Rule of Rose
Encyclopedia
is a survival horror video game for the PlayStation 2
. The game was developed by Punchline
and released in 2006.
Set in 1930 England
, the plot revolves around a nineteen-year-old girl named Jennifer, who becomes trapped in a world ruled by young girls who have established a class hierarchy
called the Red Crayon Aristocrats. The game has been compared to survival horror games Silent Hill
and Haunting Ground
, due to the psychological horror used throughout and because the main character is accompanied by a canine companion.
Rule of Rose garnered mixed reviews from many publications upon its release. The game was also the subject of a moderate amount of controversy
due to its use of violence and implied sexuality amongst some of its underage, female characters.
named Brown. Brown accompanies Jennifer throughout the game and will respond to the player's commands. Brown can be ordered to track items by scent, be commanded to 'stay' and be called to Jennifer's side. Brown cannot attack enemies, but will growl, which distracts some imps and bosses, allowing Jennifer to retreat or land a few blows without fear of retaliation. He can be injured to the point of collapse, however, causing him to stop distracting enemies or tracking an item.
Brown's ability to locate items is an integral part of the game, used in every chapter of Rule of Rose to progress further. The same system allows the player to find health restoratives and other items which, while not essential to complete the game, can help the player. Players select an item from the inventory for Brown to locate, which is then connected to the 'find' command until changed or removed. Every item selected this way can be used to find at least one type of item. When tracking items this way, Brown will lead the player through the game environments, scratching at doors in his way, signaling the player to open the door.
Most health restoring foods and all tradeable items are hidden and must be uncovered by Brown, though the player can choose to avoid searching for these items in order to progress quickly. Restorative items include snack foods, candy, and chocolate. The different types of restorative items heal varying amounts of health. Bones and other items can be used to restore Brown's health if he becomes injured. Other items such as marbles and ribbons have no immediate use, but may be traded with the Aristocrats in order to obtain food, rare items and weapons.
Combat is almost exclusively melee
, with a variety of improvised weapons available, such as kitchen knives and pipes. Jennifer is a timid character, her melee attacks are neither powerful nor long-ranged. Evasion of enemies is often used instead of fighting. With the exception of a handful of bosses, all enemies in the game are imps—skinny, doll-like creatures the size of small children. Different animal-headed imps appear throughout the game, alongside regular imps.
Led by the mysterious Princess of the Red Rose, the members of Red Crayon Aristocrats serve as the antagonist
s of the game. The highest-ranking and eldest of the children, Diana displays cruelty towards the other members of the Aristocracy. Despite this, she conflictingly wants to and fears becoming an adult. Second in rank to Diana is the distant Eleanor, who constantly carries an empty bird cage with her and yearns to escape the orphanage. Below her in rank is the intelligent Meg, who recites the rules and protocols of the Aristocracy, as well as invents the devices used to punish members of the hierarchy. She adores Diana despite her cruelty towards her. The lowest ranking of the children before Jennifer arrives is Amanda, who struggles from low self-esteem and is driven neurotic by the Aristocracy's demands. Her initial relief at not having the lowest rank upon Jennifer's arrival becomes hatred
for Jennifer. The only child to show Jennifer kindness is the sickly Wendy. Other children in the orphanage include Olivia, a young girl who constantly cries to get attention; Susan, "The Impetuous Princess"; Nicholas, "The Sloppy Prince"; Xavier, "The Gluttonous Prince" who is often seen with Nicholas; and Thomas, who obsesses over trains.
The Rose Garden Orphanage is run by Mr. Hoffman, the Headmaster, who is often seen with Clara, "The Frightened Princess", a quiet sixteen-year-old girl who assists him. Martha Carol serves as the housekeeper and cook at the orphanage, earning her the nickname "The Queen of Cleaning" while the children call her a witch behind her back. Another adult in the game is Gregory M. Wilson, a mysterious man who seems to live near the orphanage.
Throughout the game, Jennifer frequently encounters the mysterious Gregory, even visiting his house in one level. It is in a rundown state, with a sealed-off room that seems to belong to a child that is not there, revealed to be his son Joshua-the little boy who led Jennifer to the mansion. Gregory's diary reveals Joshua was very sick. Jennifer finds the man reading a bedtime story in an empty basement bedroom, and when he leaves, he locks her inside. She finds an article about the disappearance of an airship and letters to someone who had been stuck in there, speaking of princes, princesses, and escaping. The writer of these letters is revealed to be Wendy. Wendy frees her, and they make a promise of eternal love, called the Rule of Rose.
After going through much torment at the hands of the Aristocrats, Jennifer awakens to find herself back in the mansion, which is no longer abandoned. It is revealed to be the orphanage where the kids live. Brown is nowhere to be found. While looking for him, Jennifer discovers a paper that reveals the offering for the month is her. Night suddenly falls, and monsters roam the corridors. Jennifer makes her way to the attic, where she finds the Aristocrats. Their princess confronts her and reveals herself to be Wendy, smiling sweetly. She was the one responsible for all of Jennifer's torment, including, as Jennifer is shocked to learn, the death of Brown. Transitioning to a small child, Jennifer slaps Wendy. Crying, she continues to hit her and expresses her hate for her and all of the other orphans, but most of all, for herself-for going along with their games and not having the courage to stand up to them. Wendy runs off in tears, and Jennifer becomes the new princess.
Sometime afterward, the kids are convening a new meeting of the Red Crayons, naming Jennifer as its new Princess. They then see Wendy outside and go to seemingly make fun of her, believing her words about a Stray Dog who would eat them up if they didn't listen to her were lies. As Jennifer approaches the door leading to the front yard, she hears screams, growls, and other frightening noises. The door opens to reveal Joshua and Gregory, the latter of which is acting like a dog. Joshua sics him on Jennifer. The battler is interrupted by the arrival of Brown, and after incapacitating Gregory, the two go outside. There, they find the clothes of many of the children scattered about, but no sign of them. Joshua appears and reveals he is actually Wendy, who had taken on the guise of Joshua(who is strongly suggested to be dead) in order to manipulate the unstable Gregory and turn him into her Stray Dog. She apologizes to Jennifer and gives her the gun she had stolen from Gregory's house while freeing Jennifer. Gregory pulls Wendy into the orphanage, then attacks Jennifer again. Jennifer can choose to kill him or give him the gun and let him kill himself, but the latter is the best choice and leads to the final chapter.
After Gregory dies, Jennifer wakes up in the orphanage. She cannot see the other children, only hear them. As she examines the building, many things become clear: She'd been on the airship that had disappeared and ultimately crashed, unknowingly being the only survivor. Gregory rescued her and treated her kindly, but wouldn't let her leave-he kept her locked in the basement room-and treated her as his dead son, Joshua. Having lost her memories, Jennifer had no idea who she was, only that he had saved her. Through the window, she met and started corresponding with the orphan Wendy. Wendy was the princess, and Jennifer was the prince, and they wanted to be together. After some time, Wendy talked Jennifer into escaping and helped her do so, though Jennifer would be plagued by guilt for leaving Gregory like that. The girls made their promise, then Jennifer went to stay at the orphanage where Wendy lived.
But the sickly Wendy was often confined to the infirmary, and she wanted Jennifer's love all for herself. She did her best to make the others shun her, hoping to be the one the girl would turn to for support. But then Jennifer found Brown, and Wendy became jealous. She made things even harder for Jennifer as the leader of the Aristocrats, but Jennifer and Brown prevailed over everything. Wendy's jealousy turned to anger, and she gave Jennifer a choice-let them bury her or let them bury Brown. Terrified, Jennifer let them kill her friend, realizing after he died the true nature of what she had done and finally standing up to them. Her friendship with Wendy was destroyed at that moment. Jennifer also recalls that the adults had all abandoned the children and the orphanage at some point.
When Wendy brought Gregory, whom she had abused and trained as a dog by pretending to be his dead son, to the orphanage, it might have been to show them that Stray Dog was real, in order to regain her title, or simply for revenge. Either way, he ultimately killed everyone but Jennifer, and then committed suicide. Jennifer was rescued and on top of being the only survivor of the incident, she was discovered to be the lone survivor of the airship crash, causing the orphanage massacre to get very little coverage. The trauma of all this caused her to lose her memories again.
Jennifer's whole adventure is a journey through her memories, which are warped because of her amnesia and the way she saw things as a child. In the end, she is finally able to see things clearly and vows to never forget again. She encounters only Wendy, Brown, and Gregory in the final chapter. As Jennifer leaves the grounds of the orphanage, the gates close, separating her and Wendy. She can meet Gregory at the bus stop where she started the game, writing one of his storybooks for his son. The puppy Brown is in the shed near the orphanage While much is unclear, it seems that she plans to treasure her positive memories of them-Wendy as her friend, Gregory as the kind father who wrote stories, and Brown as her companion,-but will also move on and not let them hold her back.
The company Punchline
, which had previously developed the video game Chulip
, developed Rule of Rose for the PlayStation 2
. A group of twenty-five developers, Punchline began the project after being asked by Sony Computer Entertainment
to develop a horror video game; not wanting to create a game similar to the survival-horror series Resident Evil, Punchline decided on the goal of developing a "new type of horror game, one which wasn’t the usual zombie, ghost and slasher type," with an emphasis on psychological horror
rather than "surprise- and shock-based horror." This decision led them to the concept of "a game surrounding childhood and children," but from both view points to show how children and adults can find the other one terrifying, with a primary focus on the adult's perspective. Though the game has been compared to The Lord of the Flies by Western critics, the developers did not draw inspiration from it, instead focusing on the "mysterious and misunderstood" nature of girls. The story formed through trial and error as the developers figured out how to create a sense of fear, ultimately adding the children's secret society, the Red Crayon Aristocrats. They also included Brown as a way to balance Jennifer's "helpless and unhappy" personality and make the game more enjoyable. Because of budget and time problems, the combat system was left a little rough.
Rule of Roses graphics are heavily stylized, incorporating a series of visual filters similar to those used in the Silent Hill
series. The developers researched the behavior of children, monitoring a group of European and American children, and photographed references for "the game’s textures and models"; for the motion capture
, the team had Japanese children act. At the request of the developers, the group of children also expressed through drawings or written words what caused them to be happy or afraid. The company Shirogumi worked on the computer-generated imagery
present in Rule of Roses cutscenes.
Punchline included several themes in Rule of Rose, with the primary one being "intimate relationships between all people". A major theme in the game is the difference between a child's and an adult's way of thinking, and how children might treat adults if they were given power over them. Players are helpless to prevent their adult player-character from being bullied by the children. Another is how attachment "to one thing can bring out the worst in people."
and some tracks from the Panzer Dragoon Orta
soundtrack. The entire score was created without electronic instruments—most of the music was produced by musicians, the Hiroshi Murayama Trio, using string instruments. According to the game's developers, the music was intended to bring a human element to the atmosphere in the game. A 6-track promotional soundtrack CD was produced by Atlus, which was issued to customers from certain retailers when Rule of Rose was pre-ordered.
announced that it would be releasing Rule of Rose in the United States
, following Sony's decision to pass on a U.S. release. This was on the grounds of the game's erotic undertones involving a cast of female minors. The developers disagreed with this, saying that the sexual themes are only a small part of the game.
Rule of Rose raised controversies in Poland
, where the Ministry of Education raised questions concerning its appropriateness for minor
s (the game was rated 16+) because of the themes of child violence
and sexuality
. The Ministry informed the official prosecutor
's office of possible crime.
European Union
justice minister Franco Frattini attacked the game as containing "obscene cruelty and brutality". He also called for changes to the PEGI rating system in place across Europe and for government officials to engage in discussions with industry representatives. According to news site The Register
, Frattini received a letter from Viviane Reding
, commissioner for the information society and media, who criticised Frattini's actions: "It is...very unfortunate that my services were not pre-consulted before your letter to the Ministers of Interior was sent out," Reding wrote, reminding him of the commission backed self-regulating ratings system called PEGI that has operated across the EU since 2003. The PEGI system of classification, according to Reding's letter, offers "informed adult choice" without censoring content. "This is in line with the Commission's view that measures taken to protect minors and human dignity must be carefully balanced with the fundamental right to freedom of expression as laid down in the Charter on Fundamental Rights of the European Union,".
In November 2006 505's Australian distributor, Red-Ant advised that the game's Australian and New Zealand release would be cancelled. The game had yet to be rated by the Classification Board.
On 7 March 2007, a group of MEP
s presented a Motion for a European Parliament
resolution on a ban on the sale and distribution in Europe of the game and the creation of a 'European Observatory on childhood and minors'.
The publisher has chosen to cancel the release of the game in the UK following complaints by Frattini and other EU officials, and "largely misleading" commentary from the UK press. It will be released in the rest of Europe. Review copies of the title had already shipped to UK journalists when this was announced. The UK body which had granted the title its 16+ PEGI rating (the Video Standards Council
) responded to the press and Frattini's comments:
metascore of 59/100 and a Game Rankings
average ratio of 61%. It is generally agreed that the title has an interesting plot, with The AV Club observing that "aside from a few deep curtsies and an unlockable Gothic Lolita costume, the characters are more sinister than sexualised". However the gameplay is widely lambasted as clumsy, archaic, and unrewarding. The press was generally divided upon how much the gameplay detracts from one's ability to enjoy the story itself. Edge magazine
found neither plot nor gameplay appealing: "It’s just a murky brew of meaningless, exploitative dysfunction filling an empty game, and it leaves a bitter taste". GamesRadar
described Jennifer as "a cringing, passive non-entity" and stated: "There's no denying that Rule of Rose is extremely pretty, atmospheric and disturbing.... but as an adventure game, Rule of Rose just sort of wilts." IGN
listed Rule of Rose as one of the worst horror games created after 2000.Acegamez, on the other hand, not only admired the game's plot but also found the gameplay appealing if slow, "a wonderful psychological thriller that will draw you in with its bizarrely compelling narrative, atmospheric presentation and thoughtful story-based gameplay".
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. The game was developed by Punchline
Punchline (company)
Punchline is a Japanese company that develops video games. It was founded by former Love-de-Lic employee Yoshiro Kimura. The company currently has around 25 employees. Kimura currently works for Marvelous Interactive, leaving Punchline's current status in question.-Games:*Chulip - *Rule of Rose -...
and released in 2006.
Set in 1930 England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the plot revolves around a nineteen-year-old girl named Jennifer, who becomes trapped in a world ruled by young girls who have established a class hierarchy
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
called the Red Crayon Aristocrats. The game has been compared to survival horror games Silent Hill
Silent Hill
is a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent...
and Haunting Ground
Haunting Ground
Haunting Ground, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 console in 2005. The game shares many similarities with Clock Tower 3.-Gameplay:...
, due to the psychological horror used throughout and because the main character is accompanied by a canine companion.
Rule of Rose garnered mixed reviews from many publications upon its release. The game was also the subject of a moderate amount of controversy
Video game controversy
Violent video game debates often center on topics such as video game graphic violence, sex and sexism, violent and gory scenes, partial or full nudity, portrayal of criminal behavior, racism, and other provocative and objectionable material. Video games have been studied for links to addiction and...
due to its use of violence and implied sexuality amongst some of its underage, female characters.
Gameplay
The player explores the game environment looking for restorative items, furthering the plot by accomplishing tasks and experiencing cut-scenes while sporadically encountering enemies and bosses. Early in the game, the player encounters and rescues Jennifer's pet dog, a Labrador RetrieverLabrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
named Brown. Brown accompanies Jennifer throughout the game and will respond to the player's commands. Brown can be ordered to track items by scent, be commanded to 'stay' and be called to Jennifer's side. Brown cannot attack enemies, but will growl, which distracts some imps and bosses, allowing Jennifer to retreat or land a few blows without fear of retaliation. He can be injured to the point of collapse, however, causing him to stop distracting enemies or tracking an item.
Brown's ability to locate items is an integral part of the game, used in every chapter of Rule of Rose to progress further. The same system allows the player to find health restoratives and other items which, while not essential to complete the game, can help the player. Players select an item from the inventory for Brown to locate, which is then connected to the 'find' command until changed or removed. Every item selected this way can be used to find at least one type of item. When tracking items this way, Brown will lead the player through the game environments, scratching at doors in his way, signaling the player to open the door.
Most health restoring foods and all tradeable items are hidden and must be uncovered by Brown, though the player can choose to avoid searching for these items in order to progress quickly. Restorative items include snack foods, candy, and chocolate. The different types of restorative items heal varying amounts of health. Bones and other items can be used to restore Brown's health if he becomes injured. Other items such as marbles and ribbons have no immediate use, but may be traded with the Aristocrats in order to obtain food, rare items and weapons.
Combat is almost exclusively melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
, with a variety of improvised weapons available, such as kitchen knives and pipes. Jennifer is a timid character, her melee attacks are neither powerful nor long-ranged. Evasion of enemies is often used instead of fighting. With the exception of a handful of bosses, all enemies in the game are imps—skinny, doll-like creatures the size of small children. Different animal-headed imps appear throughout the game, alongside regular imps.
Characters
The protagonist and playable character of Rule of Rose is Jennifer, a nineteen-year-old who has lost her memories. She awakens on a bus and is given a storybook by a little boy, whom she follows to a creepy orphanage. She ultimately finds herself somehow on an airship, at the mercy of a group of twisted orphans, a few of which form the elite Red Crayon Aristocrats. In order to appease them, she must find and bring gifts. Assisting her is Brown, a dog that she rescues on the airship. He helps her locate items and distracts the monsters that she encounters.Led by the mysterious Princess of the Red Rose, the members of Red Crayon Aristocrats serve as the antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s of the game. The highest-ranking and eldest of the children, Diana displays cruelty towards the other members of the Aristocracy. Despite this, she conflictingly wants to and fears becoming an adult. Second in rank to Diana is the distant Eleanor, who constantly carries an empty bird cage with her and yearns to escape the orphanage. Below her in rank is the intelligent Meg, who recites the rules and protocols of the Aristocracy, as well as invents the devices used to punish members of the hierarchy. She adores Diana despite her cruelty towards her. The lowest ranking of the children before Jennifer arrives is Amanda, who struggles from low self-esteem and is driven neurotic by the Aristocracy's demands. Her initial relief at not having the lowest rank upon Jennifer's arrival becomes hatred
Hatred
Hatred is a deep and emotional extreme dislike, directed against a certain object or class of objects. The objects of such hatred can vary widely, from inanimate objects to animals, oneself or other people, entire groups of people, people in general, existence, or the whole world...
for Jennifer. The only child to show Jennifer kindness is the sickly Wendy. Other children in the orphanage include Olivia, a young girl who constantly cries to get attention; Susan, "The Impetuous Princess"; Nicholas, "The Sloppy Prince"; Xavier, "The Gluttonous Prince" who is often seen with Nicholas; and Thomas, who obsesses over trains.
The Rose Garden Orphanage is run by Mr. Hoffman, the Headmaster, who is often seen with Clara, "The Frightened Princess", a quiet sixteen-year-old girl who assists him. Martha Carol serves as the housekeeper and cook at the orphanage, earning her the nickname "The Queen of Cleaning" while the children call her a witch behind her back. Another adult in the game is Gregory M. Wilson, a mysterious man who seems to live near the orphanage.
Story
Players control Jennifer, a young woman who is led to an abandoned mansion by a small boy. She follows the boy into the mansion's attic, and is led to a grave in the courtyard of the mansion. She digs up a coffin with a bloody sack inside it. Four children sneak up on her and pour water on her, before shoving her into the coffin. She passes out, and awakes in an abandoned airship ruled by a cruel group of children known as the Red Crayon Aristocrats. Under the threat of death, Jennifer must appease the Aristocrats by finding an offering for them each month. Soon after awakening on the airship, she finds a dog named Brown, who is tied up. She releases him, and he joins her on her quest. Throughout the game, she must piece together clues and recall forgotten memories which will ultimately allow her to escape. Each chapter of the game is introduced with a storybook that loosely describes the characters and the theme that it's based upon, each with a specific time in which it took place. At times, strange monsters will attack her.Throughout the game, Jennifer frequently encounters the mysterious Gregory, even visiting his house in one level. It is in a rundown state, with a sealed-off room that seems to belong to a child that is not there, revealed to be his son Joshua-the little boy who led Jennifer to the mansion. Gregory's diary reveals Joshua was very sick. Jennifer finds the man reading a bedtime story in an empty basement bedroom, and when he leaves, he locks her inside. She finds an article about the disappearance of an airship and letters to someone who had been stuck in there, speaking of princes, princesses, and escaping. The writer of these letters is revealed to be Wendy. Wendy frees her, and they make a promise of eternal love, called the Rule of Rose.
After going through much torment at the hands of the Aristocrats, Jennifer awakens to find herself back in the mansion, which is no longer abandoned. It is revealed to be the orphanage where the kids live. Brown is nowhere to be found. While looking for him, Jennifer discovers a paper that reveals the offering for the month is her. Night suddenly falls, and monsters roam the corridors. Jennifer makes her way to the attic, where she finds the Aristocrats. Their princess confronts her and reveals herself to be Wendy, smiling sweetly. She was the one responsible for all of Jennifer's torment, including, as Jennifer is shocked to learn, the death of Brown. Transitioning to a small child, Jennifer slaps Wendy. Crying, she continues to hit her and expresses her hate for her and all of the other orphans, but most of all, for herself-for going along with their games and not having the courage to stand up to them. Wendy runs off in tears, and Jennifer becomes the new princess.
Sometime afterward, the kids are convening a new meeting of the Red Crayons, naming Jennifer as its new Princess. They then see Wendy outside and go to seemingly make fun of her, believing her words about a Stray Dog who would eat them up if they didn't listen to her were lies. As Jennifer approaches the door leading to the front yard, she hears screams, growls, and other frightening noises. The door opens to reveal Joshua and Gregory, the latter of which is acting like a dog. Joshua sics him on Jennifer. The battler is interrupted by the arrival of Brown, and after incapacitating Gregory, the two go outside. There, they find the clothes of many of the children scattered about, but no sign of them. Joshua appears and reveals he is actually Wendy, who had taken on the guise of Joshua(who is strongly suggested to be dead) in order to manipulate the unstable Gregory and turn him into her Stray Dog. She apologizes to Jennifer and gives her the gun she had stolen from Gregory's house while freeing Jennifer. Gregory pulls Wendy into the orphanage, then attacks Jennifer again. Jennifer can choose to kill him or give him the gun and let him kill himself, but the latter is the best choice and leads to the final chapter.
After Gregory dies, Jennifer wakes up in the orphanage. She cannot see the other children, only hear them. As she examines the building, many things become clear: She'd been on the airship that had disappeared and ultimately crashed, unknowingly being the only survivor. Gregory rescued her and treated her kindly, but wouldn't let her leave-he kept her locked in the basement room-and treated her as his dead son, Joshua. Having lost her memories, Jennifer had no idea who she was, only that he had saved her. Through the window, she met and started corresponding with the orphan Wendy. Wendy was the princess, and Jennifer was the prince, and they wanted to be together. After some time, Wendy talked Jennifer into escaping and helped her do so, though Jennifer would be plagued by guilt for leaving Gregory like that. The girls made their promise, then Jennifer went to stay at the orphanage where Wendy lived.
But the sickly Wendy was often confined to the infirmary, and she wanted Jennifer's love all for herself. She did her best to make the others shun her, hoping to be the one the girl would turn to for support. But then Jennifer found Brown, and Wendy became jealous. She made things even harder for Jennifer as the leader of the Aristocrats, but Jennifer and Brown prevailed over everything. Wendy's jealousy turned to anger, and she gave Jennifer a choice-let them bury her or let them bury Brown. Terrified, Jennifer let them kill her friend, realizing after he died the true nature of what she had done and finally standing up to them. Her friendship with Wendy was destroyed at that moment. Jennifer also recalls that the adults had all abandoned the children and the orphanage at some point.
When Wendy brought Gregory, whom she had abused and trained as a dog by pretending to be his dead son, to the orphanage, it might have been to show them that Stray Dog was real, in order to regain her title, or simply for revenge. Either way, he ultimately killed everyone but Jennifer, and then committed suicide. Jennifer was rescued and on top of being the only survivor of the incident, she was discovered to be the lone survivor of the airship crash, causing the orphanage massacre to get very little coverage. The trauma of all this caused her to lose her memories again.
Jennifer's whole adventure is a journey through her memories, which are warped because of her amnesia and the way she saw things as a child. In the end, she is finally able to see things clearly and vows to never forget again. She encounters only Wendy, Brown, and Gregory in the final chapter. As Jennifer leaves the grounds of the orphanage, the gates close, separating her and Wendy. She can meet Gregory at the bus stop where she started the game, writing one of his storybooks for his son. The puppy Brown is in the shed near the orphanage While much is unclear, it seems that she plans to treasure her positive memories of them-Wendy as her friend, Gregory as the kind father who wrote stories, and Brown as her companion,-but will also move on and not let them hold her back.
Development
Punchline (company)
Punchline is a Japanese company that develops video games. It was founded by former Love-de-Lic employee Yoshiro Kimura. The company currently has around 25 employees. Kimura currently works for Marvelous Interactive, leaving Punchline's current status in question.-Games:*Chulip - *Rule of Rose -...
, which had previously developed the video game Chulip
Chulip
, stylized as Chu♥lip, is an adventure/simulation video game developed by Punchline and released on October 3, 2002 in Japan by Victor Interactive Software for the PlayStation 2 video game console...
, developed Rule of Rose for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. A group of twenty-five developers, Punchline began the project after being asked by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
to develop a horror video game; not wanting to create a game similar to the survival-horror series Resident Evil, Punchline decided on the goal of developing a "new type of horror game, one which wasn’t the usual zombie, ghost and slasher type," with an emphasis on psychological horror
Psychological horror
Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that relies on character fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relevant music and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot...
rather than "surprise- and shock-based horror." This decision led them to the concept of "a game surrounding childhood and children," but from both view points to show how children and adults can find the other one terrifying, with a primary focus on the adult's perspective. Though the game has been compared to The Lord of the Flies by Western critics, the developers did not draw inspiration from it, instead focusing on the "mysterious and misunderstood" nature of girls. The story formed through trial and error as the developers figured out how to create a sense of fear, ultimately adding the children's secret society, the Red Crayon Aristocrats. They also included Brown as a way to balance Jennifer's "helpless and unhappy" personality and make the game more enjoyable. Because of budget and time problems, the combat system was left a little rough.
Rule of Roses graphics are heavily stylized, incorporating a series of visual filters similar to those used in the Silent Hill
Silent Hill
is a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent...
series. The developers researched the behavior of children, monitoring a group of European and American children, and photographed references for "the game’s textures and models"; for the motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
, the team had Japanese children act. At the request of the developers, the group of children also expressed through drawings or written words what caused them to be happy or afraid. The company Shirogumi worked on the computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
present in Rule of Roses cutscenes.
Punchline included several themes in Rule of Rose, with the primary one being "intimate relationships between all people". A major theme in the game is the difference between a child's and an adult's way of thinking, and how children might treat adults if they were given power over them. Players are helpless to prevent their adult player-character from being bullied by the children. Another is how attachment "to one thing can bring out the worst in people."
Soundtrack
The musical score was composed by Yutaka Minobe, who also composed the music of Skies of ArcadiaSkies of Arcadia
Skies of Arcadia, released in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Overworks for the Dreamcast and published by Sega in 2000. Skies of Arcadia Legends, a port, was released for the GameCube in 2002. Legends was also in development for the PlayStation 2; however, the PS2 version...
and some tracks from the Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta is a rail shooter video game published by Sega for the Xbox. The game was released in Japan in December 2002, the following month in the United States, and three months later in PAL territories. It is the fourth console game in the Panzer Dragoon series, after three such games...
soundtrack. The entire score was created without electronic instruments—most of the music was produced by musicians, the Hiroshi Murayama Trio, using string instruments. According to the game's developers, the music was intended to bring a human element to the atmosphere in the game. A 6-track promotional soundtrack CD was produced by Atlus, which was issued to customers from certain retailers when Rule of Rose was pre-ordered.
Controversy
At E3 2006 AtlusAtlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
announced that it would be releasing Rule of Rose in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, following Sony's decision to pass on a U.S. release. This was on the grounds of the game's erotic undertones involving a cast of female minors. The developers disagreed with this, saying that the sexual themes are only a small part of the game.
Rule of Rose raised controversies in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, where the Ministry of Education raised questions concerning its appropriateness for minor
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
s (the game was rated 16+) because of the themes of child violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and sexuality
Human sexual behavior
Human sexual activities or human sexual practices or human sexual behavior refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts from time to time, and for a wide variety of reasons...
. The Ministry informed the official prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
's office of possible crime.
European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
justice minister Franco Frattini attacked the game as containing "obscene cruelty and brutality". He also called for changes to the PEGI rating system in place across Europe and for government officials to engage in discussions with industry representatives. According to news site The Register
The Register
The Register is a British technology news and opinion website. It was founded by John Lettice, Mike Magee and Ross Alderson in 1994 as a newsletter called "Chip Connection", initially as an email service...
, Frattini received a letter from Viviane Reding
Viviane Reding
Viviane Reding is a Luxembourgian politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. Before starting a professional career as a journalist for the leading newspaper in Luxembourg, the Luxemburger Wort, she obtained a doctorate in human sciences...
, commissioner for the information society and media, who criticised Frattini's actions: "It is...very unfortunate that my services were not pre-consulted before your letter to the Ministers of Interior was sent out," Reding wrote, reminding him of the commission backed self-regulating ratings system called PEGI that has operated across the EU since 2003. The PEGI system of classification, according to Reding's letter, offers "informed adult choice" without censoring content. "This is in line with the Commission's view that measures taken to protect minors and human dignity must be carefully balanced with the fundamental right to freedom of expression as laid down in the Charter on Fundamental Rights of the European Union,".
In November 2006 505's Australian distributor, Red-Ant advised that the game's Australian and New Zealand release would be cancelled. The game had yet to be rated by the Classification Board.
On 7 March 2007, a group of MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
s presented a Motion for a European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
resolution on a ban on the sale and distribution in Europe of the game and the creation of a 'European Observatory on childhood and minors'.
The publisher has chosen to cancel the release of the game in the UK following complaints by Frattini and other EU officials, and "largely misleading" commentary from the UK press. It will be released in the rest of Europe. Review copies of the title had already shipped to UK journalists when this was announced. The UK body which had granted the title its 16+ PEGI rating (the Video Standards Council
Video Standards Council
Video Standards Council was established in 1989 to establish a Code of Practice for the UK video industry. VSC is the designated body responsible for the age rating of video games supplied in the UK....
) responded to the press and Frattini's comments:
Reception
Critical response to the title has been average. Generally, the game has been praised for its deep thought-provoking storyline and symbolism (as well as its soundtrack), but has received almost total criticism regarding gameplay. The game has obtained a MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
metascore of 59/100 and a Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
average ratio of 61%. It is generally agreed that the title has an interesting plot, with The AV Club observing that "aside from a few deep curtsies and an unlockable Gothic Lolita costume, the characters are more sinister than sexualised". However the gameplay is widely lambasted as clumsy, archaic, and unrewarding. The press was generally divided upon how much the gameplay detracts from one's ability to enjoy the story itself. Edge magazine
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
found neither plot nor gameplay appealing: "It’s just a murky brew of meaningless, exploitative dysfunction filling an empty game, and it leaves a bitter taste". GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
described Jennifer as "a cringing, passive non-entity" and stated: "There's no denying that Rule of Rose is extremely pretty, atmospheric and disturbing.... but as an adventure game, Rule of Rose just sort of wilts." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed Rule of Rose as one of the worst horror games created after 2000.Acegamez, on the other hand, not only admired the game's plot but also found the gameplay appealing if slow, "a wonderful psychological thriller that will draw you in with its bizarrely compelling narrative, atmospheric presentation and thoughtful story-based gameplay".