A First Look at CONTRADICTION

Acclaimed Video Game Composer Tim Follin Goes To Work On An All-New Interactive Mystery Game




Contradiction is an interactive murder mystery for iPad that centers around a tiny country village in England where a student has recently been found dead. Though suicide is suspected, the Chief Inspector isn't convinced. He asks Inspector Jenks to investigate, but time is running out. Jenks only has until morning, when the case is due to be closed, to solve the mystery.

Tim Follin, the game's creator, plans to take full advantage of today's technology. "With Contradiction, the main thing I was trying to avoid was the sensation of moving forward on a treadmill with no way of going back," says Follin. "I wanted to create something that had the flexibility and feel of a graphics-based game. So in Contradiction, you can move freely around the village as and when you want to. You see Jenks walking or opening/closing doors as you walk around. As you visit locations, you can choose to investigate the place to see if Jenks can find anything interesting, and you can also use items you may have found. As the game progresses, locations may also contain new scenes in which you meet new characters or witness new events. Every time this happens, Jenks collects information which becomes part of your inventory along with any physical objects you've collected."

What sets Contradiction apart from most mystery games is that the key to the game and the name of the game is in listening to characters' answers and spotting when they're lying. Follin explains:

"At certain locations you meet characters you can interview. You can ask these interviewees about most of the items in your inventory, both physical items and information Jenks has collected. When characters answer, they may also sometimes give you new information which you can then go on to ask other characters about. Each time they reply to a question, the key points of their answer are automatically noted and appear on screen. Selecting a reply adds it to one of two 'contradiction' boxes. If you pair two contradictory replies together, you will see Jenks question the character about their lie, which forces the character to explain themselves. They then either lie again or tell you the truth, but either way the game progresses a little. Eventually, having uncovered everyones lies, you will have narrowed down the suspects to one, who will confess the truth (thus) solving the case!"

Contradiction will be released in early 2015.