Grim Tales is a series of Hidden Object games made by Elephant Games. It stars Anna Gray, a time-traveling detective, as she solves mysteries involving her family. It's also one of the three game series whose characters appear in the Crisis Crossover series Detectives United.
Not to be confused with Grim Tales from Down Below.
open/close all folders
Games in the series
The series consists of:
- The Bride
- The Legacy
- The Wishes
- The Stone Queen
- Bloody Mary
- The Vengeance
- Color of Fright
- The Final Suspect
- Threads of Destiny
- The Heir
- Crimson Hollow
- Graywitch
- The White Lady
- The Time Traveler
- The Hunger
- The Nomad
- Guest from the Future
- The Generous Gift
- Heritage
- Trace in Time
- Echo of the Past
- Horizon of Wishes
- Dual Disposition
- All Shades of Black
- Light in the Darkness (currently in beta)
Tropes for the entire series
- Alliterative Family: The main character is Anna, whose mother was Anastasia; Anna names her own daughter Alice. It's eventually revealed that her mother also had a sister named Alexandra.
- Always Identical Twins:
- Played with regarding Anna and her twin sister Luisa. When they were younger, they were definitely identical. However, in the games which take place late in the series, photographs show that Anna and Luisa no longer look very much alike, which is at least partly because of the ritual performed in The Heir.
- Played straight withAnna and Luisa's elder half-sisters, Evelyn and Dorothy, their father's daughters from his first marriage.
- Played straight with Mike and Jack, August Nash's sons.
- Averted with Jared and Jackie, the twin children of Luisa's brother-in-law Alexander, who are fraternal (and don't even qualify for Half-Identical Twins). However, for most of the first two decades of their lives, the family believes Jared died at birth.
- Ambiguous Time Period: None of the games have any specific dates to them. They seem to be set during the early 21st century (and this is also true of Detectives United), but exactly when is unclear. Averted with some of the time traveling, however, as it's sometimes indicated at least approximately when in the past some scenes take place; for example, in Horizon of Wishes, Anna explicitly travels to feudal-era Korea.
- Call-Back: Most of the later games in the series contain references to at least one previous game in the series. The games which were released after the Detectives United series debuted also frequently include some minor reference to events in those games, such as Anna locating a newspaper with a headline about a case they solved.
- The Clan: The Grays qualify, given how many there are and how many branches have splintered.
- Dead Person Conversation: Anna has one of these any time she interacts with the ghosts of her father Richard or, in later installments, her mother Anastasia.
- Happily Married: Anna and Luisa are happily married to Dorian and John, respectively. It's indicated that Richard and Anastasia were also this when Anastasia was alive.
- Honorary Aunt: Anna only has one nephew, Brandon, the son of her sister Luisa. But several members of the extended family, including those related to Luisa by marriage, nevertheless refer to her as being their aunt, suggesting that she's this to them.
- Inconsistent Spelling:
- Anna's twin sister's names have ranged from Luisa to Louisa to Louise.
- Natalia is the wife of Luisa's husband John's brother Alexander, and her name has been spelled as Natalya and Natalie.
- No Name Given:
- Until the eighth game, Anna's name wasn't officially given, and she was simply known as Miss Gray or Aunt Gray.
- The names of Anna and Luisa's elder twin half-sisters are never given; they are only ever identified as "the twins".
- Richard's first wife, the mother of "the twins," goes unnamed all the way until the 25th installment, which reveals that her name was Agatha.
- Older Than They Look: After The Heir, Anna Gray regains her youth and (possibly) gains immortality thanks to her father's actions.
- Sesquipedalian Smith: Although Anna Gray averts the trope herself, many of the names on her family tree qualify for it. This includes her mother, Anastasia Gray; her great-grandfather, Alister Gray; and her husband, Dorian Gray. Dorian gets bonus points for originally having been Dorian Black, meaning he fit the trope twice. (He took his wife's name when they married.)
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Anna often uses time travel to change the past for the better.
- Shared Universe: These games exist in the same universe as several other Elephant Games properties, including Mystery Trackers, Haunted Hotel, Detectives United, and Paranormal Files. They also are revealed to exist in the same universe as the Mystery Case Files, owing to the fact that Richard Gray once studied at a black magic school run by Alister Dalimar. (Elephant Games was the developer for two of the MCF games.)
- Stable Time Loop: Completely averted. Anna changes the past in at least one way (usually multiple ways) in every installment, thereby averting present-day tragedies.
- Tangled Family Tree: The Grays are impossible to accurately chart. For one thing, Anna's sister Luisa married John Gray — yes, that was his name before they got married, and no, he's not related to his wife except by marriage. Roughly half of the Grays whom Anna assists in the games are actually related to him, and not to her. Additionally, John's extended family includes the McGray, Maxwell, and Nash branches, although beyond the term 'cousin' (which is largely ambiguous) it's not clarified exactly how they're related.
- Time Travel: Anna Gray's main talent is her ability to time travel mostly to the past by using objects, mostly photographs, as a focus. Her daughter, Alice, inherits the ability to time travel without needing objects to focus, but she can't change the past; she can, however, bring other people with her into the past or future and can also send other people through time. Some members of the extended family have similar abilities as well, though the scope and limitations of their powers have not been specified.
- Time Stands Still: When Anna travels into the past with her powers, everything seems to be frozen in time with some exceptions here and there.
- Western Zodiac: It's mentioned that Anna's birthday is August 29th, which makes her a Virgo. She embodies some of the traits associated with that sign, such as being intelligent, logical, organized, and attentive to detail.
The Bride
- Celestial Deadline: In the bonus chapter, if Anna doesn't return the souls of the Taylor family back into their bodies by dusk, five demons will possess their soulless bodies and become unstoppable.
- Character Title: The bride in question is the player character's twin sister.
- Damsel in Distress: It is eventually revealed that Luisa is still alive, but she's being held captive by the "demon," who is really Anna and Luisa's father.
- Deal with the Devil: Anna makes a deal with the "demon" to travel through Luisa's memories to find out what happened to Luisa. If she fails, her soul belongs to the "demon."
- Demonic Possession: What would have been the Taylor family's fate in the bonus chapter if Anna didn't return their souls to their bodies as the demons were planning to possess their empty bodies when dusk falls.
- Disappeared Dad: Anna's and Luisa's father disappeared soon after their mother's death. It is later revealed that their father is the antagonist of the main game.
- Disney Villain Death: Anna's father falls to his death when the ground he was standing on collapses.
- Empty Shell: The Taylor family ended up being like after their souls were stolen and sealed into mysterious jars.
- Human Sacrifice: Anna and Luisa's father intends to sacrifice them to gain power. He had already sacrificed their half-sisters years before they were born, for the same purpose.
- Love at First Sight: Luisa told Anna such was the case between her and John.
- Missing Mom: Anna's and Luisa's mother died several years before the events of the game.
- Offing the Offspring: The "demon" is later revealed to be Anna's and Luisa's father, who was planning to sacrifice them to gain more power when they came of age. Their older half-sisters were sacrificed for the same thing.
- Please, Don't Leave Me: Luisa begged Anna not to leave her soon after their mother's death and their father's disappearance, but Anna chose to leave Luisa with their nanny while she went to boarding school, saying she had no choice in the matter.
- Red Herring: While traversing Luisa's memories, Anna begins to think that John was an abusive jerk to Luisa and suspects that he might be involved in Luisa's death. It is later revealed to be the "demon" trying to manipulate her to think so.
- Soul Jar: The bonus chapter has the Taylor family's souls being sealed into mysterious jars.
- Treehouse of Fun: Anna and Luisa had a treehouse in which they often played; Anna revisits it through Luisa's memories.
- Would Hurt a Child: Anna's and Luisa's father sacrificed their half-sisters for power years earlier and tried to do the same to them. The demons in the bonus chapter were also willing to suck out the soul of the Taylors' son so his body could be used as a vessel for them.
The Legacy
- Babies Ever After: Luisa and John now have a son, Brandon. It's his christening which kicks off the plot, as Anna goes to their family home for the event and finds things are very wrong.
- Barred from the Afterlife: Seen in the bonus chapter. Thanks to Isabel cursing a portrait of Caine, he couldn't rest in peace.
- Big Fancy Castle: John, for some reason, has a castle in which he, Luisa, and Brandon are currently living.
- Broken Bridge: The wolves broke the bridge leading across the moat into the front of the castle, forcing Anna to find another way to get across.
- Frame-Up: In the bonus chapter, a famous artist was framed for an arson attack on the city's storage. This would lead him to be eventually thrown in jail and eventually die, with the artist's daughter, Isabel, deciding to curse Lord Caine in revenge.
- Hereditary Curse: John inherited a curse from his grandfather to become a mindless wolf. Years earlier, his grandfather had been bitten by a wolf that was infected.
- Late to the Tragedy: When Anna arrives at John's and Luisa's castle, it is devoid of human life with wolves stalking its hallways, which are later revealed to be a transformed John and Luisa.
- Locked Up and Left Behind: When it was realized that no one could help Caine and he was losing his humanity, he was locked in a dungeon and left to die.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: Lord Caine got bitten by an infected wolf that caused him and his descendants to transform into wolves, with John also infecting Luisa and Brandon.
- Savage Wolves: Wolves stalk Anna throughout her time in the castle. It is eventually revealed that these are actually John and Luisa, who have transformed into wolves thanks to a curse.
The Wishes
- Animate Inanimate Object: Brandon's puppet comes to life thanks to the power of the old lady. The puppet becomes a constant companion to Anna throughout the game.
- Artistic License – Biology: It's explained that John is missing after an attack by a rabid polar bear. While it's technically possible for a polar bear to contract rabies (most mammals can), it's extremely unlikely for such a thing to happen
; rabid animals are rare in the Arctic Circle and, moreover, would have a difficult time attacking a polar bear to give it rabies in the first place. - Bears Are Bad News: A rabid polar bear attacked John while he was in Siberia and knocked him off a cliff.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Subverted. It is not the wish itself which presents the danger, but rather the price for the wish to be granted. Every wish that Brandon makes drains his lifeforce.
- Damsel in Distress: Luisa gets captured by Volos and trapped in a snow globe. In the bonus chapter, Luisa and her family are trapped in their house by Volos after he turns the area into a swamp.
- Deal with the Devil: Brandon unknowingly made one with Volos with every wish that he made; Volos will grant the wish in exchange for Brandon's lifeforce.
- Demonic Possession: What Volos tries to do to Brandon.
- Missing Dad: John went missing in Siberia before the start of the story, and one of Brandon's wishes is to bring him home safe and sound.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Luisa accidentally knocks over one of the totems protecting her son from the demon, thus allowing Brandon to be possessed.
- The Order: A special order used to exist in the area where the Gray property is who use the power of the Atlases to destroy demons.
- Swamps Are Evil: Volos is a swamp demon who is the master of the swamp near the Grays' property.
- Treehouse of Fun: There is a treehouse on the Gray property where Brandon sometimes plays.
- Undying Loyalty: The puppet towards Brandon.
- Weakened by the Light: Volos, the swamp demon, doesn't like light.
- Would Hurt a Child: Volos is willing to take advantage of Brandon and prey on his innocence to get what he wants.
The Stone Queen
- And I Must Scream: The victims of the titular Stone Queen's petrification are shown to be still conscious, and some are still able to move their eyes.
- Antagonist Title: The Stone Queen is an adversary for part of the game.
- Anti-Villain: The Stone Queen is technically the Big Bad, in the sense that she's the one who turned all the people to stone, but she's not actually evil.
- Asshole Victim: Nobody has much sympathy for what happened to Mayor Sheldon after what he did to Stoneville and the Stone Kingdom.
- Classical Elements Ensemble: The petals of the Flower of Life become creatures of the four elements (fire, water, earth, wind) when separated from their stem.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Rather than using his scientific knowledge to help others, Mayor Sheldon uses his knowledge to gather wealth and power regardless of what happens to others around him.
- Damsel in Distress: In the bonus chapter, the Stone Queen gets kidnapped and imprisoned by her possessed brother.
- Death by Despair: It is revealed in the bonus chapter that after her son attacked his father and was sealed away, Queen Harmony couldn't handle the betrayal and she eventually died from her grief.
- Demonic Possession: The Stone Queen's brother was possessed by Orokh, the demon of anger and envy, after coming in contact with its stone prison.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Mayor Sheldon was the one who actually shot Brandon. In revenge, the Stone Queen turned everyone in Stoneville into stone, despite the fact that most of the townspeople disapproved of his actions. The only one she spared was the previous mayor.
- Hidden Elf Village: The Stone Kingdom exists deep within the mine near Stoneville.
- I Owe You My Life: After Anna releases the little goblin from the cell outside the Stone Queen's castle, he becomes her "humble servant" and can be employed to take on certain tasks.
- Literally Shattered Lives: Mayor Sheldon's final fate after being turned to stone and falling into the ocean, shattering when his petrified body hits the rocks.
- Love at First Sight: This is what happened between the Stone Queen and Brandon.
- Mayor Pain: Mayor Sheldon, who is the true antagonist of the main game.
- Missing Dad: The Stone Queen's father decides to abdicate the throne to the Stone Queen and go to the surface to live the rest of his life as an ordinary man.
- Missing Mom: The Stone Queen's mother died before the story started from heartbreak over what happened with her son.
- Rapid Aging: The Stone Queen experiences this when the Flower of Life is removed. Only when the Flower of Life is restored does she revert back to normal.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After Brandon is shot and near death, the titular Stone Queen appears and starts turning the inhabitants of Stoneville into stone for what happened to him.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: The Stone Queen personally goes and petrifies each of her victims.
- Taken for Granite: The Stone Queen turned the inhabitants of Stoneville into stone in revenge for what happened to Brandon. Anna can only save them by finding special flowers.
- You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good!: Despite being a very competent scientist, Mayor Sheldon uses his expertise to gain wealth and power instead of using it to help others.
Bloody Mary
- Adults Are Useless: Somewhat averted by the headmaster, who managed to figure out what was going on and tried to stop Bloody Mary; unfortunately, he was killed by one of the possessed children before he could act.
- Antagonist Title: Albeit one who deserves some Sympathy for the Devil.
- Barred from the Afterlife: Mary pleads with Anna in the bonus chapter to help her move on to the afterlife. It is only when Anna restores the tree that symbolized Mary and Richard's love that Mary can finally move on and be reunited with her husband.
- Boarding School: The main setting of the game and also the bonus chapter.
- Creepy Child: The children act very creepily and display strange powers.
- Demonic Possession: The children are possessed by demons, and Anna needs to expel the demons in order to save the children. It is later revealed that Jackie had been possessed by Bloody Mary's spirit the whole time also.
- Eldritch Location: The world beyond the mirrors is twisted and disturbing.
- Happily Married: Mary and Richard were this in life.
- Insistent Terminology: Jackie addresses Anna as "auntie." However, Jackie isn't related to Anna at all, except distantly by marriage; Anna's sister Luisa is married to John, whose brother Alexander is Jackie's father. As noted above, it's most likely a case of Honorary Aunt.
- Karma Houdini: There is no indication that Richard's mother ever got her comeuppance for killing her son and ruining Mary's life.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: To the extreme. Richard's mother hated Mary for being a commoner and thought that Mary bewitched her son to marry him. She went as far as trying to kill Mary, but ended up killing Richard instead. After his death, she spread nasty rumors about Mary, causing Mary to become a pariah in the community.
- Offing the Offspring: Purely by accident; Richard's mother intended to kill Mary by poisoning the tea, but Richard drank the poisoned tea and died instead.
- One-Steve Limit: Mary's husband in this game is named Richard, just like Anna's father.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Richard's mother ended up outliving her son Richard who she accidentally killed. According to the the info unlocked when you collect the collectibles, Mary also outlived her children.
- Together in Death: After Anna restores the tree that symbolizes their love, Mary and Richard are finally reunited.
- Uptown Girl: Gender flipped. Mary was just a farm girl before she married Richard, who was from a wealthy family.
- Weakened by the Light: One of the methods to defeat the demons and eventually defeat Mary's spirit is using light.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Mary was originally a kind and shy young woman who was happily married to her husband Richard. Unfortunately because of her commoner background, her mother-in-law hated her and thought Mary bewitched Richard to get him to fall in love with her and marry her. Her mother-in-law tried to kill her by poisoning her but the poison ended up killing Richard instead. Then her mother-in-law spread nasty rumors about her, causing Mary to be belittled and scorned by everyone around her, leaving her alone and bitter. Finding a spell book, she used it to get revenge and became the Bloody Mary we see today.
- Would Hurt a Child: Bloody Mary and her minions aren't afraid to use the children to cause havoc to the school without regard for their safety.
The Vengeance
- Artifact of Doom: The mysterious good luck charm in the bonus chapter. While it brings amazingly good luck to its owners, the owners will always lose it and experience extremely bad luck soon after, often leading to their death.
- Bastard Bastard: Edward Maxwell, the main antagonist of the story, was the illegitimate son of Charles Maxwell; he not only tried in life to kill his cousin/brother-figure so the Maxwell branch could prosper, but his ghost also tries to frame James for the death of James's sister, Elizabeth.
- Childhood Friends: Catherine has been friends with Elizabeth and James since they were children, and they were delighted to discover that they were related.
- Clear My Name: James is accused of murdering his sister, Elizabeth, for her inheritance, and it's up to Anna to clear his name and discover the truth.
- Frame-Up: It is eventually revealed that Edward had framed James for the murder of James's sister Elizabeth in revenge for being banished by his family.
- Precious Puppy: Elizabeth owns one.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: The judge presiding over James's trial is open-minded enough to allow Anna to involve herself in the situation, and although he's skeptical about what she tells him regarding the facts of the case, he does accept it. If nothing else, he recognizes that he can't very well charge James with Elizabeth's murder when Elizabeth is alive.
Color of Fright
- Big Fancy Castle: The main story is set in the castle that John and Luisa own.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Thomas drags Elizabeth, James, and Jackie into his revenge simply because they're members of the family. This is despite the fact that none of them had even been born yet when Thomas was sent to the mental institution; even if they had been, they certainly would not have been responsible for his going there.
- Eldritch Location: The worlds created by Thomas's paintings are creepy and messed up.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Platonic version. Thomas was very jealous that his sister Luisa was spending more time with John than him, which led him to isolate himself and create disturbing paintings.
- Happily Adopted: Zig-zagged. Thomas was well loved by the Gray family, who adopted him, but the happiness was destroyed when he had to be institutionalized, and he never forgave them.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Thomas is a terror to his sisters and Luisa's extended family, and they don't deserve what he does to them in the course of the game; however, he likewise did not deserve to be forgotten in an institution and never visited. The bonus chapter ends with both of his sisters putting in a greater effort to keep him in their lives.
- Long-Lost Uncle Aesop: Anna and Luisa's brother Thomas was never mentioned in any of the games before this one, nor has he been mentioned in any of the games released since then. He appears this one time, apparently to give readers the moral that they shouldn't abandon loved ones just because they've been hospitalized.
- Portal Picture: Each of Thomas's paintings is a portal to a twisted world he created based on his victims' fears.
- Precious Puppy: Elizabeth brings hers to the reunion; part of the first cinematic after the game starts shows Jackie lying on the floor cuddling with the dog.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: For having put him in a mental institution and then kind of forgetting about him, Thomas decides to punish the Grays by throwing them into paintings that have worlds within them based on their greatest fears.
- Un-person: The rest of the series basically does this to Thomas — not only does he never appear in the games again, but he's never even mentioned.
- Would Hurt a Child: Thomas is willing to endanger Jackie, who is still a teenager.
- The X of Y
The Final Suspect
- Death of a Child: In the original timeline, Sophie was killed by the witch.
- Demonic Possession: Whoever possesses the villain's amulet will be slowly possessed by him.
- Make Wrong What Once Went Right: The main villain was hoping to possess Anna Gray to use her abilities to go back in time to prevent his death and kill his archenemy, William Light.
- Soul Jar: The main villain uses an amulet to contain his soul to possess his victims.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: In the beginning, Anna wakes up in the hospital after being attacked by Howard with no memory of what happened. Traveling into the past eventually helps her to remember.
- Wicked Stepmother: Subverted. In the bonus chapter, the legends portray Sophie's stepmother as a wicked woman who sent Sophie into the woods to gather snow lilies in the middle of winter without regard for her stepdaughter's safety; Sophie would eventually be captured by a witch and eventually perish by the witch's hand. In reality, though, the stepmother was cursed by the same witch to die if she didn't receive those snow lilies, and Sophie went into those woods of her own free will to gather them to save her stepmother. When Sophie returns safely thanks to Anna's intervention, it is shown that she and her Good Stepmother care for each other deeply.
- Worthy Opponent: The main villain saw William Light as a worthy opponent, as he was impressed by William's persistence.
- Would Hurt a Child: The witch in the bonus chapter.
Threads of Destiny
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The company knew there were flaws with the plane that crashed, but they still sold it to the airline. After witnessing the accident, Alexander dedicated part of his time to exposing them and taking them down.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Anna basically says screw it to Atropos, a goddess of fate, for trying to tell her that she can't save Natalia and Alexander, and refuses to back down.
- Disappeared Dad and Missing Mom: Alexander and Natalia, Jackie's parents, were killed by Greg Duffy in the original timeline and later killed by a house fire in the first revised timeline.
- Eldritch Location: For her interference, Atropos decides to put Anna through several trials in the bonus chapter based on the three disasters she helped prevent, with each dimension being just as twisted as the last.
- House Fire: What killed Natalia and Alexander in the first revised timeline.
- Nephewism: It is revealed that Jackie was taken in by John, her father's brother, and Luisa.
- Screw Destiny: Anna travels through time in attempt to save Alexander and Natalia from their deaths which she would succeed to do in the main chapter.
- Serial Killer: Greg Duffy, the Roadside Killer, was a serial killer active many years ago and was responsible for Alexander and Natalia's deaths in the original timeline.
- The X of Y
- You Can't Fight Fate: That is what Atropos is trying to tell Anna as Anna tries to save Natalia and Alexander, telling her that they were supposed to die on that plane and all she was doing was to push back their deaths for another year every time she prevents their deaths. When Anna stops the plane from crashing altogether, they are finally allowed to live.
The Heir
- Amicable Exes: Even though they're no longer a couple, the Stone Queen and Brandon still keep in touch, with the Stone Queen telling Brandon that she will help him if he asks.
- The Atoner: Richard returns in this game, for the first time since The Bride, and seems to be this to judge by the way he helps Anna.
- Babies Ever After: It is revealed in this game that Brandon is now married and has a son of his own.
- Big Fancy Castle: The setting of the game and bonus chapter.
- Character Title: The 'heir' in question is actually Anna herself, in the sense that she's the heir to her father's powers.
- Clear My Name: A variant. Anna goes into the future, where she learns that if she doesn't figure out what's happened to Elena and Billy, Brandon will be convicted and sentenced to death for poisoning his wife. She has to clear his name before he's actually accused of a crime.
- Continuity Cameo: The puppet that helped Anna during the third game appears in Brandon's study when Anna travels to the past.
- Deep Sleep: Elena mysteriously fell unconscious one day and nobody can wake her up, nor can the doctors figure out what is wrong with her.
- Go into the Light: Anna is able to help her elder twin half-sisters do this by severing their connection to the mortal realm.
- Offing the Offspring: It turns out that the Big Bad of this game is Anna's grandfather, Samuel Gray, who wants to use Billy (his great-great-grandson) in a ritual to regain his power.
- Offscreen Breakup: While the end of the fourth game has the Stone Queen and Brandon happily together, by this game they have long since broken up and Brandon has moved on with Elena. The Stone Queen explains in a letter that they live in different worlds with different responsibilities and it would have made their relationship too difficult, but they still keep in touch and remain friends.
- Second Love: Elena to Brandon.
- Self-Made Orphan: Richard killed his father in the past, and in this game helps Anna to defeat his ghost.
Crimson Hollow
- Boarding School: Rosette runs a boarding school and Stacy is one of her students.
- Creepy Changing Painting: When you look at portraits of the Black Family on the collectibles screen, they change from a normal portrait to a gruesome illustration of the subjects' fate and back again.
- Damsel in Distress/Distressed Dude: Anna and Dorian both get kidnapped by the villain of the bonus chapter.
- Death of Personality: The Darkwoods are famous for brainwashing their victims and controlling them. Rosette refined the method so that it will completely destroy her victim's personality, leaving them empty shells that can be easy to manipulate.
- Disappeared Dad: Stacy's father disappeared when she was incredibly young and she had no memories of him, with her commenting the only thing she got from him is his last name. It is later revealed that he was kidnapped by Rosette and brainwashed into her puppet.
- Empty Shell: Rosette's victims, after she uses her special techniques to destroy their personalities to make them more easily manipulated.
- Human Sacrifice: Rosette was planning to sacrifice Stacy to resurrect her ancestor; when that doesn't work out, she uses herself as a sacrifice instead.
- Killing in Self-Defense: All the girls that went to Dorian's mansion and disappeared there tried to murder him, forcing Dorian to kill all of them in order to defend himself.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: The main antagonist of the bonus chapter is revealed to be Stacy's missing father, Alex Gray, who was twisted by Rosette's experiments.
- Missing Mom: Stacy's mother was murdered when she was young.
- The Place: Crimson Hollow is the name of the house where most of the game takes place.
- Really 700 Years Old: Dorian is revealed to be at least 100 years old, but looks like he's in his twenties.
- Red Herring: As many missing girls were last seen at Dorian's mansion and his fiancée disappeared years ago, Anna suspects that Dorian was involved in their disappearances and possible deaths. While she's not entirely wrong, it is revealed that all those women were trying to kill him, and he only killed them in self-defense.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Yes, Dorian killed all the girls (except Stacy) that disappeared into his mansion, but that was because they all tried to kill him. He was forced to kill them in self-defense, not out of some malicious intent.
- Serial Romeo: Dorian wants to find true love and went through at least four possible brides before Stacy came into the picture. Unfortunately, he was forced to kill them all in self-defense after they tried to kill him.
- Soul Jar: Dorian uses a painting to hold his soul to gain immortality. Unfortunately, that means if anything happens to it, it will affect Dorian — as we see when Rosette Darkwood sets the painting on fire. He likely would have died if Anna didn't restore the painting in time.
- Suicide Attack: One of Rosette's minions blew itself up in an attempt to take Dorian and Anna with it.
- Wedding Finale: The bonus chapter, set an indeterminate amount of time after the main game, ends with Anna and Dorian getting married.
Graywitch
- Damsel in Distress: Stacy accidentally went back in time, and was captured by guards and thrown in jail because they thought she was a witch. Anna has to follow her back into the past to rescue her.
- Enemy Mine: The demon whom Victor summons to help him in the bonus chapter explains that even other demons don't want the Unspeakable One to be revived, which is why it agrees to help him.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Abigail was in love with Victor and was furious when he chose Emily, her sister, so she pushed Emily off a cliff to her death.
- Immortality Immorality: Abigail, in the bonus chapter, intended to sacrifice the townspeople in order to gain eternal youth and beauty.
- The Place: Graywitch is the village where the game is set.
- Sibling Murder: Abigail, Emily's sister, killed Emily by pushing her off the cliff.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Emily strongly resembles her distant relative, Stacy.
The White Lady
- Boarding School: The setting of the main story and the bonus chapter.
- Character Title: The character in question is a ghost haunting the school. She's not evil, however.
- Continuity Cameo: Richard's first set of twins, Anna's elder half-sisters, and their mother are seen briefly at the end of the bonus chapter.
- Death of a Child: Gabriel sacrifices his and Laura's children to his machine to gain immortality through Anna managed to prevent the tragedy in the end.
- Human Sacrifice: Gabriel sacrificed his own children to power a machine to gain immortality.
- Immortality Immorality: Gabriel sacrificed his own children to power a machine to gain immortality.
- Irony: In the bonus chapter, it was shown that in the past, Richard was against using dark magic; needless to say, this didn't last.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: In exchange for Alessia being revived, Richard loses his memories of his time at Evermoore and much of his past.
- Love Is a Weakness: In the bonus chapter, Gabriel views love as a weakness and sees Richard falling for Alessia as him becoming distracted and weak.
- Mama Bear: Laura threatened to stab Gabriel if he tries to sacrifice their children, though this didn't stop him from sacrificing them in the end.
- Offing the Offspring: Gabriel sacrifices his and Laura's children to gain immortality.
- Shared Universe: The school which Richard attends in the bonus chapter was co-founded by Alister Dalimar, one of the major antagonists of the Mystery Case Files series of games. (Elephant produced two of the games in the MCF series.)
- Start of Darkness: The bonus chapter shows Richard's time at Evermoore, where the events started fueling his desire for dark magic.
- Time Skip: The end of the bonus chapter is explicitly stated to take place ten years after Richard performs the ritual to save Alessia.
- Unseen No More: At the end of the bonus chapter, the player gets their first and (thus far) only look at Richard's first wife, albeit briefly and only from behind, as she sits outside with their daughters.
- Would Hurt a Child: Gabriel sacrificed his own children to gain immortality and plans to use Billy and Sarah for some nefarious purpose.
The Time Traveler
- Babies Ever After:
- It is revealed in some photographs that Elizabeth has two sons, and James has two daughters, though their spouses remain unseen and unidentified.
- It is revealed in the bonus chapter that August has become a father of twin boys who are the focus of the chapter, though his spouse also remains unseen and unidentified.
- Character Title: The title refers to another member of the family who can travel in time much like Anna.
- Evil Mentor: Ralph became a mentor to August and manipulated August into believing that the McGrays were the ones responsible for the loss of his family so Ralph's brother, Edward, can be avenged.
- Late to the Tragedy: Anna arrives at the McGrays' home for their annual barbeque to find Elizabeth and James dead.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: August was manipulated to believe that the McGrays were the were the ones who killed his parents and grandfather, thus he vowed revenge on all of them.
- Unexplained Recovery: Rosette appears in the bonus chapter after kidnapping Michael three years in the past to lure Anna into a trap. It is unknown how she is still alive after what happened in Crimson Hollow.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: August was a kind boy who lost his entire family and was manipulated by Ralph to get revenge on those who supposedly caused it.
- You Killed My Father: August believes the McGrays are to blame for the deaths of his parents and grandfather.
The Hunger
- Damsel in Distress: Natalia gets kidnapped in the bonus chapter.
- Frame-Up: Martin, the villain of the main game, tries to frame Chris Lewis for the murders he had committed after Chris got on his trail, forcing Chris to quit the police force.
- Immortality Immorality: In order to maintain his immortality, Martin has to devour the souls of seventeen young women every seventeen years.
- Imperiled in Pregnancy: Natalia was kidnapped while pregnant with Jared and Jackie by the main antagonist of the bonus chapter who wanted to raise Jared for nefarious purposes as it was foretold that Jared would be born with dark powers.
- Outliving One's Offspring
- During the main chapter, Jackie gets killed by the serial killer, leaving Alexander in distress. Fortunately, Anna is able to prevent it from happening.
- Natalia and Alexander believed that Jared had died soon after birth in the bonus chapter though it was revealed that he was mysteriously simply taken away without their consent or knowledge.
- Separated at Birth: The bonus chapter ending has Jared mysteriously taken from his parents and twin sister and given to someone else, with most if not all of his biological family believing that he perished soon after birth.
- Serial Killer: Martin is one as he murders and devours the souls of seventeen young women every seventeen years to maintain his immortality. This has been going on since the 19th century.
- Unto Us a Son and Daughter Are Born: The twins Natalia is carrying in the bonus chapter are male and female fraternal.
The Nomad
- Animal Motifs: Overlapping with Sigil Spam, the emblem of the Outcasts appears everywhere and resembles an origami elephant head. Anna finds a note which says they chose the elephant because they are powerful animals and often associated with royalty.
- Character Title: The nomad is Jared, as he's never been able to settle down and feel at home anywhere.
- Family of Choice: Jared somehow found out about his birth family and even developed a close relationship with his twin sister Jackie; despite this, he considered the Outcasts to be his true family.
- Happily Adopted: When he was six, Jared was adopted by a retired Navy captain, who was lonely and wanted a child. The captain loved Jared and gave him a good home; their life together was happy until Jared's powers manifested.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Tinman's main issue, as he was often teased for his studious ways and his glasses, which is what drew him to the Outcasts in the first place.
- No Name Given: The name of Jared's adoptive father is never revealed.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: We never learn the real names of Thunder, Firegirl, or Tinman.
- P.O.V. Sequel: The bonus chapter, which takes place an unspecified amount of time after the main game, features Jared as the player character.
- Power-Strain Blackout: Using his powers can cause Jared to suffer nosebleeds; if he uses them too much, he will collapse.
- Separated at Birth: As shown in the bonus chapter of The Hunger, Jared and Jackie were split apart from each other after being born, with Jackie raised by their biological parents and Jared given up for adoption. In this game, Jackie explains that because of this, they both always felt something was missing from their lives, until they finally met a few years before the events of the game.
- Series Continuity Error: Richard, at one point, refers to Jared as his grandson. Jared is not related to Richard or Anna at all, except distantly by marriage — he is the son of Anna's sister's husband's brother.
- Shout-Out: In his first piece of dialogue, Richard tells Anna that she's "a real Jessica Fletcher".
- Later, he briefly wears a helmet similar to that worn by Magneto.
- The Smurfette Principle: The Outcasts consist of three boys and one girl.
- Supernatural Team: Thunder assembled the other three because they all had special powers that would make his criminal ambitions easy to achieve.
- Master of Illusion: Jared
- Mind over Matter: Tinman
- Playing with Fire: Firegirl
- Shock and Awe: Thunder
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Firegirl seems to have been a happy and normal girl before losing her parents in a horrible car accident.
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
- Who took Jared away when he was born, separating him from his birth family? It's never explained in the end.
- Also, what happens to Jared's adoptive father after Jared reunites with the Grays? Do they adopt him into the fold?
Guest from the Future
- Babies Ever After: The end of the main game shows Anna getting the confirmation that she's pregnant with Alice.
- Character Title: The title refers to Alice, Anna's daughter, who travels back in time from a Bad Future in which Anna and several of her relatives have been murdered.
- Damsel in Distress: Anna gets kidnapped in the bonus chapter by a witch, and her teenage daughter Alice has to rescue her.
- Disproportionate Retribution: For Elena marrying Brandon and breaking Daniel's heart, Isabella decides to take revenge on EVERYONE in the Gray Family. It also didn't help that Daniel drilled into her that everyone in the Gray family was their enemy.
- Happily Adopted: Isabella dearly loved Daniel and wanted to do anything to get revenge on the Grays for what "they did" to him.
- Heel–Face Brainwashing: This is what Alice did to the witch in the bonus chapter.
- Honorary Uncle: Alice explains that Anna was absent from Billy's wedding due to being away on a case with the Detectives United. She refers to Anna's partner James Blackthorne as "Uncle James."
- Kid from the Future: Alice, Anna's daughter, comes from the future to find Anna in the hope that she can avert the tragedy which befalls the Grays.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Alice and Anna decide to erase Elena from Daniel's memories. This allows Daniel to move on, without being held back by his memories of Elena, and prevents Isabella from feeling the need to seek revenge on his behalf.
- Love Makes You Evil: Daniel was deeply in love with Elena, but when he found out that Elena was marrying Brandon, he grew to hate her and the Grays, leading to the events of the story. The only solution that Anna and Alice can find is to remove his memories of Elena in the hope that he can move on with his life.
- Love Triangle: Elena ended up in the center of one with both Brandon and Daniel being in love with her. Elena ended up falling in love with and marrying Brandon, leaving Daniel bitter and angry at her and the Grays in general.
- Race Against the Clock: In-universe, Anna is on one of these to solve the mystery before the same ailment which killed her (and most of her family) in the future also kills Alice.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: For Elena slighting Daniel and marrying Brandon, Isabella decides to take revenge for Daniel by cursing the Grays with an incurable fever.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Alice knows that she is running out of time before she dies from the same illness which killed Anna and other members of the family. As the game progresses, she grows steadily sicker.
The Generous Gift
- Call-Back: During the adventure, Anna finds a newspaper with a cover story about her and her partners in the Detectives United.
- Cool Bike: Dorian rides a motorcycle.
- Find the Cure!: In the bonus chapter, Floyd's wife Ethel suffers from an illness that can't be cured in their time, so Floyd is desperately trying to find a cure by traveling through time.
- Good Parents: Anna's inner monologue observes that her husband is a doting parent to Alice; after she rescues their daughter, he comes to take her home, and Anna is able to focus on resolving the mystery because she knows that Alice is safe with Dorian.
- My Greatest Failure: Dr. Oliver in the past failed to remove an individual's powers before that person was taken away by the military to be used as a tool against their will.
- Time Crash: Richard Gray reveals in the bonus chapter that while freezing time is fun, it causes time itself to become unstable and it will eventually collapse, signaled by the various mysterious cracks that appear during the bonus chapter.
- Time Skip: There's a skip of almost seven years between the events of the previous game and this one. At the end of Guest From the Future, Anna is confirmed to be pregnant with her daughter Alice; this game takes place on Alice's sixth birthday.
- Time Stands Still: The bonus chapter has Anna experience this after Floyd freezes time in an attempt to find a cure for his wife. Unfortunately, as Richard explains, if time stays frozen too long it will eventually collapse, as shown by the cracks appearing during the bonus chapter.
- Took the Wife's Name: It's mentioned at one point (when Anna finds the relevant documents) that after they married, her husband Dorian took her last name rather than the other way around, and she appreciates it because her name is synonymous with her work. And yes, this means that his name is Dorian Gray, which becomes even more amusing if one has played Crimson Hollow and knows that he has a Soul Jar painting.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Dr. Oliver wants to take empowered individuals' powers away, as he fears they might end up being a danger not only to people around them, but also to themselves. He never intends for them to get hurt; he just wants to take their powers away and have their memories erased about the experience.
- Would Hurt a Child: Averted by Dr. Oliver, who merely wants to use Alice as bait to lure Anna (whom he also has no intentions of harming). Unfortunately, the same can't be said of his partner.
Heritage
- Babies Ever After: It is revealed that Maureen is pregnant with her and Emmett's first child during the bonus chapter.
- Barred from the Afterlife: Charles Egerton can't move on till the bones that were stolen by Sandro Black are returned to their rightful place.
- Freudian Excuse: Chantal lost her biological father at a young age in an accident which she witnessed and believed, mistakenly, was Emmett's fault. Later in life, she lost her mother, and Emmett seemed to move on quickly after her mother's death and seemed to care more about Maureen than his family.
- Feuding Families: It is revealed in the bonus chapter that the Egertons and Blacks had a longstanding feud after Sandro Black stole some of the bones of Charles Egerton for the power they possessed. Because of that, they refused to allow Maureen and Emmett to be together. It's only by returning the bones to their rightful place that Maureen and Emmett are finally allowed to be together without issue.
- Marriage of Convenience: Emmett only married Amy, Chantal's mother, to fulfill his promise to Chantal's father that he would take care of Chantal and her mother.
- Misplaced Retribution: For Emmett's affections towards her and leaving everything to her, Maureen was hated and later killed by Chantel in one future. It is unclear if Maureen was even aware about Emmett's affections towards her let alone know about being the sole inheritor of Emmett's assets and estate.
- Ominous Message from the Future: Maureen finds a newspaper clipping from one year of the future talking about her death that was placed there by Mike.
- One-Word Title: It's the only game in the series with a one-word subtitle.
- Passed-Over Inheritance: Emmett left all of his money and assets to Maureen instead of Chantal, his stepdaughter, which made Chantal hate Maureen even more.
- Remember the New Guy?: Dorian has a younger sister, Maureen, who is a major character in this story; she even attended Alice's sixth birthday party in the previous game. This is despite the fact that there was no mention or scene of her in any previous games, and Crimson Hollow explicitly stated that Dorian was the only known survivor of his family. The bonus chapter eventually clarifies that she should not currently exist, as she was supposed to have died in the pursuit of immortality like the rest of the family, but Anna's time-traveling shenanigans allowed her to live.
- Self-Made Orphan: Chantal kills her stepfather Emmett, her only surviving parent, with slow-acting poison.
- Wicked Stepmother: Stepfather in this case, in Chantal's eyes. Chantal blames him for her biological father's death, and he seemingly moves on too quickly from her mother's death by getting too attached to Maureen. Then he dies and leaves everything to Maureen in his will instead of Chantal, which only cements her opinion.
- You Killed My Father: Chantal believes it was Emmett's fault that her biological father died, despite both Emmett and her mother telling her it was just an accident. Anna eventually learns that the ladder Chantal's father was using was faulty, which caused him to fall with Emmett unable to save him. Chantal witnessed the whole thing, leading her to believe it was Emmett's fault her father died. Anna is able to go back in time and fix the situation so that Chantal's father survives, thereby removing the cause of Chantal's resentment so she never kills Emmett.
- You're Not My Father: Chantal refuses to see Emmett as her father after he marries her mother and sees her biological father as her only father.
Trace in Time
- Animal Motifs: It's revealed in this game that the emblem of the Gray family is a fox.
- Call-Back: During the course of the game, Anna finds a newspaper article which prompts her to recall the events of Detectives United: Phantoms of the Past.
- Freudian Excuse: Peter, the founder of Omen, lost his sister Martha to a mysterious time traveler (later revealed to be Richard), thus he began to think that all time travelers were trouble and founded the organization to stop them.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the original timeline, Richard gave up his own heart to be transplanted to Anna to save her.
- I Have Your Wife: Jasper led Anna to a trap because Omen took his daughter, Aubrey, hostage.
- Psychic Powers: Aubrey has the power to see to see danger before it happens which helps her protect her family.
- Time Police: Anna gets targeted by a group known as Omen, who go after people who interfere with the timestream too much.
Echo of the Past
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Mother in this case. Eleanor, Lars's mother, didn't approve of Lars's hobbies as a puppeteer (though she did let him do it) and didn't like him hanging out with the Quarte Troop. She went so far as to hire Richard to keep Lars away from the troupe.
- Freudian Excuse: Lars loved being a puppeteer, but he was often mocked for it; after being mocked too many times, he started using the magical cane to get back at the people who mocked him.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Alexandra threw herself in front of Lars to prevent him from hurting Anastasia, leading her to be turned into a puppet.
- Humble Hero: Anastasia decided to let Alexandra get all the glory of their adventures together; she arranged to delete any references to her in the records of Alexandra's exploits, instead choosing to honor and keep the memory of Alexandra alive..
- I Have Your Wife: Anna's daughter Alice gets kidnapped again. It's a much different scenario than the last time, however, and ultimately it turns out she's not in any actual danger.
- Kid from the Future: Anastasia ends up on the receiving end of this after Anna goes into the past to talk to her mother about what happened to Alexandra. She later gets to see her granddaughter, Alice.
- Lost Lenore: The death of his wife Anastasia seemed to hit Richard pretty hard.
- Momma's Boy: Despite Eleanor disapproving of his hobbies and being very overprotective, Lars still seems to have loved her deeply.
- Morality Pet: Richard claimed that Anastasia helped keep his urge to use dark magic at bay.
- My Beloved Smother: Eleanor is very protective and controlling of Lars. She was the one who gave him the magical cane that can turn people into puppets to get back at the people who mocked him; in the bonus chapter, she even went far as to hire Richard to form a magical bond with Lars so he can see and hear what Lars does and thinks in order to keep an eye on him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Lars seems to have had a revelation after turning Alexandra into a puppet and realized he went too far to get back at those who hurt him. He tried to reverse what he did but to no avail.
- Retcon: The bonus chapter has Richard being a recent graduate of Evermoore and still with ties to the institution, whereas the ending of the bonus chapter of the thirteenth game has him lose his memories of time there and most likely never graduated.
- Shout-Out: Alexandra's 'adventuring' outfit bears a strong resemblance to the attire worn by Ciri in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. (There are indications in certain other Elephant games that the developers are fans of the series.)
- Strong Family Resemblance: Alice is almost identical to her great-aunt Alexandra.
- Title Drop: This is the game in which we finally learn why the series is called Grim Tales. Grim was the maiden name of Anna's mother Anastasia. Her sister Alexandra was a famous adventurer, and her experiences were published in a series of stories called Grim Tales.
- Unseen No More: This is the first time we've ever seen so much as a picture of Anna's mother.
- Wedding Finale: The bonus chapter ends with Lars proposing to Alexandra.
- The X of Y
Horizon of Wishes
- Burn the Witch!: In the second arc of the game, Anna travels back to the Middle Ages, where she has to prevent the execution of a witch. However, it's implied that the witch will be beheaded, not burned.
- Damn You, Muscle Memory!: In most Elephant games, the map icon is on the left side of the screen and the hint button is on the right. In this game their positions are switched, which can lead longtime players to accidentally click one when they want the other.
- Dead Person Conversation: Since the events of the previous game, Anna is able to use her mother's cameo in order to talk to Anastasia's ghost.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Anna travels to the past in a very different way than usual, and is able to interact with people. The first person she meets knows Richard, so he figures out from her clothes that she's a time traveler like her father and advises her to get a new outfit as quickly as possible so she doesn't attract attention. She learns from the experience, and dresses appropriately before making other trips through time.
- Go into the Light: Richard finally does this at the end of the main game.
- I Gave My Word: Subverted. Richard and the 1920s detective Conrad Matthews have a deal, but Conrad goes back on his word because he feels it's more important to involve Scotland Yard. Richard is quite annoyed, and retaliates by releasing the murderer he's helped Conrad apprehend.
- Precious Photo: Anna finds that her father treasures pictures of herself, her sister Luisa, and their mother.
- Present Absence: This game finally explains why Richard has been absent for the last few installments of both this series and Detectives United. He's been searching for a way to end his eternal torment of being bound inside the skull. He's finally found it.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: The medieval king is actually a very good ruler and a kind man, but he's grief-stricken by what happened to his sister and wants all witches put to death. However, upon hearing that Anna has traveled back in time and might be able to help, he's willing to let her try.
- The Roaring '20s: The first part of the game takes place here, as Anna has to rescue a would-be gangster's family from being murdered in order to prevent his Start of Darkness.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Anna has to do this repeatedly, as per usual, but it's implied that Richard might also be trying to do the same.
- So Proud of You: Anna finds a note written by Richard in which he states that he knows he's done well to give Anna greater powers, because she only uses them to help people. When she finally sees her father again, he outright says that he is very proud of her and her daughter Alice.
- Spirit Advisor: Anastasia's cameo takes the spot on the inventory bar where Richard's skull has sat in several past games, and she takes on this role throughout the adventure.
- Taken for Granite: In the Middle Ages portion of the game, a spell gone awry has caused the King's sister to be turned to stone. Anna has to undo this so they don't execute the witches.
- The X of Y
Dual Disposition
- Ancient Keeper: Anna meets one of these, actually known as "The Keeper." He maintains the magical storehouse, which is a crossroads between worlds where magic is protected, and he needs Anna's help to stop their mutual enemy.
- Another Dimension: Most of the main game's action takes place in one of two alternate realities.
- Call-Back: The first hidden object scene of the game highlights details from the installment The Hunger.
- Clear My Name: Because "Lady A" looks so much like Anna, it's very easy for her to convince people that Anna's the one responsible for the crimes she's committed, and the first part of the plot is Anna proving her innocence.
- Continuity Cameo:
- Anna's Friend on the Force, Chris Lewis, has this; he's only in the game for the first ten minutes or so, and is a returning character from the previous installment The Hunger.
- At the very end of the main game, Anna has a brief glimpse of her father Richard, who apparently still exists in other dimensions.
- Creepy Doll: Anna finds one of these in the storeroom of the ransacked antique shop; it's actually quite nasty, but she removes its malevolence by returning its missing accessories.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Keeper is never called anything except the Keeper, even by himself. Possibly a case of His Name Really Is "Barkeep", but it's not certain.
- Evil Twin: The Big Bad of this installment is Lady A, who looks suspiciously like Anna. (Her appearance, particularly the fact that she has red eyes, suggests that this may be Dark Anna, one of the recurring antagonists from the Detectives United series. Nothing in the narrative either confirms or denies this, however.)
- Friend on the Force: Officer Chris Lewis first met Anna during the events of The Hunger, when she helped him solve the case. They have been friends ever since.
- Legacy Character: The bonus chapter suggests that "the Keeper" is a title handed down through generations, as one of the tasks is to locate a missing figurine of the Keeper, and it identifies him specifically as "the Thirteenth Keeper."
- The Magic Goes Away: Lady A's antics are causing a huge disruption in the flow of magic between all worlds, and the loss of the magic will — among other things — remove Anna's ability to communicate with her mother's ghost.
- Monkey Morality Pose: Late in the main game, Anna must collect three skulls which are making these poses.
- P.O.V. Sequel: The bonus chapter, which takes place after the events of the main game, is told from the perspective of the Keeper.
- Power Nullifier: The Staff of Absorption, which removes any magical ability a person may have. Anna uses it in the endgame to remove Lady A's ability to travel between worlds.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Not only does Lady A have red eyes, but the pictures Anna finds while visiting her home dimension indicate that everyone in that world has them too. Why this would be is not explained.
- Red Sky, Take Warning: The only clue that Lady A's power is wreaking havoc on Anna's world is that the sky has turned red and has a giant weird crack in it.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: How the bonus chapter ends; the Keeper traps Lady A inside of a magical artifact in order to stop her from continuing to threaten the various worlds.
- Sequel Hook: The last frame of the bonus chapter shows cracks beginning to form in the artifact in which Lady A is sealed, suggesting she may escape in a future game.
- Stupidity Is the Only Option: Anna (or rather, the player) has no choice but to agree to help Lady A with her goal to use an enchanted goblet to stop her enemies from chasing her. The enemy in question is the Keeper — she wants to amass unlimited power, and the goblet will help with that. After she has it in her possession, Lady A mocks Anna for not realizing that she was using her the whole time to get the goblet.
All Shades of Black
- Go into the Light: Anastasia fully moves on after using up all her strength to stop the bad guy which severed her connection to the world of the living.
- Rapid Aging: As Anna watches in horror, Dorian is subjected to this before he virtually disintegrates in to ash; immediately afterward, their daughter Alice also disappears.
- Recurring Location: Anna must return to Dorian's ancestral home at Crimson Hollow in order to figure out what's happened to him and Alice.
Light in the Darkness
- Go into the Light: Richard's ultimate goal here. He faces judgement for his lifetime of evil (and occasionally good) deeds, and hopes that his spirit will finally be able to rest.
- P.O.V. Sequel: For the first time in the series, the player character is not Anna, but instead is her father Richard.
- Unseen No More: Richard's first wife, Agatha, the mother of Anna's older half-sisters, full face is finally shown.
