Rule of Rose is a survival horror video game developed by Punchline for the PlayStation 2. It was first released in 2006 by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan. After Sony Computer Entertainment's American and European branch did not express interest in localizing the title, it was published later that year by Atlus USA in North America and by 505 Games in Europe. Set in England in 1930, the plot revolves around a nineteen-year-old woman named Jennifer, who becomes trapped in a world ruled by young girls who have established a class hierarchy called the Red Crayon Aristocrats.
Development on Rule of Rose began after Punchline was asked by Sony Computer Entertainment to make a horror game. Punchline wanted to develop a "new type of horror game" with an emphasis on psychological horror. This decision led to the concept of childhood, specifically the "mysterious and misunderstood" nature of young girls. The team drew inspiration from the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales for the narrative, and the Silent Hill series for graphics and art style. The entire score was produced by studio musicians in order to bring a human element to the game's atmosphere. Rule of Rose was the subject of a moral panic in Europe prior to its publication there, based on rumors of its alleged content. Various European authorities condemned the game and called for its banning. The game was cancelled in the United Kingdom, despite the Video Standards Council calling the complaints "nonsense." Rule of Rose received mixed reviews from many publications; reactions to the story, music, and horror elements were almost universally positive, while the gameplay was panned. The game has been compared to Silent Hill and Haunting Ground, due to the psychological horror used throughout and because the main character is accompanied by a canine companion.
Plot
Taking place in England in 1930, Rule of Rose centers on Jennifer, a 19-year-old woman who is led to an abandoned orphanage by a small boy. She follows him to a grave in the courtyard, where she digs up a coffin with a bloody sack inside it. Four children sneak up on her and pour water on her, before shoving her into it, and she loses consciousness. She awakens in an abandoned airship ruled by a cruel group of young girls known as the Red Crayon Aristocrats: the mysterious Princess and Prince of the Red Rose; the confident Diana, the eldest of the group of children and the highest-ranking under the Princess and Prince; the distant Eleanor; the intelligent Meg, who loves Diana; and Amanda, who despises Jennifer, as her arrival caused Amanda to be put at the bottom of the hierarchy. Jennifer is also ranked by the Aristocrats near the bottom of their hierarchy, and under the threat of death, Jennifer must appease the Aristocrats by bringing an offering for them each month. Although she encounters adults and other children on the airship as well, they are either unkind or distant toward her. She eventually befriends the sickly child Wendy and frees Brown, a dog who aids her in finding gifts and battling imps.
Jennifer eventually regains her memories of being cared for by Gregory Wilson, an emotionally unstable farmer who named her Joshua after his dead son, after being orphaned in an airship crash. Wendy discovered her at his home, and they exchanged letters. She convinced Jennifer to escape from Gregory, but not before taking his gun. The two renewed their oath of "everlasting, true love", with Jennifer's stuffed bear being exchanged for Wendy's brooch. On the airship, Jennifer retrieves the stuffed bear after it is stolen and is given a red crayon, the symbol of the Red Crayon Aristocrats in return.
The game's setting then transitions to the now-inhabited orphanage. Bullied by the children, Jennifer is horrified to find that she has become the offering of the month and loses Brown when she encounters Wendy in the courtyard. She eventually learns that Brown has been killed instead. Wendy then reveals herself as the Princess of the Red Rose, the leader of the Aristocrats. Jennifer, now a child, slaps her and casts aside her brooch, hating the Aristocrats and herself for being too cowardly to oppose them.
Afterward, the Aristocrats approach Jennifer, now an adult, in the hopes that she will replace Wendy as their leader, as they have cast aside the tale of Stray Dog, a creature which kidnaps disobedient children, as Wendy's lie. Jennifer, however, finds that Wendy has brought Gregory to the orphanage, having conditioned him to obey her, and he proceeds to kill the children and orphanage's owners. Wendy then orders him to kill Jennifer, who manages to subdue him with the aid of inexplicably alive Brown. Wendy then confesses that she brought Gregory to the orphanage because she had felt that Jennifer did not love her. After giving Jennifer Gregory's gun, Wendy is snatched into the orphanage by Gregory. After a brief battle with him, Jennifer gives a remorseful Gregory the gun, which he uses to commit suicide.
Rule of Rose concludes with Jennifer, now a child, waking in the orphanage and reflecting on the events and characters. Letters exchanged between her and Wendy reveal that the sickly Wendy had become jealous of Brown, feeling that Jennifer treasured him over her. Jennifer reveals that after it was discovered she was the lone survivor of not only the orphanage massacre but the airship crash that was thought to have no survivors, the media coverage of the children's deaths was diminished, and she vows to remember her friends. In the final scene, Jennifer visits Brown, now a puppy, in the shed and puts a collar on him. Promising to protect him for eternity, she then closes the door on him.
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