The Mirror Lied is a game created by Kan Gao (who also was behind Quintessence and To the Moon) and released by Freebird Games. In The Mirror Lied, you play as a young girl named Leah. There is no one in her home besides her, no way to leave, and very little to do, but she does keep getting phone calls from "birdy"...
The Mirror Lied is free to play and can be found at Freebird Games's website
The Mirror Lied provides examples of:
- Big Bad: Birdy is indicated to be this, as Leah’s mission is to kill it, and it is implied to be a representation of bird flu.
- The Blank: Leah doesn't appear to have a face.
- Character Customization: You can choose between three dresses for Leah to wear, although this doesn't affect the gameplay.
- Downer Ending: Leah apparently shoots herself at the end of the game, letting Birdy fly away.
- Driven to Suicide: Leah. Maybe.
- Feathered Fiend: The increasingly frantic emails Leah received combined with the apparently shrinking world whenever Birdy flies over a continent indicates Birdy may be this; however it's difficult to tell when Leah apparently shot herself rather than Birdy at the end. There may be a logical explanation for why they want you to kill Birdy: prevent bird flu from spreading.
- Giant Flyer: Birdy is big enough to carry Leah.
- Mind Screw: When asked what it means,
Kan Gao simply shrugged. - Mission Control: Birdy's phone calls sometimes serve as gameplay hints.
- Nothing Is Scarier: While the creator of the game says on its page that it is not a horror game and nothing will jump out at you, the game still has a very unsettling atmosphere, partly because you know very little about what's going on.
- Ominous Music Box Tune: The game's entire soundtrack consists of variations of the same tune, which sounds rather frantic and creepy. You can listen to it by turning on Leah's music box, but at some key moments it play on its own whether you opened the music box or not.
- The End of the World as We Know It: Implied, what with the world map in the computer room gradually showing less continents whenever Birdy flies over one, combined with the frantic emails warning Leah that she should kill Birdy at all costs. However, given the game's general mind screwiness, it might not be.
- Viewers Are Geniuses: During the game, Leah can optionally look at a sample through the microscope, of what appear to be germs. Those with advanced medical knowledge will recognize the image as H5N1, aka Bird Flu. Which puts Leah's orders to kill Birdy in a whole different light.
- Violation of Common Sense: At one point, the house catches on fire. Solution? Go upstairs and fall asleep!
