Telling Lies

 Switch
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 20
  3. Negative: 7 out of 20

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Slyderule
    May 27, 2020
    6
    An interesting concept with a generally high-quality implementation, but the lack of any kind of satisfying ending is very disappointing. After you've pulled enough videos you'll have a fair idea of what happened, but that doesn't get you anything. There's no payoff.

    The "Karen" character who's doing this research is likely going to prison for it, and her accomplice who got her the    An interesting concept with a generally high-quality implementation, but the lack of any kind of satisfying ending is very disappointing. After you've pulled enough videos you'll have a fair idea of what happened, but that doesn't get you anything. There's no payoff.

    The "Karen" character who's doing this research is likely going to prison for it, and her accomplice who got her the illegal database copy will probably be arrested, too. So there must be some deeply important motivation at work, but there doesn't actually seem to be any. The stories you uncover aren't compelling enough in themselves to make the effort worthwhile.

    You're done playing whenever you're no longer finding any new videos that are interesting. There's also an apparent time limit for the research, but that's more of a mechanism for triggering the credits than it is for marking the end of the game. You can keep playing after that.

    Here are two hints on the user interface (Switch) that will make it easier to play.
    1. If you hold the ZL trigger down while launching a video, and keep it held until it quits buzzing, the video will be positioned at the start and can be played simply by pressing A.
    2. You can easily view your bookmarked videos in chronological order in the Bookmarks tab, so it's worthwhile bookmarking every video.    … Expand
  2. alltheveg
    Sep 21, 2021
    7
    Great game! More well-produced than Her Story but less charming and fun. Worth checking out

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. FNintendo
    May 19, 2020
    80
    Telling Lies is not like most other games and while many could have easily ruled out games that make use of Full Motion Video, this work does a remarkable job at it. Thanks to its plot, a great actors' performance and good implementation of a touch-screen control system, Telling Lies will reward those players who will invest the necessary time and concentration to follow the game's plot.
    Read full review
  2. COGconnected
    May 14, 2020
    78
    When compared to other games, Telling Lies is a massive accomplishment, bringing unheard of levels of talent. But when compared to movies or TV, the performances and production design feel a little bit lacking. I’ll certainly be playing future Barlow games — the ideas are too cool to ignore. But in the future, I’d be keen to see him try his hand at something campier, or maybe let a more experienced director handle the actors. Sam Barlow presents Command and Conquer: Red Alert? Yes, please!
    Read full review
  3. Shacknews
    May 12, 2020
    80
    As for Telling Lies itself, it's an outstanding story and one that's told in a novel way. What makes the game especially memorable is the individual acting performances and how the actors are able to convey a range of emotions. There was nothing over-the-top or anything that made me want to mock the dialogue. Everything is well-written with strong performances to match. I missed the original PC release, but I'm glad I got to experience the Telling Lies story on Switch.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »