Little Red Lie

 PlayStation 4
Little Red Lie Image
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
3.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

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  • Summary: Little Red Lie is a narrative-focused, interactive fiction experience that reduces the traditional nine-verb adventure game structure down to a single, context-dependent interaction: lie.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Jan 9, 2018
    100
    You’ll feel deflated – if not outright miserable – after playing it, but it’s also a truly masterful example of writing and storytelling, and it’s the kind of game that people should play, because it will prove to be genuinely challenging and, hopefully, encourage them to think a little more critically of the world around them.
  2. Slant Magazine
    Jan 12, 2018
    90
    Will O’Neill’s perspective is harsh and bleak, yet his bluntness throughout Little Red Lie fulfills the philosophy of being honest no matter what.
  3. God is a Geek
    Jan 25, 2018
    85
    Little Red Lie is a fantastic narrative told over two different sides that will hit home often enough to exhaust you mentally.
  4. PlayStation Country
    Jan 15, 2018
    80
    Little Red Lie is a well-written think-piece that takes the economic strife of the middle class and lays it bare. There is an unrepentant nihilism to it that makes some parts hard to stomach. Persistence is key and, whilst this game doesn't use the medium's interactive nature to its fullest, it does provide a story that will linger and gnaw at you.
  5. Push Square
    Jan 22, 2018
    70
    Little Red Lie is a difficult game to recommend without qualification. It’s uncomfortable, confronting, and just about the furthest thing away from a rollicking good time imaginable. And yet, if you’re willing to go on its journey, sharp writing and a laser thematic focus will force you to re-examine some of the reasons you lie, and some of the things you lie about.
  6. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Jan 9, 2018
    70
    I’m having a very hard time parsing exactly how I feel about Little Red Lie. As a game, it’s imbalanced, awkward, and boring. I don’t think I can recommend it to anyone, but I might have been glad to have gone through it? It’s certainly an experience I will never forget, but then again, so was getting run over by a car.
  7. DarkStation
    Feb 15, 2018
    40
    Little Red Lie is depressing and misguided. However, it curls up so much in its self-pity and vitriolic hate towards everything that you can’t take it seriously anymore. And the game is meant to be taken very, very seriously. Not all entertainment is meant to make us feel good, but Little Red Lie pushes the envelope. At the very end, the game even falls into mocking at the player who has suffered the self-indulgent boredom of it all. I’m not sure that’s a good sales pitch for Will O’Neill’s future projects… I played this game through for you, and I hope you won’t ever make the same mistake. I’m sure the author meant for us to go all reflective on ourselves at the end but the game didn’t make me look into the mirror. I’m better than that - and so are you. And I’m not lying.

See all 8 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Penholder
    Mar 27, 2018
    8
    Little Red Lie is not engaging in its interactivity, which I will assume is why it has such a lower user score here. Instead, it relies on itsLittle Red Lie is not engaging in its interactivity, which I will assume is why it has such a lower user score here. Instead, it relies on its narrative to pull the player in, and in a landscape where most video games (AAA or otherwise) seem to deliver us afterthought-plots, it is wholly refreshing to see a game use storytelling as its sole driver.

    It should be said that Little Red Lie wont appeal to everyone - even those who are seeking narrative-focused experiences. The story here is unrelentingly nihilistic, in both its outlook and delivery. There's no light at the end of this tunnel. Usually something so unflinchingly bleak would be a turnoff for me, but the two characters that helm the narrative here were relevant and (at least for me) somewhat relatable.

    Basically it should be known that there is little interaction here. That in itself does not a bad game make, but it should be noted so consumers don't go in expecting something it isn't. It's a story, and one that I really enjoyed. Good on the dev.    … Expand
  2. Cycologist
    Jan 28, 2018
    5
    SPOILER... 90% is pressing 'X' ad nauseum. If you like reading dense psychology books (or reading small type on your TV in general)... thisSPOILER... 90% is pressing 'X' ad nauseum. If you like reading dense psychology books (or reading small type on your TV in general)... this may be for you. It is not a "game". This title has decently good writing. That's all it has going for it. It's retro aesthetic may be charming in it's way i guess, but did nothing for me. More reading than an old school D&D game. It is dark, bleak and depressing. 4 marks for the story and one since it was written by a fellow Canadian. Not a fun experience.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best PS4 Game of 2018