Contradiction: Spot The Liar
Genres: Mystery, Point & Click, Story Rich, Atmospheric
Play modes: singleplayer
Release Date: 10-7-2015
Developer: Baggy Cat Ltd.
Our verdict
9/10
- Difficulty: Medium
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 6–10 h
Contradiction: Spot The Liar is a live-action FMV murder mystery. As Inspector Jenks you walk around a small English village, interview suspects on video, collect evidence and catch them out by setting one statement against another or against a clue. It suits solo players or a family on the sofa who like whodunits and gently cheesy acting.
Steam reviews are overwhelmingly positive (2,384 of 2,509). Players love the revival of 90s-style FMV, the twisting plot and especially Jenks, whose over-the-top performance against a straight-faced cast became a fan favourite. Several couples and families played it together on a TV over a few evenings.
Some contradictions are a stretch, and one reviewer felt the game takes many decisions out of your hands. The constant request in reviews is for a sequel that never came. Expect six to ten hours. For anyone who enjoys a classic murder mystery, it is an easy recommendation at its price.
Pros
- Catch suspects by pitting statements against evidence
- Fully live-action village mystery with plenty of twists
- Inspector Jenks is a memorable, over-the-top lead
Cons
- Some contradictions are a stretch
- Story beats leave few real decisions to the player
About
Contradiction is a unique adventure / murder mystery game that uses live-action video for the entirety of the game play. All you have to do is interview characters, spot their lies and catch them out!
Contradiction is a brand new take on the concept of an interactive movie and brings the genre to a whole new level of playability. It plays as smoothly as a 3D graphic game. You can wander freely around the game environment, collecting evidence and witnessing constantly changing events.
But the game is all about interviewing the characters you meet, questioning them about all the evidence you’ve collected and things you’ve seen, then spotting contradictions in their answers. Pair two contradictions together and watch them try to worm out of it!
Works best plugged into a TV preferably with a bunch of people to help spot the lies - but can be played alone on your laptop or PC just fine!
The legacy version of the game with French subtitles by Pierre-Laurent Batut is also available for download on a Beta branch, again instructions are pinned to the top of the discussions forum.
