BrokenLore: Don’t Lie [REVIEW] – An Intriguing Albeit Flawed Bite-Sized Horror

Fair play, Serafini Productions certainly keep themselves busy with the BrokenLore series, with the steady release of bite-sized horror anthologies that build upon a shared universe certainly ticking over well over the last few years. And now, BrokenLore: Don’t Lie puts players back into this interconnected web, placing them in the shoes of Junko – who, if you played the previous game, BrokenLore: Don’t Watch, might be familiar to you…

Check out some screenshots down below:

Whilst it’s not a necessity, having played BrokenLore: Don’t Watch will help you get more out of the narrative. Junko is the mysterious girl who was texting that game’s protagonist Shinji to warn him about the monsters, and, like Shinji, she is also a hikikomori – a recluse who isolates herself indoors and avoids society. She is also dealing with severe childhood trauma (which she copes with by chronically lying to gain attention, a habit actively encouraged by her AI chatbot companion). It’s an intriguing narrative setup and one that brings with it some unique ideas, but – again – it’s going to be better enjoyed if you have that additional context of her role in Shinji’s story.

When it comes to actually playing BrokenLore: Don’t Lie, the core experience operates as a horror-themed walking simulator. You’ll spend the bulk of your roughly 90-minute playthrough wandering around Junko’s apartment, drifting through various surreal environments, and dealing with a handful of… interesting enemies. There are some puzzles, but they’re basic, with two prominent puzzles in total: one that requires you to follow some coloured wires and one that requires you to deal with moving boxes in a liminal space. That latter one was actually a bit frustrating, so I’d hardly say they were particularly well-designed… they were just there.

“BrokenLore: Don’t Lie is an interesting, albeit flawed, addition to the ever-expanding BrokenLore franchise.”

Things do get a bit more interesting when the game attempts to break out of standard walking sim territory. There are moments where you are actively pursued by a spooky stalker and have to deliberately cover your eyes to avoid looking at the threat, which does add a bit of mild urgency (even if it mostly boils down to just following a strict rule of where you can and cannot look). Admittedly, the stakes were low, but it does at least add an element of tension.

The most unpredictable gameplay twist revolves around Junko’s obsession with a fictional retro 2D platformer called Fantasy Boy. You actually get to play snippets of this colourful minigame, which is a surprisingly fun distraction. Eventually, however, Junko’s grip on reality completely slips, and the cute, cel-shaded enemies from the game start invading her real-world environment. You are forced to fight them off using a cel-shaded sword… yeah, it gets weird, but it’s actually kind of charming. Don’t get me wrong, the combat is janky and the enemies don’t pose much of a threat, but it does something really different that helps give BrokenLore: Don’t Lie its own unique vibe.

Check out some screenshots down below:

On the presentation front, it’s a bit mixed. Some of the environmental design is top notch, whilst the way it blends a cartoony aesthetic with realistic, unnerving environments creates a really unique vibe. If you like games with liminal spaces, they’re genuinely fascinating to look at here. Unfortunately, the overall polish leaves a lot to be desired – there is an abundance of noticeable visual artefacts, the occasional lighting issue, and even a handful of performance issues that take you out of the experience.

Developer: Serafini Productions
Publisher: Wired Productions
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC
Website: https://wiredproductions.com/games/brokenlore-dont-lie/