Not every side story in Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake demands weeks of chasing ghosts. The Children at Play side story is a brief, almost hidden quest that can easily slip under your radar. Yet, its quick completion offers a rewarding peek into the village’s eerie past, especially if you’re hunting for that elusive glowing item inside the Osaka House.
Children at Play Side Story Walkthrough
Unlocking this side story isn’t tied to an obvious story point, which makes it easy to miss early on. You’ll want to head to the field near the village storehouse, focusing on the bottom right corner where there’s a small hut. Inside, you’ll discover a journal alongside a photograph of the Osaka House—this is your cue that the side story has begun.
From there, proceed to the second floor of Osaka House. Equip your camera’s Exposure Lens and locate a small crawlspace by the staircase that wasn’t reachable before. This leads you to a balcony on the house’s second floor—a new area that opens up additional exploration opportunities.
Using this balcony, you can cross to what the game calls the storage room on the second floor. Here, you’ll encounter one of the ghostly children you played hide and seek with earlier. This fight is straightforward — facing only one ghost makes for a manageable challenge even if your camera skills aren’t fully honed yet.
Your next stop is the Kurosawa House. Inside its Altar Room, you’ll find the second ghost child playing and greeting you. Snap a quick photo to prompt him to leave behind another journal, crucial for advancing the Children at Play narrative.
To wrap up this side story, make your way to Eikado Temple located at the village’s top right. At the back of the temple, the spirits of the three ghost children will invite you for another round of Hide and Seek. They hide in different temple corners, and you’ll need your Exposure Lens to spot them. Every photo taken will trigger a fight, so be prepared. Here’s where the children can be found:
- Behind a screen near the temple entrance
- Hidden in the grass behind the temple
- Next to the door in the Enshrinement Hall
Defeating the last child concludes the quest with yet another journal rewarded. However, this encounter also sets up Azami Kiryu’s Side Story, triggered the moment you leave the temple — proving the village’s spirits have many more stories to tell.