Strange Hill is a location on the Rose Garden Orphanage grounds in Rule of Rose. The Orphanage was constructed on a hill overlooking a dreary country road to nearby Cardington. The road is serviced by a bus stop with a single lamp to keep the adjacent bench illuminated for any buses making late-night runs in Cardington and its surrounding locales. Jennifer arrives at the bus stop when she was forced to follow Joshua after the latter gave her a foreboding storybook in "The Little Princess," ran out of the bus, and hurried uphill to the Orphanage.
Description[]
The bus stop and lamp at the base of Strange Hill is the Orphanage's only connection to the outside world. Besides the occasional bus that stops there, the Orphanage is truly isolated and there is no alternate route to the Orphanage from that location. Reaching the main gate requires traveling uphill on a dirt path that eventually branches off into two directions. While the path on the left leads directly to the main gate, the other path on the right leads to Strange Hill - East, where Rickety Shed is located. Jennifer's journey begins and ends in the areas surrounding Strange Hill.
In "The Little Princess," Jennifer trails after Joshua when the latter exited the late-night bus to Cardington. She continued following after Joshua until she was summoned to Strange Hill - East by the whimpering cries of a dog that forced her to investigate Rickety Shed. After finding the Dog Collar, she resumed her chase. Later, in "Once Upon a Time," Jennifer revisits Strange Hill again after leaving Wendy behind at the Orphanage gate. She may have returned to the bus stop to find Gregory M. Wilson at the bench, writing a new storybook. Alternatively, she may have avoided going there and instead headed straight to Rickety Shed, ending her journey there.
Symbolism[]
There may be something symbolic about Jennifer not being able to truly 'leave' the Orphanage grounds in "The Little Princess" and "Once Upon a Time." It could be that Jennifer's subconscious is preventing her from suppressing her childhood memories at the Orphanage whenever she follows the road to Cardington or travels away from the Orphanage in the opposite direction. By forcing herself to stay on the Orphanage grounds in those chapters, Jennifer eventually became compelled to confront her past traumas and reevaluate her conflicting oaths to Wendy and Brown.
Trivia[]
- If the player tries to follow the road away from the bus stop in either direction, Jennifer will be teleported back to the Orphanage grounds.
- It is unclear whether Strange Hill is supposed to be an intentional reference to "Silent Hill," a fictional New England town and the survival horror series of the same name.
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Rose Garden Orphanage | |
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Orphanage Grounds | Strange Hill (Strange Hill - East) • Front Gate • Rear Gate |
Basement | Basement Hallway • Cell of Remorse • Cell of Pleasure • Cell of Repentence • Cell of Solitude • Cell of Bliss |
Ground Floor | Main Hall • Ground Floor Hallways (Martha's Room - Classroom - Cafeteria - Kitchen - Rear Stairway - Lavatories - Washhouse & Bathroom) • Inner Court • Headmaster's Quarters (Reception Area - Headmaster Room - Headmaster Closet - Closet Room) |
First Floor | Second Floor Hallways (Filth Room - Play Area - Library - Sewing Room - Dormitory) • Sickbay & Sickroom • Second Floor Lavatories • Balcony |
Attic | Attic Hallway • Attic Storage Rooms • Clubroom |