Telling Lies

A stolen intelligence archive turns private video calls into the evidence board of an intimate, uneasy thriller. Telling Lies places you at an anonymous laptop containing years of intercepted footage involving four strangers, all connected by an incident that gradually reveals itself through fragments. Rather than chasing suspects through streets or trading gunfire, you sit alone with a search bar, a growing list of names, and the uncomfortable sense that every clip exposes something nobody intended you to see. The mood is tense and voyeuristic, closer to a prestige crime drama than a conventional adventure game.

Investigation revolves around typing words or phrases into the database, which returns video segments where those terms are spoken. Each recording shows only one side of a conversation, so the crucial context often sits in another clip hidden elsewhere in the archive; noticing a name, a location, or an odd reaction gives you the next lead. You control the pace entirely, pausing footage, scrubbing through conversations, following dates, and assembling the timeline in your own notebook or memory. There are no combat encounters, fail states, or prescribed solutions, but the game asks for close attention and rewards players who enjoy connecting subtle details without being told what matters.

Sam Barlow’s signature full-motion-video approach feels more ambitious here than in Her Story, thanks to a larger cast and an interwoven narrative that shifts between romance, betrayal, secrecy, and political pressure. Logan Marshall-Green, Alexandra Shipp, Kerry Bishé, and Angela Sarafyan give the footage enough naturalism that even throwaway lines can feel suspicious on a second viewing. Its non-linear format makes conclusions personal: two players can watch the same archive yet come away convinced by different versions of events. Telling Lies suits patient mystery fans, narrative-game veterans, and anyone who enjoys the deductive freedom of Her Story or the fragmented storytelling of a detective miniseries.