Last night I finally was able to grab Rule of Rose. I made Lady Grey tea with lots of cream and sugar, put my hair in pigtails and didn't leave the couch for the next two hours. I haven't gotten too far in, instead taking my time skulking and listening and psyching myself out. I have a lot more planned for tonight.

My initial reaction is simple: I like it.

My buddy Sizzlepig asked me how it was going once I finally quit for the night.

sizzlepig: how is the game?
eliza: I poked a ragbaby with a dessert fork.
eliza: And ran like the dickens.
sizzlepig: good.
eliza: My only friend is a bucket.
eliza: And everything talks, even scissors.

The game has a very solid world to it, an almost perfect immersion. Imagine that Lord of the Flies was written by Lewis Carroll, adapted for stage by Jules Verne, scored by Paul Mercer and performed aboard the Hindenburg, and you're starting to catch on.

My favorite aspect of the game is that I have absolutely no theories about where the story is going or what's going to happen next. I'm kind of hoping there is no pat little plot, no wrap-up. That it just continues in an insane fashion until a gruesome end.

One thing that surprised me about the game is the age difference between Jennifer, the player character, and the rest of the children. They're about half Jennifer's size, and Jennifer appears to be in her late teens at the youngest.

This underscores the niggling little voice I always endure while playing games of this type, you know the one. The voice demands to know why Jennifer doesn't just grab the little brats and get some real answers, instead of whimpering and skulking and looking for butterflies. This little voice is going to get louder once the really bad bullying starts.

Speaking of which, where's the protests against this game, huh? Jamming a rat on a stick into my face is okay, but recovering lost character sheets for Nerds isn't?

But I can't complain too much. That ragbaby spooked me proper, dessert fork or no. Eliza Gauger

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