Editorials
‘Rule of Rose’ Remains One of This Century’s Most Misunderstood Horror Games
To speak of Rule of Rose in the gaming community almost always sees the word ‘controversy’ belched up alongside it. The psychological horror title has turned 15, and to this day, it’s still deeply scarred by its infamy.
Developer Punchline had wanted to create a survival horror game quite distinct from the two heavyweights of the day, Silent Hill and Resident Evil, and this led to it exploring something that ultimately ended up with its descent into infamy.
The story centers on Jennifer, a 19-year-old with a deeply traumatic past. In 1930’s England she finds herself on a dilapidated airship, and at the mercy of a group of sadistic young girls who call themselves the Red Crayon Aristocrats. Forced to find offerings for them every month, Jennifer and her canine companion, Brown, struggle to survive the cruel regime of the young girls as she discovers more about her own tragic past.
Things take an even more sinister turn as Jennifer ends up being chosen as the next offering, and the secrets of the Red Crayon Aristocrats are unearthed. Unsurprisingly, there’s no Hollywood ending here. It’s a psychologically punishing tale of trauma, abuse, and lack of consequence, rather than something merely cooked up for sheer shock value.
The game’s depiction of a group of children without guilt or sin is troubling in itself. Throwing in the idea of just how terrifying that would be if they held power over adults was, and still is, a bold choice for a horror game. Even if the critical reception wasn’t especially warm towards Rule of Rose at the time, it did get numerous plaudits for daring to tackle such sensitive subject matters.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing quite as predictable as sections of the media, ignorant of a medium’s progress, latching onto something, misunderstanding it, and stirring up a controversy that isn’t really there.
The story caused concern at Sony, who had asked for the PlayStation 2-bound title to be toned down, which Punchline refused. The game was mentioned in an article about morality and violence in video games, and through British press, that information eventually got spun into Rule of Rose supposedly featuring children being buried alive, involved in sadomasochism, and rape. It would, of course, be completely understandable to question such content, but the truth was, the game featured no such content, and had already passed certification before the moral outrage began.
That didn’t stop a media bandwagon from calling for the game’s removal, and for tighter ratings systems for video games in general. Unsurprisingly, the calls for banning the game almost exclusively came from people who had never so much as looked into it themselves, let alone picked up a controller to play it. The wave of bad publicity had overruled reason and truth because, not for the first time, a lack of understanding caused needless controversy.
As a result, Rule of Rose was prevented from selling in certain European countries, despite the ban being built on nothing more than lies. Thus, Rule of Rose’s cursed legend grew as a video game nasty instead of the flawed, but insightful, psychological horror it was.
Pearl-clutching politicians and hand-wringing news media arguably put Rule of Rose on a pedestal far higher than it would ever have got if it was just another horror game, and for all its cult value, it wasn’t the best game in the world; but it certainly deserved better than being a scapegoat. It tackled certain aspects of morality with fair success considering many games today still struggle with presenting complex morality. It was also a refreshing change of pace from what else was on offer at the time, and the soundtrack is highly under-appreciated for its role in conveying the game’s uncomfortable menace. It’s an unpolished gem with something different to say.
Like some of the horror comics and films that caused largely unreasonable outrage in years gone by, Rule of Rose isn’t an irredeemable nasty piece of work, nor is it necessarily a classic of the genre. But it is important for more than just its controversies.
If there’s one artistic medium that can perfectly recreate the despair of living through a vivid nightmare, it has to be video games. A simulated world can be just as believable as the developers want it to be, and once you add in the added complexity of actually exploring and participating in spaces and events instead of just observing them as you would in a film, it starts to become clear why so many horror titles add mind-bending meta elements that make you fear the act of playing itself.
For instance, years ago, I remember scoffing at Silent Hill: Shattered Memories due to its initial disclaimer promising that “this game plays you as much as you play it,” only to later go through unexpected heartbreak once the developers used the game’s personalization mechanics to make the ending even more impactful. This is just one example of interactive experiences reaching through the screen in order to affect gamers, and in honor of eerie fourth-wall breaks and haunted game folders everywhere, today I’d like to recommend six other meta horror games liable to melt your brain (but in a good way).
For the purposes of this list, I’ll be defining “meta” as any game that incorporates/addresses the fact that you’re playing a game into the overall narrative. That being said, this is far from a definitive guide to the meta horror genre, so don’t forget to comment below with your own favorites if you think I missed a particularly spooky one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Bubbaruka!
I was fascinated by virtual pets as a kid. Pokémon Yellow was always my favorite entry in the franchise because you could look behind you and check in on Pikachu, and you’d never find me on the playground without my trusty blue Tamagotchi. That’s why it felt like Benjamin Schade’s Bubbaruka! was made for me, personally.
A survival horror throwback where you explore an unfinished version of a nostalgic virtual pet game that a friend of yours found hidden inside a used laptop, this surprisingly lengthy title will soon have you questioning the limits of virtual life and death. Just remember not to lower your guard just because of the game’s cutesy retro graphics, as Bubbaruka! has a lot more up its lo-fi sleeves than you may initially realize.
5. Inscryption
Roguelike deck-building may no longer be the novel game mechanic that it once was, but when it works, it really works. If there’s one of these randomized titles that still hasn’t been beaten despite years of competitors attempting to one-up its card-based thrills, it’s Daniel Mullins’ infamous Inscryption.
What starts as a supernatural haunted cabin story soon with folk horror aesthetics soon evolves into a mind-bending exploration of the terrors of programming itself, though I won’t get into details as this is one genre narrative that is best experienced firsthand.
While the latter half of the game isn’t quite as mechanically engaging as that memorable first act, Daniel has since updated the title with an infinite tabletop mode so you can continue battling Leshy to your masochistic heart’s content.
4. SIMULACRA
Despite smartphones being such a crucial part of modern-day life, there isn’t a lot of media that explores this virtual aspect of our online selves in any meaningful capacity. That’s why I was originally compelled to try out Kaigan Games OÜ’s SIMULACRA – a mystery game where you find a lost phone and attempt to unravel the secrets of a missing young woman named Anna.
From fully functional apps to authentic-looking Found Footage videos detailing Anna’s life and social group, SIMULACRA will leave you feeling like a reluctant detective that can’t help but get involved in a missing persons case that only gets stranger the more you learn about it.
If you like this one, don’t forget to check out the mechanically superior sequels.
3. A Dark Place
XerStudios’ A Dark Place may be controversial due to its malware-like approach to messing with your computer systems as you play, but I’d argue that this experimental form of interactive art makes the game that much more fascinating – especially since the story behind the title is interesting enough for it to be worth dealing with what some fans jokingly consider to be legitimately cursed game files.
While this 2018 title is best experienced blind, I’m a big fan of how the game uses extremely simple mechanics to tell a complex story that lingers long after you’ve (hopefully) managed to uninstall the curse.
2. MyHouse.wad
Adding MyHouse.wad to this list is kind of a cheat since it’s technically a Doom II mod instead of a standalone release, but there’s no way that we could discuss fourth-wall-breaking meta horror experiences without bringing up the videogame equivalent to Mark Z. Danielewski’s iconic House of Leaves.
I won’t get into details in order to avoid spoilers, but Steve Nelson’s bizarre creation starts out as an architectural tribute to a deceased friend before quickly evolving into a freaky example of liminal horror and the limits of virtual obsession.
If you’ve ever felt like living through a Creepypasta, this is the game/mod for you!
1. Forbidden Solitaire
The most recent release on this list, Grey Alien games and Night Signal Entertainment’s Forbidden Solitaire, may not be a technically complex title, but it’s certainly one of the most entertaining interactive horror romps of the past few years.
This tongue-in-cheek project presents itself as an eerily authentic piece of screenlife horror where you try out a mysterious card game from the ’90s while your sister attempts to warn you about the title’s allegedly “cursed” history. While poking through the protagonist’s desktop screen and receiving fascinating FMV footage from Emily is entertaining enough, using the power of Solitaire to destroy demonic entities is terrifyingly addictive.
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