Rule of Rose Mysteries

I tend to think of Rule of Rose as a mystery game.

No surprise there, right? My site is, after all, called Rule of Rose Mysteries.

But the Rule of Rose story doesn’t just contain a straightforward mystery or two, as a detective novel, or a TV episode of Monk, would be expected to do. The very nature of the Rule of Rose story itself is a mystery in a very fundamental way.

What do I mean by this?

In the case if a TV series like Monk, we understand the “reality” in which the story is set. The “reality” of Monk is supposed to represent the mundane “reality” of everyday life that we all experience.

But what is the “reality” in which Rule of Rose is set? This is, in fact, one of the big mysteries of the game. And this mystery is part of what makes the plot of the game very difficult to summarize with any confidence.

Strange things happen in Rule of Rose. Why? Is it because Jennifer has come to a place where supernatural forces are in play? Is it because Jennifer is dreaming? Is it because Jennifer is the protagonist of a weird story told by Gregory Wilson? Or is it some other reason?

For example, in the Rule of Rose story, Jennifer sees dead people as if they were alive. Why? Has Jennifer come to a haunted, or cursed, location in “real life”? Or is Jennifer just dreaming about dead people she once knew? Or is it because Jennifer is the protagonist of a weird story told by a crazy Gregory Wilson?
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