Tell Me Why feels like two loosely joined ideas. It’s a grounded story about rekindling lost relationships, loss, and personal identity, but it’s also trying to be a supernatural Twin Peaks-esque thriller. It doesn’t handle either thing particularly badly, but the more supernatural elements often feel at odds with the otherwise incredibly grounded and drama-filled story. The characters are fantastic and likable, but I can feel myself getting sucked out whenever weird supernatural forces are slammed into the equation.
Tell Me Why (PC,[reviewed] Xbox One)
Developer: Dontnod
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Released: August 27, 2020
MSRP: $29.99 (Part of Xbox Game Pass)
Tell Me Why follows the story of Tyler and Alyson Ronan, a pair of twins separated for ten years after their mother's death. Early on, we’re told that the twins’ mother, Maryanne, was killed by Tyler in self-defense when she tried to kill him as a child. Subsequently, Tyler is sent to live in a home for troubled youths until he comes of age. The twins are reunited after little more than a few letters exchanged over the years and tasked with emptying out their childhood home, the last obstacle in the two of them being able to pack up the past and move on from their rural Alaskan town of Delos Crossing.
The parts of the narrative that work the best center on these more grounded and focused topics. The drama that comes with a secret the twins kept about the night their mother dies and their drive to learn the real truth from all those involved in her life. Tyler’s struggle with his identity as a trans man is also handled pretty spectacularly. In fact, that topic, in particular, is one that I feel was deserving of a bit more time. After ten years away and finding a place away from his family to carve out his identity, I would have liked to see Tyler’s response to how a small and likely very conservative Alaskan town would handle such issues. It’s brushed on briefly with a few characters but fails to really dive past the surface level.
During the second of three parts, you get some of the stronger stories beats like a chance at reconciliation with the twin’s surrogate father figure and town sheriff. The town itself is colorful and vibrant, but you’re essentially relegated to the twins’ house and a few local spots. I wish the time to explore the cozy hamlet had presented itself at some point.
Much like Dontnods’ prior venture, Life is Strange, a large part of this settles around the twins’ mysterious powers. Alyson and Tyler can converse with each other mentally and see physical manifestations of their memories in meaningful locations. These visions appear like shimmering echos and are used as one of the most common choices made in the game.
Memory is presented much like it is in life. Memory can be hazy, and our brains tend to fill in the gaps; because of this, Tyler and Alyson will often remember the same event from their childhood completely differently. At these moments, the player is tasked with descending, which of them remembers correctly. Since you jump back in forth between playing as the siblings, the effects of your choice are different in each instance. I usually found that relying on your sibling’s memories tends to improve your bond with them.
These choices are fun, but they end up feeling pretty shallow later on. The choices you make simply seem to flavor how you remember Delos's denizens' reactions based on that particular twin’s memory of the person. Alyson knows Sherrif Eddie better, so she tends to be more forgiving of him. Tyler doesn’t want to believe his mother was some sort of monster, so he’ll do his best to paint her in a better light.
On top of these memory-based choices, most of the puzzles focus around an early game item called The Book of Goblins. It’s essentially a book of fairytales written by the children and their mother years ago. Throughout the story, you’ll find several hidden lock boxes and even secret doors in the Ronan home that can be puzzled out using clues from specific stories in the book. While it does require you to sift through what is essentially a book of fables, the stories are pretty short and fun, and you’re usually given the option to brute force a puzzle if you don’t have the patience for it.
Visually don’t expect to Tell Me Why to knock your socks off. It looks about as good as Life is Strange 2. Not a 4K beauty, but the Alaskan wilderness is still beautiful to gaze upon, and the PC version never troubled me with hitchy frame rates or weird graphical blunders.
Verdict: If you’re a fan of the Telltale style of adventure game or The Life is Strange series, you know what you’re in for here. Tell Me Why isn’t doing anything groundbreaking for the genre, but it’s a drama-filled story that biggest issue is uncertainty about what it wants to be. I found it to be at its best when the supernatural elements felt pushed to the background. On the positive end, all the characters feel genuine and interesting. While I’m not someone qualified to speak for the trans community, Tyler’s character was handled with care rarely see in this medium.
Buy it
Author: Rich Meister
Game Pass users should move this to the top of their queue.