The Rose is a strangely moving piece of art, put together with the style and flair that is typical of such a ZZT master as WiL.
This cinema concerns WiL and his ex-friend Patrick, and the growing animosity between them when Patrick decides that he would rather spend time making out with his girlfriend than playing Super Smash Bros. with WiL and two other friends. After a prelude that outlines this tragic turn of events, you, Ian, are introduced. You are actually the famed superhero Kid Action. After a fun night of doing your job, you go to school the next morning, when WiL asks to speak with you for a moment before the bell rings, thereby enmeshing you in this bitter feud.
The graphics are superb, evoking just the right feelings to suit the occasion, be it the dim alley, Joey's sparse house, or the sky lit with fire. The music sets the mood perfectly with its beauty, and brooding sense of sorrow, and there is just enough music to fully round out and complement the game. The programming is always good, and at two places impressive, those being the battle engine, and leaving the house. The gameplay is what you would expect from interactive cinema, for the most part, except, perhaps, a little less interactiveness than some might desire, but, for the story, it suits perfectly. The story, of course, is what moves the game along, and is fittingly marvellous. It is just serious enough, yet still has those little touches of WiL absurdity, humour, and strangeness, yet these seem perfectly suited, somehow, fitting right in with every thing else, and a beautiful, if slightly inconclusive ending that is very moving.
Overall, this is an almost flawless cinema, which every ZZTer should experience and treasure. Yes, it has its strange parts, but they seem to fit in with the usual seriousness of the story. As far as I understand, the story was based on a dream that WiL had, so this is fairly standard dreamish material, though perfectly suited to ZZT. It is indeed a necessary download, and one of the best of its genre.
Wil's The Rose is considered one of his stranger games, but his work in this game conveys thoughts and emotions that many scriptwriters and literary authors are unable to in a movie or novel. He also tackles what can be one of the most intangible and unexplainable aspects of human nature, the dream, as the source of the plot. His plot is able to sequence very well, despite that this is much the opposite in some dreams, coming objects from the far past and the present, such as kings, queens, and Nintendo 64s. And be aware that it is a dream, or it will not make any sense to the player. The gloomy, yet excellent music and the dark graphics set the mood of the game. The contrasting colors of the last few art boards create an amazing effect and feeling as the sky is set ablaze. Wil conjures up such thoughts as an adolescent superhero, psychic powers, and a sky flaming with color as a single flower descends to the ground. But, as he suggests himself, every rose has its thorn, and The Rose's thorn is its lack of play and replayability, going against its claim of an interactive game. It is an essential download it, but don't expect to find yourself coming back to watch it again and again.
This has long been one of my favorites. Not only does it have nice-looking graphics, WiL-quality sound (my favorite), or his cool storytelling ability, but it also has his smart-brained jokes. A stirgoncy in thy.
Throughout my many years of playing and producing ZZT games, 'The Rose' has remained as one of my favorites. I cite it as a wonderful example of what can be done with ZZT in the realm of storytelling.
In this story, Ian -aka. Kid Action, the city's beloved teenage superhero- plays the part of the protagonist, and is blackmailed into a revenge sceme by the jealous WiL. But in this story, as in life, no one person is ever always the good guy or the bad guy, and any love that comes before Super Smash Brothers is no love at all.
So, because of the humour, plot, and utter delight this story -I doubt any can presume to refer to it as a game- I feel compelled to give it the highest score possible, despite its brief length.
"The Rose" is a unique game. Whatever its flaws, it's a unique game.
Based on a dream, which was apparently influenced by the author's daily life, television viewing habits, and general oddness, "The Rose" manages to maintain a coherent, but utterly surreal, plot, a story of superheroes and heated chains covered in Drano, of schoolyard friendships and bank robberies.
The gameplay - what there is of it - generally consists of walking through passages to view cutscenes. A bit of actual play occasionally pops up to spice things up, but this is only an interactive movie in the loosest definition of the word "interactive." There are almost no choices, and there is only one ending.
That ending is sentimental, clumsily written ("every rose has is thorn"), and oddly haunting - much like the rest of the game. The music is probably the key factor here - it's probably the most effective thing in the game.
Is "The Rose" worth playing? Yes. Is it the best game out there? Not by far.
Is it good?
I guess it depends on your tastes.
