Mare vs Unpacking
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mare
Embark on a cinematic adventure as an artificial bird, guiding a helpless AI companion through strange lands. Unravel a mysterious narrative, discover hidden secrets, and explore vast landscapes in this atmospheric puzzle game.
- Explore vast landscapes as an artificial bird
- Guide and protect an AI companion
- Unravel a mysterious narrative across 8 chapters
- Immersive ambient atmosphere and music
- Search for hidden artifacts
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“A Breathless Beauty Of A VR Game” – UploadVR “Mare is a class act from start to finish. It’s a macabre and mysterious adventure that offers a haunting experience” – 6DofReviews “The barren environment coupled with the superb musical score ensures Mare has an ambience and soul few VR projects achieve.” - VR Focus “It’s a strikingly beautiful yet solemn adventure that pushes you ever forward toward the unknown.” – The VR Grid As you wake up, stirred from a dreamless sleep with an unknown purpose, you find yourself in the strange lands of Mare embodying a mysterious artificial bird. Crossing paths with a helpless companion you venture deep into unknown territory on a puzzling adventure while unraveling a mysterious narrative and the secrets hidden within. All in order to ensure the arrival of the companion at her impending destiny. Features: • Explore the vast and strange landscapes by the means of an artificial bird. • Guide and protect a vulnerable AI companion on her unexpected adventure. • Let the curiosity of the companion inspire you to explore and discover the underlying narrative spanning over 8 chapters. • Immerse yourself in the ambient atmosphere and otherworldly music for a soothing experience. • Search for lost artifacts hidden throughout the world in order to unlock the final secret of Mare.
Unpacking
Experience a zen puzzle game where you unpack belongings into new homes. Discover a life story through the items you place, creating satisfying living spaces. Enjoy meditative gameplay with no pressure, perfect for unwinding.
- Unpack homes from single rooms to entire houses
- Meditative gameplay with no timers or scores
- Explore domestic environments and arrange items
- Discover a character's story through possessions
- Mobile-optimized with touch controls and haptics
- Handcrafted story experience
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Unpacking is a BAFTA Award-winning zen game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration, you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life you’re unpacking. Over the course of eight house moves, you are given a chance to experience a sense of intimacy with a character you never see and a story you’re never told. FEATURES - Unpack a home — from a single bedroom to an entire house - Meditative gameplay with no timers, meters or scores — perfect for playing at your own pace or on the move - Explore domestic environments with all their nooks and crannies while you stack plates, hang towels, and arrange bookshelves - Discover a character's story through the items that come with her to each new home (and the items that get left behind) - Perfect for mobile — Unpack with the touch of a finger, feel the world through haptics, and easily create snapshots and videos for sharing on social media - Soundtrack by BAFTA award-winning composer and audio director Jeff van Dyck - Winner of over 20 awards, including the 2022 BAFTA Games Awards for Narrative and EE Game of the Year - Experience this handcrafted story in its entirety right in the palm of your hand
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Unpacking at 4.8 against Mare's 4.0. Unpacking also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (6.8K vs 4). Mare's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 74%) and price ($4.99 vs $9.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Mare costs $4.99 and Unpacking $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Unpacking holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Unpacking has 6.8K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Mare's written reviews are positive against 74% of Unpacking's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Mare ships an update every 6 weeks, Unpacking every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mare | Unpacking |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) | 4.8 (6.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 73.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 6.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #26 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.8 GB | 549 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lonekite Ltd. | Balor Games |
Customer experience
Mare
Unpacking
Bugs and requests
Mare
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Unpacking
Reported bugs
2 issues- Issues with placing certain items in the correct spots
- Glitches preventing level completion
Requested features
4 requests- More levels and stories to unpack
- Ability to play as different characters
- Expanded gameplay with additional rooms/houses
- Customization options for rooms and decor
In-app purchases
Mare
No in-app purchases
Unpacking
No in-app purchases









