作者彙整: Elise Favis

When everything is a lie, how can you discern the truth? Telling Lies asks you this compelling question as you scour through video clips of dishonest people, and the answers can only be found with your own intuition.

Telling Lies is an adventure game from the creator of Her Story, and it takes the same clever concept and interface to greater heights and success. In Her Story, you search through grainy video archives on a retro computer. Telling Lies uses a modern interface, but you still type in clues (like phrases or words found in clips you watch) that lead you towards new videos as you piece together an overarching narrative. While that may sound mundane on paper, it’s far from boring in its execution, thanks to phenomenal acting and a deep central mystery with many different threads.

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You play as a whistleblowing FBI agent who stole an NSA disk drive, and you plan to upload its contents to the public. The entirety of your time is spent watching, rewinding, and fast forwarding through archived video calls (as well as some clips captured by hidden cameras) found on that drive in hopes of understanding what happened to four connected individuals. I don’t want to spoil the mystery, but the main premise is about a special agent infiltrating a certain group of people, and what’s most interesting is how this mission affects his life and the people around him. What was the point of this mission? How did a cam girl get intertwined in catastrophic events? I was fixated on finding the answers to these questions and more like them. Telling Lies isn’t especially challenging, but that works in its favor; the thrill comes from making connections and watching the pieces fall into place without feeling impeded by mechanics.

The four characters are all lying about something to someone, which makes connecting the dots an exhilarating experience. However, you can only hear the audio and see the video feeds of one person at a time. Sometimes it’s abundantly clear who they are talking to, such as a father’s animated expressions and simple language pointing to the fact that he’s speaking to his young daughter, but other times it’s more cryptic. Hearing half the conversation gives you only a fragment of the information you need, and assembling the rest is a lot of fun thanks to thoughtfully placed clues. For example, a tattoo on someone’s chest led me towards discovering their identity, since the character’s words couldn’t be trusted. Sometimes you find the other half of a conversation, and the moments of silence or facial expressions on a previous video make more sense and give you a better idea of what’s going on.

The best thing about Telling Lies is the fantastic acting from its cast. Whenever something felt off, like a badly put on Parisian accent, there was a reason behind it rather than an indication of poor acting. I loved getting to know the characters and seeing different sides to each person made them complex and real. This consistency of writing and performance is particularly impressive considering the non-linearity; no two players are likely to watch the same videos in the same order, so the story works regardless of your path through the clues.

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Every character behaves differently depending on the situation. They may have a shorter fuse when talking to their wife in comparison to how they speak to their boss. I was utterly fascinated by a man who could commit horrible acts but still be a loving father, and by one woman who was adamant about keeping her identity secret.

Telling Lies is especially interesting in how its themes connect to real-world politics and ethics surrounding privacy when in the hands of a government bureau. I empathized with certain characters, particularly because of their conflicted motives. Viewing different facets of their lives made me feel like a fly on the wall, and this voyeuristic touch bounces between unsettling and engrossing when peeking into these private moments.

Once I discovered the answers to the central mystery, I didn’t stop playing – I continued to find every bit of video content I could because I was enthralled by the people in this world. Attempting to understand the psychology behind each character’s actions made me all the more invested and perplexed, because in Telling Lies, even the smallest fibs lead to the biggest discoveries.

Score: 9

Summary: Phenomenal acting and a deep central mystery make this voyeuristic adventure game something special.

Concept: Search through video calls compiled by the NSA to piece together a mystery about four liars who are all connected

Graphics: The desktop computer aesthetic will be familiar to anyone who has used a Mac, and the glare of a woman’s silhouetted reflection in the screen fits the voyeuristic feel well

Sound: Mellow background music evokes emotion at the right moments. The characters’ tone of voice helps you decipher what’s real and what’s not

Playability: Swiping to the left or right easily lets you scrub through video content, and the desktop interface is simple to use

Entertainment: Excellent acting from actors like Angela Sarafyan (Westworld) and Logan Marshall-Green (The Invitation) brings depth and realism to the characters and their stories

Replay: Moderate

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Mental health is a difficult subject to tackle in games. Achieving a tactful balance between game mechanics and tough themes requires insight, but it can make for a rewarding experience when the two intertwine in meaningful ways. Titles like Celeste and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice illustrate this, and Sea of Solitude boldly plunges into similar subject matter; its world is as beautiful as it is melancholy, with several characters opening up about how their lives are ravaged by mental health.

Sea of Solitude casts you as Kay, a young girl whose loneliness has transformed her into a literal monster. She navigates a partially submerged city, with blurry memories of a human past. Soon she finds out she’s not alone in this world, and she begins a quest of self-discovery in which she attempts to right previous wrongs by helping her family (who have also become beasts) find peace. Sea of Solitude introduces an intriguing premise with darkness hiding under the surface, and it largely succeeds despite occasional hiccups.

You spend your time travelling by foot and by boat, platforming over roofs and through cityscapes, avoiding dangers, and engaging with whatever grandiose monster – like a large, fear-inspiring crow – lurks in the area. I was always eager to see what the next beast awaited me would be, and how the world would change to reflect it, such as sunset skies and harsh waves when Kay’s parents bicker at one another.

Kay has a personal connection with each beast, whether that’s a reflection of a familiar darkness within herself or an embodiment of a tortured family member, which brings a fascinating depth to enemy encounters. I empathized with each major foe, and never wanted to hurt them. Luckily, I never had to. Boss battles in Sea of Solitude are not conventional fights; rather than defeating enemies, you help them overcome issues by clearing corruption, which increases Kay’s understanding of their problems and helps those in pain see clearly, such as two characters realizing its best to end a relationship that is dead in the water. It’s a clever approach that succeeds in driving empathy in the player, too.

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Clearing corruption is your main goal in Sea of Solitude. Corruption points appear as glowing orbs with clouds of black smoke twirling around them. To eradicate these, you collect other smaller orbs by platforming around the area and doing light puzzle solving. You have a flare you can shoot into the air that helpfully guides you to your next objective, but it’s also your one and only weapon. Light defeats shadow enemies; sometimes you have to kill them before moving on or, as the gameplay evolves, turn them into allies so they can jump upon ledges you can’t reach to grab orbs for you. Fighting or manipulating enemies is a lackluster experience since it doesn’t require much strategy, and I preferred platforming moments that are intertwined with voiceovers that give insight into what happened to Kay’s family.

Puzzles, like defeating shadow creatures, are shallow. For example, you can trick enemies into chasing you to lead them away from a door you wish to enter. But the easy puzzles never bothered me much, since smooth progression allows the story to continue uninterrupted – and narrative is Sea of Solitude’s strength.

Characters have depth, and you learn more about Kay and others when clearing corruption. Problems are rooted in mental health, such as Kay’s boyfriend who is in a deep pit of depression and another sequence about a young boy being bullied. Most of these moments feel genuine, but I found the brief bullying storyline clumsy, especially when it delved into suicidal ideation in a sloppy way. Other times I took issue with stilted and awkward dialogue or when deeply personal themes were rushed.

However, some moments shine when the game lets its world speak for itself; I enjoyed seeing characters coming to grip with their reality on their own and how both the weather and aesthetic changed to emphasize these feelings. I love how the city becomes chilled and blanketed in snow when exploring the topic of a broken romantic relationship, or how a building with vents that spew steam fittingly reflects a father’s overwhelming anger.

Weather plays a significant role during exploration, with rainfall warning you of danger and sunny skies signaling safety. It’s a simple system that works well to inform the player when to brace for horrors, and there is a surprising amount of fright. A fish monster swims in the dark waters and if it catches you it violently tears you apart with its sharp teeth. Murky seas occasionally have ghostly hands that emerge from the depths that drown Kay if she touches them. All of this feels all the more terrifying because of Sea of Solitude’s barren world.

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While an empty world is often seen as a negative in games, it feels appropriate here not just for the effective horror elements, but also because it reflects Kay’s feelings and adds intrigue to the mystery. I kept wondering how Kay ended up alone and why monsters are the only living beings left. Answers to these questions aren’t always handed to you, but I enjoyed trying to piece together bits myself through my own interpretations and messages left behind in bottles.

Sea of Solitude provides an insightful look at how mental health devastates the lives of not just those it affects, but also loved ones on the outside. Kay learns a lot about herself by understanding the value of listening, coming to term with her flaws, and not just empathizing with family but also accepting that a simple fix isn’t always possible.

Score: 7.5

Summary: This adventure game provides an insightful look at mental health inside a gorgeous and melancholy world.

Concept: Navigate a half-submerged city and conquer your demons by overcoming literal monsters

Graphics: Sea of Solitude is both beautiful and frightening, with colorful aesthetics juxtaposed with darker palettes during storms

Sound: The sound design is well done, such as a crow’s piercing cry and the crashing of waves providing an unsettling ambiance

Playability: Sea of Solitude controls easily, and the minimalist interface helps you become fully immersed

Entertainment: Sea of Solitude provides an insightful look at mental health and its characters evolve in meaningful ways

Replay: Moderately Low

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