Decay: The Mare

About

Decay: The Mare is a single player action game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by Shining Gate Software and was released on February 13, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Decay: The Mare" is a single-player horror adventure game with an interesting plot, where players help Sam, an addict stuck in a nightmarish institution, "Reaching Dreams," after a botched treatment. The game boasts good mechanics, a wonderful soundtrack, and a beautiful atmosphere, but requires patience due to lots of grinding. As a tribute to classic horror games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Phantasmagoria, it offers a psychological horror experience in 3D, including an exclusive third chapter that concludes Sam's journey.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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72%

Audience ScoreBased on 572 reviews

story122 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

The game has a strong eerie atmosphere and an intriguing story that keeps players engaged.
The puzzles are generally well-designed, providing a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.
The graphics and sound design contribute to a creepy ambiance, enhancing the overall horror experience.

Navigation can be confusing, as sometimes entering a room can result in facing the wrong direction.
The story has plot holes and lacks depth, leaving some players unsatisfied with the conclusion.
The game is relatively short, taking only a few hours to complete, which may not justify the full price.

story
310 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
55%
6%
The story of "Decay: The Mare" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its eerie atmosphere and intriguing plot twists, while others find it confusing or lacking depth. The narrative unfolds through puzzles and exploration, often keeping players engaged until the end, though some criticize its execution and coherence. Overall, while the story has its strengths, including a satisfying conclusion, it may not resonate with everyone, particularly those seeking a more profound or well-developed narrative.
- “The story unfolds through haunting visuals and clever puzzles that make you feel part of the protagonist’s fragmented mind.”
- “I enjoyed the story very much and it kept me playing until the end, where it took a very unexpected turn.”
- “The story is definitely not a trivial one, catches the player till the very end and has multiple endings.”
- “The story felt bland, and I had no attachments to any characters.”
- “The story is a complete mess.”
- “The storytelling just fell flat.”
atmosphere
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The atmosphere in "Decay: The Mare" is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively creating a sense of tension and unease through its sound design, visuals, and storytelling. Many players appreciate the game's ability to evoke horror without relying heavily on jump scares, instead fostering a creepy ambiance that enhances the psychological elements of the narrative. While some critiques mention inconsistencies in the atmosphere and gameplay mechanics, the overall consensus highlights the game's strong atmospheric presence as a key reason to engage with it.
- “The game creates a nice creepy atmosphere with well-timed scares and a brilliantly creepy soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere was well crafted, and the story around all the puzzles was really good.”
- “The atmosphere is thick with tension — every creak, every flicker of light feels like a whisper from something just out of sight.”
- “The atmosphere is creepy but everything is so distant from the player that it feels more like watching a set of still images you randomly click your way through.”
- “The atmosphere was generally creepy, but there was too much reliance on jump scares (at least in the earlier portions of the game), and the 'locked in a blood-splattered institution of some kind' setting felt a bit juvenile, and only got worse as the story progressed.”
graphics
101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
64%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the atmospheric and creepy visuals that enhance the horror experience, while others criticize them as outdated, blurry, or lacking detail. Many players note that the graphics can hinder gameplay, making it difficult to find necessary details for solving puzzles. Overall, while some appreciate the artistic choices and mood set by the visuals, others find them below average, especially for a game released in 2015.
- “The graphics are well done: dark without falling into pitch black or unrecognizable details.”
- “The combination of polished graphics, atmospheric sound, and challenging puzzles creates a compelling experience.”
- “Creepy and good graphics and setting.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “The mediocre graphics make it hard to see some details necessary for solving puzzles and earning achievements.”
- “The graphics themselves are laughable, lower resolution than late 90's/early 2000's graphic adventure titles and the bare minimum of creativity.”
music
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
54%
4%
The music in the game is frequently praised for its ability to create a haunting and immersive atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its eerie and emotional qualities, particularly the piano pieces. While some noted the soundtrack's repetitiveness and minimalism, others found it fitting for the game's horror elements, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Despite mixed opinions on the game's other aspects, the music consistently stands out as a strong point, enhancing the sense of dread and engagement throughout gameplay.
- “Even if it does not quite succeed as an adventure game, its great atmosphere and music is more than enough reason to give it a chance.”
- “The music is phenomenal and sets the tone very well for the gameplay and the setting.”
- “The game creates a nice creepy atmosphere with well-timed scares and a brilliantly creepy soundtrack.”
- “The sound design, much like the art style and graphics, has the bare minimum of effort, with plenty of stock sound effects and minimal audio cues and a background soundtrack that consists of low hums and vibrations.”
- “If you've ever sat in your basement for 14 minutes, you know what it's like to sit in your chair and play through this game for 14 minutes, and I had no reason or clues given to me that this would change any time soon. I'd much rather endure Chinese water torture than the mind-gnawing experience of sitting through this game with its tedious soundtrack eating away at my sanity.”
- “There are much better or more entertaining point-and-click puzzle games and adventure games out there; I see no reason to recommend this one, even because it is highly overpriced (low budget game, cheap soundtrack, no voice acting almost at all).”
gameplay
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
61%
10%
The gameplay of "Decay: The Mare" is primarily a point-and-click adventure, featuring standard mechanics such as item collection and puzzle-solving, which some players found enjoyable while others criticized as simplistic or clunky. While the game introduces unique mechanics in certain chapters, the overall execution is often seen as lacking depth, with some puzzles being overly simplistic or frustratingly obscure. Despite mixed reviews on gameplay quality, many players appreciated the atmospheric elements and horror themes, though some felt the game was overpriced for its length and content.
- “I loved the game; it was the perfect mix of puzzles and adventure, and the gameplay was so unique compared to what I was used to.”
- “The gameplay is simple, as a point-and-click, but there are some interesting elements that this game has, and just enough jump scares to periodically break the tension.”
- “The gameplay is straightforward: point-and-click exploration with puzzles scattered throughout.”
- “Second, a gameplay feature is introduced only in the third chapter without explanation, leaving it unclear why it appears so late or how it fits into the narrative.”
- “With its flat backgrounds, comically bad voice acting, and somewhat mediocre gameplay, it's just not worth 5 dollars.”
- “The gameplay is thin, the environments are low-effort, the puzzles are dead simple except when they're overly complicated, and the story is garbage.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often describing the exploration and puzzle-solving as mind-numbing and repetitive. While some appreciate the challenging puzzles, the overall experience is marred by the need to repeatedly traverse the same areas, leading to a sense of annoyance rather than enjoyment. The interaction mechanics also contribute to the feeling of tedium, detracting from the game's potential for engagement.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The very process of exploration is tedious and maddening.”
- “If you've ever sat in your basement for 14 minutes, you know what it's like to sit in your chair and play through this game for 14 minutes, and I had no reason or clues given to me that this would change any time soon. I'd much rather endure Chinese water torture than the mind-gnawing experience of sitting through this game with its tedious soundtrack eating away at my sanity.”
- “The puzzles in this game are quite challenging, especially at episode 2, but as you have to go through the map over and over, solving puzzles becomes torture and makes you feel tedious after 30 minutes to an hour into this game.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Overall, the game's replayability is limited, primarily appealing to those seeking to unlock achievements or explore multiple endings. While there are some collectibles and choices that can enhance the experience, many players find the game short and lacking in substantial replay value. It is recommended to purchase during a sale for those interested in a brief experience.
- “The finale is completed by multiple choices, which adds replayability by showing two endings. Throughout the three episodes, there are coins to hunt that unlock extras in the form of artwork - some very graphic and dark!”
- “Great little game, quite quick to complete, but the achievements offer good replay value.”
- “Its short, though, and doesn't have much of replayability value (unless you're trying to get all achievements), but even with me hunting down the achievements, it was quite short. I recommend buying it on sale since for $1-5, I would say it's worth it, as I picked it up for $1 myself.”
- “There's really no replay value unless you didn't get all the achievements through the first playthrough.”
- “Its short though and doesn't have much of replayability value (unless you're trying to get all achievements) but even with me hunting down the achievements it was quite short. I recommend buying it on sale since for $1-5 I would say it's worth it since I picked it up for $1 myself.”
- “Little to zero replay value.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while the eerie music and atmospheric visuals evoke a sense of psychological depth and empathy, the gameplay mechanics, such as pixel-hunting and simplistic puzzles, detract from the overall emotional investment. Players feel that the dramatic horror narrative could have delivered a more profound emotional experience, leaving some feeling underwhelmed despite the game's artistic merits.
- “The music and sound effects are rather eerie and emotional.”
- “I felt the atmosphere and scenes were illustrated by artists with some understanding of psychology and advanced awareness of emotional empathy, and its romance with locations and lighting; all miraculously delivered well despite the older graphics engine.”
- “And being a dramatic horror game about murder and finding yourself and the answer to deep life questions, decay should've made me feel way more.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with smooth gameplay and minimal graphical issues or crashes. However, players have reported occasional freezing that can be resolved by restarting the game, alongside some minor control bugs and visual shortcomings.
- “So whenever the game breaks or freezes, restarting the program will already fix the problem.”
- “On top of slightly buggy controls, bad visuals, and weird voice acting, this game has an incredibly senseless plot.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's optimization is criticized for not supporting modern gaming PC features, resulting in poor performance and a lack of updates to ensure smooth gameplay on contemporary hardware.
- “The game struggles to run smoothly on mid-range PCs, often resulting in frustrating lag and stuttering.”
- “Despite having decent hardware, I found the optimization lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
- “The optimization feels rushed; even on lower settings, the game is prone to crashes and performance issues.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and somewhat absurd dialogue, which some players find amusing, though it may be influenced by translation issues. The comedic elements often overshadow the horror aspects, contributing to a lighthearted tone that enhances the overall experience.
- “It's not as much scary as it is kind of funny with the innate awkwardness of the mare's model.”
- “Story-wise, it's also good, although some of the dialogue is pretty ridiculous. I'm not sure if it's because of the English translation, but it just sounds funny.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Many users feel that the game lacks sufficient character development, suggesting that deeper exploration of the characters would have enhanced the overall experience.