Rule of Rose

If you know anything about survival horror, mid 2000s games, or collectibles, you have most likely heard of Rule of Rose. While this game received mixed reviews at launch, it is still remembered today, nearly 13 years later. Not for the gameplay, granted, but for the controversy surrounding the story. It is also well known for its lofty price tag. A used copy will set you back somewhere between $150 to $600. Before we get into specifics about this mess, though, let's talk about the basics.

Basics

Rule of Rose is a mature rated survival horror and adventure game made exclusively for the PlayStation 2. It was published by Sony in Japan and in the US and Europe it was published by Atlus and 505 Games. It was developed by Punchline. The Rule of Rose website notes that Punchline was made of former Love-de-Lic developers. LdL disbanded in 2000 and many of the devs went to small/indie game companies such as skip Ltd, Vanpool, and of course, Punchline. Additional graphics were created by animation powerhouse Shirogumi. The game was released in Japan on 01/19/2006, in the US on 09/12/2006, and in Europe on 11/24/2006. While approved by PEGI (Europe's ESRB), Rule of Rose still got canceled in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. More (lots more) on that later. For now, let's delve into the development of this game.

Development

Unlike previous blog posts, I am not going to mention all the developers with impressive resumes, because most of the devs for Rule of Rose have had prolific careers. This is also a bigger, more modern team than I have covered in the past. Instead, I'll mention games that some of the team members have worked on: Atelier series, Monster Hunter, Valkyrie Profile 2, The Evil Within, Shenmue I & II, Dino Crisis 3, El Shaddai, Fatal Frame series, NieR, Devil May Cry 5, MGS V, Persona 5, Dead or Alive series, Star Ocean 6, Bayonetta 2, Yakuza series, Resident Evil 6, Sonic series (3D games), Skies of Arcadia, and No More Heroes, just to name a few. As mentioned previously, the talented graphics development team, Shirogumi, created the cutscenes for Rule of Rose. This team has worked on 69 (heh heh) games as of this writing, most of which are very recognizable: multiple games for MGS, Dark Souls, and Yakuza series'. If you are interested in their entire list, check down below in the sources. Previews

It only makes sense to start with the largest preview of them all: the official website (made by Atlus). Lucky for us, it is still up as of this time. The site is divided up into different sections, of course. They are in this order: News, World, Story, Character, System, Staff, Movie, Download. Let's briefly go over these.

The News page is a list of updates. Interestingly, these aren't updates on the game and its development. Instead, they are a list of reviews put out by publications. Sadly, most of the links no longer work.

To explain the world the game is set in, there is"the world" tab. In case you are interested, here is how it is described: "Set in 1930s England, the game tells the story of Jennifer, a girl who wanders into a world ruled by misguided children. Again and again, she is subjected to cruel treatment by her innocent-looking captors. How did she end up in this fairytale-like world with no adults to maintain order? It's up to you to unravel the mystery. This is an adventure game in which the truth must be revealed by solving puzzles and connecting the clues. "

Next is the story page. The breakdown is as such: set in the 30s, it follows the story of Jennifer. One night she is handed a storybook by a small boy. After following him into the woods, she arrives in a world ruled by young girls. This group calls themselves the Red Crayon Aristocrats and they demand a gift every month. Jennifer pretends to abide the Rule of Rose, a class system, while simultaneously trying to escape. As for the character page, it outlines seven main characters. I'm not going to delve much deeper than that. The system tab takes you to a page that explains the gameplay mechanics: Combat, using items and clues, find (using your dog to find things), solving [puzzles], and tips. The staff page details the development team, some of which I mentioned previously. It details that a good chunk of people on the dev team were from Love-de-Lic, a developer that went under in 2000. It also mentions Shirogumi and their contributions. On this page, there is also a "special interview" with the devs. Lastly, the movie page leads to a promo video and the download tab takes you to a wallpaper page. Now, let's go over that interview they included on the site. It is from the February 2006 issue of Hyper Playstation 2 magazine (a Japanese publication). The article can only be read on the Rule of Rose website as it doesn't redirect to anywhere. In the interview, Shuji Ishikawa (from Punchline) said that they wanted to make a horror game that was different and would have an impact on people (oh, it did). He said they wanted to use children in order to provoke this emotional response. Of this, Makoto Hanafusa (from Shirogumi) says "an innocent child doing cruel things -- what a scary picture that paints." Due to the often scary nature of fairy tales, which they took inspiration from, they sought to create their own even scarier, darker version.

On the subject of the cast being little girls, Ishikawa says it is taken from the point of view of a boy: "During childhood, boys see girls as sweet and admirable, but they are in fact mysterious and misunderstood, aren't they?"

The rest of what is discussed is about the gameplay and storyline itself. While interesting, it is too much to cover here.

Now onto third party publications and their previews. I'm putting these in order and starting with Gamesindustry's May 2006 preview. The preview states that the game was to be released in the fall of that year and that an M rating was expected. It then goes over the story and ends by analyzing the key features of the game. The developer touts the 50 minutes of CG cutscenes and Yutaka Minobe's musical scoring, with credits given to his work on Panzer Dragoon Saga and Skies of Arcadia.

IGN also previewed Rule of Rose in May 2006. By the way, these May previews probably had a little something to do with E3. IGN notes the graphics right out the gate, saying that "one of the prettiest trailers running on the E3 show floor was for an often overlooked game called Rule of Rose." They interviewed Yuya Takayama and "Shuju" Ishikawa (this is a typo as his name is Shuji) for the details given in the article.

IGN states that the trailer on the E3 floor was mostly CGI and that the game will have, as mentioned earlier, over 50 minutes of cutscenes, which was an important selling point at the time. They further note that they had gotten hands on time with the game. They found the in game graphics to be underwhelming after watching the trailer but they "aren't poor by PS2 standards." Of the gameplay they mention it "...is similar to other suvival horror games where you are required to find the right objects to solve puzzles." (P1)

Of the music, they also mention Yutaka Minobe, listing Panzer Dragoon Saga and Skies of Arcadia again as examples of his work. Reporters were clearly given a packet as the 50 minutes of CG and Minobe's work are mentioned the same way every time. As for the music, it was to be 100% non-electrical. Of the art direction, like the music, Lost Children was a huge influence.

GameSpot also had some E3 coverage for Rule of Rose, although a much shorter article than the one by IGN. They mention the game was released earlier in the year for Japan. Like other publications, they also note the 50 minutes of scenes and Yutaka Minobe's work. Additionally, they mention that there will be multiple endings and that the game would release by the end of the year. In September of 2006, IGN previews Rule of Rose twice. First is an interview. They note that Rule of Rose may be criticized for the lack of innovation they bring to the "dying" genre of survival horror. That having been said, they say the storyline is interesting and different from other horror games. For the interview, they once again sit down with Shuji Ishikawa and Yuya Takayama.

IGN asks how they are differentiating themselves from Silent Hill and Resident Evil. They respond that they wanted to create a psychological horror game rather than a visual horror game and that they wanted the game to feel realistic and relatable.

Of the first bit of controversy, they ask about the animal cruelty in the game. IGN asks how they can ensure it isn't just there for shock value. Ishikawa and Takayama state that it serves a purpose for the story and all ties back to Jennifer's traumatic childhood, as most of the game is set in her mind.

Lastly, on the idea of what gamers should get out of the game: "we want you to feel like you've read a very good mystery novel" and "we also want players to be able to project themselves onto Jennifer..."

Now for the second September preview from IGN. They once again note the lack of clear innovation. They elaborate that the gameplay feels familiar if you have ever played a survival horror game before. They warn the reader: "That might seems[sic] a rather negative way to start a preview, but if you plan on approaching Rule of Rose for your next survival horror fix, it's worth noting these things from the off." It isn't all negativity though: "...with that out of the way, we can discuss the things the game gets very, very right." Mainly they are speaking of the story and atmosphere. At the end of the preview they note that there is a chance that things could get repetitive quickly, but that it is "...impossible to deny...that Rule of Rose is beautiful, fascinating, disturbing, and engrossing."

Next we have a preview, also from September 2006, from GameSpot. This preview touches on what will become the game's controversies: "The game also displays unflinching cruelty toward its female protagonist, and while it's never particularly explicit, the undertones of malice and eroticism are sure to earn the game mature age ratings upon release." Again, they note that "the game contains elements that are not usually seen in western games, such as the erotic lesbian undertones..." They note that these serve a purpose to the storyline. Put a pin in that, because it will become important later.

They also mention that Sony opted to not publish Rule of Rose in the US and Europe, leaving it to 505 Games and Atlus respectively. Once again, they cite The City of Lost Children as their inspiration.

Last but not least, a preview from Hardcore Gaming Magazine (Vol.2,Issue 4), from October 2006. It gives a general outline of the game's story. They note several times that the game is reminiscent of the Clock Tower series, which I can see where they are coming from. They end the preview on this sentiment: "Rule of Rose is a slow-paced bizarre game with a phenomenal orchestral soundtrack. If you're patient and willing to put up with severe weirdness, keep your eyes open for this one." Reviews

With 44 critics weighing in, Rule of Rose received a 59 on Metacritic (with a user score of 8.6). Unfortunately, most of the links no longer work, cutting me off from reading many of the full reviews. I will go over the reviews I do have. Once again, I'll be splitting these up into sections: Sound, Graphics, and Gameplay. Sound Cheat Code Central gave the sound a score of 5/5. The blurb about the score at the end of the review states: "Acting and narration are topnotch, but the incredible atmospheric musical score is second to none. The best I've heard."

Game Chronicles reflects this sentiment with a 10/10 score given for the music. They state that the game takes a minimalist approach to the sound: "Rule of Rose stands out for creating a rich sound with very few effects and tracks...unique in that they are usually one instrument pieces." Of the sound effects, they felt they helped set the mood. The only complaint that they had was that there wasn't enough voice acting in the game,which says a lot about its quality. GamesFirst doesn't mention the soundtrack much and when they do there isn't any praisefor it. Their solitary comment on it is that it the sound is unbalanced in the cutscenes, making it hard to make out what is being said. Adding to the confusion are difficult to read subtitles. GameSpot thought that the music fit the 1930s time period well, with a soundtrack that's "filled with string music, which bursts into screeching violins." They go on to call it "moody and effective", though they found it to be repetitive and grating when you are lost and trying to figure out how to progress. Like Game Chronicles, they note that there isn't much in the way of voice acting, although what is there is excellent. Of the sound effects, while they are good, there are also unremarkable.

Graphics Cheat Code Central notes the CG (and the 50 minutes of it) almost right away. In their conclusion, they say of the graphics: "The in-game graphics are decent but completely pale in comparison to the astounding CG." They go further to say the game "isn't a looker." It seems Shirogumi did too good a job on the cutscenes. Even so, they call the graphics stark and effective. Game Chronicles goes into the most detail about the graphics. They felt the in-game graphics were great, very effective, and added to the horror. The graphics allow for facial expressions to come across effectively, which is useful for a psychological horror game and the subtleties that go along with that. They were particularly impressed as the game was made by a small studio most have never heard of. They also noted that the game has some camera control, which was unusual for many horror games at the time. GameSpot also thought the game was beautiful. They enjoyed the grainy filter (also used and popularized by Silent Hill 4). They also thought the character models were convincing and realistic and, like everyone else, mention the stunning cutscenes. Games Radar doesn't cover graphics in depth in their review. However, they do note the graphics in their pros/cons section. They call the game "moody and meticulously beautiful." IGN UK's review also doesn't outright mention the graphics. They do however mention the presentation in the "verdict" section. They state "its presentation is frequently stunning..." Gameplay While Cheat Code Central loved the storyline and found it creepy, they found the controls to be lacking. Particularly the combat controls, which they call "hit or miss". They list the issues as such: "...sluggish control, spotty collision detection and lack of items to restore health." They did, however, enjoy the level design and other gameplay aspects. That having been said, they thought that everything is secondary to the story.

Game Chronicles says of the controls and the timid main character: "...This is good and bad. Good because it fits with the character who isn’t exactly the poster girl for the next action star, and it does a lot to fit in with the over-all feeling of helplessness and confusion that is a part of the game. Bad because the controls in general, and for combat specifically, are kind of like trying to do brain surgery with a thick pair of gloves on. Sure it can be done, but why would you want to?"

Like the other reviewers, they found the combat to be troublesome. The controls are already difficult, so with the hit detection being off, the fighting sections can be downright unenjoyable. They did enjoy the puzzle elements, although they note that Brown's (the dog) "find" ability is slightly useless as you could find most of those items yourself.

GameFirst thought the game wasn't breaking any new ground, at least control wise. That having been said, they do state that the controls are easy to understand and the game does a good job communicating how they work. They really liked the puzzles and thought the combat sections could be overlooked. GameSpot really liked the story and, like most other publications, thought it was the strongest part of the game. Sadly, in the opinion of the reviewer, "Rule of Rose isn't much fun to play." A lot of the locations look the same, making it difficult to get around and too much time is spent in these lackluster locations. They summarize the gameplay as such: "The gameplay itself simply involves making Jennifer run around collecting things, avoiding enemies, and occasionally solving puzzles." They note that little of the game focuses on combat, although that small part is so poorly executed that it drags down the whole game. GameSpy notes the terrible combat as well. Early on it is easy to avoid the bad fighting, but you are forced to fight later in the game. They called the battle controls "cumbersome". They also note the iffy hit boxes, which add to the frustration.

Gamesradar thought there were too few scares for the horror fans. They also called the gameplay "bare-bones survival-horror fare." Additionally they state that the rooms and locations look the same. The sole innovation is the dog, Brown, and his ability to locate items. As for the notorious fighting, they call it a "hurdle that's meant to be avoided."

IGN was a bit more damning of the game: "there's an incredible amount that Rule of Rose does very, very right. Unfortunately, there's one thing it does so desperately wrong, it may as well not have bothered with anything else." That one thing, of course, is the combat. They found the combat to be "clumsy" and the hit detection to be off. However, they did find the story to be one of "the most compelling, involving games" they had played in a long time. The gameplay ruined the overall game for them sadly. They call the gameplay "as traditional as it gets."The one bright spot for them was Brown the dog and his ability to find items. Overall, most publications found the game itself to be middle-of-the-road, with some moments of brilliance. The storyline and creepy atmosphere made up for the terrible/broken fighting for many reviewers. For some, though, it wasn't enough. To get a better sense of this, I recommend reading through the Metacritic blurbs. Controversy/Rarity

Credit to Hardcore Gaming 101 for the scan

Normally, this would be were I cover modern reception of the game. However, Rule of Rose isn't like most other games as it has a TON of controversy surrounding it. So much so that it was never released in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. What was so crazy and terrible? Well, it's a bit underwhelming by today's standards. But in the 2000s, this game was pushing the limits of morality in video games. It's worth noting that the 2000s had a bunch of controversies as games began to appeal to a more adult audience. This was mainly because kids from the early 90s were growing up. Examples of this being: Bully (2006), Manhunt 2 (2007), GTA: San Andreas (2004), Madworld (2009) and 6 Days in Fallujah (canceled in 2009), just to name a few. These were all very controversial for their time, mainly due to a lot of pearl clutching on the part of news outlets and people outside the gaming community. It seems Rule of Rose was released right on the cusp of modern gaming. Gamers were growing up and the market was growing up with them. What wasn't growing up was popular culture's view of games as fun only for kids.

Gamesutra's article asks if Rule of Rose is 2006's most controversial game (the answer is yes). They noted that the game has some erotics bents that "may raise a few eyebrows upon release." The rest of the article is an interview with, once again, Shuji Ishikawa and Yuya Takayama. When asked where the inspiration for using sexuality came from, Takayama says they wanted to "...depict the darker side of children." When neither men really answers the question, though, they ask it again. Ishikawa says that "these are things kids actually do, but we don't want to see." This sexual exploration is more innocent and less lustful to children, they state. While he isn't wrong, but some would argue the execution is off. When asked if they expected push back from parents, they both say that the eroticism wasn't supposed to be the focal part of the game. They also said they weren't willing to tone it down for the west, which I can personally respect. Gamesutra asks why Sony wouldn't publish for markets outside of Japan. Takayama struggled to find the right words, yet eventually stated that Sony thought it might harm their reputation.

Eurogamer wrote two articles in November 2006. The first one details 505 Games' response to the controversy: "Rule of Rose is a horror genre video game, similar to a number of other video games and movies on the market today, but does not in anyway incite minors to commit violent acts and does not promote acts of violence towards minors." They note that PEGI approved the game for European release, giving it a 16+ rating, their form of an M rating. Even so, the mayor of Rome weighed in by saying the game should be banned in Italy as "children have the right to be shielded from violence." The European justice and security commissioner, Franco Frattini, wrote an open letter criticizing the game for its "...cruelty and brutality." 505 notes that the game never shows the children dying or being buried in reality, as almost every thing is a dream sequence. Lastly, 505 Games announced that it was inviting politicians and journalists to try the game for themselves, holding a presentation on 11/23.

In their second article several days later, it was announced that the game was canceled for the UK, on the day it was due for release no less. This was even after the hands on presentation. 505 released the following statement: "Following discussions with our retail and publishing partners, 505 Games has taken the decision not to publish Rule of Rose in the UK at this time."

IGN wrote several articles (i.e. four) on the banning of the game. They start with the potential ban in Italy, prompted by the mayor of Rome being so outspoken about the issue. The game was released in Italy, on time, despite the mayor calling the game "depraved." Sony's head of the Italian division, Corrado Buonanno, said the company was distancing itself from the game in PAL territories, confirming what Takayama said about Sony protecting their reputation.

Several days later, IGN wrote its second article. This time on the UK ban. It seems the ban was put in place because of Veltroni (the mayor of Rome) and Frattini's comments. A couple of days after that, they released their third article on the matter. Following all the controversy and calls from politicians, 505 Games canceled the Austrailian release. In a 2009 article, IGN lists the page in its top 10 controversies in gaming. In the author's personal opinion, the over-sexualized young girls rang "a tad sinister." My personal opinion is, after reading interviews, that is what they were going for.

Like IGN, GameSpot covered the cancellations thoroughly. Once again, it is clear that the Veltroni started the whole "controversy". In an interview with Life in Italy, he said he would do whatever it took to make sure the game didn't get an Italian release. Two days later, 505 Games responded by basically saying it IS a horror game and that heavy topics should be expected.

Their next article is on the cancellation of the Australian/New Zealand release. This call for cancellation, once again, came from critical newspaper articles and politicians. The article notes that many movies and games have been banned/not sold in either country for less. Lastly, they have an article on the banning of the game in Europe altogether. As far as I can tell, that actually never happened. It was only outright banned in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, although several publications hinted at bans in other parts of Europe. If anyone knows specifics, please leave it in the comments or contact me.

All of these cancellations coupled with the fervor and headlines created a large demand for a game with too few copies in circulation. That demand has only grown over time. The game, nowadays, will set you back at LEAST $150. For a brand new copy, that price is more like $650. I really, really regret passing up buying this game at GameStop when I first started working there in 2007. If I could go back in time and buy several copies, I totally would. Lesson learned. Next time I see a super controversial game released, I'm buying a copy! Current Reception With that out of the way, we can finally look at what modern reception is like for Rule of Rose.

Fanbyte's article is headlined: "Rule of Rose is a Horror Gem That Deserved Better." The article says of the matter:

"Many an article has retreaded the details of the game’s controversy, mostly centered around a non-indicatively lurid trailer that caused the game to be accused of containing child pornography. This wasn't true, but the damage was well and truly done before anyone actually laid hands on the thing to prove it."

They say that despite the fact that it could have used more development time, it also needed women's and queer voices for grounding. When tackling subjects related to women or minorities, it's best to have them represented on the team itself, or at least consulted. Even though Rule of Rose also needed better (i.e. non-broken) controls, the game still struck them as profound and deserving of better.

Kotaku says of Rule of Rose: "As something of a flop, both because of its clumsy controls and half-baked mechanics, but also perhaps because its demented brand of survival horror was ahead of it’s time, copies of the PS2 game are scarce." The article notes that it is a game worth playing, but that most will never be able to due to the price.

Venture Beat follows Kotaku's sentiment, naming their article "A Flawed Masterpiece That You Will Never Play". They also note that the game only ever implies childhood sexulity and never shows anything overt. Of the game: "Ironically, it is the controversy that keeps the game going, the story that keeps you hooked, and the cut-scenes that reward you. This is why the game was banned and, oddly, it is the most appealing feature."

Goomba Stomp claims: "Rule of Rose was banned in Australia and New Zealand after major news stations covered it and made up faux stories of the game’s content." After reading about what was said, it is clear that news stations were either blowing things WAY out of proportion, not giving context for these scenes, and/or were outright lying about some of the aspects of the game. Sadly, I couldn't find any full articles on the matter.

The other publications tend to match up with what reviews at the time were saying. Paste magazine, however, finds all the shock value to leave the story feeling obtuse and like it is trying too hard. They go on to say that the game does "...almost nothing right." They also felt that the sexuality was nefarious and couldn't give the developers the benefit of the doubt. The one part they are objectively right about: "And while my Google autoprompt suggests that some folks are still hoping for a PlayStation 4 re-release, I wouldn't count on it." With the development team gone and Sony acting like the game never happened, I wouldn't count on a re-release either.

Hardcore Gaming 101 sums up their review: "If Rule of Rose is remembered at all, it is usually for the moral panic it inspired." Most of this moral panic is stuff I have already covered. Although they provide a little more on the matter. For example, the game was mentioned in a bill of the French National Assembly: “The goal of the game is an unacceptable incarnation of sadism and perversion: raping a little girl in the most horrible conditions then torturing her before killing her in the worst of sufferings. The one who has acted with the most heinous ignominy, the most disgusting, wins the game.” These are strong words for a game that doesn't have any rape scenes or sex scenes, and can't be "won" with said depravity. Can someone come up with an alliteration (like the Satanic Panic) for the pearl clutching in the 2000s?

Meanwhile, Geek Insider notes the amount of copies made. Apparently there were only 15,000 copies ever made for the US market. That alone would make this game hard to get. Couple that with cancellations down under and in Europe, PLUS the controversy and you have a resale pricing boom.

Dashing Nerds says of the mature rating: "Even though the moral watchdogs went overboard with their outrage, they weren’t entirely off-base here; the game earns every bit of its “M” rating, featuring child murder, pedophilia (or close to it), and prepubescent lesbian relationships." This forces me to take a moment and make a statement. If these childhood relationships had been of a hetero nature, this game wouldn't have gotten half the controversy it did. Every article I have read about the "controversies" mentions the lesbian overtones either up top or goes into excessive detail. It seems to be more important than the child cruelty, animal abuse, or implied pedophilia and assault. Our society demonizes homosexuality as being something perverse and this author isn't helping.

Conclusion

Rule of Rose is, like many have stated, a very flawed game with a lot of lost potential. It's a shame that it fell victim to the moral panic of the 2000s. It's even more of a shame that it is so inaccessible nowadays. The only way, for most gamers, to experience this game is to watch let's plays. That having been said, I recommend giving the game a watch...or a play if you have about $200 laying around.

---- Sources:

Basics - https://www.atlus.com/ruleofrose/ - https://www.mobygames.com/game/rule-of-rose - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love-de-Lic - https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/shirogumi-inc/offset,50/so,1d/list-games/ Development - https://www.mobygames.com/game/ps2/rule-of-rose/credits Previews (in order by date) - https://www.atlus.com/ruleofrose/ (hyper magazine review!) - https://www.mobygames.com/game/ps2/rule-of-rose/adblurbs - https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/atlus-usa-inc-announces-rule-of-rosetm - https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/05/12/e3-2006-rule-of-rose-hands-on - https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-06-rule-of-rose-headed-to-us/1100-6150968/ - https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/13/rule-of-rose-interview - https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/13/rule-of-rose-preview

- https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rule-of-rose-first-look/1100-6158023/ - https://archive.org/details/hardcore-gamer-magazine-v2i4/page/n11 - https://archive.org/details/PlayMagazineSeptember2006/page/n93 Reviews - https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/rule-of-rose - https://www.cheatcc.com/psx2/rev/ruleofrosereview.html - http://www.gamechronicles.com/reviews/ps2/ruleof/rose.htm - http://gamesfirst.com/?id=1420

- https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/rule-of-rose-review/1900-6158385/ - http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/rule-of-rose/732388p1.html - https://www.gamesradar.com/rule-of-rose-review/ - https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/28/rule-of-rose-uk-review Controversy

- https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131127/thank_heaven_for_little_girls_why_.php

- https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news171106ruleofrose - https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news241106ruleofrose - https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/15/rule-of-rose-ban-in-italy

- https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/24/rule-of-rose-plucked-from-uk-shelves - https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/30/rule-of-rose-overruled - https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/11/30/top-10-gaming-controversies - https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rule-of-rose-canned-down-under/1100-6162312/ - https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rule-of-rose-euro-release-cancelled/1100-6162306/ - https://www.gamespot.com/articles/505-games-responds-to-furor/1100-6161951/ - https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mayor-of-rome-seeks-rule-of-rose-ban/1100-6161700/ Rarity - www.ebay.com - https://www.amazon.com/Rule-Rose-PlayStation-2/dp/B000FPM3HS - https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php?topic=7094.0 - https://prettyuglylittleliar.net/topic/2166-rule-of-rose/ - https://www.redbull.com/us-en/rarest-playstation-games Current reception - https://www.fanbyte.com/features/rule-of-rose-deserved-better/ - https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2016/09/11/rule-of-rose-is-now-10-years-old-and-still-savagely-twisted - https://venturebeat.com/community/2013/11/11/rule-of-rose-a-flawed-masterpiece-that-you-will-never-play/ - https://www.goombastomp.com/rule-rose-history/ - https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/10/rule-of-rose-revisiting-a-cult-classic.html - http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/rule-of-rose/ - https://www.geekinsider.com/last-gen-flashback-rule-rose-2006/ - http://dashingnerds.com/retro-rundown-rule-of-rose/ - https://respawning.co.uk/not-news/rule-rose-unsung-masterpiece/