Rule of Rose - The JAVE

Point-n-Click, Survival Horror/Action/Advenure

September 12, 2006

Punchline (Site is in Japanese)
Atlus - Publisher, N. America
Sony Japan Publisher, Japan (Site is in Japanese)

Third Person

"It is the year 1930. Poor, unlucky Jennifer lost her parents in a horrible accident. Now she is in a bus on her way to the “Rose Garden” Orphanage. There, she will be introduced to the Red Crayon Aristocrats Club, a club formed by the kids that reside in the orphanage. Jennifer will soon realize that she’s trapped in the bizarre games of the Aristocrats Club, from which there seems to be no escape. But what she will soon also realize is that there is something darker and more menacing hidden under the playful mask of the club. Something that will turn her stay at the orphanage into a living nightmare.

"The game begins with Jennifer alone at the bus stop outside the “Rose Garden” orphanage, but she won’t be alone for too long as she is soon joined by a lovely Labrador retriever who answers to the name Brown. Brown will be Jennifer’s companion throughout the biggest part of the game...Brown’s main purpose in the game is to sniff things out of hidden places.

"The core of the game is very short, and it can easily be finished on one Sunday, using speed play. I played the game once by using Brown everywhere and finding everything and once by finding only key items and a couple of health items, and the time difference between those two games was close to 20 hours!

"Now what is it that you are mainly looking for when playing a survival horror game? Is it decapitating monsters, zombies, telemarketers? If so, then RoR will disappoint. Actually, due to its limited fighting, this survival horror game could be considered ideal for adventure gamers, but unfortunately it also lacks in puzzles, which are almost non-existent, other than Brown sniffing out stuff...But if what you’re after is a good twisted mystery and a game that will creep you out, in deeper ways and beyond “boo, I jumped out of the closet”, then you should consider checking-out RoR. See it from the point of view of the story and you will certainly be rewarded."