Rule of Rose
Prod Punchline / 2006 / Japan
In mid-November 2006, Europe's Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini expressed outrage that this title was soon to be released in Europe.
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In Australia, Red Ant has the game scheduled for release in March 2007.
26th November 2006
www.red-ant.com.au
RULE OF ROSE
March, 1930. A young girl named Jennifer, whose parents were killed in a tragic airship accident, is taken to the Rose Garden Orphanage, located in a remote part of the English countryside.
What Jennifer discovers is a dilapidated building and a ragtag mob of children who call themselves the "Aristocracy of the Red Crayon." The demented residents of Rose Garden kidnap Jennifer.
Now, with the help of a canine companion named Brown, Jennifer has to find valuable gifts for the Aristocracy, or suffer a fatal punishment for her insolence...
Rule of Rose challenges the player on a psychological level and features amazing state of the art visuals which create a stylish and unnerving game environment for the player.
Features:
Befriend a faithful dog and work together to locate crucial items
Intense melee combat against bloodthirsty monsters
An immersive storyline with 50 minutes of award-nominated CG scenes
(Official Selection of the Annecy 2006 International Animated Film Festival)
Musical score by Yutaka Minobe (Panzer Dragoon Saga, Skies of Arcadia)
Multiple endings and hidden extras
Amazing creepy visuals enhance the frightening environments and storyline
Genre: Horror
Rating: TBC
Status: Predicted release in March 2007
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Following Franco Frattini’s comments, British newspapers proceeded to contribute to the negative coverage of the game. This resulted in the distributor getting cold feet and abandoning the UK release.
Rule Of Rose's UK Release Cancelled. Gamesutra 24.11.06
505 Games spokesman indicated that, “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."
As recently reported in British trade paper MCV, though, The British Video Standards Council (VSC) has reacted angrily to the press coverage, accusing the newspapers of inventing non-existent scenarios in the game.
“I have no idea where the suggestion of in-game sadomasochism has come from, nor children being buried underground. These are things that have been completely made up,” said VSC secretary general Laurie Hall.
The comments came after the VSC was criticized for only giving the game a PEGI rating of 16+. Referring to Franco Frattini’s lurid descriptions of the game, Hall countered, “I wouldn’t call the game violent. We’re not worried about our integrity being called into question, because Mr Frattini’s quotes are nonsense.”
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Following the dropping of the game in the UK, the Australian press suddenly caught on to the games impending release here.
Computer game ban demand. Herald Sun 26.11.06
Sony made it for its Japanese market and has distanced itself from the international release by a third party. The game is due to be released in Australia in February.
Websites already offer pre-orders for the game, about sadistic orphans who kidnap a girl and keep her captive.
Australian Family Council spokesman Bill Muehlenberg said: "It depicts young women as fair game for kids to torture. It could push some children over the edge, while desensitising others to violence."
He said it was significant that Sony decided not to release the game in Australia, the US and Europe because of the disturbing content.
But publisher 505 Games has released it internationally. Sydney-based Red Ant will distribute it in Australia.
Mr Muehlenberg said the Office of Film and Literature should ban it.
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The following day Red Ant Enterprises confirmed that they were dropping the Australian release. The game had yet to be rated by the Classification Board.
Rule of Rose canned down under. 27.11.06 Gamespot.com
Distributor Red Ant Enterprises told GameSpot AU that it had been informed by 505 that Rule of Rose ''would not be released in Australia or New Zealand at this time." Red Ant had originally scheduled the game to be released locally in February 2007. Red Ant product manager Nichola Bryan said the game had not been submitted to Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) for approval.
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