Rule of Rose: The Survival Horror that Lost to Plagiarism 

Resident Evil - literally exploding zombies with magnums, shotguns, and rocket launchers - "...eh, this is fine." Rule of Rose - dark feminine socio-psychological horror with zero gore - "BAN THIS SICK FILTH."

what's interesting is that an actual Lord of the Flies equivalent happened irl, where a bunch of boys had to survive on an island by themselves. Turns out, reality is far less cynical than we think sometimes. The boys worked together to survive and were rescued.

A little detail about Clara's grooming that is even more terrible: something that caught my eye when I played the game is that the mermaid princess has stitches on her belly, stretch marks on her navel, tied legs by force and keeps vomiting nonstop. My guess is that Clara was pregnant with the old creep's baby and was either forced to get an abortion ( most likely done by him which explains why we barely see her ingame), or maybe he took her away to hide the pregnancy (and then joined her), or maybe even killed her elsewhere to hide his crimes (the main reason why he gets more twitchy as the game progresses) which is why we only see her boss fight and then never again. We will never know what happened to her or her unborn child. Also, Jennifer admits that she was always lazy as a kid and would let others do her chores, and Clara throughout the game seems to be the one who is the kindest and most attentive with Jennifer despite not seeing her actively, so it makes me think that Clara was the person who would do a lot of Jennifer's chores even while she was pregnant. Jennifer seeing through the keyholes as a kid would not only witness the r*pe and abuse without understanding what was going on, but then would also see her bedridden and vomiting (morning sickness) and as an adult she not only feels guilt over being a bystander to the whole situation, but also for having a pregnant kid doing her work while feeling very sick and heavy. And because Clara was gone and she never paid any mind to her dissapearence, it still haunts her how weak and selfish she was, even though it was none of her fault what happened to her.

Hi, italian here. Just wanted to say that it doesn't surprise me one bit how the italian media created the moral panica around the videogame. I mean, the ignorance regarding the subject, the scaremongering reaching the parliament, the "won't somebody please think of the children" vibe, it all happens time and again in this country. Nothing has really evolved, if anything it got worse with social media. Also Panorama is just the lowest of conservative tabloids. Its reputation can't be buried, it never existed in the first place.

Those unused voice lines were amazing. The VA did a fantastic job. I felt her sorrow and fear there.

To these people that think children cant be vile, I just want to ask, "Have you ever met a child? Hell, have you ever BEEN a child?" Anyone that went through awful times as a child because of other children knows that they can be vile and manipulative so my only explanation is that the people who cant handle these negative portrayals of childhood probably dont want to accept they were the bullies themselves and feel guilty about it

I always appreciate a story that isn't afraid to depict children as acting cruel or perhaps even evil. Children often do awful things to each other without even really thinking about how their words and actions will affect someone in the long run. That and there are also instances of children doing unspeakable things and actually understanding how horrible their actions are, but simply not caring. It seems like adulthood tends to make a lot of people forget that, though childhood innocence can make one pure and good, it can also allow for incredibly horrible behavior with no care or thought given to the consequences of ones actions.

In a weird way, I think the combat kind of fits? Jennifer is so beaten down by her circumstances and how she was treated. So any time she tries to fight back, even if she manages to do everything right, it still just comes off as unsatisfying, like she barely made a dent. At first you try to avoid your enemies, but then they start swarming you en masse. It's just so brutal and stupid and...unfair. A lot like the bullying itself, the fights just made me feel so helpless and angry, especially at Jennifer. I wanted Jennifer to stand up, to beat these little monsters senseless. So I feel like, from a metaphorical and story perspective, the combat works.

So I'm a parent and someone who experienced trauma as a child. And I find it tragically funny that society can't handle depictions of children being evil/manipulative, when it's painfully common that children who come forward to authority figures about abuse that they've suffered at the hands of adults or other deep problems that they need support to navigate is dismissed as lying for attention or some other such manipulation. These are just some examples of how adults regard children with distrust when much of the time they're trying to express their needs and figure out how to be human beings. I feel like these two problems are related. Children are products of the adults around them, but only when it's convenient for the adults. Otherwise the adults shrug their shoulders and are like, "i dOn'T KnoW wHeRe hE/sHe gETs thAT fRoM???" They want to think that everything that's "wrong" with children just comes out of nowhere, (unless of course it presents an opportunity to blame/judge that child's family without actually offering support) and that bad things that happen to them serve the purpose of "teaching them a lesson." Children need guidance and support. They NEED it. They need someone in who truly has their best interests at heart, in terms both of unconditional love and accountability, to grow up functional and healthy. And yes all people, including children, are capable of bad things and even outright evil. But denying them their basic needs and rights as human beings for the sake of convenience (or worse, subjugation) is just cultivating that potential to its full fruition. We see this in Rule of Rose: these girls are left entirely to their own devices in this orphanage with no guidance from people who actually care about them and worse, people that abuse them. I feel like that's the entire point, as it is with Lord of the Flies. They see the pecking order that parents and authority figures model in front of them and internalize it. Then they're given free reign to do whatever they please with the morals and social understandings that have been demonstrated to them. That makes it rewarding to be the horrible person that you might already have a disposition toward in the first place. For children it's an uphill battle to be a good person because parents and authority figures can't be bothered to do their goddamn jobs. And those that actually care have more often than not been denied adequate support and resources to improve the situation and foster a healthy environment for their charges. The way this entire controversy around the game has been handled is further evidence of this. Authority figures failed to do their due diligence in no small part because of their derisive and objectifying attitude toward children. Especially in the case of Lord of the Flies, they hated having a mirror held up to their face. And this will continue to happen because people in power generally refuse to hold themselves accountable. It requires them admitting that they messed up and could potentially result in them losing the precious power that they value over literally everything else.

Adding to Clara's design as a boss, I recall a video some time ago drawing my attention to that her legs are tightly bound together, she's confined but also its a self destructive effort to keep her legs closed, to protect and destroy/remove a part of herself that brings her so much disgust. She also throws up everywhere in the fight, eating disorders being a very common response to trauma, especially for young girls of around her age. On top of this the visualisation of Clara as a mermaid, a mythical creature, seems quite in line with dissociating and going away into a fantasy in the mind. I don't recall in the game how much Jennifer sees, or how much is confirmed about how Clara reacts to all her trauma, but thats kind of the beauty of her design. How much is a reflection of what happened? Did Jennifer notice Clara throwing up several times? Did she see Clara having difficulty walking, or trying to keep her legs together a lot? There's so many possibilities and we don't necessarily know for sure, but its enough implied that the reaction is visceral and so very uncomfortable. Its one of those things where the truest horrors are left implied.

i'm not gonna lie, i literally cried when Brown died and when that flashback with him as a puppy happened, i knew he wouldn't be safe, it would have been foolish of me to think nothing will happen to him but it still hit me like a truck, the other things also have hit me in this game but horrible things happening to dogs always hits me the hardest

When you said "plagiarism", I thought people were going to be offended that it's a dainty lady named Jennifer in a psychological horror game with a dog, like Clock Tower and Haunting Ground combined into one game. I was unprepared for the truth.

The girls at the orphanage always wanted to play airship, that’s why she sees it as an airship. She says she hated airship because that’s where she lost her parents but she’s also the only one who has been in one, so that’s why she’s able to imagine it so vividly when they forced her to play.

Clara is such a dark story... The fact she was a mermaid who pukes and screams... Is the way a lot of us theorized she was pregnant and she was made to have an ab*rti*n (she has scars in her belly)... I just love how much symbolism is around the game... And how it can be interpreted in so many ways

As a kid I was also that one fat girl in this story. The one being bullied and taking joy when a ‘pushover’ came to my class who ironically had the same name as me. In the end, what I did only made me more isolated… Me bullying that person only became a regret for me. I should have been… nicer.

I went to a regular public school and it was just the same. My worst bully was a boy and it was very much the psychological route. In my experience, it's a myth that all boys are more straightforward and resolve conflicts with fists. Maybe in kindergarten or early elementary school, but later on, everyone's equally bad. We had the hierarchy, the bullying, the schemes. Even some teachers gladly joined in. I still have nightmares about school several times a week and I'm 37 now.

I went to an all-boys school, and believe me, it is the same. The social heirarchy, the bullying... It made me resent people for a very long time, but I'm glad I was able to put it all behind me. Great video again btw! I'm always looking forward for your next one!

"The only thing that's been buried alive is Panorama's professional integrity." God *_damn,_* that deserves the Overkill popup from FFX

Aw man, great story analysis. It's suddenly hitting me again that Jennifer in the very last cutscene where she ties up Brown and essentially leaves him in the shack is a softer but similar way of showing love that she learned from Gregory when he basically did the same thing- he kept her on a leash. It's so upsetting, how this game very viscerally shows how children, in complete lack of healthy supervision, will emulate the behaviors of their caretakers in ways that are more monstrous or more naive than first considered. I mean, how could they do better at the end of the day, they're children trying to navigate a world that doesn't properly take care of them. I can only imagine what the creators/writers were thinking while making this game considering it was a primarily Japanese production. What social issues were they experiencing/seeing in their own lives/work culture that would incline them to make a horror game in this specific manner?

the idea of the devs was on the money. female antisocial behaviour tends to manifest through social bullying and reputation destruction, in contrast with male antisocial behaviour that tends to go towards physical agression. honestly, having seen how girls treated eachother when growing up and having a little sister, i was lucky violence was what i had to deal with. i figured out very early on that you only need to be willing to escalate further than whatever your agressor is willing to take. but this feels like something that's very difficult to escape

Got it for $20 at gamestop (and chulip too actually) Loved it. Then like an idiot I let my little brother borrow them...he lived a state away and ended up selling them. I still guilt him at least once a year over it, cause I'm a rare game collector and this one physically hurts me still each time I hear it's worth.

the build up of "stray dog" and Gregory's showing up naked crouching like a dog made my heart plummet into my a** one of my absolute favorite horror sequences

So many bullies go on wanting to completely forget or suppress the literally horrific things that they did to people and I speak this from a personal experience that they assume that anything that they did was never as bad as people make it out to seem because they want to cope with the fact that they completely and brutally hurt someone without remorse so much so that they go on to believe no child could ever do or be “evil” but anyway this was a fantastic video thank you for making it.

I find it particularly interesting how the game was written almost too well. The bullying of the aristocrats was so convincing and realistic that people became convinced it was actually something monsterous - just like Jennifer interpreted her bullying as, and how many of us see our bullying from childhood.

I'm so happy you are talking about this! Rule of Rose is such a beautiful, annoying, and painful game. The combat is awful and makes me so angry. But the story is dark, haunting, and miserable and I loved every moment of it

This was a big issue here in the US as well. The news coverage and hysteria around scandals like this and San Andreas's Hot Coffee mod actually got my gaming privileges restricted, and several games (including San Andreas) that I had purchased with my own saved lunch money were forcibly taken away from me by my grandmother. I was 15 years old at the time. To date, my grandmother still thinks about Media hysteria like this when anyone brings up games. A hobby that means the world to me reduced to talking points and fear-mongering. The damage this did to my capacity to enjoy something I genuinely love cannot be understated.

I don't know why, but seeing that final scene of Jennifer being with Brown as a puppy made me immediately cry. I think it's because, you know what happens to him eventually. And you see him just wanting to be near his new friend before she leaves... Fuck im still crying, goddamnit I hate this game so much. It's great, I love it, I wanna play it so much but *damn* does this game's story make me sob.

As someone who was heavily physically and mentally abused from a young age, mainly from the people who were supposed to raise me and keep me safe, Rule of Rose is one of (if not my most) favourite game of all time. I have the luck of owning a pristine copy, gifted to me by my best friend. The cruelty, the twistedness, and inherently painful nature of this game is sorely accurate to how life can be and how someone who is growing in such stunted circumstances struggles and flails. The almost 'soft gothic' theme making it even more harrowing. I talk about this game to everyone I can, and it is my ~special interest~ as you could say. This was a wonderfully done video and I am always happy to see more people touch on the tragic almost-masterpiece that is RoR. It's story is one of bittersweet survival, abuse, and love. The name of the game itself is very fitting as a metaphor for the story. Just as a rose is beautiful you cannot grasp it without pricking yourself on it's thorns. You cannot measure or control innocence. Just as you cannot hold onto love, or the people who bring you it without it being fleeting and brief. Should you clip the thorns from the stem, you mutilate it, bruise it. And equally so, every rose withers away in time, the petals fall as the youth fades away until only the bud remains.

Awesome video! I LOVE rule of rose. Did you notice that Gregory was also a serial killer/cannibal? Initially when you see clippings in his home talking about some maniac going around killing children, you assume that maniac killed Joshua. But if you look for hints (such as his chapter being called "The gingerbread house", the stray dog legend that talks about "stray dog bringing us candy" and "eating us all") and read his "pea planting" journal, he talks about peas kicking and screaming before being planted. He also talks about Joshua being sick and how he made him "pea soup". Creepy.

That article felt like a confession. The things that author decided to focus on, that they apparently thought of when seeing what was on screen... I'm not gonna say "That dude definitely keeps pics of children's feet on his computer which he looks at while tantalizing his ogre.", but if I had kids, I'd want to keep 'em Far away from that guy. And his ogre.

I am Italian and I was 19 when this gem came out here and played it with my dad. We still talk about it

I'm italian and I'm so happy you brought this story back to the surface. The ignorance and stupidity of our old close minded politicians is the reason why many of us want to leave our loved country. It's easier to make others think that if a young child has mental illness or exhibits violent behaviors, is because of videogames and not because of the enviroment in which they grow up. Also for all of those articles that pointed out the "inappropriate sexual themes" of the game, it's important to remember that evil is in the eye of the beholder. So if they think that a child skirt is too short it's because they were the first ones to think about what is hidden underneath it. I wish I could say that things have changed completely, but they're only slightly better. Recently a politician almost wanted to ban "Peppa pig" (yes, I am serious) because there was a lesbian couple and as he said "it could traumatize the children". Of course no one noticed those two females sheeps being togheter, no child turned into a terrorist or "became gay" just by seeing them. However many gullible parents started to force their children not to watch it ever again (which actually turned them in terrorists). I'm sorry if this is too long but I had to get it off of my chest. Again I'm truly grateful for this video, for giving me back the momories of a game that I thought I had lost when I was a child and for explaining the sad reasons why it was taken from us as many other games or movies.

The accuracy of the interpersonal relationships, between girls/kids, and also with absolutely terrible adults, is just haunting. This game feels wildly personal.

The mermaid boss' model has surgical scars on her stomach indicating pregnancy, and "gills" on her wrist mean she could've committed suicide. There's also a cabinet in the room with Clara that, when the player tries to open, Clara immediately shuts. I'm skeptical that Hoffman killed her since she was seemingly alive when he bailed on them (as per his note), and if he would kill her to keep her silent, he probably would've killed Diana as well.

My sister played this on an emulator and we'd always use the "load data" function to go back to a certain period just before the fish imps at 14:28, but at one point she accidentally clicked on the "save data" button so we had no choice but to restart if she dies 😭 we were so annoyed and the misery carried on to clara's boss battle fr

Imo, Hoffman is the main true villain to the story, as he's not only one of the boss fights that hinted he whipped Jennifer and the other girls (as well as the SA he's hinted to have performed on Clara), but he's also portrayed as turning a blind eye to the bullying and will straight up neglect them when he's not abusing them (probably why he left, probably either his behavior with Clara had been exposed and he disappeared, and/or he took Clara with him, leaving the other girls alone). There was also a maid or governess that seemed to be around too (I forgot her name), but considering that the imps take her down very quickly in the game, she may have been someone Jennifer briefly interacted with before she quit, or something else happened to her...

Nice! Also, the mermaid boss frequently vomiting alludes to her morning sickness, being made pregnant by the teacher. Child Jennifer saw things she couldn't make sense of.

Definitely think this would be INCREDIBLE re-made as an investigative walking simulator mystery game, and I also think the story is meaty enough to have been, like…a limited series. Something like The Terror.

Recently got bought a man's video game collection for like $50 and rule of rose was in there. We had absolutely no idea how much it was worth until we looked more into it. Was really curious on what it was about to make it worth that much so this video came out at a perfect time!

Honestly think the developers should receive an apology and compensation when shit like this happens; the idiot caught blatantly lying about stuff they know nothing about should be fired, and the government should pay damages. It would very quickly put an end to this kind of moral panic because it would be career ending. You'd have to have an ironclad case to start stirring up a mob about a game, not just hearsay. Shame it'll never happen.

Rule of Rose is a game that I really really wish would get a re release even if they don't update or retouch it at all. However, the extremely gross subject matter present would scare away any publishers who'd have the money get the rights to make that happen so it looks like for the foreseeable future there's no *legal* way to get it. It's a shame because there really isn't anything out there like it and it hasn't caught on enough to become one of those titles that has a dozen indie spiritual successors.

A fun bit of additional context for the controversy that makes it extra insane: The French Extremity movement in film had been going for years by the time Rule of Rose was released. Even if Panorama wasn't lying about the contents of the game, Europe had already decided that content was okay as long as it was on Celluloid.

I always find the line "this is your life but you'll play by my rules muahahaha" such an interesting line. Like they're being outright terrifying but this felt randomly polite? Lmao. I have watched this like ten times. It's so good.

This is my introduction to this channel and it's a fantastic piece. I managed to grab a copy of RoR before it was understood how rare it was as a used game on Amazon. At the time, I thought the controls and combat was terrible and put it down. Years later, I saw an article that mentioned "underrated horror games" and RoR was topping the list. I took it out again and beat it this time, and was very sorry I hadn't sooner. I can totally understand people having trouble processing this game. Most people like to be able to assign blame. Who is the prime mover of the tragic things that happen? Bullying in general and RoR in particular don't just allow easy answers. Everyone who wrongs someone else in this game has had something bad done to them, but it really doesn't matter. The things being done are just as harmful, and the game doesn't really forgive the actions or outright condemn them. It's a game about children that is definitely not for children. It's a shame that puritanical people even today use children as a human shield to keep people from experiencing challenging, adult content. Maybe if more people played games like RoR, they would better understand how bullying is like a mental disease that permeates a place and spreads from child to child.

It's an excellent story in the flawed gameplay. All of Clara's story was so well presented. I always interpreted the reason she became a mermaid in Jennifer's twisted memories was because at some point, Jennifer may have noticed Clara had "gills" (cuts and scars on her wrist). She became a boss because Jennifer was trying to come to terms with the fact that Clara may have decided to end it all (which is why we don't see her after The Mermaid Princess). I remember never being able to find this game in stores, no matter how hard I looked. I ended up having to emulate it, and janky combat aside, it's difficult to play just because the subjects touched on in game can be really triggering. Ultimately, I enjoyed the experience and found the story very compelling. I feel like while some of the criticism of the game came down to it being a game, I feel like a lot of the backlash came down to good old fashioned misogyny (with a splash of homophobia). The girls aren't presented as sex objects and look like real children. The game's central themes somewhat depend on the fact that the main characters are girls, and for some reason that upset a lot of people because the girls were cruel with no outside force pushing them to be. Sorry for the jumbled wall of text. I just have a lot of thoughts on the game. I loved it, but I don't know if I can recommend it to people. I keep hesitating to make a let's play for it, since that means subjecting myself to the horrible combat again.

I was bullied as a child. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I was bullied by my teacher and a classmate. I am haunted by the experience. It eats at me. I can't get over it. This story is a relief. Seeing trauma play out is an existential panacea.

Man, as a woman I will never forget how cruel young & teenage girls can be. The worst memories of my life are from girl bullying. It's awful, and I relate a lot to these characters.

I already knew all of this. I've seen like 4 different video essays of rule of rose, but the setting, the themes are the music are so good that it is worth it every time. Something I hadn't realized until now tho is how good rule of rose is at sheding a light on sexual violence. There's no shock, no disgusting fanservice, nothing that could be "enjoyed" about it even by the most disturbed individual, it's all implied, clearly and realistically, and it's horrifying to realize that the things implied to have happened in this game happen irl all the time.

I adore this game; it's so creepy and beautiful, and contributed to my horror tastes in many ways. I always excused the frustrating fighting controls as Jennifer being a inexperienced fighter who is frightened out of her wits in a confusing and intimidating world. I wish that it would get a remaster so more people can experience it. I surprisingly got it out of a bargain bin in a local store; mind blowing considering how rare a find it is. I treasure it.

this game broke me. I had wanted to play it ever since I became a fan of Survival Horror and learned of its existence, when I finally got to experience it, it broke me. It broke my expectations, it broke my patience, it broke my heart and it broke my perception of video games as an artistic medium. It is one of my games that I can say with certainty that are a jewel but that I would never recommend anyone to play, for obvious reasons XD. Excellent video!

Idk if I'm missing the ball here but my immediate thought about why it was so upsetting for people at face value is because the characters are women/girls. And anything horror-related featuring women/girls where they're not overtly sexualized (I love them but what my mind went to was Underworld and Suckerpunch and even those caught shit) or not made somehow victims (final girl shit), always catches a lot of criticism, most of the time baseless. I think it's definitely getting better and female protagonist in horror are becoming more and more widely accepted but it definitely wasn't that way in the early 2000s. Women being protrayed in 'unladylike' situations were always a point of contention. That was all probably emphasized by the ignorance to gaming back then, the ability to be manipulated by media (ie. The way most pop stars were portrayed vs the truth we know now), and the lack of female representation in the gaming community. I think it would be a hit immediately now, such a shame that the time didn't allow it to bloom

My only exposure to this game was listening to a lets play of it like 10 years ago, and the two guys playing didn't grasp the story at all. So it's amazing to hear what the story actually is, and wow it's so intriguing. Thank you for making this video

It's a shame this game pretty much flew under the radar because it's a very compelling and unique concept for a game. Really great analysis and overview of the game too. Really enjoy your work and look forward to seeing more 👍

Man i really wish claras story would of gotten fleshed out a bit more. The VA did an absolutely amazing job in the unused audio

I'm really sad that Rule of Rose is a victim of fake news. Hoping that one day a remake or remastered will come along. Thank you for this awesome video, I love rule of rose 🌹

Rule of Rose is still to this day the best horror game I've ever played. From the atmosphere, to the story and characters. It is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. I still own my PS2 and the game disc and occasionally go back and play it.

A friend and I were literally JUST talking about this game after we discovered that we both watched your videos. I still remember Rule of Rose after many years and even made fan art of the main character as a child, together with Fiona from Haunting Ground. I can't believe you would upload a video on this right as my friend and I returned to remember this game. Absolut queen. Love your content, hope you thrive

The saddest thing is Clara very well could have become pregnant which could be why she vomits. But also the vomiting could be stress, and a physical relationship to her abuse. The sad thing is that I'm sure that all the young girls were sexually abused, except our overweight girl who might have been treated badly and even as if she was disgusting, I remember being chubby in 5th grade and treated horribly. I'm also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse from 3 years of age til I told a teacher in my 3rd year of grade school. I was r*ped again in my late twenties in my own home. I can see how the mermaid is an attempt to show the fear and feelings of being exposed, she felt like if she left he would immediately move on to the one young girl with the leg bandage, because she'd begun puberty and was going to become a woman. You see in the few things she writes that she hated the idea of menstruation. It's odd if you ask me, but given how I reacted when my first period came which was a panic attack, and crying, so my Mom had to take me home.

Thank you so much for covering this game, especially the unused dialogue and story elements. As if the game wasn’t detailed enough, the unused voice lines and symbolism prove it wrong. There used to be an old RU-vid channel called RuleofRoseMysteries or something like that. They were pretty much the only channel that focused and appreciated the detail and enigma centering Rule of Rose. Around 2019/2020 I was blessed enough to find out about this piece of art. I was obsessed. I even managed to play the piano etude (took me so long omg). But most of all, i felt like the game was missing. Missing as in no one will ever play or value the game like it should be. In other words, it is perpetually ahead of its time. Anyways stupid long story short, I had my aspie special interest in this game to the point of buying a pink Japanese ps2 and a copy of the game and yes, I played tf out of that game and got all the outfits and weapons and endings. What made the game stay with me was the characters. Jennifer especially. Rarely do I ever see female protagonists in videogames that aren’t badass and sexualized or just a guy’s dream dommy gf. Rarely do I see myself in characters, let alone main characters. Jennifer was all that. Her demeanor, her weakness and vulnerability, her lack of confidence, her relationship with Brown, her design, I could go on. It was all I could ask for. I sincerely believe this creation with the amazing story and captivating storytelling, along with the graphics, to be one of the best, if not 𝘵𝘩𝘦 best game, period. Except for read dead 2, okay maybe on par with red dead 2, they’re different okay… But thank you again for covering this masterpiece. So happy for more people appreciating this work ❤

When I was in school I had a large friend group and I thought we were very close. At the very end of my time there, when I was 16, I was tipped off by one of them that they had been making fun of me behind my back for years. This friend invited me to a secret facebook group that was very active and contained dozens of people from my school, including every single person in that friend group, who had dedicated themselves for the past 4 years to making fun of me, threatening me, posting pictures of my house and sharing my address, my phone number, the names of people in my family and, extra worryingly - pictures from inside my house when those friends had come over. It was immensely traumatic, and it was terrifying. There was police involvement, it was that severe. Children can be cruel in ways many people seem to like to gloss over in favour of the traditional view of childhood as a time of purity and innocence.

Chulip was most certainly dark and psychological. I will not elaborate further, but I cannot stress enough what an experience it is if you go in blind.

I've never been able to play myself, but I always tear up or feel a twinge of real fear whenever I watch a let's play. I was bullied savagely as a kid, and so I don't think I should ever personally play. But as an artist, the storytelling is immaculate and for that reason, I can never look away, I always learn so much each time I watch it. I love your videos, your voice is so soothing and you always have something interesting to say!

Saddened that I didn't come across your content on my own, but beyond happy to be here. The story behind Rule of Rose has always been a great example of the schism between the reality 'moral actors' warn against, and actual reality. Thank you not just for telling that story, but also for how you told it.

Super Eyepatch Wolf sent me right here to enjoy your video essay on my favourite car crash of a videogame. Nice to meet you!

What about Martha? She's also an adult in this game but almost everybody forgot about her 😅 It still bug me till this day that she just leave an orphanage like Hoffman or died or something. If I remember it right, she the one who write a letter to police officer about Gregory's suspicious behavior and when Wendy doing her 'training' with him but an officer's answer is like nah you're thinking too much, it's nothing

I played Rule of Rose twice some years ago and I'm hard pressed to think of a game I've played with a more compellingly expressed story. Jennifer acting as an unreliable narrator to explore the themes of childhood trauma and bullying was downright artful in execution, and it's a damn shame that this game of all games had to be unfairly maligned because God forbid a video game actually be good at telling an affecting story for once. As for the combat, generally the right idea's expressed here - range and positioning matter far more than sheer damage dealing. The hitboxes are atrocious and Jennifer does lack mobility, so any weapon that swings wide and minimizes the chance of interacting with the shoddy hitboxes and animations is your friend. Thankfully, the NG+ master weapons let you have range and power but until then, weapons like the steel pipe and shovel were the least awful.

I remember buying Rule of Rose for $20 when I was a teen. It looked so strange but interesting. I still have that game and it works perfectly and I know it’s very valuable, but I’m never selling it. It’s such a gorgeous game. I will say, the combat becomes SO much easier if you’re willing to find the extra stuff and get the knights rapier for a NG+

This was one of, if not the most, masterfully crafted reviews of a work that I've ever watched. The eloquence in denoting the work by acknowledging its merits and faults, whilst providing a deep eye into the history of its own obscurity and public image... *chef's kiss* Thank you for this review, Tango. I am always searching for media with substance to take in, and I'm glad to have stumbled upon your perspective. Keep doing what you love, for as long as you can tell the tale 🎉

Rule of Rose is one of those games I fear will be forgotten over time. If not for the efforts of the community of players that still remember it. I still have my copy and I don't think I'll ever let it go. Any dream of a re-release is essentially impossible at this point, but the memories remain (rough edges and all.) Also, that fish...I'll never forget that fish even if I don't really know what it means.

Thank you for doing this game such justice. I played this (ironically) as a child and it was an incredibly formative experience on how I perceived video games and story telling. "Love Suicide" is still, to this day, one of my favorite songs of all time.

I had at least two psychological bullies (a boy and a girl) but their behavior wasn't as severe. I managed to confront the girl, calling her dumb because of how low her grades were, hurting her deeply. I pathetically felt guilty doing it and tried to apologize, leading her to just ignore me. But now... Oh ! It feels so good to know how I managed to confront her. As for the boy...I managed to make him angry when I kicked him once, and ever since then, the adults kept him away from me. He could only tell empty threats since then. In general...I'm satisfied with the way things ended. I got to at least bite them back and keep the situation from getting worse.

Oh my god, the unused voice lines at 32:37 I'm so used to VA being kind of bad in videogames, even (especially?) in serious horror games. But the way the actress transformed those simple lines with an understated stutter, wow. I had to hold back tears. It was so real.

It’s so cool and refreshing to hear a fellow Irish person talk about the niche PS2-era horror that I’m so interested in. The standard of your writing and work in general is so good! Subscribed! 💖

I'd never heard of this game before your video so thank you for introducing it to me! It really sucks that fake controversy can really make a game dead in the water for little to no reason and the story behind this one truly broke my heart. Amazing video

I think the themes of childhood cruelty really made it a lightning rod, even though it isn't overly gratuitous compared to other horror games of the time. At the same time as this was happening, Bully almost got banned in the UK.

Just wanted to say that I got this video in my recommended, and so, so quickly fell in love with your writing and presentation. In the past 24 hours I've binged all your videos and you've absolutely jumped up to one of my favorite, if not my favorite, channels. You have such a clear passion and respect for every subject that you cover, and your analyses are so nuanced, layered, and well thought out. I'm not usually one to comment but I just had to let you know how much I love your work! As a fellow horror girly I can't wait to see what you make in the future

I will never forget Rule of Rose. Not because I've played it, I haven't. But because I had a copy of a gaming magazine that had a prominent article on Rule of Rose. I don't remember what magazine it was, but I remember rereading that thing for several years.

I heard and agree with the theory that Clara got pregnant and possibly died from a forced abortion. The Mermaid vomiting from what could be morning sickness is something Jennifer probably would have actually seen. I also think the Mermaid has a scar on her belly but idk.

Si a algún hispanohablante le ha picado la curiosidad tras el vídeo, pero no quiere jugar el juego, el canal de LyraGamer tiene una serie (ya antigua) del juego al completo con sus finales, doblando las voces de los personajes! Thank you so much Tangomushi for this review of the game, a fantastic all-angles context. Really great work 💜

God, just your plot narration hit me like a truck. Brown's fate and then Clara's story (as well as all the speculation in these comments)... I can honestly say that no other game has ever made me this emotional. And I haven't even played it! Wonderful video, will definitely be checking out more of your uploads!

this game deserved such a thoughtful analysis. you really rose to the occasion, this ruled

Honestly one of my favorite games from my childhood. I sold it years ago when I tried to get money for a toxic individual in my life at the time. I regret it every day, especially now how the value of this game is in the bloody thousands.

Glad that SuperEyePatchWolf pointed you out. This platform need more documentaries on old school horror classics

You said it in the best way possible, a Flawed masterpiece. This game story telling wise is the closest to Silent Hill’s style of story telling you will ever get, It’s masterful as a Psychological horror tale and it is also unique in it’s own right presenting horror and villainy through children where most other games didn’t but it is dragged down by it’s own combat to the point where i found it unenjoyable as a game. It is a shame that the game had fallen victim to hollow moral panic that it limited it’s own chances of success… couple that with the bad gameplay and thats how it became the rare game it is today. Excellent work!

growing up as a neurodivergent queer girl made me a very easy target as a kid, even in kindergarten its like the other girls just Knew there was smth different about me, and could pinpoint exactly how to hurt me the most. this game just hit sooo hard 😭

37:39 I mean Dianna lifts her skirt a bit too high on purposes, it’s a deliberate decision for her character since she is being sexually abused by an older man, she too young to understand she shouldn’t be doing that. It’s very much like how early 2000s kids with the internet, how online when we were younger was the perfect place for older men to sexually mentally groom girls. The girls were groomed and sexualized. Where Clare felt bad about her body and wanted to hide it, Dianna did the opposite. She wanted her body to feel pretty and so showed it off in hopes to get attention and love to it. In a very Unhealthy manner.

I saw a lets play for Rule of Rose around 8 years ago. At the time I just thought it was a cool horror title, but I had no idea there was all of this controversy surrounding its release, I really appreciated you talking about it and shedding light on what happened. Watching this made me want to go back and rewatch that lets play, I feel like I would get even more out of the narrative this time, great video!

This game`s story is what I wish I`d written at some point. It is so poignant,disturbing,lovely,innocent and relentless. The OSTs are something I listen to often. The cutscenes are haunting,yet beautifully directed. It is such a shame gameplay is so sketchy and punishing,coupled with the controversies. Had it come out today,it would`ve surely been even more popular. Of course,given the gameplay got some polish. I TRULY wish they`d update this one and `remake` it because it deserves the best treatment.

i really love this game and i think its vibes are so perfect, but i was so sad that they tried to make combat work in it UGH. this game would have been so much better as a run n hide kinda game for SURE

You're welcome and thanks for the video ! I also recommend looking at the game's wiki, especially its recent upates and re-organization.

A wonderful breakdown on an impactful game. I agree that it probably would be better off as a walking sim than having clunky combat too. Quite happy I checked out your channel after Super EyePatch Wolf mentioned it, all the videos I've checked out have been great. Looking forward to seeing what you cover next.

I love this game because it's not just a game, the story, the music, the atmosphere, it's a unique experience. Forever gem

The controversy surrounding Rule of Rose was wild. It was like the politicians in the Europe had nothing better to do with their jobs during that time.

i love when people talk about this game and explain the story and how misunderstood it was, thank you for taking the time to study this game and talk about it

I wish you'd said a little more about that one first-person cutscene from Brown's perspective. To me, that's one of the darker scenes in the game. Also, I feel Diana's curtsy is intended to be suggestive by how high she does it and her expression. That fits with her personality.

I caught that subtle dissociation at 29:04 concerning Eleanor; calling her a character instead of a girl. Nice.

I'm so happy you did this video. It's such a hidden gem and one of the only games that's been so absolutely bleak and horrifying that it's stuck with me all these years. Oh, Brown 😭

This is my first video from this channel and I have to say, the quality of this video was astounding. I had never heard of this game previously, but you gave both a great amount of detail (without padding the video) and your excitement over the soundtrack convinced me to play it for myself. Excited to watch your other vids!

I'd do anything for a remake of this game. It's honestly such a cult classic and has a place in the hearts of so many people

I discovered this game from a family friend when I was in middle school. My dad was lucky enough to find it second hand for $60 with no box (guess it was already rare by then). I absolutely love this story. The music is so good. This is one of those games where the aesthetics, the music, the visuals, the story is just immaculate. I appreciated the soft sapphic themes as it adds another layer of storytelling. I loved the dog mechanic as it was different, the fighting was the biggest issue. It’s such a shame as that’s what turns most people away. It was so frustrating to deal with, but after awhile you get the hang of the shitty controls. But if you can get your hands on this game and love psychological horror and dark aesthetics please please give it a chance. The themes in this game are so hauntingly entrancing. Anytime I see anyone talk about this game I get so excited because it’s such a hidden gem. I still have my disc out on display as I hold this game near and dear to my heart. It’s honestly such a disturbingly beautiful game. Also the movie El Orfanato (the orphanage) is said to be loosely based off of this game. I also recommend giving it a watch.