"But we hide everything, because we are kind. Hiding in a fog."
Hung on a piece of thread in the foyer, a bamboo scroll reads:
Rules
- 1) You must not let any strangers into the house. Preferably not even the forest where we reside in.
2) If you spot any strangers loitering around the property, alert us immediately.
3) You may converse with strangers as a gesture of friendliness, but never tell them where the house is located. We are hiding for safety, after all.
4) Don’t accept things from trespassers. Don’t give things to trespassers, either.
5) Never, I repeat, never talk to those of the Taira family.
6) Got it? Don’t trust the Taira Clan.
Minamoto no Ryouji, a 12th-century Japanese boy of the Minamoto clan read those rules, and knew them all by heart. Never in his life would he even dream of breaking even one of them. That is, until that one day he met a girl named Yuki in the heart of the winter fields.
Six Rules is a short Ren'Py-based Visual Novel by Soyasushi Productions about a little boy, a little girl, and a spiritual journey through a snow-strewn forest of ancient Japan.
The complete game can be downloaded here
.
This visual novel provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Implied in Another View. Yukiri's mother exploits her desperation to impress her by alternating frequently between episodes of extreme anger and sadism, and where she seems to care. As said by Yukiri, "I love Mama, but I'm scared of her too." She also forces her own unfulfilled dreams on her daughter.
- Attention Whore: A sad version. Yukiri is so desperate for recognition she would do anything. Even betraying her Only Friend.
- Cruel Twist Ending: The Minamoto clan is slaughtered by the Taira clan. Yukiri then reveals to a despairing Ryouji that she was manipulating him all along so to get information about the Minamoto clan. Ryuji is then captured and Yukiri mocks him for breaking the six rules before he's executed. Another View reveals she betrayed Ryuji in order to get love and recognition from her family....but the last words reveal that despite her intervention in the death of the Minamoto clan, her family is still cold to her and she's still as miserable as before.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Yukiri.
- Evil Wears Black: Taira no Yukiri.
- False Friend: Yukiri.
- Evil Costume Switch: Yukiri in the ending wears a fancy black-and-gold kimono, in contrast with her previous simple, silver one.
- Feuding Families: The Minamoto and Taira.
- Foreshadowing: Upon reread, the eventual Cruel Twist Ending is painfully obvious through Yuki's suspicious actions.
- Hime Cut: Yuki, by virtue of being nobility.
- Jidaigeki: Specifically the Heian period.
- Meaningful Name: Discussed during the ending — Yukiri explains that Ryouji had her name wrong, thinking of it as Yuki-ri rather than Yu-kiri, using the kanji meaning 'mist' or 'fog'.
- Mood Whiplash: Once the final rule appears on screen... You know it's coming.
- Kimono Is Traditional
- Pink Is Feminine: Yuki's yukata in Another View.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Yukiri betrayed Ryouji and thanks to her the Minamoto clan was eliminated....but she's still unloved by her family and as miserable as before.
- Puppy Love: Ryouji and Yuki.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Yuki has black hair and pale skin, and is said to be beautiful.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Yukiri lectures Ryouji, spelling out how he broke each of the rules and how that makes him responsible for the deaths of his family.
- Switching P.O.V.: Another View.
- Temporal Theme Naming: Yuki means "snow". Yukiri means mist and fog.
- Terse Talker: Yuki. Then Subverted. Then Double Subverted.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Ryouji to Yukiri.Yukiri: Oh no. What am I going to do if you don't forgive me~?
- Was It Really Worth It?: Yukiri wonders this after Ryuji's execution in Another View. Even though she helped to bring victory to the Taira clan by betraying Ryuji and the Minamoto clan, her family still doesn't love or recognize her at all.
