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Rule of Rose is an interesting journey into 1930's and a “very unlucky girl” named Jennifer. After her parents die in a tragic airship accident Jennifer is taken to the Rose Garden Orphanage where she meets the “Aristocracy of the Red Crayon.” The cruel and demented children forming the Aristocracy demand gifts from our poor heroine which she must deliver… or pay the ultimate price for her disobedience. One of her only friends on this voyage is Brown, a dog she rescues from the Aristocracy, who turns out to be more beneficial than she realizes. Click "Read More" for the full review!

Graphics 9/10
The cut scenes in Rule of Rose are phenomenal… the body motions are natural, skin and lighting all look excellent. I would argue that most people were drawn into the game due to the cinematics they've seen online, and they won't be disappointed. The graphics during gameplay have the kind quality you'd expect to see on the PS2 at this point; they're good, the textures in the walls are non-repeating and pretty high resolution. Where Rule of Rose really shines however, is in it's creep-tastic cinemas that leave you wondering exactly how poor Jennifer sits while these other girls abuse her over and over again. From having a rat rubbed into her face, to seeing a demented schoolmaster in bondage ropes coming at you with a cane to lash you, this game doesn't fail to deliver on graphics. Let's be honest… everyone who checked out this game didn't care too much for the story. They saw the preview footage that was released at E3 2006 and said “That game looks crazy!” I personally was concerned that Atlus had delivered a lot of the more creepy visuals in that preview footage… I was wrong, terribly, terribly wrong.

Sound 8/10
There aren't a ton of ambient sounds throughout Rule of Rose. The biggest thing that makes the sound effects great in this game is their poignant use. There will be a very pleasant cinema progressing and you'll sit the controller down, relaxing enjoying the spectacle when *SMASH* the cinema flips to another area for a brief minute and you're scared to death. When Jennifer opens a door, depending on your level of anticipation, one of the Aristocrats slamming it in your face and Jennifer's scream can really get under your skin. Of course Brown is probably the most frequent sound effect you'll hear throughout the game; his barks can help you determine the direction he's run off through the support of surround sound. That's another area where this game really shines is the environmental audio. Even though the sound effects are pretty sparse, when they do happen locating it with your hearing can be crucial to determining if an enemy is on their way to choke the life out of you.

Music 8/10
I have to admit that I was looking forward to hearing the score of the game. The work of Yutaka Minobe's other games such as Skies of Arcadia, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and Space Channel 5 obviously speaks to his talent as a writer/composer. With such a wide array of games and styles under his belt, Minobe's talent is well known in the game industry. With that said, the musical score in Rule of Rose follows suit with his other games, it's top notch. The only unfortunate side is that there are so few musical tracks to accompany a game where you spend a lot of time idling running around for clues. The first two hours or so (until you get into the more action-oriented section of the game) have the same violin music which can really drain on you after a while. The haunting melodies are excellent though once they begin varying with the more off-beat piano/violin ensemble during the fight sequences.

Controls 6/10
Probably the only negative thing I have to say about Rule of Rose is that I wish more time had been spent refining the control scheme... At this point in the development cycle of the PS2 there are certain things you come to expect and flawless controls are one of them. This is one of the very few areas where Rule of Rose falls short of expectations. Combat is not the main focus of the game by any means but getting Horrible Imps and other creatures off of you can be near impossible when they are grouped together. One would think that if you move the left analogue stick “as quickly as possible” as the directions tell you to do, that you would shake the enemies off with a great deal of expediency; however this is not the case. You have to rock the left analogue stick very rhythmically to get Jennifer to shake off any baddies that get her in their clutches. The other thing that drove me completely insane (other than Jennifer's weak attack style) was the camera angles never seemed to be exactly the way I wanted them. You can click R2 and the camera will attempt to center behind Jennifer… but this doesn't always work and frequently leaves you walking right into the not-so-loving embrace of your enemies.

Luckily one of the control features that does work above my expectations was Brown, your canine companion throughout the game. He is simple to control but reacts well. While he may get lost while trying to find something he'll resume the hunt quickly and automatically when you venture to another area to get around things like enemies or locked doors. You could spend forever in the game just finding all the hidden items that Brown will lead you to… and his keen nose fortunately makes up for the somewhat low-res map(s) that Jennifer picks up along her travels at the orphanage and in the airship.

Challenge 8/10
Rule of Rose is not for the timid or weak, this can be a very difficult game. If you're into puzzle solvers then this game is for you. The only problem is that you're never sure what to keep in your inventory and what to discard. When I first saw the inventory slots I thought “Wow, they let you keep a lot in there” but what you don't realize is that you'll need most of it to get through a certain system of puzzles. Strangely enough you also don't drop items after their usefulness has ended thus filling your inventory with items you really don't need. Of course the hard part about Rule of Rose is the sheer number of enemies you'll have to run through the game. Fighting is obviously not the preferred option with the timid Jennifer sticking out her weapons like she's poking a dead animal with a stick... Needless to say running through hordes of Imps all eager to go for a piggy-back ride on Jennifer is no small feet. Let me assure you that if you have one of them jump on you, you'll most likely get 2 or more on you soon afterwards. Learning to shake them off like a British nanny shakes a baby is necessary if you want to stay alive. Luckily your canine companion isn't totally useless during your fights … he frequently will distract enemies or frighten them with a bark allowing you safe passage through groups of your foes.

Replay Value 8/10
With a few unlockables in Rule of Rose you'll play through the game at least 3-4 times to get all the endings and spend all the time in the game environment that you'd like to before you dare put something else into your PS2. The multiple endings are nice and really do give you the sense you're living this “story” as it's narrated out through onscreen text. Unfortunately certain elements of the game really slow down “speed runs;” namely the SLOOOOW speed at which Jennifer opens and proceeds through doors. I understand they do this to minimize the perceived load time but it ends up being somewhat frustrating. Fortunately there are all sorts of things to keep you coming back: The “find” feature is probably the biggest asset the game has as far as replay value. As I mentioned earlier you can spend tons of time just searching for items related to other items... this task is fun and can keep you going for hours.

Overall Fun 8/10
If you were lucky enough to preorder this title you would get the extra treat of the official soundtrack accompanying the game which not only contains the official soundtrack of the game but also some wallpapers and the E3 promotional video (which luckily you can download online now). Rule of Rose is a fantastic trip into the bizarre world of cruel children and what could happen if they're left to their own devices. Unfortunately some bad controls and clunky camera angles keep this from being perfect. Overall however it's an enjoyable game that's challenging with multiple endings that can keep you coming back again and again to see our 'Unlucky Girl' Jennifer abused again and again for the pleasure of the Aristocrats of the Red Crayon. If you're into the action-horror style games Atlus has brought us a gem from overseas that you shouldn't pass up. In the same vein as Clocktower and Silent Hill; Rule of Rose is a creepy journey fueled by visceral cinema's and filled with the uneasiness that every turn could be into a creature wanting to bring this nightmare world to an end for Jennifer. It's a great addition to the collection of any survivor horror fan that's had enough of slaughtering zombies in Dead Rising and wants a more intelligent game experience that is still flush with challenge. Even at a good clip the game experience is going to take you in the neighborhood of 8-10 hours so expect your first play through of the game (and you will play through multiple times) to be in the 20 hour region. Unfortunately because of the distance between save points it's not a very good “pick up and play” game… you really should take some time out of your evening to devote to Rule of Rose. Turn down the lights, turn up the surround sound, and immerse yourself in the dark fantasy world and be prepared for some of the most bizarre cinemas and unique enemies you've ever seen on the PS2.