Contradiction: Spot the Liar!

Contradiction: Spot the Liar!, also known as Contradiction: The All-Video Murder Mystery Adventure, is an FMV game created by video game music composer Tim Follin and published by his company Baggy Cat. The game follows the investigation of Detective Inspector Frederick Jenks into the apparent suicide of Kate Vine in the small British village of Edenton. Its gameplay involves interviewing people and finding contradictions in their answers. Crowdfunded through Kickstarter with a total budget of just £6,000, the game was released for the iPad on 14 January 2015 and for Windows and Mac OS X on Steam on 10 July 2015. It was later released for Amazon Fire TV on 19 February 2017. The concept for the game originated in the mid-1990s, when Follin and his brother Geoff had an idea for an audio-only investigative game, which evolved into a game concept incorporating live action video. However, the idea was abandoned when they realised the technology did not exist to execute it. With the release of the iPad, Follin realised it would be the perfect format for the game and he began working on it again in 2012. The script was written throughout 2013 and the main filming occurred within just 11 days in 2014. Roles were cast by John Guilor, most significant of which were Rupert Booth as the main character Detective Jenks and Blake's 7 star Paul Darrow as Paul Rand. Due to the game's low budget, Follin did all the post-production work himself and taught himself how to code so he could program the game. The game received mixed reviews from critics upon release. Reviews generally praised the contradiction game mechanic, production value, and acting, although some critics did not enjoy the more campy performances. Criticism centred on poorly designed menus and other technical issues, as well as the ending which many found to be unsatisfying. Despite its mixed critical reception, Contradiction was a surprise success commercially and has since been credited as one of the factors behind the resurgence of FMV games. It has also been named among the best FMV games ever made.