Contradiction (+ Her Story Bonus Review)


Contradiction: The All-Video Murder Mystery Adventure is, as the title suggests, a murder mystery game where all scenes are done in full-motion video (FMV) and the core gameplay element involves finding contradictions while interrogating witnesses. You play as Detective Inspector Frederick Jenks, who is investigating the death of Kate Vine, a PhD student in the small village of Edenton. While the large amounts of alcohol in Kate's system imply that it may have simply been a suicide or accident, there are a few elements that suggest foul play may have been involved. Moreover, much of the town seems controlled by Atlas, a local business course that may be a front for something much more sinister...

When I first finished playing Contradiction, I was lukewarm towards it. When I initially began writing this review, I said that I would describe pretty much every element of the game as "good, not perfect, with flaws that are there but not major." But the more time has passed, the more problematic I have come to regard the game and the less I find I like it. Contradiction is a game without a... vertebrae. I can't say it doesn't have a heart or soul, because it does. What it's missing is something to keep it straight and sturdy; a plot. But because it doesn't have one, it ends up weak, mushy, and forgettable.