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[IbizaPocholo]

Rule of Rose is a 2006 survival horror game released for the PS2. It's been infamously banned in the UK and subject of many a controversy over the years. The exorbitantly high price that used copies demand nowadays have no doubt furthered its mystique. But underneath it all , Rule of Rose holds a deeply heartbreaking and complex story buried beneath some pretty terrible gameplay. The story is what matters though, and that's what I'll be deep diving into in this video.

0:00 intro
2:10 game info
7:44 The Little Princess [minor spoilers]
18:50 The Unlucky Clover Field [minor spoilers]
42:13 Sir Peter [major spoilers]
53:41 The Bird of Happiness [major spoilers]
57:16 The Goat Sisters [major spoilers]
1:00:53 The Mermaid Princess [major spoilers]
1:08:03 The Gingerbread House [major spoilers]
1:12:02 The Rag Princess Sews [major spoilers]
1:21:22 The Funeral [major spoilers]
1:35:49 The Stray Dog and the Lying Princess [major spoilers]
1:43:22 Once Upon A Time... [major spoilers]
1:50:46 housekeeping [major spoilers]
1:54:26 conclusion

 

[Bartski]

Not gonna watch this as I'm playing it right now in small chunks on the deck. Beautifully weird.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

This is that one game I had always wanted to play, but could never find at the time.

 

[Josemayuste]

Not gonna watch this as I'm playing it right now in small chunks on the deck. Beautifully weird.

Same here.

 

[kunonabi]

I owned it but it really was a goddamn miserable experience to play. Even now that I'm paying out the nose to buy back parts of my old collection I still dont really regret selling it RoR. The story and ending are indeed fantastic but it just isn't enough.

 

[Clear]

Really good video, highly recommended.

Damn, I miss when mainstream games had this level of artistic integrity. Also, even though I doubt the bans/controversy would have saved RoR from obscurity/commercial failure, what happened to it was deeply unjust and a reminder of how reactionary moral policing is far from a recent phenomenon.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

I never got deep into this. I remember being interested and it kind of reminded me of Clocktower. I hope I am not misremembering.

 

[GrayChild]

Finished it twice. Will never forget how genuinely disturbing some parts were.

If the game was easier to get and its gameplay wasn't so broken, it'd have given Silent Hill 2 a run for its money. Still the only game that can rival it when it comes to psychological horror.

 

[Davevil]

I don't know why but every time I read the title I confuse it with this other game...were they released at the same time?

 

[Clear]

I don't know why but every time I read the title I confuse it with this other game...were they released at the same time?

Nope, Shadow was an early PS2 release, pretty sure it predates SH2. RoR was very late.

 

[Generic]

I remember stopping playing this game after a boss that refused to die. The game's clunky combat system didn't help.

 

[Plague Doctor]

Dungeon Chill is a great gaming Youtuber that focuses on games I either loved/played or ones I never played but was curious about.

Highly recommend his channel.

 

[Davevil]

Nope, Shadow was an early PS2 release, pretty sure it predates SH2. RoR was very late.

I imagined, then completely wrong memories

 

[kunonabi]

I never got deep into this. I remember being interested and it kind of reminded me of Clocktower. I hope I am not misremembering.

It's possible you're thinking of Haunting Ground which was a spiritual successor to CT and also had a blond female protagonist with a dog.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

It's possible you're thinking of Haunting Ground which was a spiritual successor to CT and also had a blond female protagonist with a dog.

Yeahhhhh! That's the one.
Edit: Also, I think I remember this. Without google or anything, it's the game that starts out in some kind of house or orphganage?
Cause, if so, I played this too, but not for very long.

 

[kunonabi]

Yeahhhhh! That's the one.
Edit: Also, I think I remember this. Without google or anything, it's the game that starts out in some kind of house or orphganage?
Cause, if so, I played this too, but not for very long.

Yeah, rule of rose has the orphanage so you probably played both.

 

[s_mirage]

The game's a unique experience with a unique tragic storyline. The gameplay though? I've got a high tolerance for jank so I didn't struggle with it too much, but the combat really sucks.

I think Rule of Rose has the better story, but Haunting Ground is the better game to play. Its story is also unique, though in a different way, but it nails its gameplay.