Little Red Lie

Did You Know?

• Little Red Lie plays as a 2D, top-down RPG where the sole means of interaction is to lie to others.
• Through knowing the best times to lie, players can reshape the lives of the characters they control.
• The game received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic.

Plot

The game examines systems that perpetuate a feeling of hopelessness in modern capitalism after the 2008 financial crisis, along with economic inequality. One protagonist, Sarah, is a 38-year-old who expected secure job prospects after college but instead lives with her parents due to stagnant wages and insecure employment. The other, Arthur Fox, is a wealthy financial guru and motivational speaker who lies to accumulate more money, inspired partly by Rob Ford and Donald Trump. Their parallel stories involve struggles to avoid poverty, with Sarah a victim of circumstances and Arthur a human black hole bringing misery through greed and sociopathy.

Development

Little Red Lie was created by Will O'Neill, the same developer behind Actual Sunlight, a game that unflinchingly examines depression. O'Neill, a fan of narrative-driven interactive storytelling, chose Scarborough, his hometown, as the game's setting. He made the game purely out of passion, acknowledging it would likely not cover his expenses because the indie game market is broken and makes it nearly impossible for titles to get noticed. He also pointed out that realistic, contemporary dramatic fiction lacks a dedicated community, which further complicates marketing. O'Neill argues that most Millennials hide the harsh truths of income inequality, like living with parents, and that confronting this grim social and political reality is necessary to stop the wealthiest and most exploitative from taking advantage. Despite this, the game carries a nihilistic tone, ultimately accepting that Americans will never earn as much as they did in the twentieth century.