Ib

The original title screen.

**Ib** (イヴ *Ivu*) is a 2012 Japanese adventure horror game developed by kouri, originated in Japanese-language and use of RPG Maker 2000 program, first released in February 2012 with provided in English translation by Velella Himmel on her own VGPerson website; ten years later, the game producing a remake, using the RPG Maker MV program with updated graphics, music, and mechanics was published by Playism.

Upon its release, *Ib* influenced several games in recent years and has been credited as a deconstruction of JRPGs with helping popularize its engine's use in developing story-driven adventure games without the use of role-playing elements.

## Synopsis

It follows the experiences of a 9-old girl named Ib who visits an art gallery with her parents. While looking around, she finds herself stuck in a strange, surreal world where the art has come to life. What's worse, Ib's life is now linked to that of a red rose she picks up, and if all the petals fall, she will die.

Luckily, Ib finds friends along her journey. They are a man named Garry whom she saves, and a girl about her own age named Mary whom they bump into later, both of whom have roses of their own. Together, the three of them solve puzzles and try to find a way to get back to the real world.

## Gameplay

   The player moves a 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 and cross, and enemies and traps which deplete the player character's health.

The health meter system is used as a rose with a certain number of petals (5 for Ib, 10 for Garry). Petals can be lost by direct contact with an enemy, exposure to environmental hazards, or dialogue-triggered damage. If the rose of a currently controlled character loses all of its petals, the character will instantly die, resulting in a game over.

## Characters

It's revealed Mary is, in fact, not a real human being, but only a painting of Guertena's that have come to life. She longs to escape Guertena's world and finds that it isn't possible unless she takes the place of a human in the real world. Mary has chosen Garry to be the sacrifice and wants to escape together with Ib. Whenever she succeeds depends on the ending.

## Endings

**Original**
Bad Ending: "Ib all Alone"
There are four variations to get this ending.
* If Ib and Garry reach the portrait that will allow them to return to the real world, her mother appears and will try to keep her in the realm. It's clear that this is an attempt to keep Ib trapped in the realm and the mother is fake. If Ib accepts to go with the fake mother, Garry will desperately call out to her, but Ib will appear to be in a trance as she slowly walks off.
* If Garry and Mary are dead, Ib will return to the real world alone. While about to jump into the portrait that will allow them to return to the real world, Garry appears and will try to keep her in the realm. Much like the other variation, this Garry is fake and is an attempt to have Ib stay. Ib will decide to follow Garry, and they walk away together, deeper into the realm.
* If Ib chooses to step back and not to jump from Guertena's World to the original gallery, everything goes dark and Ib gets trapped into the realm.
* If Ib enters the secret dungeon, she'll find a dark bed. If Garry is with her, he will stop Ib from letting herself fall into sleep, but, if Garry is dead, Ib will fall asleep, and she dreams about her birthday. If she chooses to continue sleeping too many times, Ib will sleep forever.

Bad Ending: "Forgotten Portrait"
If Garry and Mary are dead and Ib chooses not to follow the fake Garry, Ib will leave Guertena's World.
Back at the real world, there's a new painting in the gallery called "Forgotten Portrait", depicting a dead Garry. While examining it, Ib's mother will approach and demand Ib come with her. Ib will look back at the painting once more before leaving the room.

Normal Ending: "Memory's Crannies"
Ib and Garry enter the Sketchbook and confront Mary. She tries to stab them, but in self-defense Garry burns Mary's painting, killing her. If Ib doesn't have enough bond point with Garry, she doesn't give him the handkerchief and they return to the real world together.
Back at the real world, Ib (who doesn't remember the events of Guertena's World) is walking around in the museum and finds Garry looking at the rose sculpture. He muses about how for some reason he feels sad while looking at the sculpture and leaves. Afterwards, Ib leaves the museum with her parents.

Normal Ending: "Together Forever"
    Ib and Garry enter the Sketchbook and confront Mary. Mary gets Ib's red rose and threatens to give her Garry's blue rose in exchange. Ib and Garry accept, and Mary plucks Garry's rose petals, killing him. Ib is too young to realize what happened to Garry and believes him to be sleeping. If Ib leaves without burning Mary's painting, she returns to the real world, not noticing Mary following her from behind.
Back at the real world, Ib reunites with her parents and Mary has apparently become Ib's sister, as the parents and Ib seem to know her. The four leave the museum together. Also depending on what's in Ib's pocket, Mary will take it away from her (eating the candy or confiscating the lighter).

True Ending: "Promise of Reunion"
    Ib and Garry enter the Sketchbook and confront Mary. She tries to stab them, but in self-defense Garry burns Mary's painting, killing her. If Ib has enough bond points with Garry, she gives him a handkerchief and they return to the real world together.
Back at the real world, Ib (who doesn't remember the events of Guertena's World) is walking around in the museum and finds Garry looking at the rose sculpture. They have a small talk and Garry subconsciously call Ib by name, much to his surprise, seeing as he believes he's never met her before. As he begins to leave, he realizes he has the handkerchief in his pocket, which will trigger his memory of everything that happened. Ib and Garry part ways, but they promise to stay in contact.

**Remake**
Bad Ending: "Welcome to the World of Guertena"
This ending was added in the new version. If the player has enough bond points with Mary but also enough doom points as well (certain actions you perform in the game will affect both of these counts) Garry fails, the doll room and the blue dolls get him. When Ib and Mary find Garry, they realize he's lost his mind. Ib can't take it anymore and stays at the insane Garry's side. While Mary tries to leave them to their fate, in the end she decides to stay in Guertena's World together with them.
Sometime later, Mary introduces Ib and Garry (who are both unconscious and their roses withering) to the other paintings. She happily proclaims that the three would be together forever from now on.

Bad Ending: "A Painting's Demise"
This ending was added in the new version. If the player doesn't have enough bond points with Mary or Garry but enough doom points, then Garry will fail the doll room and the blue dolls get him. When Ib and Mary find Garry, they realize he's lost his mind. Ib can't take it anymore and stays at the insane Garry's side. Mary tries to convince Ib to go with her, but eventually leaves the two to their fate.
Mary enters the portrait that will allow her to enter the real world. She finds herself in an empty version of the museum but finds out she can't leave. As she tries to get out, things only get more and more demonic. Red leaks from the windows, cracks form in the walls and blue paint starts leaking and the place gradually darkens until it's pitch black. Mary starts crying for Ib, Garry and her "father" (implied to be Guertena) as everything fades to black.

## Trivia

* The pronunciation of "Ib" has been debated among fans, but according to kouri's blog, it is pronounced similar to "Eve".
* *Ib* became an influence of such adventure and horror genres in use of RPG Maker games, including *Ann* (2021) and *Pinocchiogoria* (2023)

## References

1. ↑ RPGmakerweb (15 July 2014). THE RISE OF THE NON-RPG RPG MAKER GAME: HORROR GAMES.