Rule of Rose Critic Reviews

Action junkies looking for the next Resident Evil might find the pace a little slow, and the core gameplay doesn't do anything wildly different, but this is still a wonderful psychological thriller that will draw you in with its bizarrely compelling narrative, atmospheric presentation and thoughtful story-based gameplay.

It would be easy to rag on the spotty combat controls, but RoR isn't about kicking ass - as I've maintained throughout, everything is secondary to the story. If you're in the right frame of mind for something completely dark and decidedly different, you'll find it blossoming in the macabre bouquet of Rule of Rose.

The subject matter is the heart, the story the blood, and the music the emotion driving it all to a surprise ending that even now, is open for debate.

This is one of the few titles that I’ve ever felt really bridged a gap between cinema and games. There are just so many things about it that make you feel like you’re watching a psychological thriller as opposed to just running around in a virtual environment solving puzzles.

Distractingly frustrating to play, but the mystery will lure you to the end.

I think everyone should experience this game, especially horror fans, but in order to do so, you're going to have to suffer through times of sheer agony--just like poor, unlucky Jennifer.

Once seen to completion, Rule of Rose is unquestionably memorable, but as a game it comes well short of current expectations.

Basically, the game is offbeat, which fits considering that these are the same people that developed Chulip, a game about kissing people, but unfortunately it didn't do anything to put a scare into me.

Looking at the game as a whole, the music and atmosphere are easily the best parts of Rule of Rose, while the controls are the weakest element by far.

If the story doesn't grab you, then you can probably pass on Rule of Rose. Its other elements aren't nearly as satisfying.

Despite the unabashed creep-out factor, there is an interesting story to be found. It's a fairy tale as scene through a looking glass mirror. My biggest gripe is that it just isn't very fun to play.

Your typical survival horror, with sub-par gameplay but excellent style. Underneath, you’ll find a twisted story that takes some time to digest, one that doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending.

But if what you’re after is a good twisted mystery and a game that will creep you out, in deeper ways and beyond “boo, I jumped out of the closet”, then you should consider checking-out RoR.

With sub-par control, a story that could be great but gets lost in a sea of loose ends, and very uninspired, tedious, and infrequent combat, Rule of Rose falls well shy of the intended mark.

It's not exactly scary going on fetch quests for some snooty, snooty wee girls, nor fending off eyeless monkeys with a kitchen knife.

Some genuinely disconcerting moments, but not half as scary as you might imagine.

A decent addition to the survival-horror/psycho-horror genre and at its best, is an intense thrill-ride experience. However, to get to these moments, you have to endure a flawed presentation and design elements.

Rule of Rose wants to be the next Silent Hill, but for now it's only achieving Relatively Quiet Hill status.

Difficult to control, slow, and(as the game goes on)more and more arbitrarily forced fights suck fun directly from the player.

If you’re desperate for a story driven horror game then this might be up your ally but otherwise wait for the barrage of new titles hitting this fall.