Interviews

Today’s generation of survival horror games have evolved into immersive tales as compelling as any horror film and focus more on story, characters and sustaining fear than past games, such as the Resident Evils et al, that were more concerned with quick, cheap moments of fear and blowing away scores of zombies with increasingly potent guns and weapons.

The highly anticipated Rule of Rose has raised the genre to new levels in Japan where it has been compared to the revered Silent Hill series. Rule of Rose is set in 1930’s Britain as a young girl named Jennifer finds herself held captive in an orphanage by a group of deranged children known as the ‘Aristocracy of the Red Crayon.’ As Jennifer - assisted by her dog - you must find and offer gifts to your demented captors to keep yourself alive and buy time as you search for in time to try to escape your nightmarish captivity.

Rule of Rose’s musical score is by Yutaka Minobe (Panzer Dragoon Saga, Skies of Arcadia) and the game features 50 minutes of award-nominated CG scenes (Official Selection of the Annecy 2006 International Animated Film Festival).

Atlus – the North American Rule of Rose publishers – offered JA a rare opportunity to speak with the game’s project lead, Carl Chen.

A lot has been written about the similarities between Rule of Rose and Haunting Ground. Are these similarities on purpose?

In both games you play as a teenage girl and have a dog as your partner. Beyond that, there are very few similarities. The dog in Haunting Ground is used for attacking whereas the dog (Brown) in Rule of Rose is more of a puzzle-solver and guide.

Is fighting a necessary option in the game or can you choose to not fight?

As with most survival horror games, it’s recommended that you don’t fight. Jennifer can hold her own most of the time, but she won’t last very long when faced with an endless swarm of enemies. Action enthusiasts need not be disappointed, though, because the game does have its fair share of action, in addition to some traditional boss fights.

Is there a specific reason that Rule of Rose is set in the 1930s and what steps were taken to recreate 1930s Britain?

There is reason, but I can’t get into that without going into spoiler territory. Let’s just say that the time period is very important to the story. The developers at Shirogumi/Punchline did an absurd amount of research on everything from building structures to what crayons looked like in the 1930s. It’s hard to believe that this game is Japanese-developed, because everything feels so authentic.

Comparisons can be made to such movies as Children of the Damned and City of Lost Children. Did either of these films influence the game developers?

Not that I’m aware of. When I asked them directly what their influences for this game were, they said that inspiration came after reading an article about British airships in the 1930s. There are several references to airships in the game and one airship in particular, the R101, plays a major role in the story.

What types of puzzles can we expect in Rule of Rose?

Your dog, Brown, will be your main tool in solving puzzles. For example, let’s say your objective is to find a girl in the mansion. Brown will be able to pick up her scent if you give him an object related to that girl. Sometimes he can lead you to places you normally couldn’t visit. In a sense, the puzzles are like the LucasArts adventure games of the 90s, but with more intuitive gameplay.

In the screenshots and trailers we’ve seen, the characters are very lifelike. Do you think this adds to the ‘fear factor’ of the game?

Absolutely. I mean, who didn’t get chills down their spine when they saw the fat freckled girl smear lipstick all over her face?

Why are the Japanese so much better at crafting survival horror games than their North American counterparts?

I think their approach to game design is a bit different from ours. Before this project started, I doubt the developers knew much about orphaned British kids in the 1930s. People are always afraid of what they don’t know, and I think the devs wanted to tackle this issue head-on. Rule of Rose explores this concept by showing how scary children can be from an adult’s perspective.

Were there any problems with English localization?

No major ones. Things are going pretty smoothly. Actually, the developers have specifically stated that this game was intended for the American market. There was already a huge chunk of the script in English, and all of the voice acting was recorded in English.

Rule of Rose has been highly praised in the competitive Japanese market. How difficult is it to release a successful game in Japan?

Gamers are extremely smart these days and you need to release something unique and fresh to stand out. I think the developers at Shirogumi/Punchline set out to create something original, and succeeded.

The trailers for this game are, to say the least, disturbing, how difficult is it to sustain horror in a video game that is played over several sittings and how does Rule of Rose accomplish this?

Rule of Rose accomplishes this by keeping that feeling with you even after you’ve finished the game. The story is very deep and you’ll want to play through it again just to catch the little things you missed the first time.

The entire score is non-electrical and consists mainly of stringed instruments. Was this done to create a specific mood?

I believe so. I think Yutaka Minobe did a fabulous job and it’s in my opinion one of the most original scores in this genre.

Would you consider Rule of Rose to be more psychological horror that delves into the subconscious realm of children’s imaginations or traditional survival horror that usually involves a violent, weapon-based gut reaction to terror?

It’s definitely more psychological horror, although there are a few instances of traditional survival horror thrown in to mix things up. Much of the fear factor in this game is accomplished through things that you can’t see. Anticipating what’s behind the next door or wondering where Brown will lead you next are things that will creep players out.

Does Rule of Rose do anything unique to advance the survival horror genre?

In my opinion, yes. It’s a thinking man’s game in the purest sense. Not only does it advance the survival horror genre, but it helps redefine games in general as being an artistic medium. Please look forward to it this September!