Behind Sable's many masks: identity and storytelling in a sci-fi desert

When Sable first appeared at E3 last year, it was enough to snap me out of my early-morning slump, sit up straight, and message my friends in excitement. The game's stunning visual design, dreamy environments and haunting soundtrack were so abruptly different from anything else at the show. It was enough to instantly push Sable to the top of my most-anticipated games list: a feeling shared by others, as I would later find out.

In the months since E3, Sable has received a huge amount of attention - not only from journalists, but from fans admiring the game on social media. Unsurprisingly, most of the discussion has focused on the art style and the game's influences, with names such as Mobius, Ghibli, Star Wars and Breath of the Wild frequently cropping up in discussions.

While it's both unsurprising and entirely justified for so much focus to be given to the art style, I wanted to dig a little deeper into the ideas driving the story, and the main character herself - Sable. What is she searching for? What sort of world does she live in? Why is she wearing a goat skull on her head?

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