[PS2 - Survival horror] Rule of Rose

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Rule of Rose (ルールオブローズ, Rūru obu Rōzu^?) is a survival horror video game for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed by Punchline and released in 2006.
Set in 1930s 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 that 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 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 whilst sporadically encountering enemies and bosses. Early
in the game, the player encounters and rescues Jennifer's pet dog, a Labrador Retriever 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, whilst 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 for the player to
open.

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 are snack foods, candy and chocolate. The different types 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.

Plot

Players control Jennifer, a young woman who is led to an abandoned
mansion by a small boy. After experiencing a traumatic event, she wakes
up on a virtually abandoned airship which is 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.
Whilst doing so, she must piece together clues and recall forgotten
memories which will ultimately allow her to escape their clutches. Each
chapter of the game is introduced with a storybook that loosely
describes what said chapter is about and which of the characters it
focuses on.

Characters

Nicknamed the "Unlucky Girl", Jennifer is a nineteen year old girl
who finds herself forced to play the Aristocrats' game. Assisting
Jennifer is a dog named Brown that she rescues on the airship; Brown
helps Jennifer locate items and he wards off the monsters she
encounters.
Led by the Princess of the Rose, the Red Crayon Aristocrats serve as the antagonists
of the game. Diana, dubbed "The Strong-Willed Princess", is the highest
ranking of the children and is cruel even towards the other members of
the Aristocracy. Second in rank to Diana is Eleanor, nicknamed "The
Cold Princess", who is shown as distant and emotionless and constantly
carries an empty bird cage with her. Meg, nicknamed The Wise-Looking
Princess", is portrayed as intelligent, but inflexible; she invents the
devices used to punish members of the hierarchy such as the "Torture
Chair" and the "Onion Bag", and holds the third highest spot under the
Princess of the Rose. The lowest ranking of the children before
Jennifer arrives is "The Small-Hearted Princess", Amanda, who, while
initially thankful to Jennifer for lessening the ill treatment she
receives, begins to harbor hatred
for Jennifer. The only Aristocrat to show Jennifer kindness is Wendy,
"The Lonely Princess", who is later revealed to be the Princess of the
Rose. Other children in the orphange include Olivia, "The Tearful
Princess"; Susan, "The Impetuous Princess"; Nicholas, "The Sloppy
Prince"; Xavier, "The Gluttonous Prince" who is often seen with
Nicholas; and Thomas, "The Mischievous Prince" 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. Martha Carol serves as the housekeeper and cook
at the orphanage, earning her the nickname "The Queen of Cleaning".
Another adult in the game is Gregory M. Wilson, a farmer and Jennifer's
adoptive father, who is revealed to be Stray Dog.

Themes

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 being bullied by the children.
The game's graphics are heavily stylised, incorporating a series of visual filters similar to those used in the Silent Hill series.

Soundtrack

The musical score was composed by Yutaka Minobe, who also composed the music of Skies of Arcadia 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.
The theme song of Rule of Rose, "A Love Suicide" was performed by
The Hiroshi Murayama Trio, with Hiroshi Murayama on the piano and the
vocals provided by Kaori Kondo, Hiroshi's wife.

Developer(s)
Punchline

Publisher(s)
^JP Sony Computer Entertainment
^NA Atlus
^EU 505 GameStreet

Distributor(s)
^EU Ingram Entertainment

Composer(s)
Yutaka Minobe

Platform(s)
PlayStation 2

Release date(s)
^JP January 19, 2006
^NA September 12, 2006
^EU November 3, 2006
(not release in UK)

Genre(s)
Survival horror

Mode(s)
Single-player

Rating(s)
CERO: C
ESRB: M (Mature)
PEGI: 16+

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