Rule of Rose is a Survival horror video game developed by Punchline for the PlayStation 2 console. The game was first released in Japan on January 19, 2006, and Sony Computer Entertainment was the publisher. In September of the same year, Atlus released the game in the United States , and two months later 505 Games released the game in Europe . The release of the game in the UK was canceled due to the accusations of many European politicians and the press [1] , who called the game "cruel and obscene." The PEGI rating agency commented on these allegations, calling all the allegations false. Later, Red Ant Enterprises also declined to release the game in Australia and New Zealand .
| Rule of rose | |
|---|---|
 Game cover | |
| Developer | Punchline |
| Publishers |  Sony Computer Entertainment  Atlus  505 games |
| Release dates | January 19, 2006 September 12, 2006 November 3, 2006 |
| Genre | Survival horror |
| Age ratings | CERO : C -Ages 15 and up ESRB : M - Mature PEGI : 16 USK : |
| Creators | |
| Supervisor | Shinji Ishikawa |
| Producer | Noriyuki Boda |
| Screenwriters | Tomo Ikeda Hideki Okuma Shinji Ichikawa |
| Composers | Yutaka Minobe |
| Technical details | |
| Platform | Playstation 2 |
| Game mode | Single player |
| Carrier | DVD |
| Control | Gamepad |
The game takes place in England in 1930. The main character, Jennifer, is locked inside the shelter under the control of orphaned girls who created their own hierarchy. The top of this hierarchy is a club - “Aristocrats of the Red Pencil” [2] . Punchline developed the game for Sony Computer Entertainment itself . The team chose the direction of "psychological horror", the central idea of which was children, whose motives were described as "mysterious and inexplicable." As sources of inspiration, the developers chose the Grimm brothers fairy tales and the Silent Hill series for the visual component. For a more elaborate atmosphere, studio music was used.
Even before its release, the game was the subject of controversy over topics of violence and sexuality in relation to underage female characters. After the release, the game received mixed reviews from critics. Most appreciated the game’s plot, music, and horror elements, but at the same time criticized the gameplay itself. The game was often compared to the Silent Hill series due to similar elements of horror, as well as to Haunting Ground due to the similar idea of a “female character with a companion dog” [2] [3]
Content
Gameplay
Managing Jennifer, the player explores the game locations to search for items and clues, performs tasks and periodically encounters ordinary opponents and bosses. The fight in the game is almost always hand-to-hand, using impromptu weapons. Since Jennifer is an ordinary girl, her attacks do not differ in strength or range of defeat. More often, flight is a more reasonable way out of the situation than open confrontation. In addition to bosses, opponents in the game are stunted creatures similar to children. Sometimes a player meets other opponents wearing the heads of different animals.
One of the features of the game is Brown, the Labrador Retriever rescued by Jennifer at the beginning of the game. The dog accompanies the heroine throughout the game, performing auxiliary functions. He can execute commands, search for objects by smell, and also distract opponents and bosses, giving the heroine time to maneuver. However, if Brown takes too much damage, he will not be able to help Jennifer for some time. The dog’s abilities are extremely useful when passing, as it can be used to search for not only important items, but also various bonuses. The player can select an item from the inventory, and then give it to Brown, so that the dog begins the search. During the search, Brown will lead Jennifer through the location, scratching the doors that the player needs to open. Most of the items in the game are hidden and require "opening" with the help of a dog. The items found can be used to pass, restore the health of Jennifer or Brown, as well as to exchange with aristocrats for more valuable things or weapons.
Story
1929 year. The airship had bad weather during the return flight, and it crashed near Cardington. Jennifer was the only survivor, and since she flew with her parents and they, like everyone else, also died, Jennifer was left an orphan. She was later found by Gregory Wilson, an orphanage gardener.
Until January 1930, Jennifer lived with Gregory in his house in the middle of the forest. However, due to the death of Joshua's son, the man became mentally unstable. He was kind to the girl, but did not allow her to leave the pantry at home, fearing to lose her “son” again. He called Jennifer “Joshua”, gave her his clothes and seemed to be trying to find a replacement for the dead child. Jennifer realized this, and out of pity she stayed with the man.
From November 1929 to January 1930, Jennifer began to correspond with the local orphan Wendy through the basement window. At first, Wendy called her “Joshua,” thinking that Jennifer is a boy. Soon, the girls became friends and even came up with a game of "Princess and Prince." Wendy persuaded Jennifer to escape from home to a boarding school. When Gregory was not at home, Wendy hacked and opened the door from the basement. The girls fled, taking Gregory's gun with them. They exchanged things in a sign of their "love." Jennifer gave Wendy a teddy bear, whose name was "Joshua", and Wendy Jennifer - a brooch with a red rose.
Since March, Jennifer has been living in the orphaned "Shelter of the Rose." None of the inhabitants of this institution loved her. To make friends with orphans - Jennifer joined the club of the "Red Pencil Aristocrats" and swore according to the "Rules of the Rose."
She later found a little puppy, because of its color, she named him Brown. She was not alone with him, and the puppy quickly became her best friend. Jennifer introduced Wendy to the puppy, but she immediately hated him, jealous of her friend. Wendy's exuberant fantasy, combined with resentment against Jennifer, gave rise to an insidious plan of revenge. Wendy began to spread among children rumors about the terrible stray dog that comes at night and kills everyone who does not follow the rules of the rose. Secretly disguised as a boy and posing as Joshua, Wendy completely subjugated Gregory, who was completely crazy, and once forced him to kill all the adults in the orphanage (Mr. Hoffman, Clara and Martha). After which she proclaimed herself the Princess of Roses, because the frightened children realized that she was not joking about the terrible dog.
Jennifer continued to spend her time with her new friend Brown. Wendy felt lonely and blamed the dog. She wrote a letter to Jennifer, which said, "You still regret your choice."
Thanks to the legend of the terrible dog, Wendy kept all the children in the shelter under control and forced them to scoff at Jennifer in every way: beat her, throw red pencils, tie, etc. Wendy thought that in this way she would force Jennifer to return to her, after which the bullying over the girl would cease. However, Jennifer had Brown, for the sake of which she tried to be strong, so she remained to live in the barn with him.
Wendy's plan to regain Jennifer did not work, and she came up with a new one: to kill Brown, then Jennifer will have no one left except her. Using the orphans from The Red Pencil Aristocrats, she stole Brown and killed him. For Jennifer, Brown's death was the last straw. She beat Wendy in front of all the children and said she would never forgive her. After that, she turned to the other orphans and said that she hated them for what they had done and for believing in Wendy's lies. Wendy herself, crying, ran away.
But the children could no longer live differently, and they proclaimed Jennifer the new princess of the rose. Wendy, meanwhile, went after Gregory, deciding to kill everyone in the shelter. The distraught Gregory killed all the children, including Wendy. He only left Jennifer alive, because he recognized her, and, realizing for a moment the horror of what he had done, he shot himself. Soon the police found the bodies of the children, as well as Jennifer herself, who after experiencing experienced a deep psychological shock and lost her memory, forgetting everything that happened to her earlier.
When Jennifer was 19 years old, she began to remember everything, and it is these memories that we experience most of the game, that is, in fact, we are an adult Jennifer traveling through her childhood memories. However, in many places, these memories were distorted by psychological injuries received in childhood, which is why we see monsters and other inexplicable things, like an airship. [four]
Notes
- ↑ Wales, Matt. Rule of Rose Plucked From UK Shelves Neopr . IGN (November 24, 2006). Archived on April 19, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 Spencer. Atlus explains Rule of Rose . Silicone (June 16, 2006). Archived May 12, 2007.
- ↑ Sheffield, Brandon. "Thank Heaven for Little Girls: Why Rule of Rose May Be 2006's Most Controversial Game" . Gamasutra (June 7, 2006). Date of treatment April 21, 2007. Archived April 16, 2012.
- ↑ The plot of the game - RULE OF ROSE - File Catalog - World ALEX 09 . alex09.ucoz.ru. Date of treatment December 16, 2016.
Links
- Official game site (English)
- IGN Game Page