Maybe 1 is the scariest because that's the first time you play a game like it? When I finished PZ1, and then played 2, I felt like, I wasn't that scared anymore. Oh yeah I was tense and creped out, but not as much as the first time around. Same with the 3rd, I just didn't find it scary enough.
And I can say Reika isn't that hard because Kirie wasn't hard due to gameplay difficulties. That's what I've been trying to say. Kirie is rather slow and isn't the hardest ghost to run away from. But it was the other things that made the battle hard. I'm pretty confident that by the time I'd have reached Reika, I would've been far less scared by the games, and my skills with the Camera Obscura would've heavily increased. The logical result is that the battle wouldn't be quite as hard ^^ That's my opinion on the whole thing
