Tell Me Why

As accessible as it is spectacular.

Tell Me Why uses everything it can to get you invested. The puzzles are creative and often use the game's systems in a way you might not expect, while the characters are incredibly interesting and the story is powerful.

This is the greatest achievement of Tell Me Why: making us feel that the story it tells is also our story because our choices really matter and because it makes us experience different feelings in many ways.

This first episode of the new Dontnod trilogy story is a bit of a slow starter, but sets a beautiful scene of little-town Alaska where twins Tyler and Alyson grew up. The game brings everything we expect from a Dontnod game: exploration, tough decisions and puzzles combined with the supernatural and more than one complex and difficult relationship.

It’s a shame that the gameplay is so shoddy at times, because I truly believe that Tell Me Why is one of the most important games of our time, in terms of social impact. Hopefully later episodes won’t feel as awkward to play.

Quotation forthcoming.

What it lacks in its limited characters and locations, Tell Me Why makes up with a personal, intimate narrative that nicely captures the essence of everyday life and offers a much-needed examination of the human condition, all wrapped in a beautiful presentation in true DONTNOD style.

Tell Me Why pushes the boundaries of video-game storytelling with its mature, open-minded approach to its themes and its pioneering representation. The inclusion of a trans lead character is vital but the story is a lot deeper than what's on the surface.

Overall, Tell Me Why is a wonderful and thoughtful game that values both its characters and story. Every little detail that is scattered across the game works in harmony to create a believable and engaging world. It is a game that is constantly teaching us more about its interesting side characters and rarely gives the player a chance to want to put the controller down. Despite not having a wild and climactic ending, Tell Me Why is one of the best stories to come out of Dontnod studios and a must-play for any fans of the adventure genre.

Tell Me Why is Dontnod's most mature work so far: a delicate and merciless story, supported and equally fed by each supporting character and, fortunately or not, terribly close to our reality.

It doesn’t rely on stereotypes or tropes to find easy answers, and it could be a source of comfort to those who can empathize with these problems. That’s why I liked the tale. It treats all of its characters with a kindness and empathy that unsheathes their complexities.

Tell Me Why is best experienced as an interactive move - discovering the unusual story of the Ronan siblings from this angle yields an extremely compelling experience. DONTNOD's new game is worth your time and money not only because it has something important to say, but also because it does so in an extremely satisfying, and gracious way.

While still supernatural, Tell Me Why provides more of a mature tale overall than Life is Strange. It’s surprisingly dark, but uplifting at times as well. This game takes chances with the cast of characters in ways that are mostly a resounding success. It’s exciting to see a LGBTQ lead character and a storyline that doesn’t plunge headfirst into tropes. Here’s hoping that this is a sign of where Dontnod will go in the future, because Tell Me Why is a step in the right direction.

As its title suggests, Tell Me Why depicts the journey of two siblings trying to find the truth about their twisted past. Addressing in a mature way the transgender question, the game also delivers an interesting perspective on the flaws of human memory, with the confrontation of childhood recollections. The second episode sometimes moves at low pace and the game lacks of new environments, but the overall experience is memorable.

Tell Me Why combines sharp storytelling, mystery and heavy atmosphere. The result is a family thriller that touches, but may not always go into depth. Freedom of choice around the game's crucial moment adds an extra spice, and Dontnod does not shy away from portraying things that can be really difficult. Highly recommended.

Tell Me Why is an intriguing narrative game, an intimate story capable of discussing complex themes using the power of a story that lives between reality and fiction, and that never sounds pretentious. If you like this kind of story-based games and have followed DONTNOD since Life is Strange, you will not be disappointed.

Tell Me Why is another strong effort from Dontnod. The care it takes with its characters is to be applauded, and although it doesn't always hit the perfect spot with its themes the fact that it is discussing them at all is commendable. Those who enjoyed Life is Strange will get a kick (and a cry) out of its cast and plot, and at least it's not afraid to talk about uncomfortable topics in an age where so many developers are trying so hard to be apolitical.

Tell Me Why isn’t a major deviation from what we expect from episodic narrative experiences, but it’s one of the few that feels like it has really gotten the storytelling format right for video games. At three episodes in length, the series feels concise and well-paced, and with its new chapters releasing weekly, players won’t experience a protracted wait between new episodes that happened with Life is Strange. More importantly, Tell Me Why manages to craft an engaging story that’s worth seeing through to the very end, especially in regard to its well-developed characters and core relationship between Tyler and Alyson. Tell Me Why features several stories from unique, diverse backgrounds that we should surely hear more of, while also offering themes and ideas that can (and should) speak to everyone.

Reining in on the supernatural, Tell Me Why is a more nuanced, intimate and mature story that explores family trauma that challenges our memories and relationships, while making another bold step in representation for video games.

Tell Me Why is kind of a fascinating experience. It feels personal and down-to-earth, even if it can at times be a little dull. The struggle of its twin protagonists to come to terms with the death of their troubled mother is relatable, even if the game never definitively answers their questions about her. Tyler’s experiences as a trans man feel genuine, and the game treats him with respect, even though it also capitalizes on his trauma to move the plot along. In the end, memories can only reveal so much, particularly when they conflict with someone else’s, and the only peace you can really have is the peace you choose to make for yourself.

Tell Me Why is a moody and mature-minded mystery focused on family secrets, while touching sensitively on themes like mental health, gender, and indigenous cultural practices. It’s slow going but compelling. Less successful is a supernatural gameplay component that’s never fully explored, and feels superficially integrated with the storyline.

Dontnod shows with Tell Me Why that the technology behind Life is Strange can also be used to tell other stories. This story is a bit too thin, but it has strong themes. There is also clearly a lot of research done to properly portray the transgender main character.

Tell Me Why is a good game but some flaws in the plot make the story a little too confusing and uninvolving in the end.

It’s still good old Dontnod but Tell Me Why falls short of the studio’s previous achievements. Outdated engine aside, the game lacks interesting interactions or a relationship as powerful as Chloe’s and Max’s friendship in Life is Strange. Its simple story is quite linear and fails to surprise, and supporting characters are rather bland. [11/2020, p.62]

Tell Me Why is more of a PR product that suffers from typical problems of Dontnod Entertainment' games, where's the key story bits is exaggerated and backed up by nothing interesting, while the game tries to resonate with players by cheap controversy. The first episode is powerful, but then game descends into a pit of monotony and despondency. And this is sad.

Mary-Ann reminds me a lot of Twin Peaks' Laura Palmer, a girl known primarily as a victim. It's only until the movie Fire Walk With Me that we know just how much was going on behind the eyes of that idyllic photograph we saw of her every episode. In Tell Me Why, our clearest, enduring image of Mary-Ann Ronan is the dead woman whose childrens' lives were destroyed after her death. Finding out everything beautiful, intelligent, and loving that was going on behind those eyes is the most powerful thing in Tell Me Why, and matched in how her life created two strong, empathetic children who knew her well and didn't even realize it. There's a lot of empty disengaging space to be filled in in this game, but with a little patience and sympathy, what it does provide you is worth the effort.

Dontnod announced to us with Tell Me Why a realistic production devoid of minimalist stereotypes. Promise kept. For almost eight hours, it tells a harsh story, strong in its words, its authentic characters, and its thoughtful dialogues. These are the main strengths of the game. But the player's involvement is too little in this title, which nevertheless outlined attractive possibilities, often under-exploited. His participation will be limited mainly to emotional choices, often giving the impression of being passive in the face of the action. We will remember a benevolent story, whose rhythm and lack of freedom sometimes push us to drop out.

Tell Me Why tackles a difficult subject quite well thanks to interesting central characters who interact maturely and drive the story forward. But limited use of telepathy, immaterial player choice, and a generally boring delivery tarnish this morose tale.

Despite the craft and heart, Tell Me Why feels like a game at odds with itself.

With Tell Me Why, Dontnod Entertainment has delivered pretty much the same experience for the third time. This comes with all the good things, and all the bad things that come to your mind in association with the Life is Strange series. [Issue#306]

The dialogues are wobbly, you won’t really like the main characters and the supporting ones are just plain boring. But this game will hook you in by its courageous topic and a string of fascinating memories.

The studio cannot seem to reconcile with itself, and in this sense, it's unwittingly proved the point its latest narrative fails to: with so many sides to consider, not all stories are so easily tied up. [Issue#351, p.106]