In the modern world, indie developers have gained a significant market share for computer games. While large companies are creating cutting-edge, ultra-realistic games, independent small firms or even individual programmers are trying to return to computer games that which is gradually disappearing, namely the soul. Therefore, indie games are often projects that do not differ in a realistic engine or detailed graphics, but at the same time have a very strong plot, well-developed characters and everything that makes computer games beautiful.
One of the brightest examples of a small but incredibly impressive computer game from an indie developer is the Ib project, the passage of which will be discussed in this article. This is a Japanese adventure game created in the genre of psychological horror. In “Ib”, passing is not particularly difficult for an experienced gamer, but the intimidating atmosphere can cause you some problems.
What kind of game is it?
In the game "Ib" the passage begins from the moment when your heroine, a nine-year-old girl Ib, is in the museum with her parents. She asks them for permission to walk around the museum on their own, but after some time the light turns off in the room, and all people go outside. The doors to the museum are closing, and Ib does not have time to leave after everyone. As a result, she finds herself in a dark museum completely alone. What can little Ib do?
The passage is a study of an isometric museum until the heroine is inside one of the paintings - in the painted world. There she meets two more heroes, Harry and Mary, who also turned out to be prisoners in the art world. And your task will be to solve various puzzles, battle with various enemies and confront otherworldly forces in order to find a way out into the real world and try to save new friends with you. How to do it? This is what will be discussed in this article.
Harry Doom
Ib is a game in which many of your decisions have an impact on how the passage ends. This means that there is not one, but several different endings, and they can be both good and bad. Naturally, you will want to get one of the good endings, but for this in the process of passing you will need to keep track of Harry's doom counter. If at least three points are typed in it, Harry will not be able to get out of the picture with you and die in a box with toys.
What affects the counter? Ib is a game in which even the smallest details can play a very important role. Therefore, you need to carefully listen to the dialogue of the characters and make unexpected decisions in order to achieve a good result.
The game is divided into zones, and in three of them you can perform actions that doom Harry to death. In the gray area you will find a room with a mirror, where the mannequin's head lies. In no case do not kick her, and also stop Harry, otherwise get a penalty point. In the purple zone, in the room with the cords, do not pull the rightmost cord, and when the doll bothers you, do not hit it, but take it to the side. As for the doll room, you definitely need to get out of it, because if you can’t do this, Harry’s doom counter will be replenished with two points at once. As for the brown zone, you need, firstly, to break all three heads of mannequins, when you are asked to break only one, and secondly, in a dialogue with Mary to say that you would leave with Harry together. For each action you will receive a penalty point. If you manage to cope, then at least Harry will not die. But this does not mean that you can save him from the picture.
Connection with Harry
As you already understood, “Ib” is a game in which each of your decisions may ultimately affect the ending. You have already learned how to get through the game so that Harry does not die in the toy room, but now you still need to get a good ending for Promise of Reunion, and for this you need to fill out the communication bar with Harry. To do this, you will need to score at least eight points in the same way as in the case of doom, performing certain actions during the passage. There are nine actions in all, and if you miss at least two, you won’t get a good ending with Harry.
In the gray zone, you will need to read the poster about the labyrinth room, not let Harry kick the mannequin’s head, as mentioned above, find Harry’s coat, and then talk to him at least seven times.
In the purple zone, you need to read the diary at the very beginning of the zone, look at the mosaic, and also say something when the lights turn off, and not keep silent.
There are also two actions in Sketchbook. Here you can either talk to Harry more than six times, say something, and not be silent when you fall into a toy box (the one where Harry might die).
If you fulfill all the conditions, you will get one of the good endings in Ib. The game offers more than one good and more than one bad ending, so you will have to go through it several times if you want to see all the options for completing this fascinating story.
Harry can't be saved
The endings of the game “Ib” can be bad, and they include those situations in which Harry dies. To get the saddest ending, you need to meet three conditions under which there will be no chance at all to save Harry. Firstly, when you play with a painted little man, you can look at the awesome picture with a gallows. Secondly, you can kick the mannequin’s head, and then you will see the words “Harry Hanged”. And thirdly, you need to not comply with the “conditions of doom” and score too many points on an appropriate scale. Then after entering the room with the dolls you can absolutely not save Harry from the game "Ib".
Mary's affection
What happens if you cannot save Harry? In this case, a lot depends on another character that the Ib game introduces you to - Mary. You also have a Mary affection scale that marks your relationship with this heroine. In short, with a low rate of attachment and death of Harry, you will get a bad ending A Painting's Demise. If the affection rate is high enough, that is, more than four points, then you will get a good ending Welcome to the World of Guertena.
How to get these points? As a matter of fact, the first two conditions repeat the conditions of the impossibility of saving Harry, but together they give only one point of affection. Secondly, when meeting with Harry and Mary, you first need to speak with Mary, and only then with Harry. You should also agree with Mary on the fact that the monster, nicknamed Red Eyes, is pretty sweet and you would like to hug him. When Mary asks you if you can manage normally without Harry, you must answer in the affirmative. All these actions can be done in the purple zone, and when you find yourself in the brown zone, you can earn two more points. First, during a conversation with Mary, you need to say that you would leave with her, and secondly, you need to talk to her seven or more times.
Ending with the death of Harry
So, you got all the necessary recommendations for passing the game to get all the main endings. However, there are several endings that literally depend on one of your actions, and it is with them that you have yet to become acquainted. The game "Ib" (V.1.5.0.), The passage of which will take you not so much time, will allow you to decide the fate of the characters. If Harry died during the passage, you can immediately go out into the real world, after which you will get the ending “Together forever”. If you return to the room with Harry’s body and take the lighter from him, you can get the “Forgotten Portrait” ending, in which you can burn the portrait of Mary, thereby avenging Harry’s death and taking away her chance to return to the real world.
“Ib Alone”
There is one ending that will allow you to escape alone, but at the same time it has two versions. You can leave with a fake Harry to get a basic ending, or you can go to bed in an additional location when there is no Harry next to you who would not let you fall asleep.
Endings when harry survives
If Harry survives, then the ending will depend on the strength of your connection with him. If it is too weak, then you, in the real world, will not be able to give him a handkerchief, he will not remember Ib, and you will get the ending of the "Dungeon of Memory", in which Ib will remember Harry, but Harry will not. If your connection was strong enough, then you can give Harry a handkerchief, he will remember Ib, and you will get the best ending.