Telling Lies (also called telling l!es) is a story-based video game created by Sam Barlow and Furious Bee and released by Annapurna Interactive in August 2019 for iOS, macOS, and Windows. Versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One were made available in April 2020. Like Barlow’s earlier game, Her Story, this game uses real-life videos of four actors (Logan Marshall-Green, Alexandra Shipp, Kerry Bishé, and Angela Sarafyan) during video calls between them. Players use tools in the game to figure out what happened and which statements are not true to solve the mystery.
Gameplay
Barlow describes Telling Lies as a "desktop thriller," similar to Her Story, where players become part of a story shown through stored videos and other information on a virtual computer screen. In Telling Lies, players explore hundreds of video clips that take place over two years and were stored on a stolen hard drive from the National Security Agency. Players can search these videos using keywords to find connections, events, and relationships, helping them understand why four main characters were watched electronically and the role of the player-character, who appears female and is shown as a reflection on the computer screen. Each video only shows one side of a conversation, so players must match clips to find interactions with about 30 other people. Players can move forward or backward in videos, highlight words in subtitles for searches, and take notes in an in-game memo pad. Players have limited time in each playthrough to review the hard drive’s content. If they want to see more, they must restart, losing all notes and bookmarks. Barlow estimated that Telling Lies has four to five times more content than Her Story. The game has three possible endings, depending on which character’s videos the player explores most.
The game also includes a version of solitaire. The deck is missing the king of clubs, making it impossible to win.
Plot
In 2019, Karen Douglas, a former FBI agent, used a USB drive on her computer. She watched videos stored on the drive by searching for them using keywords.
The videos show David Smith (Logan Marshall-Green), an FBI agent. Between 2017 and 2018, David worked undercover on a case called Green Dagger, supervised by his handler, Mike. The case aimed to investigate possible terrorist activities by an environmental group named "Green Storm," led by activist Riordan. To join the group, David first infiltrated a smaller team called the "Organizing Group," which opposed a corporation named Prosperen. Prosperen planned to build a pipeline that activists believed would pollute water sources. David met Ava (Alexandra Shipp), a member of the Organizing Group, and began a romantic relationship with her. Eventually, Ava invited David to join the Organizing Group.
The Organizing Group was led by four people: Eric, Wesley, Peter, and Simon. Simon secretly worked for Black Kite, a group that shared information with the FBI. David was upset because he believed Simon acted unprofessionally. As David gained the trust of the group, he learned that Peter had previously had a relationship with Ava while she was underage. Peter had also drugged Ava and recorded their interactions. David attacked Peter, which upset Ava and the FBI. He then used a former contact named Harry to plant drugs on Peter, falsely accusing him. David became increasingly unstable and exposed Simon as a Black Kite spy. These actions and his growing closeness to Ava worried Mike. David invited Riordan and the Organizing Group to a meeting on his boat to discuss plans to disrupt a bridge important to Prosperen’s project. During the meeting, Ava revealed she was pregnant with David’s child.
A new Black Kite spy joined Green Storm, and David worked with him to trick Riordan into planning a direct attack on the bridge. The plan failed, and David discovered that Mike and Black Kite had decided to delay action against Green Storm and arrest the Organizing Group instead. David argued with Mike but could not change his decision. Mike told David to stop his undercover work. The Organizing Group was arrested, including Ava. David was angry with Mike, but Mike pointed out that David had hidden information, such as Ava’s pregnancy. David tried to continue meeting with the group, but Karen Douglas, his field supervisor, arrived and helped him leave. David was upset but agreed to stop. Ava was deeply hurt and angry about David’s disappearance.
At the same time, David faced problems with his wife, Emma (Kerry Bishé), and daughter, Alba. While David was undercover, Emma’s mother, Laura, moved in with them. During David’s mission, Laura developed dementia and died despite medical care from Steven, an anesthesiologist hired by the couple. It was also revealed that David had killed Emma’s abusive ex-boyfriend, Paul, while dating Emma, with Emma unaware of his involvement.
To manage stress, David spoke with a sex worker named Maxine Williams (Angela Sarafyan), who operated a webcam chatroom using multiple names. David paid her for conversations and shared personal details with her, including his identity. As his life fell apart, David believed he had a real connection with Maxine. However, Maxine banned him from contacting her. When David continued to reach out, she revealed that everything he knew about her was false and that she had recorded their conversations. She threatened to release the videos if he kept contacting her. With help from Harry, David found Maxine. She had already released the videos and shot David in the leg as police arrived.
This caused David’s relationship with Emma to break down, as she became scared of him. David began living alone, separated from Emma and Ava. He tried to reconnect with them, but both refused to speak to him. David committed suicide by detonating explosives on his boat, which might have destroyed the bridge. After reviewing the videos, Karen Douglas leaked them.
In the mid-credits scene, the fate of Emma, Ava, or Maxine is shown, depending on which videos the viewer has watched. Both Emma and Ava move forward with their lives, raising their daughters without David. Maxine leaves Cleveland, Ohio, and starts a webcam agency in New York, later becoming a novelist who writes crime stories with strong female characters.
Development
Barlow's work on Telling Lies started in January 2016 as a new game inspired by Her Story, but with a story that was not connected to the first game. Like Her Story, Telling Lies used full-motion video as a main part of the gameplay. Some people suggested Barlow make a direct follow-up to Her Story by creating another murder mystery with a new actor, but he wanted to try something more challenging. He wanted players to learn more about the main character through video clips, similar to Her Story. His idea for the game's theme about electronic surveillance came partly from his experience as a parent, wanting to monitor his pre-teen son's online activities. While researching how the National Security Agency and MI5 use surveillance, Barlow learned about the Optic Nerve program, which had features similar to Her Story, such as searching through stored video and audio using keywords.
In July 2017, Barlow announced that Telling Lies would include three to four main characters. He described the game as a mix of the movies The Conversation (1974) and Shame (2011). The game was published by Annapurna Interactive, and filming was planned to begin in late 2017 or early 2018. To make the conversations between characters look natural, Barlow wanted actors to perform in different locations while speaking to each other. They rented a large property with multiple homes and buildings to create the settings needed for the story. Actors recorded their lines in separate locations using video calls, while Barlow and other directors moved between sets to guide them. Most of the filming followed the story's timeline, and over 100 hours of footage was recorded. Only about ten hours of this footage were used in the final game.
By March 2019, Barlow released the game's first trailer. The game was later released on August 23, 2019, for iOS devices and for Windows and macOS computers. Versions for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch were planned for release on April 28, 2020.
Reception
Telling Lies has an average score of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic, which means most reviewers said it is good. GamesRadar+ wrote that the way the story unfolds feels natural and well-timed, and that Sam Barlow created another excellent game. Kotaku praised the story and the acting, saying the cast did an outstanding job, better than most interactive video games. US Gamer called it one of the best mystery games available. PC Gamer said the main idea of the game is an open story that changes for each player, and this idea is still very interesting. IGN mentioned the user interface was a bit hard to understand, but noted that every short video clip has deep meaning, and solving the story is rewarding. Game Informer said the game lets players explore the story and characters' thoughts freely, and that even after solving the main mystery, players wanted to watch more videos because they were so interested in the characters. The Telegraph said the game's interactive style makes it feel like a mystery thriller. The Guardian compared it to Her Story, saying it gives players more freedom to find the truth, just like a good mystery should. EGM said the game moves from a murder mystery to a political thriller, and that it shows how modern surveillance works in a way that makes players feel involved.
The Washington Post called it one of the best games of the year, saying it makes players rethink things they didn’t consider before. Rock Paper Shotgun said it is better than Her Story, but also more voyeuristic because of the way players find videos. Eurogamer said the storytelling experiment had some problems but was still brave and exciting.
Hardcore Gamer said the game didn’t reach the same emotional level as Her Story. GameSpot criticized the lack of clear structure, saying the game makes players feel like they are watching someone else's private life, but doesn’t give them much control over the story.