OcularMigraineSep 21, 2022 at 8:07 PM
I think it took me over a year to finally play this game, but I am very happy I did. Mare is set in a mostly sterile, but fantastic environment populated primarily by mechanical contraptions and a maze-like complex of buildings that look like they were created by an AI and not by or for actual humans. I played the game twice, the first time missing most of the ghost-like cats that hold silent vigil on ledges, since I didn't realize you could collect them until close to the end. The second time through was far more enjoyable, since I didn't have the apprehension of failing a level or making the girl fall off a ledge to her death or something. I also understood how to direct the girl's movement better, which made solving the puzzles to collect the cats easier. The slow pace of the game allows you time to just enjoy being in this world, and is almost a meditative experience. I believe the girl talks constantly so that you know where she is all the time, and so that you know when she is "herself", but I got pretty annoyed and wished I could just turn her voice off sometimes.
The "true" end of the game was interesting. The ending isn't just given to you. You have to search for it, and once you find it, there are still many questions not answered. But this is one of the joys of this game. What kind of war was going on? Why was the girl chained up and transported to this desolate place? Why was the bird chained up, and who released it and why? Was the bird actually trying to help the girl, or using her as a sacrifice to accomplish its goal? Did the AI who maybe created the whole world make a mechanical simulation of a real bird who had a real friendship with the girl? Did the AI attempt to absorb the girl, too? It's a game that makes you ponder different possibilities.
