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As they uncover a web of lies, players get very close to characters in the believable world created by Sam Barlow in the game Telling Lies.
Tension, plot, and characters have long been cornerstones of any good thriller – but the hallmark of a well-crafted crime novel is the sound.
It’s the air whistling past your lips and down into your lungs after the big revelation.
It is a voice that is sure to be heard for hours unraveling the mystery at the heart of Telling Lies.
In this game, you play an unnamed character who, for unknown reasons, sits at a computer and spends hours watching stolen videos from the police station showing a suspect being interrogated.
Your main investigative tool is the search bar where you type keywords like “love” to extract starred videos.
One of these videos may contain another clue, such as a name to search for to drag you further down the rabbit hole.
When you take notes and play detective, your job is to decide the truth.
Telling Lies review
Telling Lies follows four people working many different jobs when a lie brings them all together.
While Her Story has characters in the police interrogation room, Telling Lies has multiple locations with a major supporting cast during its two years in the game.
Her Story’s stationary police camcorders have been replaced by webcams, cell phones, and even cameras hidden in belts.
The effect is like the moment Dorothy steps out of her monochromatic country house in Oz – everything opens.
You will not hear about past events again, this time witness the key moments as they happened.
From forced rallies to captivating webcam sessions, you get very close to the lives of the characters.
This intimate approach not only builds a believable world, it deepens the mystery as flashing and missing badges with names become key clues to progress.
It’s proof from set designer and aptly written Barlow that every clip is packed with possibilities that could be the key to uncovering lies.
On the other hand, it’s easy to waste hours chasing distractions.
Each clip is a one-page conversation that creates interesting puzzles where part of the challenge is guessing the right keywords to put the other parts of the dialogue together.
“Who are they talking to?” is a common question for the first few hours.
However, if you get enough time with the characters, the new videos will allow you to find out who they’re talking to just by the tone of their voice.
Telling Lies review
The computer you’re using is a database of stolen NSA videotapes, some running as long as eight minutes.
It’s a little disappointing when you cut keywords into the video at five minute intervals. And you have to rewind the video to the beginning as if it were an analog tape and not a digital media player – wasting precious time.
This has the advantage that you end up paying more attention to details passing in the background or bits of brows that you would otherwise miss.
The minor facial inflections are brought to life through an excellent show that never loses credibility.
Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus) anchors the plot with ease and confidence, while Carrie Bishé (Scrubs) is as engaging as his increasingly impatient wife.
Vivien Lyra Blair (Bird Box) brings unexpected joy when she plays her young daughter with captivating confidence.
Marshall-Green’s bedtime story that accompanies her video call provides some of the game’s soft moments.
Despite the Hollywood cast pedigree, this is a drama that cannot be an “interactive film”.
There’s too much to explore, too much to unravel, and it even plays a working copy of Solitaire if your brain gets blown off the last twist in the plot.
Telling Lies game requires player awareness, which turns us from spectators into active participants in the storyline.
This is a game that doesn’t hold your hand and it’s up to you to decide the truth – another secret of a mystery well done well.
Tension, plot, and characters have long been cornerstones of any good thriller – but the hallmark of a well-crafted crime novel is the sound.
It’s the air whistling past your lips and down into your lungs after the big revelation.
It is a voice that is sure to be heard for hours unraveling the mystery at the heart of Telling Lies.
FROM HER STORY (2015)…
Acclaimed Her Story (2015) by Sam Barlow introduces us to the concept of an interactive search engine thriller.In this game, you play an unnamed character who, for unknown reasons, sits at a computer and spends hours watching stolen videos from the police station showing a suspect being interrogated.
Your main investigative tool is the search bar where you type keywords like “love” to extract starred videos.
One of these videos may contain another clue, such as a name to search for to drag you further down the rabbit hole.
When you take notes and play detective, your job is to decide the truth.
… TO TELLING LIES (2020)
Telling Lies follows four people working many different jobs when a lie brings them all together.
While Her Story has characters in the police interrogation room, Telling Lies has multiple locations with a major supporting cast during its two years in the game.
Her Story’s stationary police camcorders have been replaced by webcams, cell phones, and even cameras hidden in belts.
The effect is like the moment Dorothy steps out of her monochromatic country house in Oz – everything opens.
You will not hear about past events again, this time witness the key moments as they happened.
From forced rallies to captivating webcam sessions, you get very close to the lives of the characters.
This intimate approach not only builds a believable world, it deepens the mystery as flashing and missing badges with names become key clues to progress.
It’s proof from set designer and aptly written Barlow that every clip is packed with possibilities that could be the key to uncovering lies.
On the other hand, it’s easy to waste hours chasing distractions.
WHAT MAKES TELLING LIES SUCH A BRILLIANT DETECTIVE STORY?
This seemingly endless web of possibilities makes Telling Lies a brilliant detective story.Each clip is a one-page conversation that creates interesting puzzles where part of the challenge is guessing the right keywords to put the other parts of the dialogue together.
“Who are they talking to?” is a common question for the first few hours.
However, if you get enough time with the characters, the new videos will allow you to find out who they’re talking to just by the tone of their voice.
The computer you’re using is a database of stolen NSA videotapes, some running as long as eight minutes.
It’s a little disappointing when you cut keywords into the video at five minute intervals. And you have to rewind the video to the beginning as if it were an analog tape and not a digital media player – wasting precious time.
This has the advantage that you end up paying more attention to details passing in the background or bits of brows that you would otherwise miss.
The minor facial inflections are brought to life through an excellent show that never loses credibility.
Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus) anchors the plot with ease and confidence, while Carrie Bishé (Scrubs) is as engaging as his increasingly impatient wife.
Vivien Lyra Blair (Bird Box) brings unexpected joy when she plays her young daughter with captivating confidence.
Marshall-Green’s bedtime story that accompanies her video call provides some of the game’s soft moments.
IN GENERAL
Telling Lies is an excellent extension of Barlow’s work on Her Story to revive the full motion video (FMV) genre.Despite the Hollywood cast pedigree, this is a drama that cannot be an “interactive film”.
There’s too much to explore, too much to unravel, and it even plays a working copy of Solitaire if your brain gets blown off the last twist in the plot.
Telling Lies game requires player awareness, which turns us from spectators into active participants in the storyline.
This is a game that doesn’t hold your hand and it’s up to you to decide the truth – another secret of a mystery well done well.
