Rule of Rose

Set in 1930s England, the plot revolves around a nineteen-year-old girl named Jennifer, who becomes trapped in a world ruled by young girls who have established a class hierarchy called the Red Crayon Aristocrats. The game has been compared to survival horror games Silent Hill and Haunting Ground, due to the psychological horror used throughout and because the main character is accompanied by a canine companion.

Rule of Rose garnered mixed reviews from many publications upon its release. The game was also the subject of a moderate amount of controversy due to its use of violence and implied sexuality amongst some of its underage, female characters.

The player explores the game environment looking for restorative items, furthering the plot by accomplishing tasks and experiencing cut-scenes while sporadically encountering enemies and bosses. Early in the game, the player encounters and rescues Jennifer's pet dog, a Labrador Retriever named Brown. Brown accompanies Jennifer throughout the game and will respond to the player's commands. Brown can be ordered to track items by scent, be commanded to 'stay' and be called to Jennifer's side. Brown cannot attack enemies, but will growl, which distracts some imps and bosses, allowing Jennifer to retreat or land a few blows without fear of retaliation. He can be injured to the point of collapse, however, causing him to stop distracting enemies or tracking an item.

Source: Wikipedia, "Rule of Rose", available under the CC-BY-SA License.

Atlus Game page for Rule of Rose; http://www.atlus.com/ruleofrose/

Wikipedia link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_Rose