History VideoGame / MarioTheMusicBox

** "[[GoldenEnding Better off Lost]]": [[spoiler:All of the journal entries are required to see this ending in the original, while in the remastered, you only need to pacify Anna's and Serina's souls, as getting all journal entries results a secret cutscene at the end of the game. Everything's the same as the "Puppet" ending route, but when Mario and Luigi exit the mine, Alice's spirit confronts them a final time and is instead pacified by Mario. Rather than imprison her, he reassures her that she's no longer subject to Riba's will, promises to never tell anyone else about what they found in the mansion, and smashes the music box to set her free. Alice finally fades away and Mario and Luigi return home in peace, Mario burning his journal entries on the mansion to keep his promise. In the remastered version, everything's the same, except Anna and Serina's souls aid Luigi in sealing Alice's soul inside the music box; instead of a rainy night, it's now sunrise by the time the brothers exit the mines, and a new scene shows them making their way back to the Mushroom Kingdom. A secret cutscene plays after the credits if all journal entries are collected, which shows Riba celebrating his freedom now that Alice's curse is gone. Layla appears and taunts Riba, prompting him to chase after her. Riba gleefully hunts Layla down, stating the gory ways he'll kill her, only for him to stumble into a trap. Layla led Riba to the forgotten town of Evangeline, where the spirits of Marchionne, Luciano, Misery and the other residents and people he hurt are waiting, ready to torment him.]]

* SuccessThroughInsanity: [[spoiler:If you pick the Insane route, Mario is far much tougher and durable; some traps or puzzles that normally net him a game over instantly in the Sane Route now instead prompts him to hold on till his last breath.]]

* SuccessThroughInsanity: [[spoiler:If you pick the Insane route, Mario is far much tougher and durable, that in way some traps or puzzles that normally nets him a game over instantly in the Sane route, now instead prompts him to hold on till his last breath.]]

* HundredPercentCompletion: [[spoiler:In the original, getting all of the journal entries and taking the "Puppet" ending route will instead give you the true ending. In the remastered version, getting all of the journal entries will instead give you a secret cutscene after the credits.]]
* AdventuresInComaland: [[spoiler:The true ending of ''ARC'', only achieved without saving once, reveals that the whole game was AllJustADream Mario had after getting into an accident while go-karting while being unconscious for a day]].

* ArtifactOfDoom: [[InterfaceSpoiler As spoiled by the website to download the game itself]], the titular music box is this, but not necessarily on its own. We don't find out why until much later in the game. [[spoiler:[[SealedEvilInACan It's what kept Alice sealed inside of it]] until Mario broke the seal by touching it. It becomes Mario's prison during the "Omitted Memory" ending route, and it seals Alice away for good ([[TakingYouWithMe and Mario whom she dragged with her]]) during the "Sealed" ending route. It apparently fails to seal Alice away during the "Puppet" ending route (which leads to Mario getting taken over) and the True Ending route "Better off Lost" (it's smashed by Mario to completely free Alice so that her pacified soul can finally pass on).]]
* BarbieDollAnatomy: During the test of Lust in ''ARC'', the Aurora apparitions are naked, but none of the naughty bits are drawn.
* BattleInTheRain: This gets mixed with RooftopConfrontation when [[TheHero Mario]] faces [[spoiler:[[BigBad Alice]]]] for the last time in the "[[spoiler:Omitted Memory]]" ending route. Somewhat enforced/justified in that Mario mentioned that it always rains in the area.
* BigBad: [[spoiler:Alice, Riba, Marchionne, and Len]] are the primary threats throughout the games, with each part of the series focusing on a specific one:

* CuriosityIsACrapshoot: A recurring theme that is hammered into the heads of Mario and the player. The entire mess he is in started because he opened the titular music box, unleashing the evil within.

* DarkerAndEdgier: '''By a lot''', since it's an ExplorerHorror game openly inspired by ''VideoGame/CorpseParty''. Outside of having a few Mario characters here and there, this game is nothing like the franchise. Disturbing visuals, evil spirits, lots of blood, gruesome and violent deaths, you name it.
* DarknessEqualsDeath: Most of the mansion is dark, and wandering around carelessly results in deaths.
* DeathTrap: The mansion is littered with them.

* HauntedHouse: The Aduraice Mansion, from where people are said to never return, serves as the main setting. It has a dark history and is cursed with spirits.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Several remixed variations of the song Ensei (Yuki Kajiura being the original composer) make appearances throughout the game as the main theme. The title screen itself even has three different remixes of the song.

* MultipleEndings: There's several ending routes that are available depending on where you go after Luigi joins your party. There are 4 new endings added in the remastered version, which can be obtained at certain other points in the game.[[note]] Ending titles that are written in ''italic text'' indicate an ending from the remastered version.[[/note]]
** ''"[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Coward]]"'': [[spoiler:After breaking into the mansion, Mario at first decides to look around for something to light his way. However, he has second thoughts and decides to just leave the mansion altogether and head home. Mario gets an ominous feeling about the place and decides for his sake that despite never knowing what events took place in the mansion, it's better he not find out what exactly.]]
*** ''"Cowardice"'': When Luigi is first playable, do exactly the same with the Coward ending to obtain this ending. [[spoiler:Luigi, feeling the mansion's negative energy decides to leave, assuming Mario already left, being unaware of the events transpiring in the mansion. The fate of Mario, Alice, Riba and the rest of the spirits remain unknown.]]
** "[[RetGone Omitted Memory]]": [[spoiler:The ending route you're locked into if you go to the second floor from the former nursery room after Luigi joins the party. Luigi and Mario ''do'' manage to defeat Alice, wiping her out from existence (In the remastered, Alice is detached from her curse, with her being reborn as a baby), but as a result, her curse is left to spread. Mario, in an effort to save the Mushroom Kingdom from Alice's curse, takes it within himself — resulting in his being completely erased from existence and from everyone's memories (except Luigi's, until Mario wipes his memory too). In the remastered version, a secret scene after the credits shows the fate of Mario and Alice. They're both in a new reality Mario created, separate from the main one. Mario has spent the last few years raising Alice as her father, having grown fond of her. Alice has grown from a baby to a young child. Unfortunately, Mario can't stay in this reality forever. He must return to the mansion, otherwise the world he's in will crumble. One night, while the two are stargazing, Mario says his final goodbyes to Alice, stating that he will watch over her as well. Alice, now all alone, strives to be a strong independent woman when she grows up, for her Appa Mario.]]
** "[[SerialKiller Missing]]": [[spoiler:Mario and Luigi decide to leave the house through the front entrance (which was gone after Mario first touched the music box). Unfortunately, Mario is possessed by Alice and kills Luigi, before heading out to engage in another killing spree and start the ritual she started long ago. A newspaper details Luigi's death and how Mario had gone missing (In the remastered, the newspaper is removed and is then replaced with Luigi reaching out for Mario as he walks back to the mansion).]] ''ARC'' starts after this ending and {{Retcon}}s some of its details.
** ''"[[AngstComa Comatose]]"'': [[spoiler:Layla tells Luigi that there's a door that leads to outside of the mansion and all he needs to do is to get rid of Rosa and Alfred in order to do so. After freeing Rosa's spirit and getting the holy water, Luigi obtains the first half of the key. Rather than using the holy water to dispel Alice's spirit from Mario's body and continue through the Omitted Memory ending, he instead erases Alfred's spirit and obtains the second piece of the key, which unlocks the door. The two are finally able to leave, but at a costly price. Due to not using the holy water on Mario, he remains in a comatose state, not being able to move. His eyes also remain a glowing green, since Alice is still inside of him. Luigi desperately tries to find any sign of Mario being alive and that his condition will get better, to no avail. Luigi contemplates killing Mario and putting him out of his misery, immediately begging Mario's lifeless body for forgiveness for those thoughts. Mario remains in comatose, and whether he is ultimately put down or spends the rest of his life paralyzed remains unknown.]]
** "[[SealedGoodInACan Sea]][[SealedEvilInACan led]]": [[spoiler:Mario and Luigi attempt to leave through the "Forest of Suicide" and continue into the mines. On this route, the player learns from Alice, Serina, and Riba the full truth of how Serina died, as well as the full story of how Riba was responsible for Alice's actions. Luigi ends up battling Alice and wins, but Alice takes Mario's soul with her as she's re-sealed. Luigi leaves the mansion and attempts to bring help, but he and Princess Peach's search party only find Mario's corpse in the mines.]]
** "[[DemonicPossession Puppet]]": [[spoiler:Mario and Luigi go through the forest as before, but before going deeper into the mines, they discover a note from Alice detailing her descent into evil, which was caused by a combination of Riba's influence and Alice's terminal illness. They use this knowledge to pacify Anna's vengeful spirit, and she encourages Mario and Luigi to not let Alice take Mario's body. The rest of the sequence from "Sealed", including Alice's defeat, happens as before, except that Alice doesn't take Mario's soul with her and the brothers head home. Late in the night, however, Luigi discovers that Alice was able to escape and possess Mario anyway. In the remastered version, the note doesn't exist and you just have to find Anna and talk to her. After the final battle, the music box seals both halves of Mario and Alice's souls, while the other halves remain in Mario's body, [[EmptyShell resulting Mario to feel empty]] and become susceptible to Alice's control. Luigi awakens, only for Alice to kill him in cold blood. Alice goes on to puppeteer Mario's body, beginning her plan to purge the world.]]
** ''"[[TheEndoftheWorldasWeKnowIt Tragedy]]"'': [[spoiler:Riba manipulates Mario into being used for the ritual, stating that if he gives up his body for Alice, Riba will protect Luigi from her wrath. Mario agrees to make the sacrifice to save his brother. Meanwhile, Layla tells Luigi about the ritual currently happening and Luigi rushes to stop it. Riba suggest Luigi leave, letting the ritual take its course. Rather than choosing to stay and face off against Malice when the ritual is completed, Luigi chooses the coward's way out and walk away. Luigi, questioning his decision, wanders the caverns. Eventually, he stumbles upon the exit and heads back to the Mushroom Kingdom to get extra help and begin a rescue mission to save Mario, but it's too late. He discovers the sky is red and the landscape is ravaged in fire. Layla mocks Luigi for his cowardice, stating that he had caused the end of the world. Alice, puppeteering Mario's body, successfully spread her curse and plunged the world into apocalypse. Luigi is left in tears, devastated on what his choice cost the world.]]
** "[[GoldenEnding Better off Lost]]": [[spoiler:All of the journal entries are required to see this ending in the original, while in the remastered, you only need to pacify Anna's and Serina's souls, as getting all journal entries results a secret cutscene at the end of the game. Everything's the same as the "Puppet" ending route, but when Mario and Luigi exit the mine, Alice's spirit confronts them a final time and is instead pacified by Mario. Rather than imprison her, he reassures her that she's no longer subject to Riba's will, promises to never tell anyone else about what they found in the mansion, and smashes the music box to set her free. Alice finally fades away and Mario and Luigi return home in peace, Mario burning his journal entries on the mansion to keep his promise. In the remastered version, everything's the same, except Anna and Serina's souls aid Luigi in sealing Alice's soul inside the music box; instead of a rainy night, it's now sunrise by the time the brothers exit the mines, and a new scene shows them making their way back to the Mushroom Kingdom. A secret cutscene plays after the credits if all journal entries are collected, which shows Riba celebrating his freedom now that Alice's curse is gone. Layla appears and taunts Riba, prompting him to chase after her. Riba gleefully hunts Layla down, stating the gory ways he'll kill her, only for him to stumble into a trap. Layla led Riba to the forgotten town of Evangeline, where the spirits of Marchionne, Luciano, Misery and the other residents and people he hurt are waiting, ready to torment him.]]
* NintendoHard: Before the SmashingSurvival was put in place, players used to have to press specific keys in a long string of them before time ran out. This method of survival is still available for players who want the challenge, though it was noted to be notoriously difficult.

* OminouslyOpenDoor: Downplayed in that ''whatever'' is behind any open door in the house you find (meaning any doors you find wide open) is dead. Such doors you ''can'' enter will both result in game overs.

* PaperThinDisguise: Invoked by Riba in the only "funny" death scene in the game. In the scene where Mario, who is possessed by Alice, chases Riba, there are multiple options for where to hide from Alice after the player locks the door. One of the selectable options is a lamp. The screen cuts to black with Riba confident that his hiding place will work. After Alice breaks down the door, she (along with the ''player,'' most likely) is struck silent by how obvious Riba's hiding place is:...standing out in the open with a lampshade on his head. She pretend searches for a while and then ''jokingly tries to turn the lamp on so she can see better.'' We are treated to this lovely exchange before the game over screen.
-->'''Alice:''' Oh where, oh where could he be? I can't see him anywhere. Hmm...let me turn on the light to see better.
-->'''Riba:''' Uhh...({{Beat}})...''click.''
-->'''Alice:''' Nice try, Riba.
* PermanentlyMissableContent: Certain areas will be blocked off for good after a certain point in the story, meaning you lose out on journal entries associated with the area or things you learn from them. This is especially frustrating because some rooms are not accessible all the time and the player may just forget about them by the time they ''are'' accessible. [[spoiler:This was problematic in the original because the player needs all journal entries to see the True Ending. If you saved at a certain point, then your only hope of getting the True Ending is to start all over from the beginning. In the remastered, this is no longer a problem for players, as the True Ending is now considered a Good Ending, as getting all entries will give you a secret cutscene instead.]]

* SuccessThroughInsanity: In the Mario: The Music Box ARC: [[spoiler:If you pick the Insane route, Mario is far much tougher and durable, that in way some traps or puzzles that normally nets him a game over instantly in the Sane route, now instead prompts him to hold on till his last breath.]]
* SequelHook: [[TheStinger The "No Save Ending" of the ''ARC'' Expansion]], which sets up the plot of a future installment, titled "Mario: The Pocket Watch."
%%* SchmuckBait: Some stuff in the house will very obviously kill you if you interact with them. (ZCE- give examples.)

* StoryBranchFavoritism: In ARC, while the Sane Route would seem like the moral choice, it is the Insane Route that contains the bulk of the content- it has more branching paths and endings, allows you to fight all the bosses, gives more insight into the backstory, has the Church serve as a proper [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon final area]], introduces [[spoiler:the real BigBad (Len)]], and is the route that both [=DLCs=] take place in.
* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: In ARC's Insane Route, in one of the tests of greed encountered in the [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Church]], there are two rooms with chests filled with healing items, most likely to help the player against the FinalBoss that soon follows. This example is unique for two reasons: first, you are actually ''required'' to collect all the healing items inside the bundle of chests to proceed; second, the player still has to traverse one more, somewhat lengthy test before they can fight the aforementioned final boss.
* TimedMission: This used to be how survival portions of the game were, and this constitutes about three game overs should you fail them.
* TrialAndErrorGameplay: Figuring out certain things to do, especially if the player is attempting to get [[spoiler:all the journal entries]], because of the frequency of rooms becoming accessible.

In 2016, a sequel, titled ''[[https://ari-games.com/arcspoilers.html (Mario) The Music Box -ARC-]]'', was released, which takes place during the "Missing" ending route of the original game. There, Mario continues his escape from the mansion, but finds out more about the history of the abandoned town it overlooks. When memories of his past begin to surface, Mario realizes that he may be more connected to the town and its history than he knew. Mario may choose to follow either the "Insane" or "Sane" path, depending on the first decision he makes. Both paths have a variety of endings depending on decisions made through the game. Later, the ''Wonderland'' DLC was released, serving as an extension to the original. A ''Remastered'' version of the original game was also released, with an addition of 4 new endings, and a final ARC DLC, ''Delirium'' is undergoing development.

*** Continuing to talk to Riba will have him reference ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', and even ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}''.

** "[[DemonicPossession Puppet]]": [[spoiler:Mario and Luigi go through the forest as before, but before going deeper into the mines, they discover a note from Alice detailing her descent into evil, which was caused by a combination of Riba's influence and Alice's terminal illness. They use this knowledge to pacify Anna's vengeful spirit, and she encourages Mario and Luigi to not let Alice take Mario's body. The rest of the sequence from "Sealed", including Alice's defeat, happens as before, except that Alice doesn't take Mario's soul with her and the brothers head home. Late in the night, however, Luigi discovers that Alice was able to escape and possess Mario anyway. In the remastered version, the music box seals both halves of Mario and Alice's souls, while the other halves remain in Mario's body, [[EmptyShell resulting Mario to feel empty]] and become susceptible to Alice's control. Luigi awakens, only for Alice to kill him in cold blood. Alice goes on to puppeteer Mario's body, beginning her plan to purge the world.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: '''By a lot''', since it's a horror game. Outside of having a few Mario characters here and there, this game is nothing like the franchise. Disturbing visuals, evil spirits, lots of blood, gruesome and violent deaths, you name it.

* HomoeroticSubtext: Between Mario and Riba, especially in the ''ARC'' Expansion, when it's revealed Mario is [[spoiler:the reincarnation of Marchionne, Riba's liege and ally. Riba recalls how orchestrating Marchionne's death was one of his biggest pleasures he ever felt. If Mario is kind to Riba, it results in the "Continueance" 3 and 4 endings, where Riba pulls a HeelFaceTurn and learns to care for Mario, becoming a true friend to him. Also, when Mario dies of an illness in the "Continueance 3" ending, Riba mourns him and comments how he came to care and love for Mario as much as he loved Elizabeth (his first wife.)...]]

* ArtEvolution: As the series goes on, the art evolves, starting with the maps and then the lighting, and this is also shown with the images, especially with ARC's Wonderland update, released in the summer of 2019. For example, the images show more details, like Mario and Luigi having bloodshot eyes and often discolored skin when they die, blood is more realistic and Mario's face graphics in the text boxes are updated in comparison to the old ones from the original 2015 game. A few of the male characters like Mario are also shown with visible eyelashes at times.

* PaperThinDisguise: Done by Riba in the only "funny" death scene in the game. In the scene where Mario, who is possessed by Alice, chases Riba, there are multiple options for where to hide from Alice after the player locks the door. One of the selectable options is a lamp. The screen cuts to black with Riba confident that his hiding place will work. After Alice breaks down the door, she (along with the ''player,'' most likely) is struck silent by how obvious Riba's hiding place is:...standing out in the open with a lampshade on his head. She pretend searches for a while and then ''jokingly tries to turn the lamp on so she can see better.'' We are treated to this lovely exchange before the game over screen.

** "[[GoldenEnding Better off Lost]]": [[spoiler:All of the journal entries are required to see this ending in the original, while in the remastered, you only need to pacify Anna's and Serina's souls, as getting all journal entries results a secret cutscene at the end of the game. Everything's the same as the "Puppet" ending route, but when Mario and Luigi exit the mine, Alice's spirit confronts them a final time and is instead pacified by Mario. Rather than imprison her, he reassures her that she's no longer subject to Riba's will, promises to never tell anyone else about what they found in the mansion, and smashes the music box to set her free. Alice finally fades away and Mario and Luigi return home in peace, Mario burning his journal entries on the mansion to keep his promise. In the remastered version, everything's the same, except Anna and Serina's souls aid Luigi in sealing Alice's soul inside the music box, and Alice appears to the Mario Bros. during their way home. A secret cutscene plays after the credits if all journal entries are collected. The cutscene shows Riba celebrating his freedom now that Alice's curse is gone. Layla appears and taunts Riba, prompting him to chase after her. Riba gleefully hunts Layla down, stating the gory ways he'll kill her, only for him to stumble into a trap. Layla led Riba to the forgotten town of Evangeline, where the spirits of Marchionne, Luciano, Misery and the other residents and people he hurt are waiting, ready to torment him.]]

---> '''Jeff''': [[SarcasmMode Oh yeah, Mario, the first thing you do, ''the first thing'' when you hear a creepy scream is to come ''out'' of hiding. We all know that.]]

* TheManyDeathsOfYou: There are ''forty-seven'' different ways to get a game over in the original game alone.

* ArtEvolution: As the series goes on, the art evolves, starting with the maps and then the lighting, and this is also shown with the images, especially with ARC's Wonderland update, released in the summer of 2019. For example, the images show more details, like Mario often having bloodshot eyes whenever he dies, blood is more realistic and Mario's face graphics in the text boxes are updated in comparison to the old ones from the original 2015 game. A few of the male characters like Mario are also shown with visible eyelashes at times.

* AdventuresInComaland: [[spoiler:The true ending of ''ARC'', only achieved without saving once, reveals that the whole game was AllJustADream Mario had after getting into an accident while go-karting]].

The colorful world of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'' is one where Mario and Co. venture off to engage in [[SugarBowl light-hearted and wacky]] shenanigans with friends [[GoKartingWithBowser and foes alike]]. ''[[DarkerAndEdgier This]]'' game, however, is none of those things mentioned above. This game is what happens when you take Mario out of the happy-go-lucky Mario Universe and throw him into a game the likes of ''VideoGame/CorpseParty'', ''VideoGame/TheCrookedMan'', ''VideoGame/MadFather'', ''VideoGame/{{Misao}}'', and ''VideoGame/TheWitchsHouse''.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/accept750x1333.jpg]]

''[[https://ari-games.com/games/mtmbchooser.html (Mario) The Music Box]]'' is a fangame created by Team Ari (led by CreatorCouple Jessica "[=CorpseSyndrome=]" Marcec and Chloe "[=ogniK=]" Marcec)[[invoked]], starring Mario as he ventures out to an abandoned home that's been close to the Mushroom Kingdom for over a century. People have gone inside it before, but none have returned. Princess Peach was also supposed to come along for the ride to investigate, but Mario left her behind for her own safety. Soon after making it inside, the plumber comes across a quaint little music box that was playing by itself. Little did he know, the "harmless" music box would trap him inside the house and set off a series of events that would serve to utterly break and terrify him every step of the way while also trying to get him killed. As a horror/puzzle/survival game, it tests the player in a way where one little thing could lead to a nasty, {{Gorn}}-filled GameOver.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/title_remastered.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see the previous title screen]]\\
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/titlescreennew.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Have some [[BringMeMyBrownPants brown overalls]] and some handkerchiefs on standby. You ''really'' might need them.]]

!!This game contains examples of the following:

!!'''This game contains examples of the following:'''