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Tell Me Why PC Review

 



    Tell Me Why is hopeful in its approach to match its successful predecessor Life is Strange, and in some ways it does, but for the most part, it doesn't seem to ever hit the same. We follow Tyler and Alyson through their journey to piece together their past using their telepathic powers, to find out the truth about who their mother really was during their childhood. To Tyler, she seems to be more insatiable, but Alyson seems to make her out to be more forgiving, but what version is the truth? That'll be up to you to decide.

    The biggest draw factor of conversation for the game, is the discussion of Dotnod's decision to make one of their protagonists (Tyler), transgender. I think it was a smart move to make, considering that there needs to be more inclusion of the LGBTQIA community in media, if we are ever going to reach wide acceptance. There are a few consequences within the story itself that complicate the decision, such as, referring back to Tyler's birth given name, which was heavily frowned upon when done in The Last of Us Part II, with Lev's character being referred to as "Lily," during a section of the game. I wonder if Dotnod would have received the same criticism if the game received a similar amount of attention. The other consequence being that it could hinder the audience reach, with what many may see as a controversial statement with the decision, but for me personally, I still think it was the right move. I didn't see it being a larger issue, considering that I felt this game would aim more towards a younger audience of teen to young adult.




    Tyler and Alyson's shared power of telepathy, allows them to share their thoughts with one another, but nobody else. As to the reason why, that's also apart of the mystery to uncover, but when placed next to time bending Max and sidekick Chloe, I don't think I'd choose this pair over the original dynamic duo. The powers seem to be more of a supporting feature, with it just doing what it needs to do for the story to progress, with no real inquisitive moments of discovering much else beyond it.

    There are three chapters in total for the game, and I found that none of them really stuck out to me, besides having a good cliffhanger for the first chapter. The first chapter seemed to be more of a introductory state, which I forgave for the sake of needing background information, before heading into the more "juicy" side of the narrative. It was in the second chapter where the bulk of the mystery happens, and having the third chapter tie it all together, but I really just felt myself more attracted to the upgraded character models, than I did the narrative. It is quite obvious that more time and money went into the character models this time around, with each of them looking less blocky, and more rendered. Although the narrative lacked interest, I found it more interesting to uncover the story behind Tyler, because his transgender identity was unpacked throughout the three chapters, allowing players to listen to his hardships and supportive community.

    All in all, I find the game to be mildly amusing, but was more driven to just understand Tyler a little bit more each episode. I found that although the game's main narrative wasn't all that exciting, I found it to be a great introduction for the inclusion of more LGBTQIA characters.






TELL ME WHY:  6/10





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Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA

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