Rule of Rose (PS2) (Sealed) (PAL – 505 Games)

“Rule of Rose” is a classic survival horror game for PlayStation 2. In 1930, Jennifer is sent to the Rose Garden Orphanage after her parents die in a tragic accident. Once there, she is kidnapped by members of the mysterious Aristocracy of the Red Crayon. Eventually, however, it becomes clear that nothing in this world is as it seems.

Was Jennifer really kidnapped, or is she the survivor of a massacre at the orphanage? Could she actually be a survivor of the same airship crash that took the lives of her parents?

Jennifer is a classic unreliable narrator. The more you play this game, the more you come to realize that her memories and perceptions may be distortions. This gives “Rule of Rose” a very dream like quality that makes it difficult to determine what elements of her experiences are true. Many of the episodic stories within the overarching narrative end with Jennifer fainting and then waking up in a completely different place with no explanation of how she got there.

The game’s story lines were heavily influenced by the classic fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and the stories of Edward Gorey. The game is also reminiscent of the novel “Lord of the Flies” since it involves young girls who form a society completely without adult supervision. These little girls have poor impulse control and live by their own whims, which often involve terrifying newcomer Jennifer.

Players can feel immersed in Jennifer’s plight as they play “Rule of Rose.” Since there are also elements of psychological horror in this release, moments of suspense are scattered throughout the gameplay.

The game’s graphic designers were specifically looking for ways to incorporate psychological differences between children and adults into their imagery. The general look of the graphics in “Rule of Rose” is modeled after illustrations in classic children’s literature. The game’s designers, however, filmed children moving and incorporated much of that motion capture into their work. The result is a cast of well rendered characters who move in realistic ways but are captured in grainy browns and grays. Famed Japanese sound designer Yutaka Minobe composed the game’s score, which is mostly orchestrated with violins, cellos, and piano. Most of the dialogue between characters is written rather than spoken.

“Rule of Rose” is a title with many psychological subtexts and game play objectives. Its pacing is deliberately dreamy in the same way that the suspense in a great Japanese horror movie unfolds slowly. Players are charged with guiding Jennifer as she struggles to survive and plots to run away. Jennifer is helped by a Labrador retriever named Brown who brings items that help her survive encounters with her enemies, the Aristocrats. You have the option of playing through the video game puzzles, which mostly consist of items that Jennifer’s dog must find. You also have the option just to play the title for its story line. If you enjoy a complex narrative with fright potential that’s designed to make you think, then you can give “Rule of Rose” a try.

Because of the limited number of copies published, Rule of Rose has garnered a reputation as one of the more expensive video games to buy second-hand.