History Videogame / RuleOfRose

* SweetTooth: Jennifer [[HealThyself heals herself]] by munching on sweets.

''Rule of Rose'' is a 2006 [[PsychologicalHorror psychological]]/[[SurvivalHorror survival horror]] game developed by Japanese studio Punchline (whose only other game was ''VideoGame/{{Chulip}}'') and published by [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment Sony Computer Entertainment]][[note]](later released by Creator/{{Atlus}} in North America and by [[Creator/FiveZeroFiveGames 505 Game Street]] in Europe)[[/note]] for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.

* {{Blog}}: While many fandoms have an online place where they discuss the work in question, [[https://www.youtube.com/user/RuleOfRoseMysteries/featured Rule of Rose Mysteries]] takes it to a completely different level, deconstructing the game, analyzing the characters, and piecing together the story. The blog itself is gone, but its website/YouTube channel remains.

%%** Clara.

%%* ThoseTwoGuys: Xavier and Nicholas, as well as Susan and Olivia.

* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: One interpretation of why [[spoiler:the aristocrats make Jennifer the new princess after she slaps down Wendy]].

* LifeMeter: A squiggly red chalkboard line for Jennifer in the inventory screen, but no meter for Brown for some reason. They both have stick figure representations of themselves next to the red line, which become more tired-looking as they take damage.

** An unused cutscene on the game disk showed that originally Brown could die and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh3b6_C4X_M cause a Game Over]]. In the release version, if Brown runs out of health, he becomes incapacitated for the rest of the current encounter or location and then automatically heals in the next one. This is a very fortunate change, as on some encounters (such as the Mermaid Princess boss), it is almost impossible to protect Brown.

** One of [[spoiler:Wendy]]'s letters to [[spoiler:'Joshua' (actually Jennifer)]] was a declaration of their betrothal, and was received very well. [[spoiler:And then things went wrong...]]
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: [[spoiler:Wendy is a textbook PsychoLesbian for Jennifer. Gregory is also an interesting, and platonic, case, as the death of his son traumatized him pretty well. And then Wendy manipulated his state of mind so that he would kill people on her say-so. [[MindScrew Maybe]]]].

** Wendy wants [[spoiler:Jennifer]] all to herself [[spoiler:and ordered the death of Brown because she thought Brown was taking up all of Jennifer's attention.]]

%%* ThoseTwoGuys: Xavier and Nicholas.

* TwoTeacherSchool: Mr. Hoffman is the only adult authority figure around the orphanage. The only other adult at the place is the cleaning lady and cook, Martha, while the sixteen-year-old Clara who acts as a makeshift nurse and all-around helper.
* UnreliableNarrator: Unreliable because [[spoiler:Jennifer has amnesia, and the events as depicted in the story are a conglomeration of half-recalled events and traumatic incidents]]. Example: in the "Once Upon a Time..." chapter, it's revealed that [[spoiler:the goats and Eleanor's bird were actually stuffed toys]].

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It's left unknown what ''exactly'' happened to Clara by the end of the game. Also Jennifer, for that matter.

** Dropping an item anywhere in the game automatically teleports it to the bin in Jennifer's room. While there is a lot of backtracking in the game, it at least isn't caused by inventory management.
** An unused cut-scene on the game disk showed that originally Brown could die and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh3b6_C4X_M cause a Game Over]]. In the release version, if Brown runs out of health, he becomes passive for the rest of the current encounter or location and then automatically heals. This is a very fortunate change, as on some encounters (such as the Mermaid Princess) it is almost impossible to protect Brown.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Several bright-red fire extinguishers can be found aboard the airship, under signs reading [[AC:"FIRE HOSE"]] -- despite 1920s-30s extinguishers' lack of full-body paint, red or otherwise; as well as the in-game extinguishers' ''[[NonIndicativeName having no hose]]''.

%%* AxCrazy:
%%** Stray Dog [[spoiler:aka Gregory M. Wilson]].
%%** [[spoiler:Wendy]]

* BossAlteringConsequence: [[spoiler: After you defeat Gregory the first time, a remorseful Wendy will give you a gun to finish Gregory off before being killed by Gregory herself. If you choose to attack Gregory, you will have to fight him for the rest of the battle and you will get the Bad ending. If you instead choose to give Gregory the gun at the start of the battle when he says, "I'm sorry, Joshua," he will come to his senses and, feeling remorse for what he did, will shoot himself and you will get the Good ending.]]

* ButThouMust: Early on, Jennifer is given a series of mildly threatening yes-or-no questions while tied to a pole. No matter what you answer, the outcome is unchanged, and the trope is lampshaded when the interrogator tells Jennifer that her opinion and choices don't matter - they're the one making the rules around here. This arguably sets up the recurring theme of helplessness surrounding Jennifer.

* ADayInTheLimelight: The game has an episodic structure in the style of a TV series, where most of the episodes puts one of the Red Crayon Aristocrats into the spotlight.

* {{Ephebophile}}: [[spoiler:Mr. Hoffman, who is all but outright said to have been regularly sexually abusing Clara, one of the older girls in his care. He also gets more than a bit too handsy with Diana in another scene, heavily implying that he has done the same thing to her. While he is certainly not depicted favorably, though there is a measure of sympathy afforded if the player reads his diary in the PlayableEpilogue.]]

* FetchQuest: What gameplay is all about, give or take some awkward combat. See ChainOfDeals above.

** The opening foreshadows parts of the plot, the gameplay loop, and even the natures of the three Aristocrats: Diana [[spoiler:raises her skirt way too high for a curtsey (off camera)]], Eleanor [[spoiler:looks away]], and Meg [[spoiler:grins sadistically]].

* HeelFaceDoorSlam: [[spoiler:The Aristocat Club members seemed to be genuinely trying to earn Jennifer's forgiveness for their participation in killing Brown, but they are killed by a crazed Gregory before anything could come of it]].

* HideYourChildren: After the [[FinalBoss final boss]] fight, when Jennifer walks outside of the orphanage; [[spoiler:instead of seeing the bodies of all the children, she only sees their clothes]].

* InfinityMinusOneSword: If you missed the five knives, in the same chapter are two Coins that will give you the Stick of Justice, which has almost as much power as the sword, but is slower and with less range.

* HeelFaceDoorSlam: [[spoiler:The Aristocat Club members seemed to be on their way to trying to earn Jennifer's forgiveness for their participation in killing Brown, but they are killed by a crazed Gregory before anything could come of it]].

* {{Ephebophile}}: [[spoiler:Mr. Hoffman, who is all but outright said to be regularly sexually abusing Clara, one of the older girls in his care. He also gets more than a bit too handsy with Diana in another scene, heavily implying that he has done the same thing to her. While he is certainly not depicted favorably, though there is a measure of sympathy afforded if the player reads his diary in the PlayableEpilogue.]]

* {{Ephebophile}}: Mr. Hoffman. And most certainly not depicted favorably, though there is a measure of sympathy afforded if the player reads his diary in the PlayableEpilogue.

* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Mr. Hoffman, though he was in charge from the start. He just developed in a twisted direction. There's a mention in the epilogue of how Hoffman used to be a kind and respectable teacher.
* TwoTeacherSchool: Just one teacher, plus a cleaning lady and a sixteen-year-old girl who acts as a makeshift nurse and all-around helper.

%%* PsychoLesbian:
%%** [[spoiler:Wendy]]
%%** To some extent, Meg and Diana's unhealthy relationship.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Is occasionally compared to ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'' with its ever-present theme of [[KidsAreCruel sociopathic kids trying to murder each other]]. [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness Maybe]].

* HeelFaceDoorSlam: [[spoiler:The Aristocat Club members seemed to be on their way to try to earn Jennifer's forgiveness for their participation in killing Brown, but they are killed by a crazed Gregory before anything could come of it]].

''Rule of Rose'' is a 2006 [[AdventureGame adventure]]/[[SurvivalHorror survival horror]] game developed by Japanese studio Punchline (whose only other game was ''VideoGame/{{Chulip}}'') and published by [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment Sony Computer Entertainment]][[note]]later released by Creator/{{Atlus}} in North America and by [[Creator/FiveZeroFiveGames 505 Game Street]] in Europe[[/note]] for the [=PS2=]. It is set in an [[OrphanageOfFear orphanage]]/[[GlobalAirship airship]] in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI post-war]] England... '''or is it?''' It should be noted before going any further that the entire game is difficult to summarize for all sorts of reasons: the elaborate use of FairytaleMotifs, the [[UnreliableNarrator narration]], the [[TrappedInAnotherWorld setting]] (and [[AllJustADream the setting]]... and [[DeadAllAlong the setting]]), the surrealist horror aesthetic, and the purposely uneven story-telling. All of this is used to weave a [[{{Grimmification}} broken fairytale]] about [[HumansAreBastards thoughtless cruelty]], [[LoveHurts wrecked love]] and [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids childlike longing for an idealized adult reality]], culminating into an unusually thoughtful and heartbreaking story of [[ComingOfAgeStory self-actualization and growing up]].

Yes, it's still a VideoGame. And a MindScrew. And a [[UnreliableNarrator pretty good one at that]].

The plot revolves around a [[AllThereInTheManual nineteen-year-old]] [[DoomMagnet unlucky]] [[PluckyGirl girl]] named Jennifer, who becomes [[TrappedInAnotherWorld trapped in a world]] run by young children who have established a [[KidsAreCruel rigid and cruel]] class hierarchy called [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil the Red Crayon Aristocrats]]. Her only solace is [[BigFriendlyDog Brown]], her partner and [[CanineCompanion best friend]]. During each chapter, Jennifer has to honor a demand from the Red Crayon Aristocrats on [[IneffectualDeathThreats pain of death]], and in the process, she pieces together clues and [[EasyAmnesia recalls forgotten memories]] about her role in the Red Crayons' world. Each chapter of the game is [[ScrapbookStory introduced with a storybook]] that loosely describes what [[ExpositionFairy the chapter is about]] and which of the characters it focuses on.

Gameplay consists mostly of finding items with Brown's help, giving him an inventory item to sniff, then letting him guide Jennifer through the environment to whatever it is he's found. All plot-important items and most health restoring items (instead of potions, various [[HealthFood treats and chocolate]] are used) must be found in this way. Other items, such as marbles and ribbons, have [[NotCompletelyUseless no immediate use]], but may be traded with the Aristocrats. Combat tends to occur as the events in a chapter come to a climax; enemies will often appear seemingly from nowhere, allowing Jennifer to use a variety of [[ImprovisedWeapon improvised weapons]], such as a kitchen knife, an ice pick, or a hatchet.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Oddly enough]], not [[LoveBubbles the rule]] that requires all [[{{Shojo}} shoujo]] anime to have a [[SomethingAboutARose plethora of roses about]].

Warning, '''spoilers below'''. This game is best experienced without prior knowledge of its plotline.

* WeAllLiveInAmerica: The game takes place in England, but as the game was made by Japanese developers, some Japanese mannerisms appear in the game. For example, characters use the Japanese gesture for "come here" (palm faced down instead of up) and tend to greet each other by bowing.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: One interpretation of why [[spoiler:the aristocrats make Jennifer the new princess after she slaps down Wendy.]]

* HazyFeelTurn: After [[spoiler:Jennifer calls out Wendy for her awful behavior and slaps her down, the little tyrant runs away and the remaining aristocrats decide to make Jennifer the new Princess. It's unclear as to whether they were [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone truly shamed]] by Jennifer's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, were simply left leaderless with Wendy abandoning them [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority and turned to the now proven Jennifer]] for guidance, or [[TheCoup deposed Wendy themselves]] in the interim between the attic scene and Jennifer's "coronation."]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: Some fans have taken to interpreting Eleanor's extreme introversion and stoicism, combined with her overwhelming obsession with birds and odd rationale thereof (wanting to "sprout wings [like a bird] and fly away") as indicative of an autism spectrum disorder. This is also said of Thomas' obsession with trains, and of his making his toy train's route an eternal loop without a final destination, for - according to Jennifer - reaching the end of the line "would've broken his heart." Some of the other girls' behaviors certainly seem to point at various mental illnesses: Diana may be a [[TheNarcissist narcissist]] (or possibly a borderliner); Clara has [[BrokenBird very obvious PTSD]]; and Wendy [[spoiler:is a textbook [[TheSociopath sociopath]]]].