Rule of Rose and I had a bit of an odd first encounter. In the UK, we have a second-hand store for physical copies of video games and DVDs called CeX. As I was sleuthing around for retro horror games, I spotted a PS2 game tucked away on the top shelf behind the counter, where all the expensive and rare items are kept. It didn’t seem to have anything special about it, just an innocuous horror game. Well, apart from the nearly 400 pound price tag. I checked for it on eBay, and found similar results, some even going as high as 600 dollars. what made Rule of Rose so special?
Well, the answer turned out to be a bit of a long story. If you bear with me, I promise you it is both interesting and worth it.
The story begins with now defunct game studio Punchline being asked by Sony Computer Entertainment to create a horror game for the PlayStation 2. Wanting to avoid resident Evil-like survival horror, the 25 person team instead focused on creating a gothic tale of psychological horror, focused on ‘fear between girls’ and on themes of childhood and naivety. They decided upon a 1930s British aristocratic setting, with the team doing extensive research and going as far as to visit historical spots in London, taking pictures to use as references for the game. However, they had significant time and budgetary restraints, having to do with what they had and having to work around some of their more lofty, bigger ideas into a more contained narrative. As such, the bulk of the game takes place in two settings (an orphanage and an airship) and follows one primary character, Jennifer.
The narrative focuses on 19 year old amnesiac Jennifer. Upon being given an unfinished storybook by a mysterious boy, she ends up at the dilapidated Rose Garden Orphanage, forced to take part in a club of demented children called the Red Rose Aristocracy, and investigating into both her forgotten past as well as the mysterious history of the Red Rose club and the orphanage. The story twists and turns drastically from there, introducing other characters such as the emotionally unstable Wendy, the mysterious Gregory Wilson, and Jennifer’s adorable adopted Labrador, Brown. Murder, psychological torment, suicide and all sorts of horrors occur, and it’s a story that doesn’t hold itself back, even though most of its characters are young and or children. The story is mature, handles its core ideas well, and progresses in a satisfying way as mysteries collapse into each other and the story climaxes.
Rule of Rose deals with a lot of mature and dark themes, debatably more so than many of the average horror games of the times. A core theme is gender expression; how communities of women interact with each other, the power dynamics at play, and how society influences their behaviors. It’s a game with a heavy psychological emphasis, focusing on the mindset of mentally ill characters and trying to explore that with an engaging mix of openness and ambiguity. There’s discussions of child abuse, violence between children, animal cruelty, but all done respectfully and without any substantially graphic content. It’s not a game that is always easy to experience, but it conveys unique subject matter well.
The gameplay of Rule of Rose itself is one of the weaker aspects of the game. The combat is slow, clunky and generally quite frustrating to the modern gamer. Tank controls and old school horror camera angles are here, which is sure to annoy some. The game lacks survival horror aspects that some genre fans might be used to as well, making for a tad bit boring gameplay loop. I have linked a video below where you can get a glimpse of the clunky gameplay. Where Rule of Rose compensates however, is the incredible visual presentation. Even eighteen years later, the game looks great. It boasts beautiful, well-directed cutscenes with a profound visual flair. This combined with the good voice acting and excellent score means that aesthetically the game is incredible, and it hasn’t aged a day. The promotional art of the game appeals to the part of me that adores 2000s retro aesthetics, so I come back to it a lot.
Release rumors began to spread about the game, ranging from allegations of the game encouraging sadomasochism towards children, to underage sexuality being presented in game. It kicked off a moral panic about the subject matter of the game, whether it would be a bad influence on impressionable young girls, and if the game really did contain any of the content it was alleged to have contained. It doesn’t. In 2006, the impact of video games on impressionable youths was still very much a point of contention, and Rule of Rose ended up on a slippery slope.
In a series of incredibly convoluted legal proceedings, beginning in Poland before expanding to the entire EU, Rule of Rose was a source of massive controversy. Suggesting that it not be allowed for sale in the EU, then justice minister Franco Frattini arguing for a full on reform of the PEGI rating system in order to prevent a game like Rule of Rose ever slipping through the cracks. He went as far as to say it contained “obscene cruelty and brutality.” Some warned that the whole controversy was based on rumors and trailers, and most interested parties had yet to play the game – It did not change Rule of Rose‘s fate in many countries. The Australian distributor Red Ant canceled the games release in Australia and New Zealand, and 505 Games canceled its release in the UK after pressure from Frattini, only after review copies had already been sent out. Even the British Video Standards Council, who awarded the game a PEGI 16+ rating, fought against the decision and pointed out how the game lacked the content it was allegedly being banned for. It was not available.
Rule of Rose went on to garner mixed reviews from critics on release. They praised the visual style of the game but criticized the allegedly convoluted plot and clunky gameplay. Given its ban in major regions, the game did not sell as well as Sony or distributors Atlus wanted it to, and the game was quickly left to die. It did – I would argue the game was largely forgotten for a number of years, into well into the 2010s when nostalgia for PlayStation 2 horror titles really began to develop, and the price of a rare game like Rule of Rose began to skyrocket, along with interest in other PS2 horror games such as Kuon, Haunting Ground, Clock Tower 3 and Silent Hill 2.
The game has since developed a quite substantial cult following. In my research into Rule of RoseI discovered online fan accountsextensive video essays going into every aspect of both the games production and the game themesand more discussion forums, posts and tweets than you could bat an eye at. Additionally, there are of course extensive listings for the game on secondhand websites, ranging widely from just over one hundred dollars to over six hundred. It’s clearly a game that has drawn people in, be it the tumultuous tale of its development and release, or the games themes and subject matter itself. It’s been eighteen years, the game long out of print with no sign of ever being remastered, rereleased or ported, and yet more people are interested in this game than ever before.
You tend to see three crowds of people gain interest in Rule of Rose. The first crowd is people interested in the price of the game, either wanting to own it as a collectors item or sell it. In the increasingly popular niche of collecting games akin to Vinyl’s, this crowd seems to be picking up steam. The second crowd is interested in the fascinating story of how the game became banned in multiple countries apparently because of no fault of its own. That story is what drew me to write this article. The third crowd are those who are genuinely interested in the artistry of the game, and these tend to be the most passionate fans. I have the uttermost respect for them, because they’ve managed to completely change the games image and artistically appreciate some of the themes, storytelling and big ideas of the game. There’s a latter part twist in this game which is so incredibly ballsy that I don’t think many other games would try to pull it off, and I think it’s great that someone tried it, regardless of whether it completely works. Together, these three crowds have breathed new life into Rule of Rose.
Japanese indie game company Onion Games both have former Punchline staff and has expressed interest in remaking Rule of Rose for modern consoles. They seem to be aware of it being a long shot, and there hasn’t been much public update since then. However, they have produced a game titled Black Birdwhich features similar themes and references Rule of Rose. I couldn’t find information on whether that game is available in English yet or not. Remakes are all the rage at the moment, even Silent Hill coming back into the fold after a long time away. Until a remake or remaster project is done, however, Rule of Rose will remain a hard to find, much sought after game. The price has recently dropped after the discovery of a sealed shipment full of copies of the game intended to be sold in the UK. However, it’s still very expensive, and it’s one hell of an investment for what ultimately is a deeply flawed, but wonderfully unique game. It’s a rare kind of game with lofty artistic ambitions and as time goes on, games like that become even more special. It also tells a story about women, for women – something that is all too neglected in the gaming space, even still. To all the fans of Rule of Rose out there, I think it’s a wonderful thing that you’ve given a forgotten game a second life, and I wish you all the best in hoping it will eventually find its way back to players. After all, horror is the genre best known for being unkillable, no matter how tough things get.
