The Mirror Lied is the second game in the Freebird Games franchise. The player controls a little girl named 'Leah' as she explores a house with no one else in it and no visible means of escape.
It's free, short, and unique, making it hard not to recommend.
The atmosphere and music are captivating, creating a sense of unease.
The game encourages multiple interpretations, making it intriguing for players who enjoy abstract storytelling.
The story is confusing and lacks a clear explanation, leaving many players baffled.
Gameplay can feel clunky and simplistic, with minimal interaction beyond basic point-and-click mechanics.
Some players found the experience frustrating due to vague objectives and a lack of direction.
story
256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
80%
2%
The story of "The Mirror Lied" is characterized as vague, confusing, and open to interpretation, often leaving players puzzled about its meaning. While some find the cryptic narrative intriguing and thought-provoking, others feel it lacks coherence and clarity, requiring external guides to piece together its elements. Overall, the game offers a unique, experimental experience that invites players to explore its metaphors and hidden meanings, albeit with a significant degree of ambiguity.
“The story has left me with some stuff to mull over since it's very mysterious and thus has room for interpretation.”
“Overall, I recommend it because it's a unique experience, a playthrough only takes 20-30 minutes, the story is shrouded in metaphors, and it's free!”
“As to all other freebird games, 'The Mirror Lied' is a very emotional and captivating story, it is a story well done, very well written, and good job with the RPG Maker engine.”
“The story does not make any sense.”
“It's impossible to understand the story of this game, so check this story analysis.”
“The story is very obfuscated and events will often take place in a seemingly random fashion, with reoccurring patterns.”
music
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many users praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional impact of the experience. While some noted that the soundtrack is sparse or consists of a single catchy track, it is often described as "amazing" and "incredible," contributing significantly to the game's overall immersion. Despite a few criticisms regarding volume control and the repetitiveness of the music, the consensus is that the sound design is a standout feature that elevates the gameplay.
“Music is absolutely amazing and the game is free, so a yes.”
“The atmosphere it created, music, and art style is awesome.”
“Although the story continues to baffle me, the game is short, well-made, the music is incredible, and it's free.”
“The music is pretty sparse but it does have one creepy little jingle which will play during certain moments, but otherwise the game is silent except for the endless ticking of a grandfather clock (which is quite unsettling by itself); however, another song can be played whenever you want and has to be manually activated from a music box.”
“I can't control the music volume.”
“The gameplay feels rough, although the music is fine.”
atmosphere
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
55%
4%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its unsettling and surreal qualities, creating a haunting experience that lingers with players. Many reviews highlight the effective use of music and art style to enhance the eerie ambiance, despite the game's often nonsensical narrative. Overall, the game successfully evokes a sense of mystery and disorientation, making it a noteworthy example of atmospheric storytelling in indie gaming.
“Despite its seemingly nonsensical imagery, there is a greater sense of intentionality than in many similar games of the time. Even though I was largely baffled, the atmosphere and themes of the game were strong enough to make me feel that I had experienced something with more thought put into it than your average surreal horror game.”
“The game has a thick atmosphere of surreal nightmare, the screenplay consists of strange metaphors and dark images.”
“The mirror lied is a short thriller with a strange story that will most likely not make any sense when you play it, but with the atmosphere and how bizarre and slightly unsettling it is, I think it's at least worth checking out.”
“Despite the short playtime, The Mirror Lied is able to create an unsettling atmosphere with only the mystery it creates backed up with the sound of a clock ticking.”
“It is actually scary due to the suspenseful atmosphere, even if there are no jump scares.”
gameplay
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
82%
12%
The gameplay is largely criticized for being minimalistic and lacking depth, often described as a basic walking simulator with point-and-click mechanics and no puzzles. Many reviewers found it dry and frustrating, with navigation issues and a repetitive loop that detracted from the experience. While some appreciated the narrative and aesthetics, the overall consensus is that the gameplay feels more like a demo than a fully realized game.
“The subtleties of the gameplay, the art style, the music, it made the experience so immersive.”
“It is a very short but powerful game that will keep you thinking about what happened, and you'll spend your next two days learning about things and replaying it to see what you missed in your first gameplay. If you are new to Freebird games, then you should definitely try it, and if you like it, then you must play 'To the Moon' and 'Finding Paradise' - you will not regret it.”
“From a mechanical point of view, it's a pretty traditional 'search the area for hidden items to get access to other items' sort of game, but the narrative gives the whole experience a truly bizarre vibe.”
“The gameplay is dry and boring; just walk around and interact with objects hoping the story will advance enough for you to be able to water a plant another 10 times.”
“The gameplay is limited to point-and-click elements and doesn't have any real depth.”
“Reads more as a demo or something than an actual game, and has a really self-entitled wanna-be artsy ending, with similar dialogue, and a horrible back-and-forth gameplay loop.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
39%
11%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their attractive 16-bit pixel art style, reminiscent of classic titles like "Chrono Trigger" and "Star Ocean," with good detail and color. However, the RPG Maker engine's limitations, such as poor fullscreen display and lack of HD support, detract from the overall experience for modern gamers. While the visuals contribute to an immersive atmosphere, opinions on the gameplay and art style vary, with some finding them less engaging.
“The graphics are very attractive and use 16-bit pixel art that is reminiscent of games near the end of said era such as Chrono Trigger and Star Ocean.”
“The atmosphere it created, music, and art style is awesome.”
“Very short gameplay with good graphics and a pretty vintage theme.”
“As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
“I didn't like the gameplay, puzzles, or art style; not really interesting as a standalone game.”
“The aesthetics we know, the game mechanics we know.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find it nostalgic and captivating, evoking feelings of tension and nostalgia, others feel it lacks true emotional depth and can be confusing. Comparisons to other Freebird games highlight a disparity in emotional storytelling, with some titles being praised as masterpieces, while this particular game does not reach the same level. Overall, it elicits a range of emotions but may not satisfy those seeking a profound narrative experience.
“This game made me feel very nostalgic and gave me mad father vibes.”
“When paired with the lights being off by default around the house, both the music and the ticking clock really made me feel on edge throughout some portions of the game.”
“As to all other Freebird games, The Mirror Lied is a very emotional and captivating story. It is a story well done, very well written, and good job with the RPG Maker engine.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some users report it as a "buggy mess," others express satisfaction with its functionality, noting only minor menu-related glitches that do not significantly impact gameplay.
“It's a buggy mess.”
“It's a buggy mess.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is subtle and gradually builds, with players finding enjoyment in memes like the "this is okay" fire meme. While it may not deliver immediate laughs, its silliness eventually resonates, making it a worthwhile experience.
“Nothing will jump at you, but the 'this is okay' fire meme made me laugh; worth the time.”
“Then, it slowly becomes funny, because 'oh so silly!'”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that grinding in the game is so demanding that it feels like requiring a second life to manage it effectively.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a strong sense of satisfaction with the game's replayability, indicating that the ability to play it multiple times enhances their enjoyment.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that the game's optimization is a mixed bag, with some users reporting smooth performance on high-end systems while others experience significant lag and frame rate drops on mid-range setups. Overall, the optimization appears to vary widely depending on individual hardware configurations.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is positively reviewed for its lack of microtransactions, which enhances its overall appeal. Users recommend it as long as it avoids exploitative monetization practices.
“I automatically recommend all such games unless they have microtransactions (which this does not) or are completely horrible (which this is not).”