Rule of Rose

[Petronella]

So I've just started playing Rule of Rose again (one of my favorites) and was wondering what y'all think of it. I'm a fan, if not for the music and the fact that the plot lends itself very well to analysis and sperging. The combat system definitely could have used some work, though, which seems to be a universal criticism of the game...

 

[The Fair Lady]

Love it. Extremely beautiful and arguably the saddest game in existence. Sucks how so few people know of it.

What don't you like about the music? Personally, my main complaint is the voice acting. Amanda's VA is really the only one worthy of praise.

 

[Dollars2010]

Oh gosh, I love this game so much.

I first played Haunting Ground, which is much like Rule of Rose where you're a female protagonist with a canine companion, before I played this game. But it's simply amazing though. The story line is very much surreal, but in a good way! It's a good mixture of fantasy and reality with a bit of bizarre to spice it up. I also like that they laced in folk tales within the story itself, giving them an even more morbid twist than they had before.

Also, Brown is an absolute cutie.

 

[Queen of Tarts]

Rule of Rose is uber expensive to the point I'm not sure if it's worth almost 100 dollars used. I really would like to play it, but I'm not sure it justifies such a ridiculous price tag. Is it worth 100 dollars?

 

[The Fair Lady]

Is it worth 100 dollars?

Yes.

 

[TheRedRanger]

Sadly, it was withdrawn here in the UK, after a huge press shitstorm against it.
One article (I think it was in the Daily Mail, big surprise), claimed that the aim of the game was to abuse an orpan girl, locking he in the filth room and generally doing terriblw things to her. It also complained that it 'promoted lesbianism'.
Thanks Daily Mail.

 

[The Knife]

I love how things "promote lesbianism" by happening to mention that lesbians exist.

But yay, one of three games I've actually played! My only complaint, other than the combat (which is very tedious and slow and well-nigh impossible with the early weapons) is that it's a very dark game, in the sense of "not well lit." Perhaps it's my own settings, but I wasn't able to bring it up in any way that appreciably altered the lighting to the point that I could interact with things. The graphics are gorgeous (what I could see of them) and the story is beautifully creepy.

 

[The Knife's Husbando]

Rule of Rose is uber expensive to the point I'm not sure if it's worth almost 100 dollars used. I really would like to play it, but I'm not sure it justifies such a ridiculous price tag. Is it worth 100 dollars?

Get an Emulator. Our copy cost exactly five minutes of download time & fifteen minutes for setup.

 

[John Titor]

I had the chance to get it and I blew it.

 

[Petronella]

Love it. Extremely beautiful and arguably the saddest game in existence. Sucks how so few people know of it.

What don't you like about the music? Personally, my main complaint is the voice acting. Amanda's VA is really the only one worthy of praise.

Whoops, I meant to say I do like the music. :< Although yeah, the voice acting is kind of hit and miss. I'm not sure if they used real kids, adults pretending to be kids, or a combination, but it can get kind of iffy.

Rule of Rose is uber expensive to the point I'm not sure if it's worth almost 100 dollars used. I really would like to play it, but I'm not sure it justifies such a ridiculous price tag. Is it worth 100 dollars?

I'm using an emulator for that exact reason. Whether it's worth the high cost or not depends on what you like in a game, really. The gameplay, especially the combat, could be kindly described as clunky, but the atmosphere is fantastic and the story is very complex and emotional. It's kind of a trade-off.

 

[Saney]

I remember hearing about this game, it was on the news. Something about moral outrage over the game being too violent or scary or some dumb thing. It piqued my interest, but I never got the chance to play it.

 

[applecat]

If it's available on an emulator, I'm definitely going to play it soon! Everything about it looks all sorts of up my alley.

 

[Caddchef]

Sadly, it was withdrawn here in the UK, after a huge press shitstorm against it.
One article (I think it was in the Daily Mail, big surprise), claimed that the aim of the game was to abuse an orpan girl, locking he in the filth room and generally doing terriblw things to her. It also complained that it 'promoted lesbianism'.
Thanks Daily Mail.

I got an Italian version from ebay when it came out, cost about £40 which was only a little more expensive than usual back in the day. If you can stand the Italian cover the rest of the game is in English as a default, i bought it not only because i love survival horror (and grew to love the game) but also as a fuck you to the Daily Mail.

 

[Uzumaki]

Can someone PM me an emulator link? I don't usually use them and don't know enough about that world to avoid sites with viruses.

 

[The Lone Wanderer]

The story hides a lot of nasty subjects behind closed doors but I love it. Molestation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, murder, possible lesbianism. I find the combat infuriating. I'm stuck in Rag Princess Sews, last time I recall picking up my PS2 controller to play it. Jeniffer is adorable, I want to beat the game so bad so I can unlock her extra costumes but the combat system UGH! Oh, and I like the searching system with Brown. I heard it was banned in the UK because of the implied child abuse. Another game besides this I love is Haunting Ground.

 

[The Fair Lady]

I'm stuck in Rag Princess Sews, last time I recall picking up my PS2 controller to play it. Jeniffer is adorable, I want to beat the game so bad so I can unlock her extra costumes but the combat system UGH!

I used to be stuck there too. Fucking pig imps. The trick to the game in general is to have Brown search everything you find. It's tedious, but you'll find plenty of goodies and tradable items.

And yeah, the combat sucks. It doesn't help that Jennifer takes forever getting up.

Also, fun bit of info: When I was at AnimeNEXT over the summer, I actually came across a Jennifer cosplayer. When I asked if that was who she was supposed to be, she became overjoyed and was like "Finally, someone recognizes me!" She had this cute little dog plush with her to symbolize Brown.

 

[The Lone Wanderer]

I used to be stuck there too. Fucking pig imps. The trick to the game in general is to have Brown search everything you find. It's tedious, but you'll find plenty of goodies and tradable items.

And yeah, the combat sucks. It doesn't help that Jennifer takes forever getting up.

Also, fun bit of info: When I was at AnimeNEXT over the summer, I actually came across a Jennifer cosplayer. When I asked if that was who she was supposed to be, she became overjoyed and was like "Finally, someone recognizes me!" She had this cute little dog plush with her to symbolize Brown.

I use the Wikia as a guide for the Unique items like the Knives and Reels. But I'm low on healing items and Brown hasn't been able find any. The Mermaid made me use a lot.

 

[The Fair Lady]

I use the Wikia as a guide for the Unique items like the Knives and Reels. But I'm low on healing items and Brown hasn't been able find any. The Mermaid made me use a lot.

Did you start searching for things early on? If not then yeah, that'll be a problem. :/

 

[The Lone Wanderer]

Did you start searching for things early on? If not then yeah, that'll be a problem. :/

Yea I did, oh well. I can always restart, maybe follow a walkthrough.

 

[Most Dumbest Bitch]

Reviving this ancient thread to talk about one of the most unique games I've ever played.

Rule of Rose is probably my crowning example of executive meddling fucking up what could have been a genuinely excellent game. The story is fantastic and makes really great use of symbolism, the art style and animation are pretty damn good for the time, it's a genuinely emotional experience that does fuck with your mind a little bit, and best of all, it's one of the few pre-2010s games to (almost) get away with having lesbians in it. Score.

But we can't talk about RoR without talking about the god awful gameplay, because holy fuck. To my understanding, the game was rushed to port before the devs had the time to properly finish the gameplay heavy segments, making the movements janky as fuck, and adding a lot of really obnoxious bugs that made completing parts of the game damn near impossible.

Still, I think the game is definitely worth playing, just for the experience of the story. Nothing fucks with me more than the implication of what Hoffman did to a lot of the girls, but especially Clara.

Do any of you guys think the game has the potential for a remake down the line?