Contradiction: Spot the Liar!

Contradiction: Spot the Liar! (also titled *Contradiction: The All-Video Murder Mystery Adventure*) is an FMV game from composer Tim Follin, released under his own label, Baggy Cat. Players step into the shoes of Detective Inspector Frederick Jenks, who is looking into what first appears to be a suicide—the drowning of a young woman named Kate Vine in the quiet English village of Edenton. The core gameplay revolves around questioning suspects and spotting inconsistencies in their stories. The project was funded on Kickstarter for just £6,000, and it first launched on the iPad on 14 January 2015. A version for Windows and Mac OS X followed on Steam on 10 July 2015, with an Amazon Fire TV port arriving on 19 February 2016.

The idea for the game dates back to the mid-1990s, when Tim Follin and his brother Geoff imagined an audio-only investigative game. That concept later grew into one using live-action video, but they shelved it because the necessary technology wasn't available at the time. When the iPad came out, Follin saw it as the perfect platform and revived the project in 2012. He wrote the script throughout 2013, and the main filming was completed in just 11 days in 2014. John Guilor handled casting, with Rupert Booth taking the lead role of Detective Jenks and Paul Darrow—best known for *Blake's 7*—playing Paul Rand. Because the budget was so tight, Follin took on all post-production work himself and even taught himself to code so he could program the game.

Critics gave the game mixed reviews. Many praised the contradiction-based mechanic, the production values, and the acting, though some found certain performances too campy. Complaints focused on clunky menus, technical glitches, and an ending that many felt fell flat. Despite the lukewarm critical reception, *Contradiction* became an unexpected commercial hit and is often cited as a key reason for the revival of interest in FMV games. It has also been named among the best FMV titles ever made.

**Gameplay**

*Contradiction* is a single-player murder mystery where the player controls Detective Jenks as he investigates a death in Edenton. As an FMV game, all scenes and locations are presented through live-action video rather than computer graphics. The main mechanic involves interviewing characters and catching them in lies.