7 days of Rose is a miniature Visual Novel developed by Cross Game Studio, published by Ratalaika Games, and released on PC, Linux, and consoles on November 4, 2022.
Michael considers himself a run-of-the-mill high schooler who is basically coasting through life without any ambitions, special talents, or accomplishments. When his parents take him along for a 7-day vacation at a tropical resort, he decides to use the time to reinvent himself by chatting up as many girls as possible and trying to gain some new confidence to take home with him. The first one he notices and encounters is a mysterious, happy-go-lucky girl named Rose who finds him funny and soon offers to hang out during their mutual stay on the island.
However, as Michael spends more and more time with Rose, he quickly begins to realize that not everything is as it appears on the surface.
7 Days of Rose contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Rose and Charles's parents showcase themselves as two of the worst people imaginable as they publicly belittle their children, demand to be treated like royalty everywhere they go, look down on pretty much everyone, and show absolutely no positive traits throughout the entire story.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Michael's mother and father are middle-aged and still openly flirt with each other and act like lovestruck teenagers in public. They lavish Michael with affection and openly cheer for him to meet a nice girl during their trip. By the end, Michael begins to truly appreciate how good he's had it compared to Rose's parents.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: In the True Ending, Rose apologizes for using Michael to spite her parents, but ultimately reveals having developed genuine feelings through him treating her like a real person rather than a conquest.
- Driven to Suicide: Years of abuse at the hands of her parents lead Rose to try and drown herself at the end of the seven days. In the Bad Ending, it happens.
- Fate Worse than Death: Played for Laughs when Michael's mother laments that she caught him watching a soap opera one afternoon while he was bored due to her sister getting so involved in them she believed she was living one.
- Head-Turning Beauty: Michael considers Rose to be this as, in his eyes, she completely stands out in a crowd when he first sees her.
- Heel Realization: Rose gets one midway through the story when she mentally beats herself up for not personally doing anything to help the indigenous people that live on the island when she could have been doing so.
- Multiple Endings: A True, Neutral, and Bad ending depending on the choices made when Michael is talking to Rose.
- Reality Subtext: In-Universe when the tour guide on the bus laments his horrible living conditions and Michael thinks the guy is joking as part of his job. He later learns from Rose that, outside of the tourist resort, the island is no better than a third-world country.
- Relationship Values: Michael's responses to Rose at dialogue options are what ultimately determine the ending.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The hotel worker who has to deal with Rose's parents in a scene that Michael witnesses decides to quit his job and work on a fishing boat rather than have to ever deal with people like them again.
- Spoiled Sweet: Rose admits early on that she comes from a rich family, but she treats pretty much everyone far better than her parents do.
- Stepford Smiler: Rose is ultimately revealed to be one as she attempts to maintain a positive outlook on life despite the horrid treatment she receives from her parents.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Michael manages to convince Rose of this in the True Ending when he convinces her how strong she's been to last as long as she has and that it's okay to reach out for help.
