User:ReneeSawyer/sandbox

The Mirror Lied
The Mirror Lied is an independent adventure horror game and the second game to be developed and published by Freebird games. Originally released on May 26 2008 for Microsoft Windows, another version of the game was released on Steam on October 25 2018 with improved graphics.

The game starts with Leah, a young girl with no face, waking up alone in a small house that has no exits. The plot of the game is ambiguous with the designer, Kan 'Reives' Gao, refusing to give an explanation, resulting in multiple fan theories.

Leah
The player character. Exactly who Leah is is often debated though she is depicted as a young girl without a face. Throughout the game, Leah explore the house and waters the plants.

Birdie
A mysterious entity that calls Leah multiple times. At the beginning of the game Birdie is reported to have landed on water before continuing to fly over other continents as they approach the house.

Anonymous Contact
A person who sends multiple emails to Leah. Though their identity is unknown, they seem to know Leah and speaks of a deal that the two have. The final email tell Leah to kill Birdie.

Plot
The game begins with Leah waking up in a small and empty house. After watering a dry plant in the hallway there is a call from Birdie which triggers small changes throughout the house, such as paintings becoming blank. Leah then finds a computer which needs an access card and a chest in the basement that needs a key. Inside of the chest, Leah can find a gun. Once the bullets are found, Birdie calls again saying that's 3:26. Leah returns to the basement and turns on a switch which cause the house to catch on fire. Leah goes back to her room and sleeps.

When Leah wakes up hours later, the house is no longer on fire and the only differences are her bed, which has fallen through the floor to the dining room, and the disappearance of a table in the basement which had blocked a door. Leah finds the access card inside of the room and turns on the computer which has 7 messages from an anonymous source telling her that Birdied shouldn't be trusted.

Leah receives a final call from Birdie telling her that they are about to fly over and asking if she has been drinking enough water. The plant from the hallway then quickly grows and breaks an unseen window. Leah must clear the bugs off of the plant to be able to climb it and get to the roof where Birdie picks up Leah. In the air, Leah takes out the fun and fires before she, the furniture, and Birdie disappear.

After the credits a different line has a chance of appearing. These lines include: "The others should be safe now...", "That was rather inefficient,", and "What are you waiting for Birdy?" from the original.

Setting
The game is set inside of a small, empty house with no exits. Throughout the game there are a few references to the outside world.

First Floor
The first floor has a large hallway that connects to two separate dining areas: a large room with stale bread and the other a large table at the end of the hall with a phone, a music box, and a teddy bear. The hallway is also attached to a second bedroom, a bathroom, and a study.

Second Floor
The second floor is Leah's bedroom. Here the player can change Leah's dress colour and play the piano after obtaining the piano key. Next to her bedroom is a small bathroom.

Basement
A small basement which is accessible through the main hallway. There is a furnace and a small side room that is blocked by a table. Three switches can be found on one wall with the words "wait for me at 3:26" written under the third one.

Theories
Due to the ambiguous nature of the story, many theories have been created. When asked about the ending, Kan Gao, the writer and designer of The Mirror Lied, gave no answer.

Birdie is a Disease
One of the main theories is that Birdie is a disease that spreads through contaminated water. Here, Leah is actually a scientist who was looking for a cure before she became infected. One of the opening lines of the game states "A bird landed on water today" and Birdie only starts to call Leah after she has watered the plant: a metaphor for Leah drinking the water. Most of the evidence for this theory comes from the computer room where it is possible to find a microscope and a strange liquid sample that changes appearance throughout the game. The map on the wall also starts to fade away and it is possible to find a globe that Leah notes has a strange odor which is considered a sign of a pandemic.

In this version of events the fire that consumes the house is actually a fever brought on by the virus which is why the fire goes out after Leah rests. The paintings fading away are linked to Leah losing her memory as the disease takes hold.

Birdie is a Bomb
A main theory is that Birdie is a bomb and that the game is set during World War II. It is possible to reveal a painting with “61|5491“ written on it which many believe to mean 7/16/1945, the day that the first nuclear bomb was detonated. As well, a map in the study begins to fade away starting with China, Russian, and the USA: the nations that have access to nuclear weapons. Most evidence for this comes from the emails which talks of a deal that Leah has with the anonymous contact.

In this version of events, the strange liquid is showing the cells mutating from nuclear exposure and everything is fading away at the end because the war has destroyed humanity.

Development
The Mirror Lied was originally released on Freebird Games' website for free on May 26 2008. The game was made as an experimental project by the lead developer, Ken 'Reives' Gao. It is the second game to be released by the company. The game was received with confusion due to its ambiguous nature.

On September 9 2011, Kan Gao released a second version of the game on Freebird Games. Ten years later, on October 25 2018 another version was released on steam with improved graphics.