TELL ME WHY IS ANOTHER 'TWIN GAME' FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS
I would like to start by saying this game was free during pride month, which was very generous of Don't Nod. The reason being that one of the twins you play as is a trans man, which is a demographic massively underrepresented in media.
Speaking more on that, I think the way that they portrayed Tyler was very well done. Being a trans man was certainly important to the story in some ways, and it was addressed a number of times by other characters in a rural Alaska town by having well-intentioned, but awkward acknowledgments of him. But the writers did not make it his main personality trait, which is a feat by contemporary standards in all media.
When the game opens by stating that the devs consulted closely with professionals and people with the lived experiences of being trans, being indigenous, or having mental health problems, they sure meant it. I think all of the above were represented very well and I have to give kudos to Don't Nod for taking the time and resources to make sure they got these themes right.
Now, onto the game.
I played this game in-between sessions of the Deadspace Remake (which I will not be reviewing as a result of quitting after chapter two) and Final Fantasy XVI (a game that I will review, but do not have a very high opinion of at the moment). I don't usually like to play games in the middle of other playthroughs, especially AAA titles, but I couldn't shake this desire to re-engage with Arcadia Bay from Life is Strange while living in the skin of utterly bland and brooding Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI. I just kept thinking to myself, "Damn I wish I was playing as Max Caulfield right now. It's Square Enix, they could have done it!"
So I took a break and downloaded Tell Me Why.
Tell Me Why shares many things with Life is Strange (mysteries, dialogue choices, and super powers presented in fairly mundane situations). But it's also quite different. The tone is more...mature. Or maybe I should say it's less stylistic and more committed to semi-realism. Instead of time control, you get TWIN POWERS. You get to play as two protagonists, who sometimes even have contradicting goals (think Detroit: Become Human, but better).Tyler and Alyson can speak to each other through twin telekinesis as well as re-live memories from the past in order to solve the mystery of why their mom went crazy and died ten years ago.
The story is similarly as engaging as Life is Strange in that there are many juicy revelations and cliffhangers. The intros to each of the three episodes are evocative and memorable. The use of music, as well as other expressionistic choices, are not quite as "iconic" as Life is Strange. But it has strengths of its own.
I love the fairy-tale puzzles (I definitely recommend reading all of the fairy tales in the book when you come across it--it adds a lot of surprising context to the world, the story, and the characters).
The choices do a nice blend of having significant impact while giving you breathing room to patch things up when shit goes south.
Also, much like Life is Strange's time reversal, the use of the MEMORY-ZONE mechanic is not only used in fun and creative ways, but also plays a pivotal role in the themes of the story. The final decision is very thought-provoking and emotional. I think they did more than stick the landing on this one.
The town of Delos Crossing, Alaska is charming enough. But what really carries it are the complex and intriguing characters. From Chief Eddy Brown to Tessa Vecchi, everyone has their own motives, secrets, and sympathetic flaws. I cannot stress enough how refreshing it is to see fully three-dimensional characters that aren't just more post 9/11 "well sure, they're a muderous psychopath, but they have a sad backstory!"
It would be easy to judge characters like Eddy (a cop/narc no less), in the same way some really had a distaste for Chloe in Life is Strange. I sincerely hope these types of players are under the age of 18 because that type of snap judgement is a sign of immaturity and the inability to grasp that even the best of us make big time mistakes.
Tell Me Why is many things. It's a great mystery narrative. It boasts interesting characters that are fully fleshed out. It features fun mechanics that are explored in novel ways. And it is an excellent representation of varying marginalized groups. The only real critique I have is that a few of the puzzles were a bit of a slog (walk here, now walk all the way back over here, and back again). However, there were only a handful of instances like this.
But for a story-based game, it perfectly nails all of the main points. And the title is pretty fucking clever. It is not only a question the protagonists are asking, but also a question the player themselves.
I would like to start by saying this game was free during pride month, which was very generous of Don't Nod. The reason being that one of the twins you play as is a trans man, which is a demographic massively underrepresented in media.
Speaking more on that, I think the way that they portrayed Tyler was very well done. Being a trans man was certainly important to the story in some ways, and it was addressed a number of times by other characters in a rural Alaska town by having well-intentioned, but awkward acknowledgments of him. But the writers did not make it his main personality trait, which is a feat by contemporary standards in all media.
When the game opens by stating that the devs consulted closely with professionals and people with the lived experiences of being trans, being indigenous, or having mental health problems, they sure meant it. I think all of the above were represented very well and I have to give kudos to Don't Nod for taking the time and resources to make sure they got these themes right.
Now, onto the game.
I played this game in-between sessions of the Deadspace Remake (which I will not be reviewing as a result of quitting after chapter two) and Final Fantasy XVI (a game that I will review, but do not have a very high opinion of at the moment). I don't usually like to play games in the middle of other playthroughs, especially AAA titles, but I couldn't shake this desire to re-engage with Arcadia Bay from Life is Strange while living in the skin of utterly bland and brooding Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI. I just kept thinking to myself, "Damn I wish I was playing as Max Caulfield right now. It's Square Enix, they could have done it!"
So I took a break and downloaded Tell Me Why.
Tell Me Why shares many things with Life is Strange (mysteries, dialogue choices, and super powers presented in fairly mundane situations). But it's also quite different. The tone is more...mature. Or maybe I should say it's less stylistic and more committed to semi-realism. Instead of time control, you get TWIN POWERS. You get to play as two protagonists, who sometimes even have contradicting goals (think Detroit: Become Human, but better).Tyler and Alyson can speak to each other through twin telekinesis as well as re-live memories from the past in order to solve the mystery of why their mom went crazy and died ten years ago.
The story is similarly as engaging as Life is Strange in that there are many juicy revelations and cliffhangers. The intros to each of the three episodes are evocative and memorable. The use of music, as well as other expressionistic choices, are not quite as "iconic" as Life is Strange. But it has strengths of its own.
I love the fairy-tale puzzles (I definitely recommend reading all of the fairy tales in the book when you come across it--it adds a lot of surprising context to the world, the story, and the characters).
The choices do a nice blend of having significant impact while giving you breathing room to patch things up when shit goes south.
Also, much like Life is Strange's time reversal, the use of the MEMORY-ZONE mechanic is not only used in fun and creative ways, but also plays a pivotal role in the themes of the story. The final decision is very thought-provoking and emotional. I think they did more than stick the landing on this one.
The town of Delos Crossing, Alaska is charming enough. But what really carries it are the complex and intriguing characters. From Chief Eddy Brown to Tessa Vecchi, everyone has their own motives, secrets, and sympathetic flaws. I cannot stress enough how refreshing it is to see fully three-dimensional characters that aren't just more post 9/11 "well sure, they're a muderous psychopath, but they have a sad backstory!"
It would be easy to judge characters like Eddy (a cop/narc no less), in the same way some really had a distaste for Chloe in Life is Strange. I sincerely hope these types of players are under the age of 18 because that type of snap judgement is a sign of immaturity and the inability to grasp that even the best of us make big time mistakes.
Tell Me Why is many things. It's a great mystery narrative. It boasts interesting characters that are fully fleshed out. It features fun mechanics that are explored in novel ways. And it is an excellent representation of varying marginalized groups. The only real critique I have is that a few of the puzzles were a bit of a slog (walk here, now walk all the way back over here, and back again). However, there were only a handful of instances like this.
But for a story-based game, it perfectly nails all of the main points. And the title is pretty fucking clever. It is not only a question the protagonists are asking, but also a question the player themselves.