Touted for its always-expanding stable of excellent RPGs, Atlus is taking its first stab at publishing a survival horror title in the soon-to-be-released Rule of Rose for the PS2. Intrigued to see how Atlus has done with its new endeavor, I recently started up on a final build of the game and after around two hours of play, with the lights turned off of course, I am here to report that Atlus has one wickedly freaky horror game on the way.

After a lengthy and absolutely stunning intro CG sequence blew me away and freaked me out a little right off the bat, I started up a new game with peak excitement, and that feeling only continued as I began to play. Rule of Rose opens in 1930s England with a young girl named Jennifer on a bus ride alongside a mysterious young boy in the middle of a dark and dreary night. Strangely, the boy gives Jennifer an old storybook and asks her to read it to him, but then the bus stops and the boy runs off into the gloomy countryside environment - and of course she chases after him.

Eventually her pursuit leads her to an ominous mansion, where a creepy group of kids known as the Aristocrats of the Red Crayon have some disturbing things going on. Following a short trek through the house, with the constant snicker and giggle of children putting you on edge around every corner, Jennifer gets knocked into an empty coffin, kidnapped and somehow ends up on a massive airship where she is forced to do things for the Aristocrats, or else. I'm sure this all probably sounds very confusing and incredibly weird, but frankly, these types of games are supposed to mess with your head and trip you out, and Rule of Rose seems to do this about as well as any game in the genre from what I've experienced in the early part of the game. The story is compelling because of its bizarre, 'out-there' nature and the storybook-themed storytelling devices used throughout makes for one unique videogame plot.

Thus far, the gameplay in Rule of Rose doesn't really extend itself past any of the basic survival-horror conventions we're all familiar with, although I should point out that the play mechanics are clearly more in line with the plodding, cinematic style of the Silent Hill games as opposed to the more action-oriented Resident Evil titles. Searching rooms, collecting items and solving puzzles has been the main focus of the game at this early juncture, with combative elements coming in a minimal capacity. One unique element that has been featured prominently is the ability to command Brown, a dog you rescue early on aboard the airship, to aid in getting you through the horrific situation at hand. By pressing circle you can call Brown to come to you, while a tap on the square button tells him to stay. More importantly, when you collect items you can equip them and have Brown track their scents to rooms or items of significance.

What Rule of Rose truly excels at, though, is presenting a cinematic tale and a frightening audiovisual ambiance. The graphical detail is outstanding, complemented by gorgeous lighting, a Silent Hill-style film grain effect and realistically rendered characters and environments, while the in-game cut-scenes and occasional CG sequences only further highlight the graphical quality. That being said, the audio production has probably impressed me even more now due to the powerful way in which the ambient sound effects, spine-tingling music and solid voice acting set the perfect mood.

I am thoroughly enjoying my time with Rule of Rose roughly two hours in, and as the story blanks are slowly filled in and more of the gameplay fleshes out the experience I'm sure it's only going to get better and better. If you're a survival-horror fan, watch out for this one! Rule of Rose is due to officially creep into US retail on September 12th, so swing back by then for my full review. In the meantime, be sure to stop by the recently launched official website at http://www.atlus.com/ruleofrose/.

Previewed by Matt Litten for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).