Title: Rule of Rose
Released: 2006 (January 19th)
https://youtu.be/okABK7DS2aY
So, from the opening video, what would you say this game is about? Young love? A game about orphans trying to make do with what's around them to have a good time? What if I was to tell you that this game is about a girl's descent into a tragic time in her life, filled with nightmarish creatures that bark and lunge at you out for blood, and that who you think should be your friends are your worst enemies in all of this? That is, my friend, what Rule of Rose boils down to.
Story: Jennifer is a young adult traveling by bus at night to some unknown destination. Dozing off in the back, she is approached by a young boy asking her to read a story to her. The story seems incomplete, and when she looks back up for the boy, he's already dashed off the bus that has stopped. In chasing after the boy, she comes across an orphanage that seems empty and is left to investigate as her only ride has driven off without her. But there's more to the orphanage than cobwebs and shadows on this dark night, and Jennifer soon comes to realize this after meeting the building's denizens, masked with paper bags and holding strange ceremonies. They're just kids, but their intentions are far more sinister than you might think as they force Jennifer into a coffin and transport her away from the orphanage.
When she awakens, she finds herself in a zeppelin and finds a comrade in a dog she names Brown. The two of them have to stick together to fend off the pale imps that appear to stalk her through the halls and rooms of the zeppelin, all while adhering to the rules of the "Red Crayon Aristocracy" and uncovering tidbits of Jennifer's past. The game tries its hardest not to give you straight answers to anything that is going on, but Jennifer once dwelt within the walls of the orphanage with these same girls, being treated the exact same way, and it all comes down to her former interactions with the Princess of the Red Rose.
Gameplay: This game came out after Haunting Ground, so you might see some similarities to it in terms of gameplay. One thing that sets the two apart is that Jennifer, unlike Fiona, can equip weapons that she might find throughout the airship to protect herself against the hordes of imps that will come at her. These pale, sickly children with distorted facial features (or sometimes even animal qualities) will stop at hardly nothing to make sure Jennifer succumbs to despair, so sometimes it might be better to run through them. There's no real interface to obscure your view of the game, so you're left to wander in the shadows with Brown, searching for items using the dog's sense of smell. The game is stretched out through requiring the use of Brown to actually do anything in regards to story progression at times, such as finding one item to lead you to another.
Music: One of the haunting features of the game lies in the music. The song that plays during the opening, "A Love Suicide", is one such example trying to capture the time period while still lightly hinting at the story's idea. You won't get to hear much in regards to music while playing, though, other than when you come across a story event (such as fighting some of the special imps that come up), so don't get too used to the atmosphere brought out by the songs and listen more closely to any imps yelling out at you in the distance. You'll be making your home out of the airship, so you best learn as much as you can of the surroundings.
Overall: This game is one of the lesser known gems of the Playstation 2 era. If you like Silent Hill or other survival horror games, you would've done well to have checked this game out. It plays similar to Haunting Ground, as I stated before, but you have less to worry about the stalkers and more about surviving the implings that hop about and cling to you like little kids. If you successfully survive your stay within the airship and back on land in the orphanage, you're treated with a little closure, depending on the ending you get of course.
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