Rule of Rose: Daddy Pyramidhead would be so proud…
The first (and only) time I saw a commercial on TV for this game I thought to myself, “This looks like some R.L. Stein rendition of an Afterschool Special about bullies.”
Months later I found myself staring at my computer, desperately trying to find another game that would fill the void in my life that not having a Wii, PS3, or XBox 360 has left in my ability to play new and better titles. I sorted through my game collection. Survival horror is my genre of choice, but again, after exhausting my list of the standards (Resident Evil, Silent Hill, etc.) I found myself looking through lists of games that I had never heard of before, yet was all too willing to purchase on the strength that I needed a lift in my gaming life that only finding a great title can bring. Problem is I’ve played them all before, and that which made these games new and exciting had worn off. I needed something different.
And so, it was in the wee small hours of the morning that I succumbed to the siren call of Gamefly and it brought me to Rule of Rose. And thus it begins…
The best overview I can give for Rule of Rose is if Bully and Silent Hill had a daughter in 1930, it would be this game. Creepy, but not unnerving. Startling, but not exactly scary. Made all the more frustrating by the fact that you are playing as a pre-pubescent girl who, at the start of the game, is far more a fit for a role as screaming, hapless victim than protagonist or, dare I say, hero. Include purposely clunky controls (more later) and you have the makings of a game that instills, not so much panic, but “EWWWW, it’s touching me!”. Despite its relatively tame execution compared to others in the genre, it possesses far more to recommend it than first look would indicate.
You are Jennifer. The game begins with the story of how Jennifer had an imaginary friend who was a princess…and then her parents died. I swear it you can cut the mood with a knife at this point, because the story is displayed as a children’s book, written and illustrated by a child (crude crayon drawings and backward letters in the text) and once that portion of the intro ends, you are, at least, a little disturbed. The movie opens with you riding along in a rickety old bus, it’s the middle of the night, and you are bouncing down a forgotten road that leads to an orphanage with only the driver and a smaller, unnervingly agitated boy as company. The boy pleads with you to read him a story from your book (the one about your parents) and continues to freak out until the bus stops. Once the doors open, he leaps out and runs into the darkness, beckoning you to follow. And it is here that you begin your quest for acceptance in a world of creepy little British kids with no adults and WAY too much time on there hands. Truly, it is like Children of the Corn except with better linguistic ability (Outlander! I say, you there. Ah yes, we have your lady friend, and if you wish her returned unharmed, you’d better do as we say.)
After playing Silent Hill, I have come to expect things like creepy atmospheric music, macabre visions of flayed corpses bound to the walls with chains, and large, undefeatable creatures that dog your steps (until impaling themselves through the neck, still haven’t figured that one out), and Rule of Rose shares many of the same characteristics, just slightly less so. The one major difference is that at no point would you consider Silent Hill artistically beautiful. The chic of metal grating and rusty hooks might be beautiful to, say, Pinhead from Hellraiser, however this writer could only muster “gruesome” and “awesomely twisted” as the closest comparison. You can, however, apply that description easily to this game. It is extremely stylized, with all of the flair that you would consider to be the highest tech of 1930. The colors are tremendously displayed, and the use of shadows is executed so that even the most seasoned Silent Hill vet will be tripped up by the different things that can jump out of them. Many of the artistic nuances are subtle, much of the world around you comes across as neglected and set to rot and it lends itself as an added example of the decay present in the souls of the characters that you meet. Evil without, evil within.
Again, it’s not scary, but you are definitely weirded, creeped, and occasionally freaked out by some of the sounds and visions to be experienced. Damndest thing is that you don’t fight anything until about an hour into your adventure. It’s a good thing too, because, as previously mentioned, the controls are clunky, and players should take that time too to focus on the world you are playing in. Some may find this difficult controlling obnoxious (I among them, at first), however it is true to the character. Jennifer is frail and scared. How would a girl like that swing a metal pipe? Not too well, but well enough to be effective from a distance. Players must gauge their attacks carefully, and run….a lot. The enemies aren’t hard; there are just so damn many of them.
Which brings me to your enemies; in a word, creepy. Fuckin’ creepy. I can’t spoil your first experience with them, because it would ruin an integral part of the overall vibe of the game. You have to see them yourself. Best I can do is simply say that after all of the monsters that you have encountered thus far in your gaming experience, these are strangely unique in their simplicity. Not terribly dangerous on their own, slightly sympathetic, yet you will have the desire to dropkick them into traffic. Perfectly understandable as they are about as cuddly as rabbit that just vomited his intestines on you. Some of the sub-bosses and bosses are far more terrifying. You just have to see them.
The softer side of Rule of the Rose lies in your ever-faithful, mostly present companion; your very own Labrador Retriever named Brown (awww…). Brown helps finds things like health items and key items to the story, and is ever so cute and fuzzy-wuzzy….no seriously, you have a dog that finds stuff for you. Handy, right? Actually very helpful early on, so take advantage in early parts of the game in stocking scones, muffins, meat pies, and all the other lovely British cuisine that replenishes your life (what?). Against your basic foe, he’s mildly helpful. Against anything else he….how do I put this? Dies. He does come back once the battle is over, or when you leave the room so you dog-lovers out there, don’t fret (It would be kind of funny if they gave you one dog for the whole game, and it died, and for the rest of the game, designers leave reminders of your dead dog so you could think “oh woe is my dead dog” and.…oh….I just made myself sad).
All of the atmosphere, visual effects, story, and gameplay are wrapped up in a soundtrack that was composed for a string quartet and could easily have been mistaken for the work of the Kronos Quartet (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain). It’s delivery is the polar opposite of the Akira Yamaoka’s offerings for the Silent Hill games. It is classical and mellower on the whole than the noise-heavy industrial vibe of Yamaoka (that later turned to J-pop…sad). It brings a proper air of sophistication that melds well with the 1930’s styling, and adds a touch of desperation and foreboding to every part of the game. At points, you feel the rising wave of fear as you are trying to get from point A to B, running through hordes of the creepy little bastards, to get to the other side. It is certainly worth purchasing separately if you’re into that kind of thing (like me).
Finally, the story itself. To this, I have a confession: I didn’t finish this game (family and a day job make gaming time scarce). It is with great conviction, however, that I stand by every word above, expressly with the knowledge that the story thus far makes me want to finish it and know what happens to this girl (more the dog really). Unlike many games where either there is too much movie not enough game (Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy X), or too much game not enough movie (Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (that game could’ve done much better with improved scripts and a little more background, but that’s another review)). Rule of Rose strikes a great balance between the two. The voice acting is, for lack of a better word, perfect. You are offered enough storyline to see what your antagonists will do next, and enough game play to not take away from the reason you are playing it in the first place. The other characters evoke feelings from sympathy to revulsion. There is real good and real evil in the minds and hearts of the children around you. Add to that a spatially non-specific world where any door can lead almost anywhere, and you have a game that can go in any direction within it’s basic parameters and surprise you almost every time.
I read somewhere that parents were concerned with the erotic undertones in a story containing of a group of minors, primarily girls. To this I say, “Bullshit”. At worst, you will see evil confidence. It’s a confidence that the antagonists have the power over those around them, to bend their wills, and make fools of anyone who crosses them. These are kids who are willing to kill out of boredom, because they won’t get in trouble. That’s the look. This is Lord of the Flies with calculating and methodical bullies that have created a matriarchy amongst their housemates. Nothing more.
This game should be at the top of your Gamefly list. Don’t rush to purchase it, just try it out with what I’ve written in mind, and you should find it as enjoyable as I have. I’m adding it to my collection where it will sit proudly with the giants of the genre I have come to love.
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Uh oh - this is way better than I can write…