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| | Title:
Rule of Rose
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System:
Playstation 2
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Genre:
Survival horror
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Publisher:
Atlus
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Developer:
Punchline
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Release:
9/12/06
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Mature (M)
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It's no secret that the library of Sony's second console isn't severely lacking survival horror titles. As the years of passed, owners of the platform have been offered some of the most terrificly terrifying experiences in interactive entertainment. Atlus, a publisher well known within the industry for distributing numerous role-playing games developed overseas, has taken the liberty of publishing and introducing perhaps the most bizarre, disturbing game ever to be witnessed by a Western audience. This oddity of a game is titled Rule of Rose, a twisted tale that will surely change your perception of how peculiar and savage children are capable of being.
Players assume the role of a young woman named Jennifer, who is constantly referred to throughout her adventure by the game's narrator as "the unlucky girl". It's fitting she's referred to in such a fashion, considering the predicament she's in. The heroine is tasked with offering gifts on a monthly basis to a group of deranged children, all of which threaten to remove her from "The Red Crayon Aristocracy" by ending her life if she doesn't succeed in handing over a desired item in the alotted time. Judging from what acts of violence are performed by the prepubescent individuals throughout the game (courtesy of the beautifully pre-rendered cinematics), The Aristocracy proves that it's truly a force to be reckoned with.
In Jennifer's pursuit, in hopes of freeing herself from the clutches of the fear inducing party, players will guide "the unlucky girl" throughout the confines of an airborne airship, solving numerous puzzles that will enable her to obtain certain objects that will satisfy her aggressors. However, Jennifer isn't alone on her quest to ensure that she'll live another month. Fortunately, she stumbles upon a friendly dog, Brown, early on in the game. The four-legged mammal is apparently the focal point of RoR's gameplay, as the game's progression is heavily reliant on Brown's ability to sniff out important items that are related to other items of equal significance.
Unfortunately, this is where the game's potential falls flat: the gameplay itself. Searching for items requires nothing more than: pulling up the game's inventory menu, selecting a recently discovered item, assigning it to Brown's to-sniff list, pulling out of the menu and pressing the triangle button. This action initiates what man's best friend does best (relying on their sense of smell to find things), leading the player through various locations until they find a useful item. Even worse, the game never makes it quite clear what items you'll need to hold onto, so if you're the type of player who constantly worries about losing something of great value in a game, you'll likely be making trips to the storage box frequently, which is a royal pain in the--well, you know where, I suppose.
When it comes to Rule of Roses's combat system, things aren't particularly sunshine and blue skies on that front, either. Utilizing a weapon often feels clumsy and generally unsatisfying, dulling the action on a major scale. This definitely holds true when being surrounded by more than one enemy simultaneously, often forcing you to just flee from a fight and collect a necessary item rather than stick around fighting lame looking enemies (one of which are little British boys with a deathly pallor and a lack of eyeballs).
Perhaps Rule of Roses's biggest flaw is that it doesn't keep to it's promise as a title within its respective genre should: offer a terrifying, thrilling experience. The game never really achieves a level of fright that'll prevent you from shutting your eyes at night, but that really isn't the point, I guess. The fact that it fails at this so miserably is that the game relies on cheap scare tactics in hopes of striking fear into the player, such as little, giggling kids with brown, papered bags pulled over their tiny heads popping out of a door and slamming it in Jennifer's face. It seems as if though she never expects events like this to happen, considering she gasps in surprise when it occurs for the twelfth time.
While Rule of Rose isn't exactly a groundbreaking title with innovative gameplay (or even all that fun, for that matter), it does everything else exceptionally well. The beautifully designed environments are rich in detail, with numerous devices and decorations placed within every room that perfectly conveys the feeling you're in an age long passed (the 1930s, which is where the game takes place). It's worth noting that the audio in general is just fantastic. The music is composed by the same individual who scored both Skies of Arcadia and the titles in the Panzer Dragoon series, which is believable considering the music in this title is just as beautiful as the scores heard in the forementioned titles. The voice work for all the characters is very well done, as well. The children performing the voice work, apart from those of The Aristocracy, nail the sound of a deranged brat flawlessly. This is especially heightened when they laugh in an utmost disturbing way, followed by threatening Jennifer in an antagonistic fashion.
Overall, Atlus's decision to bring Rule of Rose Stateside might not have been a good one if the publisher expects it to sell well on the market for just its gameplay. As I stated before, this game sure is beautiful in every aspect, but none of that matters if the game itself just isn't all that fun. While playing, I often thought to myself that RoR would've been suited better to another medium, such as a film or a novel. The premise is troubling, yet intriguing enough that people may just play the game for the story alone. However, if you're the type of gamer that doesn't enjoy a gaming experience that isn't all that thrilling or challenging, then it'd probably be best for you to leave this title on the store shelf.
Pages
| The Core Score |
Overall
4 |
| Fun |
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4 |
| Gameplay |
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3 |
| Graphics |
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9 |
| Audio |
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9 |
| Replay |
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6 |
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| Kid Safe Score |
| 1 Horrible |
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Parents, your children really don't need to see the violent acts that are performed by the young characters in this game. |
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