Ann

> *"This game is my love letter & homage to the golden age of Horror RPG-maker games in 2012. And just like those old RPG-maker games this game features chase scenes and some death puzzles, if you die, try and try again! Good luck!"*
> - Rong Rong
>
>

### Genre

* Adventure
* Horror

### Wiki Link

Ann Wiki

**Ann** is a 2023 horror adventure game developed by Jason H., under his pseudonym **Rong Rong**, using the RPG Maker MZ program. Described as a "*love letter and homage to the horror genre of RPG Maker games*", the game visualizes pixel-art designs set in the modern period, all designs made by the game developer.

## Gameplay

The player controls Ann: like many RPG Maker games, it allows to move the character through two-dimensional fields, interacting with and examining various objects. Obstacles come in the forms of blocked paths, which the player must somehow overcome.

Encountering creatures and traps in the school might kill you with a single hit; therefore, the "save file" feature is enabled, like many RPG Maker games before, where the game can be saved by accessing the menu, which allows you to spend time with those killings throughout the entire game.

## Premise

The story about an art student named Ann accidentally broke the rules in the school, leads her to entrapped inside; the school gradually formed into an old, haunted building.

Ann is managed to search a way out of school with the help of a security guard; otherwise, she will be becoming a resident of the school.

## Characters

### Ann

Ann is a quiet and reserved girl, just trying to get through the school year. Abandoned at a young age from both her parents for showing signs of slow learning, her only passion is art. She enrolled at Delta Academy of Arts after her contact in the Digital Art Department.

### Security

An unnamed security guard found in a painting drawn by someone from the school. Due to the curse inflicted upon the building, the security guard comes to life and allows Ann to assist to search a way out.

### Principal

An owner of the Delta Academy of Arts. Turns out there's more to him than it looks, as he's indirectly responsible for the curse inside the school.

As Ann finds out, he slept with his students in exchange for promoting their artworks. One of his students was a girl named Clara, who slept with him so her painting could be exhibited. Clara's best friend, Hana, found out about it and tried to confront the principal, but he killed her and hid her body. He's aware Hana's vengeful spirit roams the building at night but chooses not to do anything but forbid his students not to stay at the school during midnight.

### Hana

Hana is one of the souls trapped in the school, and the leader of the ghosts. When she was alive, she found out that her best friend, Clara, was sleeping with the principal and was murdered when she tried to confront him about it.

Afterwards, she became a vengeful spirit who roams the school at night, killing any student who stays and turning them into monsters. Deep down she wants to kill the principal for what she did to her.

### Myra

Myra is one of the souls trapped in the school, and the leader of the Music Department. When she was alive, her classmates were jealous of her for her piano talent. One of her classmates, Ivy, drugged her and stole one of her compositions in order to present it as hers. The unconscious Myra slept all night and became one of the victims of the haunted school.

While initially friendly to Ann, she snaps upon finding out Ivy stole her composition and attacks her with moving pianos. Depending on the ending, she can still be saved from the school.

### Charles

Charles is one of the souls trapped in the school, and the leader of the Fashion Department. When he was alive, he was an eccentric student that spent all night modelling his classmates' works for fun, but by the time he finished it was midnight and he became one of the victims of the haunted school and his appearance was changed into a monstruous mannequin.

He likes to mess around with Ann and the security guard, sending killer mannequins to attack her. Depending on the ending, he can still be saved from the school.

## Endings

### The New Resident of the School

Ann chose not to listen to Hana's warning, she will be chased and if she tries to leave though main door, she finds herself in a new room. After looking around, Ann realizes she is now a "new" resident of the school, permanently.

### Escaped

After gaining the Master Key, Ann escapes though the main door but forgets all that happened.

### The Painting's Sacrifice

Should Ann not listen to Hana's warning, she will be chased after both of them get knocked out, she finds a portrait with the security guard's drawing on it. After she learns of his identity, she tries to run away. If she gets caught, the security guard will take her outside.

After being confronted by Hana for what he did, she becomes enraged and burns his portrait, alas killing him. Meanwhile, Ann forgets all that happened and returns to the school the next day. She finds out there's a big commotion inside, after a certain painting was found burned.

### Truth

Should Ann not listen to Hana's warning, she will be chased after both of them get knocked out, she finds a portrait with the security guard's drawing on it. After she learns of his identity, she tries to run away. Should she manage to get away, the security guards reveal his intentions.

Choosing to trust him, Ann wants to find a way to free all the trapped spirits. Together with Myra and Charles, they tricked the principal into entering the school at night and after he is captured, Hana is freed as the curse is lifted while Myra and Charles are brought back to life again and Ann gives a heartful goodbye to the security guard before returning to her world, but not before taking a selfie with him. When the three students return to their world, they forget everything that happened.

The next day, Ann returns to the school, when she finds out the principal is gone, but all his crimes were exposed to the light. Myra and Charles will have to be held back one year for all the classes they lost, while Clara finally got closure about Hana's disappearance. Ann checks her phone and remembers what happened the previous night after checking her selfie with the security guard.

## Development

Since the release of the RPG Maker MV program, Jason developed a horror game in course of almost a year, under the game title **Ann**. According to Jason, *Ann* was inspired by *Ib*, *The Witch's House*, *Mad Father*, *Ao Oni*, and *Corpse Party*, among others.

## Trivia

* If you visit the Music department at the beginning, you find out there's rumor the winner piano piece of the exhibition was stolen from another students. Turns out it's true, as Ivy stole it from Myra and took the credit for it.
* At the beginning of the game, two NPCs notice that the winning sculpture is very ugly, and they are confused as to how it was possibly chosen. Turns out the sculptor slept with the principal in exchange for getting her sculpture chosen.
* An extra scene shows that Clara was the one who painted Security. Since the theme for the contest was "security", she painted a random guard on a whim.
	+ The game developer stated that how the painting portrait of the security guard was brought to life is because of the curse, Hana is the reason for the security guard to be brought back from the dead. However, Hana doesn't have full control over the security guard at all.

* The story also drew inspirations on *Ib* and the original 1996 version of *Corpse Party*.
	+ Like the former, a quiet girl is trapped in an art-themed building and chased by statues and other artwork. She meets a dependable adult who protects her from harm and a certain character is revealed to be a painting in the end. Depending on the ending, she might forget her experiences when she returns to her world.
	+ Like the latter, the principal murdered a girl in the past, resulting in her becoming a vengeful spirit and haunting the school.