Rule of Rose
| Rule of Rose | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Punchline | ||
| Publisher | 505 Gamestreet , Atlus , Sony | ||
| platform | PlayStation 2 | ||
| genre | Survival horror | ||
| Subject | Sects, secret organizations | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| medium | DVD-ROM | ||
| language | English | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | Triggered a discussion on violence in computer games from | ||
Rule of Rose is a survival horror - computer game , the 2006 for the PlayStation 2 was released. In Europe, the game sparked controversy over violence in computer games.
action
Rule of Rose is set in England in the 1930s . The player takes on the role of - in appearance apparently - 19-year-old Jennifer, who is suddenly haunted by the shadows of her past on a bus ride through the forest near the orphanage "Rose Garden". Her parents died at a young age in a zeppelin crash that only she survived. The plot is implemented as an extremely artfully designed and theatrically presented psychological thriller. The game content appears quite bizarre and sometimes disturbing, but is not always based on actual experiences and events in the world shown, but rather on the protagonist's sometimes distorted childhood memories. The story is designed as a kind of retelling, from Jennifer's point of view. The individual stories that are conveyed to the player begin in the orphanage, which is an important part of Jennifer's early childhood. The scenario then expands to an airship (zeppelin), which - like many other things - is only real in the eyes of Jennifer. Jennifer herself (the character) is always shown here as a young woman. Only at the end does it become clear that the whole time she was actually a child of roughly the same age as the other children - but during this time she saw herself as the grown, sensible woman to be played. The course of the story itself is more like a very macabre drama than a horror game. There are bizarre opponents in the form of deformed, unreal child beings (Imps), but these never really existed in the form shown. Behind the gloomy facade, Rule of Rose mainly deals with child, youth and social psychological backgrounds and questions. Most of the time, the player is barely informed about the background to the situation. Only at the end - in the epilogue - can you look for various clues in the orphanage that shed a little light on the plot and also give plenty of space for speculation and theories. For example, there is evidence of at least one murder in the orphanage and others outside, possible sexual advances, bullying and kidnapping. The only real adults in history are the home manager, the cleaning lady and 'Stray Dog', an insane man from the neighborhood.
controversy
Franco Frattini , European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security and former Italian Foreign Minister stated that he of the "obscene cruelty and brutality" ( obscene cruelty and brutality was shocked) of the game. These statements and the subsequent reporting in the media, such as the British newspapers The Times and Daily Mail , caused the publisher to refrain from publishing in Great Britain and other European countries. In March 2007 the European Parliament called for a Europe-wide ban on the game with a motion for a resolution . According to the applicants, the game “portrays children in connection with perverse, violent and sadistic images that violate human dignity”. Since Rule of Rose is only "the last of a series" of games "whose sole aim is to incite violence and to harass and abuse the weakest", the application also calls for the establishment of a European observatory for computer games. The Braunschweiger Zeitung reported on August 24, 2007 about the Rule of Rose and its discussion of violence.
Although Sony marketed the game in Japan, the company refused to publish Rule of Rose in the US. Sony employee Yuya Takayama described in an interview with Gamasutra.com that the game was not compatible with Sony's image in the United States. Shuji Ishikawa from Punchline said that the game theme, the sexuality of prepubescent girls ( "sexuality of prepubescent girls" ) was not the main motive, but rather trust and loyalty ( "The main theme is really about trust and fealty." ) Atlus marketed then the game in the USA.
505 Gamestreet also stopped the planned marketing of the game in Australia and New Zealand in November 2006, after a ban was debated on Australian breakfast television , among other things .
criticism
The trade press and websites for computer games rated the game rather cautious. Thus, the site calculated Metacritic.com from 44 votes a Metascore of 59. The British magazine Edge saw in the game "just a murky brew of meaningless, exploitative dysfunction filling an empty game, and it leaves a bitter taste." (About: only a cloudy brew from a meaningless, exploitative malfunction that fills an empty game that leaves a bitter aftertaste.) The website AceGamez, however, wrote: "a wonderful psychological thriller that will draw you in with its bizarrely compelling narrative, atmospheric presentation" . (For example: a great psychological thriller that won't let you go with its bizarre, captivating narrative and atmospheric presentation).
However, the majority of the reviews include mediocre ratings that describe the game as not particularly scary (the British magazines Play UK and Games Master UK ), criticize the game mechanics , but praise the horror effects ( Game Informer (USA) and Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK (GB)), to editors who describe the game as boring (US magazines PSM Magazine and Electronic Gaming Monthly ).
In the test of the website neXGam.de the main point of criticism is a "botched control" , which becomes almost impossible if there is a battle with several opponents (in many cases the character meets up to 12 opponents at the same time). The combat system is described as tough. The opponents tend to be less of a problem, as they act like extras. The magazine and tester positively noticed a “terrific soundtrack” and the “very well staged cut scenes” . The editor also saw a “dense and disturbing atmosphere” .
Approval for young people
The game was released in France and Italy with the PEGI rating “16 years and older”. In these versions there is a German voice output (English with German subtitles). The USK saw the game as unsuitable for anyone under the age of 18.
Web links
- Atlus.com Developer's page for the game (requires Adobe Flash )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Torturing this child is a game too far, says appalled EU boss . In: The Times
- ↑ Call to ban 'obscenely cruel' computer games . In: Daily Mail
- ↑ GameSpot: Rule of Rose Euro release canceled
- ↑ EU: Motion for a resolution B6-0023 / 2007
- ↑ Interview with Yuya Takayama and Shuji Ishikawa
- ^ Rule of Rose canned down under . In: Gamespot
- ↑ Press review on metacritic.com
- ↑ on neXGam.de