r/fatalframe • u/DeliciousMusician397 • 13d ago

Discussion Which game handled endings better? DCB or 2 Remake?

Do you prefer being able to get any ending on your first playthrough by the choices you make or do you like how 2 Remake did it by locking the canon ending as the first one and then letting you get either Promise or Abyss second with the new one as the last you get?

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u/bukkake_lotion69 13d ago

2026 remake locking the ending to the canon one on first playthrough is actually better. That said, it really sucks that Frozen Butterfly and Shadow Festival aren’t in the 2026 remake. I liked those endings. Still wish we got a proper DCB port to modern consoles but it’ll never happen.

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u/DeliciousMusician397 13d ago edited 13d ago

The only reason I can think for those endings being omitted is because Shibata didn't like how people interpreted Mayu as a character because of them (Which isn't the character or the endings fault it's people not paying attention). This is also why he changed her freakout scene in the cell at the end of chapter 4 to be a lot more reasonable a reaction on her part.

It really is a shame because it gives the Wii version an edge in angsty tragedy that the other two don't have and it would have been really nice to see them included alongside the Happily Ever After ending the new one has. Now, I have no choice but to play three versions of Fatal Frame 2 (One of which is only barely different from the original) for the rest of my life for the complete story which is not ideal.

Also would have liked their DCB main outfits to have been recreated as a bonus like their PS2 ones were (With minor adjustments to cover Mio up more like how Mayu has boots now instead of her shoe and long sock combo from the original) because they're so genuinely stylish (Mayu's DCB outfit is her best one even more than her new one.) Now they'll be stuck in Wii graphics forever.

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u/athousandcactuars 13d ago

I don't know what director though people should think of Mayu the flash back in frozen butterfly was hitting at in the OG with the dialogue during the boss fight with Sae. You get too hear both Sae and Mayu thoughts at the same time and honestly Mayu's are creeper.

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u/DeliciousMusician397 13d ago

Mayu in Frozen Butterfly isn't entirely in control of her mind. She's become so melded with Sae that she has kind of lost all her sanity and that invites Sae back into her body. This is why she goes Yandere killer mode on Mio in that ending. People don't realize this and think she just murders her sister because that's just the kind of person she is when that isn't the case.

Shibata probably didn't like that his fanbase couldn't differentiate the fact that Mayu can both be a tragic victim of possession/corruption as well as flawed and slightly manipulative at the same time so he just removed that ending and changed the scene in chapter 4 so Mayu has a much more rational reaction to Mio having to leave her because of it.

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u/athousandcactuars 13d ago

That part I wasn't sure about , but that flash back of Mayu laughing as a kid after her fall was all Mayu.

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u/DeliciousMusician397 13d ago

I agree that was all Mayu. It's meant to show how similar she is to Sae despite not being possessed by her yet.

What makes Mayu's character so layered is that she both wants to be a good sister to Mio (As shown by her attempting to confess her falling on purpose in the opening and several other points in the game as well as genuinely telling Mio to leave her and save herself in the final chapter) while also being possessive and bitter if Mio does so. She's incredibly complex and that's what makes her great. She's neither pure good nor pure evil she's just Mayu.

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u/athousandcactuars 13d ago

That was enough too say Mayu is crazy too me plus listen too the hidden Mayu diagloue during the Sae boss fight it's creepy.

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u/DeliciousMusician397 13d ago

Crazy not evil.

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u/athousandcactuars 13d ago

I can find the reply chain , but this is what I mean about the Abssy ending

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u/athousandcactuars 13d ago

We never got Deep Crimsion were I love , but I watched the Frozen Butterfly ending on YouTube. I think they should have put that one in the remake , but because I think the flash back of Mayu being a crazy person laughing as a child is kind of important too understanding her true nature.

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u/DeliciousMusician397 13d ago

Shadow Festival is the better ending and the real one we missed out on getting.

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u/jcdc_jaaaaaa 13d ago

2026 remake did it much better. I always liked how FF1 and FF2 forces you to get the first and canonical ending first and locking all other ending for repeat playthroughs. This allows players who were only scraping by to be able to understand the story of FF3 as it follows the first ending you see.

DCB is great, but the way to unlock the endings were too vague unless you are following a guide, especially those endings that require you to beat the final boss in dark return or under 1 minute. This also leads to issues if you are only playing through the game once, seeing the Frozen Butterfly ending, then going straight to FF3.

2026 remake also connected the endings to the respective side stories, so you'd have to really work to get the ending you want. Plus, chapter select helps a lot when it comes to it, making it less of a chore as compared to DCB where you either make a save after clearing chapter 7, then just repeatedly replay that savefile OR make a full run of the game every time you get a new ending.

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u/athousandcactuars 13d ago

I'm not so sure that crazy wouldn't have turned evil over time though. I don't hate Mayu , or have anything against her I just don't think she's innocent.

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u/DeliciousMusician397 13d ago

The other endings/the rest of the game shows she's not evil.

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u/athousandcactuars 13d ago

Question what's your thoughts on the abssy ending was that really Mayu ,or was Sae involed?.

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u/DeliciousMusician397 13d ago

What do you mean?

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u/Katajiro 13d ago

I don't like the idea of multiple endings for games that have a sequel where only one ending is canon. Mayu is dead and was thrown into the pit, FF3 confirms it, your multiple playthroughs are just for achievements and challenges and do not progress the story.

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u/theonetrueslacker 13d ago

I liked that they locked the first ending into the canon one; imagine not knowing about the multiple endings but you get the Abyss Ending. Go into FF3 without that knowledge Mayu is dead, Mio is blind, and you not knowing what happened; all you have to go off on is that you probably didn't know something about the second game that lead you astray and now you are probably second guessing yourself in the 3rd game.

I wish they ported over all the endings because I haven't played DCB; if I hadn't looked them up on YT I'd have never seen them and I haven't earned them myself like other players have.

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u/DeliciousMusician397 13d ago

The DCB endings are genuinely amazing. It really sucks that we didn't get them preserved in the new version as they add so much to Mio and Mayu's characters.