Horror escape Psychological horror PS1 horror

Ib

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Escape an art gallery whose paintings have come alive.

Platforms: PC, Switch, PlayStation
Price: Paid
Rated: Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (99% of 5,346 reviews)
Length: about 2 to 3 hours for one ending; longer for all seven
Players: 1
Made by: kouri
Released: 2022

What frightens A young girl is left alone in an art gallery that turns into a world inside its paintings: headless mannequins and crawling women in frames chase her, walls write messages, and her life hangs on the petals of a rose.
Content: jumpscares, chase sequences, death of characters.

Ib is a pixel-art horror adventure about a young girl who visits an art gallery with her parents and finds herself alone in a world inside the artworks. You solve puzzles, find keys and run from living paintings and statues, guarding the rose that holds your life, toward one of seven endings.

About Ib

Ib was first released by the Japanese creator kouri as a free RPG Maker game in 2012 and became one of the best known of the Japanese indie horror adventures of that time, alongside The Witch's House and Mad Father. This remake, published by PLAYISM, came to Steam in 2022, to Nintendo Switch in 2023 and to PlayStation 4 and 5 in 2024, with redrawn graphics, new artwork and puzzles, new music and hint conversations with your companions.

You play Ib, a young girl visiting an exhibition of the work of the artist Guertena. When she turns around, the gallery is empty, the lights change and a painting drips onto the floor, and she steps into a world built out of his art. Each room is a puzzle: find a key, move a statue, read the messages that appear on the walls, choose the right painting. Some rooms are traps, and some of the art moves.

What frightens in Ib is quiet and strange more than loud. Headless mannequins stand still until you look away, women crawl out of their frames after you, and eyes open in the walls. Your health is a rose; every hurt costs a petal, and you can find water to restore it. Along the way you meet other lost visitors, and what you do with them shapes which of the seven endings you reach.

It is short enough for an evening and gentle in its controls, with only movement and one button, which makes it a good first horror game for players new to the genre and a fond return for those who knew the original.

How to play Ib

Walk Ib through the gallery and inspect paintings, notes and objects with the action button.
Read the messages on the walls; most rooms hide a puzzle or a trap.
Find keys and items to open the next part of the gallery, and run when an artwork starts to chase you.
Keep your rose healthy by putting it in water from the vases you find.
Make choices with the people you meet; they decide which of the seven endings you see.

Screenshots

Ib artwork: pixel-art paintings in frames on a grey gallery wall above a red rose in a vase, headless mannequin dresses, a dripping blue woman and other exhibits

Ib screenshot: Ib in her red skirt walks a dark blue gallery corridor between two glowing framed paintings

Ib screenshot: Ib in a dark red room with two small statues and a blue painting, while a lavender-haired companion asks whether they should move on

Ib screenshot: Ib in a green room lined with three small framed pictures beside a green door, her red rose shown in the corner

Tips

Check every painting's title plate; many hold the clue to a room's puzzle.
When something chases you, keep moving and look for a door to put between you and it.
Save often in separate slots so you can go back for other endings.

Questions

Is Ib a scary game?

It is creepy and tense rather than gory: living paintings, mannequins and chases, with a few jumpscares. Its simple controls and short length make it approachable for newer horror players.

How many endings does Ib have?

Seven, depending on your choices and what happens to the people you meet. Finishing unlocks an extra exhibit and an extra area.

What platforms is the Ib remake on?

PC through Steam, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 and 5.