The Finest of Horror Game Stories | Rule of Rose
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2024
- Rule of Rose has one of the strongest narratives in any horror title or games in general.
While the gameplay of Rule of Rose is barebones, its combat sluggish, and its exploration mundane, Rule of Rose has one of the strongest narratives in any horror title or games in general.
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A narrative that is so strong that despite the shortcomings of the gameplay of Rule of Rose, is worth checking out for any horror fan, or for those looking to see what a strong execution of a narrative looks like in a game.
Rule of Rose is right up there with Silent Hill 2 on that front.
Rule of Rose is a dark, depressing look at the suffering and cruelty of children, but also one of the most genuinely moving.
While never a huge seller, and was surrounded by controversy, the reputation of Rule of Rose has grown over the years, and for good reasons. Let's take a look at why.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Prelude
01:29 - Behind The Scene & Controversy of Rule of Rose
02:56 - Presentation of Rule of Rose
04:24 - Gameplay of Rule of Rose
08:35 - The Narrative of Rule of Rose (Spoilers)
20:28 - In Conclusion
Other Footage:
• Chulip: • Chulip Gameplay Love a...
• Haunting Ground
• Manhunt
• Silent Hill 2
• The Witcher 3: • The Witcher 3: Ciri de...
#ruleofrose #boulderpunch 
Игры
Fun fact- the reason why the combat seems so strange and unfinished because... it was! Apparently they finished the narrative first, and ran out of time and money. In fact, the non boss enemies were placeholders! They didn't even have complete AI.
Such a shame.
What a "fun" fact.
Not really a 'fun' fact when i had to replay my save thrice just to pass by the forced ambush in consecutive rows while Brown repeatedly tanked the fights, collapsed, get up and repeat it.
Ah yes, yet another horror game featuring a female protagonist with a dog companion covered here on this marvelous channel. The mid 2000s was rife with all two of these.
And eBay is rife with ultra rare copies of those games worth around $1K each. It's crazy.
It's also one of the occasional survival horror games that deals with SA, though this time it isn't the player character dealing with it and Jennifer was too young at the time to be fully aware of what was going on with Clara.
Rule of Rose is a wonderful and truly haunting game when it comes to the story. The game itself is very frustrating due to gameplay which is understandable as the Staff were limited and on a time crunch which sucks cause I bet if there were more hands on deck and time everyone would be talking about it as much as Silent Hill 2.
I feel like Boulder Punch glossed over the story a bit which is also understandable, but I feel there should have been more talk about certain details.
Like he said the game story is basically Jennifer recollecting and processing memories of her time at the Rose Garden orphanage. Jennifer originally suppressed this due to trauma having been the only survivor for not only the blimp crash that killed her parents and other passengers but also the Red Garden Orphanage.
Gregory was not a Killer mentioned in the video, rather he was more deranged due to grief of losing his son; as for the story of Stray Dog, it was a story he made up for Joshua who was bedridden. Jennifer told the same story relayed it to Wendy who was the one that actually manipulated it to be that of a monster. His sanity was deteriorating out of desperation to keep Jennifer as Joshua, while became paranoid someone might come to look for her. He knew what he was doing was wrong but still kept at it. Jennifer as a child couldn't leave as she was grateful that he helped her, while feared him for making her act as a substitute for his son but more so what he would do to himself should she leave. When she befriended Wendy who helped her escape, they took the gun as a precaution. However though they saved Gregory in a way, it still caused him to fall deeper into depression. When Wendy went back to Gregory's house as Joshua, Gregory was so out of his mind at this point he was willing to listen to anything from "Joshua". Wendy only wanted to scare the children, but didn't anticipate Gregory to kill them.
Hoffman was very obviously a Nonce, and the best explanation was that he fled the orphanage to not be discovered. Clara as implied was abused by Hoffman and for a long time too as she is the oldest of the children (14-16). Supposedly why she left was either due to receiving the abortion and needed more medical treatment which explains why she leaves right after Hoffman or she just ran away.
Brown was only a puppy when Jennifer found him; She wanted her and Wendy to raise him together, however Wendy didn't like Brown. Mainly she didn't want to share Jennifer. Wendy was very manipulative despite how innocent she looked. She only created the Aristocrat Club to bully Jennifer so she would come to her for comfort, but instead found comfort with Brown.
The whole game shows the twisted version of Love in many forms, but mainly with Obsession.
I'm glad someone else shares the belief that Gregory wasn't actually kidnapping and killing kids, but just telling his son a story.
Very eloquently put!
Rule of Rose remind me of We Happy Few.
Tbf, the Aristocrat Club seems to have been founded long before Wendy found Jennifer (since Amanda is said to have originally been the lowest ranked and the most bullied before Jennifer arrived).
Overall, I agree with your interpretation and think that Hoffman is actually a bigger villain, even bigger than Wendy. True, she manipulated Gregory and (unintentionally) had the other girls killed including herself, minus Jennifer. But Hoffman was the main adult that was tasked to care for the children, and should have been a better caretaker, but he was an abuser/the source of Clara's SA, and would go on to neglect the girls instead.
10:30 this whole scene just broke me the first time I saw it. Jennifer's reaction is so heartbreaking yet realistic for a girl at her age.
Exactly, my initial thought was her snap's really underwhelming, but remembering that she's a timid girl that has gone through traumatic hells and daily basis of bullying, added with already being a victim of classism at such an early age. Her reaction was pretty much as you said, realistic; The lack of proper and varied words to express how much she hates them all, the fragile movement, the exhausted face, everything was unsettlingly realistic coming from a PS2 CG graphic cutscene. They may skimped the entirety of gameplay, but they never condensed and tampered the story, cutscenes, and soundtracks.
I love the story of this game and music is pretty solid. Glad people are still talking about this.
Also I know someone, who wasn't me, who may have, and I repeat wasn't me, cried when Jennifer stood up for herself. And for real, it wasn't me.
Well maybe.
17:19 when Boulder was talking about the hints and implied moments in the game one i saw now with the onion bag with the kids' putting bugs and other things in the onion bag with Jennifer inside hinted from her moaning, they took her clothes from her leaving her in the onion bag without anything to humiliate Jennifer giving the fact those kids would do anything to make her suffer
That era just had some of the best writing in the horror genre. With the way society is now, I don't think we can expect this sort of quality writing, from anywhere but the occasional indie.
Wow society ruined gaming with... let me guess, gay people and minorities?
@@arbaazshaw8123 Please stop projecting, maybe you're the one who has issues with those people... Pluss I'm not american. I merely meant, any sort of discussion of a serious topic, will rustle someone's jimmies. And here you are proving my point, writing on an almost 4 month old video and comment. Time well spent, you helped the cause so well...
I will not lie - I remember playing this game with my kid brain and since then I have been scarred. Till this day I have all 18 sound track of Rule of Rose which are surprisingly relaxing until you listen to the lyrics of Track 03.
I hope you cover Obscure 1 and 2 some day
Why would you lie under normal circumstances?
I remember playing this game when it first came out and only picked it up a couple times after due to it being emotionally tolling - but rewatching the ending chapter play through just now really got me choked up again. This game will always have a special place in my heart, the storytelling is so impactful. Really glad I kept my original copy and I hope they do a remake or even a limited series on HBO. It deserved so much more.
Thank you for posting this ❤ I love seeing more and more people appreciate this game
I'm really glad another channel is covering this severely underrated game. Despite its gameplay, it's story is amazing. I really wish there was another game with a story like it.
I plan to cover it on mine at some point. I really love obscure horror games, but they're hard to advertise. @_@
One of the most meaningful games I've played all the way through... not only by myself, but with my sister, gf, a friend and another friend. Such a lucky find from a Parisian book store about 11-12 years ago and only cost me pennies at the time. :)
Oh man...this game was lost in the trenches of my mind for so long. Thanks for making this
So glad that both haunting ground and rule of rose are finally getting the recognition they deserve!!
There was a webcomic on Tumblr called "The Red Crayon" that was strongly inspired by this game.
Favorite horror game of all time. So beautiful.
Rule of Rose will forever live in my heart as one of the most memorable and impactful stories of my life. I really hope Onion Games brings this back 🙏. They show a lot of passion about their work and especially RoR
So happy this little gem remains unforgotten.
I loved the story and the fact that adult yenniver revisits her childhood portrayed as an adult. This shows even more how helpless she felt back then. The game is brutal mostly in atmosphere but there are also some graphic scenes but most things are only implied.
However I am biased about the though of a remaker/remaster. I'd love to see the game back on the market to buy and play maybe mit better fight system and graphic hopefully finally giving the game the praise it deserves. But on the other hand ... I am not sure if a remake/remaster would do the game good.
I had this game, a bargain bin purchase of $12 from Best Buy. Finished it, then sold it for $5 to Gamestop since I didn't know anything about the controversy or anything about it. When I recently saw it at a different used game store for about $300 or so I kinda died inside...
What fascinates me about the old era of survival horror titles was the majority of female protagonists. It's awesome to see ladies staring in games, since the medium had few dozen at the time.
I think it's a genre that people felt would work best with female protagonists BECAUSE these games are normally not combat heavy and involve running away. In an era where people were unsure if people would want to play female focused games, this genre where you're meant to be helpful whether you're a male or a female lent itself best.
I'm glad that more games of all genres have female protagonists now.
@@AnimePlaysMinecraft
Many guys don't want to play as female characters still, to various degrees. I know a guy who straight up asked his pal to go through a mission where you play as a woman, because he didn't want to do that because you have to play that one single mission as a girl. However just preferring male characters is totally fine
@@steelbear2063 that's pathetic
@@steelbear2063 still crazy it was just 1 segment dude need to get out his feelings
@@johnlawful2272 it triggered his identity doubts probably....lol
this game me and my siblings discovered in the huge old PS2 disc album will forever stay in my head as my first horror game that I played myself when I was like .. 11 years old? the second one was silent hill 4 and RE4, the last one was just being watched by us while our uncle played because we were too scared to play ourselves hahah. we still have the original copy of RoR and funny thing is, that out of album with 100+ games, it´s one of the few that still runs on our old console (along with DMC lol).
something about the disk cover, Jennifer being wrapped with something and held tight to the wall, and "Rule of Rose" written in a fancy font always caught my attention. i was terrified when playing this game even with lights on and with my siblings watching, but i always came back to it and gave it a try, and made little progresses each time i got a chance to play PS2. by now, i watched quite a handful of videos made about this game and understand the lore, but back then - this game made absolutely no sense to me (which may be a good thing for young brains). i remember Jennifer being in a bus, then we suddenly are at the orphanage. i remember the kids hitting violently a bag on the yard and not wanting to accept the thought - that i understood there was something alive in that bag. i remember seeing this huge conductor fly in the sky and then turn into fish, or collecting butterflies on board of this conductor. none of the dialogues made sense to me and i didnt understand why everyone hated Jennifer because she seemed like such a sweet girl to me.
knowing the whole history now, this is one of the darkest games ive had experience playing myself with. im deeply in love with the character and environmental design but honestly, i would also not let my kids play this game. the faces of those small faceless barefeet ghostly beings that attacked me with brooms will always haunt me :´)
I like your clip but a little bit sad that you seem to forgot about Martha the maid 😅 She's one of the only 2 adults in this game and also the one who wrote a warning letter about suspicious man (Greg) wandered around an Orphanage to the police. In the end her fate also left unclear. Oh I almost forgot and there's a unused scene that show Greg buried something in backyard if Jennifer ran away from his house but decide to go back there again.
The story to this game was so good,I was JEALOUS because I didn`t write it.The OST also is amazing,have it on repeat.
i feel like rule of rose could work really well in a movie or an animated movie
I’d totally read this as a book
I hope they remaster it. It's my favorite horror game ever, and I would love to replay it. I understand why people complain about the combat, but for some reason for me it worked really well. And the story is just amazing. Hope to play it soon
Glad that the soundtrack is actually listed on Spotify for once
I got emotional just seeing footage of the ending
This game haunts me in the best possible way ❤ I’m so sad it’s so difficult to find (aside from emulating), wish it was accessible for more people to play it.
This game might be flawed but is a work of art, is very unique and i loved it, we need more games like this. One of the best survival horror games for sure, up there with SH2 in terms of artistic merits.
Ooohh.... Watching this helped me actually understand the narrative. I've watched a couple playthroughs on it but i was just confused all the way through. So the reason why she's an adult but is still treated like a child by everyone is because the events of the game aren't actually taking place, she's just processing what happened. But since she's an adult now, she's having trouble remembering what her old self was like during thease events. Am i understanding this correctly?
Either way, great video! I think this game showcases many unique and interesting themes. I think it paints a vivid picture of what could happen if deranged children would be left to rule.
Thanks for these videos Boulder, they honestly help me with my anxiety attacks. Keep up the good work
Thanks for making this video. I finished the game yesterday and it's my 3rd favorite game behind Silent Hill 2 and Xenogears now! I found out about it through this video and I like your channel in general.
I'll never get tired playing Rule of Rose it is one of the best Psychological survival game with great story and OST. I treasure this classic masterpiece so much. Finally you figure it out that Ciri and Jennifer have the same VA Jo Wyatt 🤝
I just got into the game this week, this is truly perfect timing
Dude same!!
The guy who composed the soundtrack for this also did the music for Sonic Heroes.
Ps2 was just the peak of gaming, we never see games like this ever again
This is by far the best coverage of Rule of Rose so far, it's my favorite game so thank you!
This is still one of my favorite games ever! So grateful that I still have my copy of the game.
I want a remake of this game that captures the graphic quality of the prerendered cutscenes.
The plasticky character models, the overly soft/feathery shadows, the obviously computer generated lighting? I dunno.. It just has that feel that's so effective that I have not seen modern horror games emulate with in-engine graphics.
If it wasn’t banned- I’d love for a gaming company buy and take the property into their hands and recreate Rule of Rose with better gameplay and graphics I think it would be a perfect game in this day in age. The story is so rich and haunting it really stuck with me after watching a video that did a deep dive on the game. I remember having a demo disk of the game back in the day when my dad collected gaming mags that would hide cds in the pages,
This and SH2 are my fav horrors, LOVE this game and will stan it forever. Music is also phenomenal
Another great analysis, gg
Awsome I asked for this the other day well pleased
I'm happy at least once per year we get rule of rose content on yt
I am frigging blind sided every time I see a new video on this game. It's amazing to me that people are still talking about it so many years later. I discovered it through Cry's play-through (unfortunately) and it's cutscenes and story have stuck with me ever since.
I remember when this cane out. It quickly faded into obscurity. Must have been a really small print.
I really hope that we'll get a remaster or even a faithful remake on day.
Would love a remaster to play this again
I’ve always wanted to play this game, but it came out at a bad time for me. I couldn’t get my hands on a copy before it kinda disappeared from stores.
I’m still interested in playing it one day.
This has been on my “to play” list forever
I'm so glad I bought a copy of this when it was cheap. One of my favorite games of all time, up there with SH2 for my money. (EDIT: Promise I wrote this before watching the video!)
There's also a possible connection between this game and the (excellent) Spanish horror film The Orphanage. Anyone who has seen it will know what I mean.
I drove 3 hours to a GameStop for the only copy I could find in my couple years search! It was the best 14$ Ive ever spent at the time since most copies were for sale for 200$+ online (2009 or so)- I still own a PS 2 for this 1 title
I fell in love with the concept and preordered it, myself. : D
This game feels like it should have had more beta testing before releasing, but I don't think the developers had that luxury.
Needs to be a book.
Boulder Punch, I beg of you to PLEASE cover ILLBLEED on the dreamcast(or use emulation)
That game is beautiful.
Chulip also was a chore to get through gameplay wise with its time-system and high damage for missed kisses, so I think Punchline were just kind of harsh developers in a way. But they did really well in the story, music and athmosphere areas. Also, japanese-only Twilight Syndrome is also a great psychological kind of horror/spooky-game that doesn't get enough love
I'm sad that I found it for 500 dollars and didn't have the money to pay for it .. it was so low because it didn't have the pamphlet with it , but the case was immaculate.. I hope it does get a remaster because Noone should have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for this game just to play it .
Will you ever cover Obscure and Alone In The Dark series?
I love this game. I hope to do videos on these same games myself someday.
This game is such a classic. I remember somehow getting a copy when I was younger and loved this game 🐕 🌹 👸🏻
Great video man, i have always had a soft spot for this game, speaking of horror, do you plan on doing kuon?
The title itself sums it up perfectly.
Praying that they are working on a remaster 😢
I've always described Rule of Rose like this, "it's like picking up a rose, beautiful to observe, but painful to grasp" I adore the game, it's a cult classic for sure and I replay it annually every October. I love how delicately it's dark story is told. You can tell they took great care to disturb the player with its story and themes without slipping into exploitation. A shame about the gameplay, it really is it's biggest flaw. If the devs had more time allowed, no doubt it would have been more enjoyable to play. Thank you for the great review, it's nice to see coverage that doesn't just prattle on about its selling price or its stiff gameplay. There's always more underneath the surface
i would love a remake or re-release of this game considering how rare it is!!! although the gameplay sucks its definitely a fave for me i have a soft spot for ps2 horror games
Rule of rose is absolutely one of my favorite games ever!
I tried to watch a play-through of this a few times but couldn't get into like Haunting Ground, which I really enjoyed. Maybe I'll try again.
2:05 Not sure what research you did. The UK was the only European country to have its release canceled. The game came out everywhere else. Release was also canceled in Australia & New Zealand though.
I bought this game out of a bargain bin for like $5 and played through a bazillion times when I was about 10 years old, then traded it into GameStop for like 50¢
I will die with this regret weighing on me.
Always been intrigued by this game. Mainly because it's one of those crazy priced PS2 games you always see online.
I wonder if Elfen Lied had some influence on Rule of Rose. And this comparison is going to have spoilers for both games, just in case.
Particularly the scene when both protagonists finally stand up against their bullies in an orphanage after the death of their dog friend. Though one of them really takes things a step further. Or like… a hundred steps further.
Highly unlikely and that is no really a unique idea. Big difference is Elfen lied is only about shock factor and full of immature ways to show gore. Also the fanservice and borderline harem elements don't help either. Rule of the rose does is in a much more subtle and tasteful way.
@@videogamesworld01 That’s fair, and I suppose that isn’t the most unique trope of all time either.
Holy shit I remember that chulip game! I was just thinking the other day I wonder what that game was called faintly in my memories, thank you! I wonder which friend of mine played that in front of me..
I was entranced by this game after seeing it on Cinematech on G4. Unfortunately, the initial reviews of the US release were so bad that I passed on it. I still kinda regret that choice.
You know maybe Sundowner was onto something with kids being Cruel
"Everlasting. True love. I am yours"
Every single review I've ever come across for this game praises the narrative but pans the gameplay. This makes me think Rule of Rose might have worked better as a film or even a novel rather than a video game.
HOW DID I NOT KNOW THE SAME PEOPLE WHO MADE CHULIP MADE THIS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS???
Just amazing
I was really confused at the storyline when i was a teen playing this game but I’ve never forgotten the scores or songs.
I can honestly see why this game was banned hahahaha but it just wasn’t for kids.
I never played the game, but I’m glad I didn’t. Those imps things gave me nightmares just by looking at them. If there is a remake, I hope they could fix it. Or at least have audio diaries, like the ones in Bioshock.
I've recently started watching RUclips playthroughs of games whose stories I find interesting, but whose gameplay I can't get into anymore. I'm definitely adding this to that list.
This is one of those games you play once, enjoy the story but never play it again. I think if the game weren't so padded and were short and sweet like Clock Tower 3 for example, it'd be a much more enjoyable experience and worth playing over.
Rule of Rose is the toughest game of all time but I like it
My fav game everrrrr
To think I could have bought this game at launch and it's now super expensive.
I found a copy of rule of rose at the thrift store I was working at and someone threw it out 😅
Love the plot of this game so much, it’s second to Haunting Ground in terms of favorites. But I’ve seen how bad the gameplay is so I wouldn’t play it myself. I wish a remake could’ve been made!
This is a funny game to watch speed run despite the gameplay being wack. She's just so competent and its hilariousness
Yo what remaster?? Prayge
Is it worth the price nowadays on ps2? Hell naw but I still want a copy for my collection.
Excellent game, narrative wise.
Awful game, gameplay (combat) wise. ^^;
At first I found it stupid, with the grown up protagonist acting like a scared little girl all the time.
But the ending cleared that up and was very rewarding.
...just make sure to get the TRUE ending, and don't panic.. ^^;
But it is exactly as you said. I would add that I found it particularly artistic in general. The arthouse movie - vibe is strong in this one.
It kinda reminded me a bit of the movie Ecole.
If they ever remake this, they should either just scrap the combat entirely or they entirely remake the combat system and movement... cause it's such a pain to work with
Ah, the game that the supporters of Jimmy Saville said was "inappropriate"
japanese horror games are the best
Little nightmares 1 and 2 plz
I own a copy of Haunting Ground i bought around its release but I don't own a copy of this game. Im a sucker for anything horror related but if my memory serves me correct even back then the reviews for this game were pretty mediocre compared to Haunting Ground and it doesn't help the box art is kinda generic.
I liked this game more than Haunting Ground, but I plan to replay and review Haunting Ground at some point to see if my opinion changes.
“brooch” is pronounced “broach”.
I've never played a game quite like Rule of Rose, and I adore it for that. I believe that the difficult, clunky gameplay is a deliberate choice - you're not an action hero or even an average, normal everyman. You're playing a traumatized young woman who doesn't really know how to fight and whose movements are uncertain and hesitant. It doesn't make it fun to play, mind you - I've only played it all the way through once and I've no real desire to do so again - but should it be fun, with this sort of subject matter? It's a haunting story with many disturbing elements, and I can't help but think that it wouldn't be the same if the mechanical aspect was more refined.
I wish I'd got the chance to play it. Damn the EU politicians.
I "played" (suffered) through this game way back in PS2 ever. It's the worst combat I've ever trudged through because the story is phenomenal!
If it weren't for that dumb mermaid boss, i would've beaten and loved this game
I think Yahtzee’s summary of Silent Hill 4 applies to Rule of Rose as well: Really good story, really good concept, really shit gameplay. Except Silent Hill 4’s gameplay is tolerable and I can still finish it, whereas Rule of Rose’s gameplay is too flawed to overlook, at least for me.
Silent Hill 4 is flawed in second part and not even fully.