Telling Lies

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 71 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 71
  3. Negative: 24 out of 71

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  1. passionne
    Oct 19, 2019
    3
    Same system as "Her story" : good story but the interface is awful :

    - why am I forced to rewind videos while stop, start buttons could have prevented me from rewinding a 7 min video ? - only 5 results from a search even if there are more occurences with the chosen keyword ! - impossible to watch 2 videos in the same time, very useful to link 2 conversations. Really, if NSA    Same system as "Her story" : good story but the interface is awful :

    - why am I forced to rewind videos while stop, start buttons could have prevented me from rewinding a 7 min video ?

    - only 5 results from a search even if there are more occurences with the chosen keyword !

    - impossible to watch 2 videos in the same time, very useful to link 2 conversations.

    Really, if NSA analysts use such outdated tools, rogues and terrorists don't need to worry ! These amateurish errors spoil the gameplay.    … Expand
  2. TrueBowser
    Sep 5, 2019
    0
    Ugh. Self-Indulgent Faux Hollywood Writing you can’t escape from. Lack of basic interface mechanics that would drive any gameplayer who actually focus tests this game to short-circuit the long tedious stretches (7-8 minutes of video! Add PLAY FROM BEGINNING/FAST REWIND, it’s common sense) rather than endure them. “Ending” doesn’t land properly. I liked Her Story, but that story (andUgh. Self-Indulgent Faux Hollywood Writing you can’t escape from. Lack of basic interface mechanics that would drive any gameplayer who actually focus tests this game to short-circuit the long tedious stretches (7-8 minutes of video! Add PLAY FROM BEGINNING/FAST REWIND, it’s common sense) rather than endure them. “Ending” doesn’t land properly. I liked Her Story, but that story (and definitely not this one) wouldn’t be worth it if it wasn’t interactive. Regret purchasing, should have waited for Steam reviews to roll in vs. publication critics.… Expand
  3. Diverse_Voice
    Jul 31, 2020
    2
    Was expecting more quality along the lines of Her Story (although the story of Her Story wasn't good, the interactivity was there). Here, it's mostly long one-sided rambling with extended footage and it quickly becomes boring and tedious to sift through. Not recommended (PC or Switch, I've checked out both).
  4. SillyVase
    Sep 17, 2019
    0
    Perfect example of where UI and basic game response kills whatever story being told, but story is not good anyway (unfortunately, after HerStory expected much better)
  5. JayAlex
    Apr 24, 2021
    2
    Too expensive for what you get, and if you're expecting "Her Story 2," this isn't it, it isn't even close. Part of what made Her Story work was the micro-viewing sessions, which are replaced with longer, more tedious one-sided delivery that seems to be basically ignorant of what makes a game fun - this is more a slog than fun. Don't recommend.
  6. asifaow
    Aug 30, 2019
    1
    So much bugs. No new patch in steam. I dont know HER STORY WAS MASTERPIECE . This game is BRUH. When you just go forward in the video. Next videos just go so fast and you cant stop it. The game isn´t finished it. But Money Come on to my pocket. I dont care. Dont buy it.
  7. kaczan3
    Feb 19, 2022
    0
    Pathetic non-game that hits all the f****ist talking points like "toxic masculinity" and "mansplaining".
  8. Steyraus
    Apr 21, 2020
    1
    If this is the future of narrative storytelling , there is no future. This is clearly a lazy cash grab from people that cant make it in the film and TV industry so they are trying to get a piece of the gaming industry. Which would be fine if the product did such, of course "Game Journalists like it, they like crap"
  9. check2wice
    Jan 8, 2023
    0
    giant waste of time and money. This is not a game, its a waste of resources.
  10. F1_is_WWE
    May 28, 2023
    1
    Mr. Hitchcock famously said that drama is just life with the dull parts cut out.

    Mr. Barlow apparently disagrees. His idea of drama is 5 hours of unedited skype calls. That is, "how was your day?", "how is the weather?", and lots and lots and lots of flirting.
  11. Usama192
    Jul 15, 2022
    0
    Lazy,pathetic,boring and excessively long fir an interactive movie.Annapurna is know for creating mediocre games.The fact that this is on gamepass shows what little developers are starting to do to earn money.Poimts why gamepass is Netflix of gaming with mediocre games

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best PC Game of 2019
56
#56 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 23, 2019
    70
    Telling Lies is a desktop thriller that takes a bit too much to be in gear and suffers from avoidable technical intricacy, but if taken with the right amount of patience,it gifts us with a story of love and violence, fear and lies, with credible and admirably interpreted characters.
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  2. IGN Japan
    Oct 8, 2019
    75
    As a successor of Her Story, Telling Lies succeeds in delivering a deep and varied story with what is essentially the same system. However, whether that story is full of surprises or not, depends hugely on the player’s reasoning powers.
    Read full review
  3. COGconnected
    Sep 23, 2019
    85
    In sum, Telling Lies represents a niche genre that explores interactive storytelling in a very unique way. The game’s director, Sam Barlow, evolved the Her Story formula, but at a cost. After all, what makes the game so good also reveals its flaws. The ending, for example, can feel very anticlimactic depending on how you uncover specific videos. Still, as the saying goes, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” And Telling Lies is quite a journey — hopefully, one that will inspire many more story-driven games to come. Now go, awaken the sleuth inside you.
    Read full review
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