The main objective of L.A. Noire is to successfully interview suspects and witnesses and then interrogate those most likely of being guilty, but it's also possible to pick every incorrect answer and still come away having successfully cracked the case. Arguably the biggest part of the gameplay loop of Team Bondi's open-world detective thriller, the interrogations required players to review evidence and read body language to determine how honest - or dishonest - suspects were with their responses. Different ratings would be applied at the end of each case, determining how successful the player was in reaching the right conclusion, but the main narrative changes little even if they end up getting everything wrong.
L.A. Noire, published by Rockstar Games, released in 2011. Set in 1940s Los Angeles, the game follows Cole Phelps, a World War II veteran who rises through the ranks of the LAPD thanks to his knack for solving cases. The depiction of this era of L.A. was met with great praise, and while L.A. Noire 2 hasn't been announced by Rockstar, there have been calls for a sequel to be made. Players begin the game when Phelps is a regular patrolman, but he eventually finds himself solving murder mysteries as the department's most popular homicide detective. Driving the interrogation system in the game is MotionScan, a proprietary technology from Team Bondi that created lifelike facial expressions from the game's characters and allowed players to actually read those expressions to judge their honesty. The game was met with mostly positive reviews, but harsh working conditions during development led to the closure of the Australian studio shortly after L.A. Noire's release.
In short, failing interrogations really doesn't do much at all. Even with the presence of an open world, L.A. Noire, for the most part, is a completely linear experience. When an interrogation is successfully executed, and Cole presses the heavily-memed X to doubt at the right time, new locations and people of interest become available and cases develop as originally intended. When an interrogation goes the opposite way, however, the game tweaks cases slightly so players still arrive at a fitting conclusion.
How An L.A. Noire Case Works When You Get Everything Wrong
The first case Phelps takes on the Traffic Desk is called The Driver's Seat. In it, he investigates the disappearance and apparent murder of a man named Adrian Black. When interviewing Adrian's wife Margaret, Phelps learns that Adrian was having an affair with a woman in Seattle while his marriage was falling apart. She then mentions that Adrian frequents a bar with a friend named Frank Morgan. There, Morgan admits he helped Adrian fake his own death so he could leave his wife for his other lover in Seattle. Phelps and his partner Stefan Bekowsky then go to Morgan's apartment where Adrian is hiding until he can leave. The two give chase to Adrian before he's caught and arrested, with Cole Phelps' typically shouty demeanor in L.A. Noire present throughout.
In an everything-wrong run, the case only deviates at the very end. At the crime scene where witness Nate Wilkey is interviewed, Phelps still finds Adrian's identification in his car and can still go to his home to interview Margaret. In the trunk of Adrian's car is a receipt for a hog purchased by "F. Morgan," so Phelps can still go to the bar and Adrian's friend. Morgan's interrogation, unlike the others, does change the end slightly. If it's failed, Morgan will exit the bar without telling Phelps that Adrian's at his apartment. Phelps and Bekowsky then decide to tail him back to his apartment, where they end up discovering Adrian anyway.
With this game design, Team Bondi struck a decent balance between giving players an immersive detective experience while maintaining its engaging narrative in L.A. Noire. According to recent reports, Rockstar games could be in the process of developing sequels to Max Payne and L.A. Noire. If that is the case, then perhaps the publisher will consider making incorrect answers more consequential.