Rare games like the original Rule of Rose have become the holy grail of PS2 survival horror.
It’s always a good time for horror, but October is especially spooky. That’s why, as part of our horror theme weeks, we’re showing you three games that will make not only you but also your wallet tremble with fear. What, your wallet doesn’t have knees? Then it’ll just have to wet its pants…
In any case, if you’re a collector and want to expand your PlayStation game portfolio, you should budget a little more money for these three survival horror classics. As limited edition PS2 titles, they are now extremely rare and therefore extremely expensive.
Place #3: Haunting Ground
- Release: 2005
- Developer: Capcom
- Price: 100 to 800 euros (via Ebay)
Haunting Ground is the spiritual successor to the well-known Clock Tower series. In it, you play Fiona Belli, who wakes up in a gloomy dungeon after a car accident. Fortunately, she soon encounters a white sheepdog, and together they begin to explore the gloomy castle.
However, you are not alone. The strange inhabitants of the estate are hot on your heels, and all you can do is run away and set your faithful companion on your pursuers. The special thing about this game is that you don’t have complete control over Fiona. If she panics, the young lady simply does what she wants.
Haunting Ground received only moderate reviews from critics at the time (67 on Metacritic), but it managed to build up a small fan base among private players (8.6 on Metacritic).
Fiona’s passive behavior and the hunt for her in particular struck a nerve. These aspects are interpreted in many places as a metaphor for the objectification of women. The player feels “like a coveted and threatened object” (via IGN). We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether that’s a good or bad thing.
#2: Rule of Rose
- Release: 2006
- Developer: Punchline
- Price: 190 to 1,000 euros (via Ebay)
Rule of Rose caused quite a stir even before its release in Europe. At the time, there was a lot of speculation about excessively obscene and violent content, to the extent that the game was even slated for a ban. Sales were halted in the UK, Rule of Rose was never officially released in Germany, and in Japan and the US, only a very small number of copies were produced, making original copies collector’s items today.
But how bad was Rule of Rose really? Once again, you take on the role of a young woman. This time, 19-year-old Jennifer in 1930s England places her fate in your hands. In her former orphanage, you meet a group of girls who call themselves the “Red Rose Aristocracy” and make you their lowest member. Jennifer is constantly tormented by the other orphans and tries to understand why she is actually here.
Rule of Rose is completely absorbed in its symbolic narrative style, which bizarrely mixes reality and nightmare and makes the protagonist’s childhood trauma metaphorically tangible. The game received only mediocre ratings from critics (59 on Metacritic), but this game is also quite popular among players (8.6 on Metacritic).
#1: Kuon
- Release: 2004
- Developer: FromSoftware
- Price: 300 to 1,900 euros (via Ebay)
Kuon owes its high price tag primarily to the success of Demon’s Souls. The survival horror game was released several years before FromSoftware’s genre-defining action role-playing game. Original copies of Kuon are now in high demand among fans of the game studio and collectors. Due to its limited print run, the title is now as rare as a free parking space in the city center and costs accordingly.
In terms of content, Kuon is about Japanese mythology during the Heian period (11th century). An occult ritual goes wrong at the Fujiwara estate, leading to a yokai outbreak. In three chapters, you play as Utsuki, who is searching for her sister Kureha; Sakuya, an exorcist who is supposed to drive out the evil spirits; and the legendary magician Abe no Seimei. The game involves puzzling, fighting, and exploring.
While critics praised the visual design, the gameplay was perceived as rather outdated and sluggish.& nbsp;On Metacritic , it only scored 57 among the gaming press, while the rest of the gaming audience gave it an average score of 7.9.
So if you still have a few old PS2 games lying around in the basement, it might be worth checking to see if they have any rarity value. Titles that are unknown today could be in demand among collectors.
If you’re thirsty for more creepy trivia or horror recommendations, be sure to check out the articles linked above. Until October 31, we’ll be publishing spooky articles every day to get you in the mood for Halloween.
