save points have an infinite supply of base-level ammunition, so stock up.
• You can screw yourself by using your heals early-game.
• There are optional bosses in the Grand Hall - they don't count as progress, but there are helpful items there too, and provide shortcuts later so...

Important: There is a problem with the game’s final boss, where it can softlock. We highly doubt that even able Strugglers will get there, but just in case - you are allowed to make one save state before the final boss in case the glitch happens. You’ll know the glitch is happening if once you enter the camera viewfinder, you can no longer move. Make the save state in Act 4, in the [Hell Gate] room, before interacting with the central stone obelisk (with red marks on it) in front of the doorway.

Important: There are some problems with ghosts visualising in PCSX2. If this is happening to you - go to "Configuration", then "Video", then "Plugin Settings", and then, you have to change the part called Renderer to "Direct3D11 (Software)", and not hardware.

Important: Loading from a Save counts as a death, please make note of these.

Ghost Encounter List:

The ghost encounters on this list should be mandatory to making progress in the game. You are not counting how many you've defeated TOTAL, but rather which one is the furthest in game that you have defeated.

1st Night: The Strangling Ritual

• Ogata - Battle 1 [Kimono Room]
• Ogata - Battle 2 [Lamp Corridor]
• Ogata - Battle 3 [Kimono Room]
• Man With Long Arms [Walkway]
• Crawling Girl [Doll Room]
• Broken Neck [Cherry Atrium]
• Tomoe - Battle 1 [Fish Tank Room]
• Tomoe - Battle 2 [Backyard]
• Takamine [Narukami Shrine]

2nd Night: Demon Tag

• Blinded - Battle 1 [Cherry Atrium]
• Man With Long Arms [Stairway]
• Girl In The Well [Backyard]
• Blinded - Battle 2 [Stairway]
• Blinded - Battle 3 [Demon Mouth]
• Blinded - Battle 4 [Burial Room]
• Crawling Girl [Doll Room]
• Boy Hiding [Fireplace Room]
• Blinded - Battle 5 [Walkway]
• Yae [Cherry Atrium]
• Blinded - Battle 6 [Mask Room]
• Mr. Munakata - Battle 1 [Bhudda Room]
• Mr. Munakata - Battle 2 [Demon Mouth]
• Blinded - Battle 7 [Demon Mouth]

3rd Night: Calamity

• 3 People Killed [Banned Path]
• Floating Face [Corridor]
• Family Master [Bhudda Room]
• Headless Priest I [Cherry Atrium]
• Headless Priest II [Abyss]
• Headless Priest III [Square Garden]
• Long Hair Woman [Fish Tank Room]
• Headless Priest IV [Backyard]
• Family Master - Battle 2 [Grand Hall]

Final Night: Kyrie

• Floating Face [Attic]
• Long Hair Woman / Wandering Man [Hell Pass]
• Shrine Maiden - Battle 1 [Rope Altar]
• Shrine Maiden - Battle 2 [Baptismal Path]
• Kyrie [Hell Gate]

1st) Lovenfoofen - Acts: 4 - Encounters: N/A - Deaths: 0 - Time: 4:01:12
2nd) shmumbler - Acts: 4 - Encounters: N/A - Deaths: 1 - Time: 3:38:19
3rd) Krameht - Acts: 4 - Encounters: N/A - Deaths: 6 - Time: 4:06:34
4th) DMAC - Acts: 4 - Encounters: N/A - Deaths: 6 - Time: 4:44:10
5th) Garlips - Acts: 3 - Encounters: 1 - Deaths: 12 - Time: 4:54:46
6th) NerdyFiona - Acts: 2 - Encounters: 8 - Deaths: 7 - Time: 4:44:01
7th) RaefGall - Acts: 1 - Encounters: 14 - Deaths: 6 - Time: 4:59:42
8th) carlconiglius - Acts: 1 - Encounters: 13 - Deaths: 0 - Time: 1:48:00
9th) Fusha - Acts: 1 - Encounters: 13 - Deaths: 5 - Time: 4:49:19
10th) Big Captain - Acts: 1 - Encounters: 11 - Deaths: 4 - Time: 4:57:20
11th) TomTheWizzard - Acts: 1 - Encounters: 10 - Deaths: 1 - Time: 4:37:30
12th) Cinaeth - Acts: 1 - Encounters: 10 - Deaths: 2 - Time: 4:55:12
13th) enbyzee - Acts: 1 - Encounters: 10 - Deaths: 3 - Time: 4:45:00
14th) Stormfeather - Acts: 1 - Encounters: 8 - Deaths: 11 - Time: 4:50:15
15th) 16Bit_Hyper_Turbo - Acts: 0 - Encounters: 5 - Deaths: ? - Time: 4:52:00
16th) geckish - Acts: 0 - Encounters: 4 - Deaths: 5 - Time: 1:01:30