Imp

Imp

“

!uoy rof tsuj noyarc der thgirb A —The Imps speaking in reverse

”

The Imps, also known as the Little People according to "The Funeral", are child-sized, disfigured creatures and the most common enemies of Rule of Rose. Throughout the game, hundreds of these monstrous little beings stalk and attack Jennifer and Brown, especially in hoards.

Imps are seen on the airship and in Rose Garden Orphanage, cleaning up blood and, occasionally, bodies.

Appearance

The Imps vaguely resemble children with distorted faces and bodies. The normal Imps are completely white and they wear black clothing. The stronger Imps resemble animals, having animal heads and features. Some Imps are occasionally seen with paper bags over their heads similar to the ones worn by aristocrat members.

Personality

Game Over Rule of Rose

A Horrible Imp killing Jennifer.

While individual Imps are rather easy to deal with, the danger of Imps stems from their high amounts of numbers. Passing through narrow hallways with lots of Imps is a recipe for disaster. Often times, figuring out another way to Jennifer's destination and avoiding Imps, while navigating through Imps when forced to, is the real challenge.

Many Imps attack with weapons such as brooms and knives. They tend to swarm Jennifer in groups and jump on her, latching onto her. If Jennifer is being strangled by an Imp, wiggling the analog stick will get them off faster and lessen the damage. Some Imps will attempt to bite Jennifer, while others simply clap their hands in excitement.

In one instance, in the Sector 8 Cargo Bay after obtaining the Blue Butterfly during "The Clover Field" chapter, four Imps can be seen cleaning the floor in unison. In the "Sir Peter" chapter, knocking on one of the Imp's bathroom stall doors will result in the Imp knocking back. In the same chapter, one of them also has a knife.

Varieties

• Horrible Imp
• Rabbit Imp
• Goat Imp
• Pig Imp
• Bird Imp
• Rat Imp
• Fish Imp

Symbolism

Red Crayon

Imps surround Jennifer.

Throughout the game, the Imps attempt to stop Jennifer from recalling her lost memories. In that sense, they are a hallucinations of Jennifer's; they represent her fear of discovering the truth. Jennifer comments on this, stating that her 'weak heart' is what attracted them. The way they gang up on Jennifer in numbers may symbolize how Jennifer felt the children of the orphanage would gang up on her and bully her.

The Imps were originally creatures from a scary story that the girls told at the orphanage, relating to Wendy and Stray Dog. It was rumored that they swept away naughty children who didn't do their chores. According to Jennifer, the story spread like a wildfire. The Imps love to clean which is why they carry mops and brooms, and kidnap those who don't clean.

The table of Imp figurines.

In one of the cells in the basement of the orphanage is a small table with what appears to be figurines of the regular Imps, which may reveal where the appearance of the Horrible Imps come from. They seem to be surrounding a doll of Peter being hung. The animal heads represent the paper bag masks that the children wear, hinting that the Imps are based from the children that wear the masks. They are usually heard whispering gibberish. When it is reversed, the phrase "A bright red crayon, just for you" can be heard.[1]

Strategy

The main strength of the Imps is that they come in numbers and can even randomly reappear in areas. There is also their variety in abilities which may overwhelm the player. However, unless a room is locked by Thomas, the player rarely needs to fight them. Thus, the easiest thing would to simply run past them. The only benefits of fighting is to clear an area or get certain items such as the Baron or Earl knives. See the search quest page for more information.

• When jumped on by an Imp, waggle the joystick to shake them off quicker and have less health deplete.
• In instances where you must fight them, run around them or lead them somewhere more open to get more room to hit.
• The Steel Pipe is the weapon with the best range, however, the Meat Cleaver from the "Mermaid Princess" chapter will do more damage.
• Brown can not damage Imps.

Gallery

to see the gallery of Imp click on Imp/Gallery.