History VideoGame / Ib

-->--'''The text below the Fabricated World painting'''

* BigBad: The one responsible for trapping Ib and Garry in the Cursed Gallery is [[spoiler:Mary, the little girl encountered in the gallery who tags along with them ([[ManBehindTheMan and possibly]] [[GeniusLoci the Cursed Gallery itself]], depending on your viewpoint). Mary is actually the MadArtist Guertena’s last creation, and acts as the boss to the others, but “A Painting’s Demise” heavily implies that the Gallery is making her do it to replace herself as the Gallery master before it will let her leave]].

** An older version of the game would trigger a Game Over [[spoiler: if you grab Garry’s hand and went into the exit painting despite it being what leads into the good ending.]]

* AdultFear:
** The four endings titled "Ib All Alone" [[spoiler:have her not going back to the real world and being trapped inside the art world, for some reason or another]], and the endings "Welcome to the World of Guertena" and "A Painting's Demise" have a somewhat similar situation, [[spoiler:except this time it's not just that Ib decided not to return to the real world, she actually couldn't because she gave in to despair and refused to get up ever again]].
** Being the only adult in the group, Garry pretty much does his best to take Ib and Mary under his wing. He explains words they don't know, pushes aside heavy statues, gives them helpful advice, and so forth... And then giant vines suddenly separate him from Ib and Mary, and Ib and Mary have to go forward alone, goodness knows what they'll find, and there's nothing Garry can do for them...
** In the BonusDungeon, Garry shuts his eyes for a few moments, after making Ib promise to stay put until he wakes up. She finds a secret room. She's still in said secret room by the time he wakes up. He's pretty upset when she returns.
*** Even worse, it's possible to die in the secret room, if you press the switch before completing the room's puzzle. To Garry, Ib would just be gone and he would have no clue what happened to her. Even if he managed to find the secret room, he would be immediately greeted by a dead Ib...

** One of the options while with Mary implies that Ib might be able to pull one to save both Garry and Mary. [[spoiler:She can't, it's a RedHerring.

On October 3, 2021, Kouri [[https://twitter.com/monomu_kouri/status/1444638228716290059 announced]] that they are working on a remake of the game to be released in 2022 for [[MilestoneCelebration the game's tenth anniversary]], featuring redrawn graphics and new music.

* DramaticDrop: In ''Carrie Careless and the Galette des Rois'', Carrie's friend drops the knife and plate when she realizes the key to the study was baked into the cake slice that Carrie ate.

* DramaticDrop: In ''Carrie Careless and the Galette des Rois'', Carrie's friend drops the cake knife and plate when she realizes the key to the study was baked into the pie slice that Carrie ate.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair:
** Garry. While both Ib and Mary have real-life hair colors, Garry stands out with his purple hair. It could be dyed, though, with some speculating that the spider-like fringe of black at the top could be his roots showing.

* GagDub: In the form of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCx6YRH8NQ&list=PLSRV2j8i5ybbLiM4ZmFbtEvmJWHeZ7ifj Ib With Voices]] from WebVideo/TheWithVoicesProject.

* GameMod: A fanmade ExpansionPack called the "Green Version" exists. Its main change is a new ending ("Sacrifice") where [[spoiler:Ib [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin sacrifices]] herself so that Garry and Mary can go back to the real world together]]. The fans ate it up but kouri disliked it and requested it be taken down. You can still find links floating around if you're curious, plus a few playthroughs on Website/YouTube.

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Some paintings have titles that are obscured because Ib doesn't know what the words mean. As a little girl, her vocabulary is quite limited. In some cases, you can look at these paintings again with Garry and see their full names as a result.

** One of the options while with Mary implies that Ib might be able to pull one to save both Garry and Mary. [[spoiler:She can't, it's a RedHerring. A fan-made version of the game called "The Green Edition" made this into the "Sacrifice" ending. However, this version has been removed from the Internet at kouri's request.]]

** An unofficial ending was created by a fan for the only combination not shown in the main game: [[spoiler:Garry and Mary leave together and Ib stays behind.]] This was taken down at the developer's request.

** If you are on an ending path where Garry [[spoiler:survives]], he refuses to leave until you've investigated the room [[spoiler:that is blocked off by vines]]. Going into said room [[spoiler:-- which happens to be Mary's room --]] leads to [[spoiler:Mary]] trying to attack, and you have no option but to [[spoiler:kill Mary or else get a Game Over.]]
*** Although, given that [[spoiler: Mary has tried to kill you and kills Garry in a few of the endings, this could be seen as LaserGuidedKarma.]]

** In certain story paths, Ib's mother scolds her, telling her that she's been looking everywhere for her. [[spoiler:This mother is actually a fake, though.]]

* AntiClimax: [[spoiler: Malice's True Form is one. A [[NightmareFuel nightmarish]] looking painting that you encounter in a dark room, it makes sounds and moves slightly when you look at it closely. Then, when you move away from it, you hear something fall to the ground and it makes the weird noise again, then you go back to find that there's nothing in the frame that had held it. Seems like you've got some company in that creepy dark room, right...? Nope. Instead of stalking you, Malice just disappears until you come out and find it laid out motionless on the floor. Even then it does nothing except lay there silently. A missed opportunity for a grade-A scare.]]

* RiddleForTheAges: [[ParanoiaFuel Just ''what'' is moving around inside that box that Mary refuses to let Ib look inside?]]

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: As one book discloses: "If your spirit suffers too much, you will soon start to hallucinate and in the end you will be destroyed. And more worrying yet is that [[ParanoiaFuel you will not even be conscious of that fact."]] [[spoiler:At first, it seems like it's Garry who's hallucinating because he sees {{Creepy Doll}}s instead of the cute bunnies that Ib and Mary apparently see. However, it turns out that they were dolls all along ([[CreepyChild which Mary actually thinks are cute for some reason]]), and it was just Ib who saw them as bunnies. If the bond with Garry is too low or you let him kick the mannequin, you'll see the giant creepy doll pop up in certain spots. Ib also sees other hallucinations like herself hanged, or illusions of Garry and Ib's mother appearing to try to convince her to stay behind and not jump into the painting back to the real world in some endings.]]

* ASaintNamedMary: Mary has [[InnocentBlueEyes shiny blue eyes]], [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold bright blonde hair]], and a CheerfulChild personality. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope However]], it's a facade. She's actually the BigBad.]]

* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: A common joke interpretation of Ib and Garry's relationship.

* UnfortunateNames: The I in Ib's name looks like a lower case "L" in some fonts; "lb" is a common symbol for [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCustomaryMeasurements pounds.]] Poor girl would be subject to a bazillion fat jokes in school...

* NotSoDifferent: If you meet Garry in Guertena's True Exhibit after completing the BonusDungeon, Garry comments that while a lot of the artworks tried to harm them, some of the artworks tried to help them instead, and he remarks that maybe humans and living artworks are very similar after all.

* OminousMusicBoxTune: The opening screen plays a rather [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-5OA-BQua8&feature=related Sad and wistful tune]] incorporating a music-box like melody. Mary's theme is also played on a music box.
* OminousSavePrompt: [[spoiler:Inverted, actually. If you're on a path to "Welcome to the World of Guertena" or "A Portrait's Demise" ending, after Garry fails the dolls room event, all the save books are closed]].

* BonusDungeon: In 1.04, getting an ending where [[spoiler:Ib escapes the gallery]] lets you explore a new area.

* OnlyOneName:
** Ib
** Garry
** Mary

* CreepyCircusMusic: Mary's {{Leitmotif}} is a sad-sounding waltz played on a music box, giving it this sound. One Website/YouTube user made [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz9bD_Dmqwc a remix]] that sounds [[UpToEleven even more]] like circus music.

* TheDollEpisode: After Garry is separated from Ib and Mary, the violet area pretty much becomes this. [[spoiler:The room that Ib had seen rabbits in, Garry saw a lot of dolls instead]]. A little doll takes a liking to Garry and follows him everywhere. A giant doll might appear behind bookcases and the like. Then Garry finds a room full of them. [[spoiler:They lock him up. And force him to look for the key. On a time limit. And do horrible things to his mind if he fails]].

** [[spoiler: When you check your inventory as Mary, the screen is much more crude, reflecting how the Sketchbook area looks. And when you reenter the gallery in "A Painting's Demise," after attempting to leave,]] DON'T CHECK YOUR INVENTORY!

** [[GoldenEnding Promise Of Reunion:]] Ib escapes with [[spoiler:Garry... but you have to kill Mary to do so (though by her own doing, as she antagonized Ib and Garry leaving without her.) At least they end up remembering each other once Garry checks the handkerchief Ib gave him.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: In a handful of ways, to 1998 VideoGame/RPGMaker 95 game ''VideoGame/{{Palette}}'' and to the VisualNovel ''VisualNovel/PhantomOfInferno''.

''Ib'' is a horror adventure game released by Kouri in February 2012, using VideoGame/RPGMaker 2000. It follows the experiences of a nine-year-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.

* MummiesAtTheDinnerTable: [[spoiler:Possibly in the "Welcome to the World of Guertena" ending. At the very least, Ib's rose looked awful wilted, and neither she nor Garry were moving or reacting at all as Mary had the whole gallery celebrating her having made two "friends".]]
** [[spoiler:One of the ladies is holding Garry's rose. [[FridgeHorror You know, the ones that like to play Loves Me, Loves Me Not...]]]]