Tell Me Why, the latest adventure game from DONTNOD Entertainment, the creators behind Life is Strange, initially appears to be everything a narrative-driven game enthusiast could hope for. Set in a beautifully rendered, gothic vision of small-town Alaska, the game centers around twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan. Tyler, a trans man, reunites with Alyson a decade after being separated by a traumatic event and sent to a juvenile offender program. This sets the stage for a story rich with themes of reconciliation, identity, family secrets, and even a touch of the supernatural with the twins’ psychic connection. On paper, Tell Me Why promises a deep dive into complex emotional landscapes. Yet, despite its ambitious premise and commendable intentions, the game struggles to fully realize its potential, often opting for safety over narrative depth and impactful player agency.
From the outset, Tell Me Why evokes a sense of insecurity, ironically mirroring the very themes it attempts to explore. The puzzles, designed to be integrated with the narrative, often feel simplistic and easily overcome, sometimes resorting to brute force or relying on overly obvious clues from in-game lore. Quick time events, a staple of the adventure genre, are utilized, but they serve more as a distraction from the limited player interaction rather than enhancing engagement. Even the game’s lauded representation feels cautiously executed, as if every decision was filtered through a lens of risk aversion.
The core mechanic of Tell Me Why revolves around the twins’ ability to access and replay memories, offering different perspectives on past events. This mechanic, while conceptually intriguing, feels underdeveloped. The memories presented often lack emotional resonance and sometimes serve merely as plot devices or puzzle solutions, diminishing their potential to deepen character understanding or narrative complexity. Think of it as a simplified version of memory exploration seen in games like Tacoma or even the fragmented storytelling of Dark Souls. While the concept is familiar, Tell Me Why doesn’t bring significant innovation to this well-trodden ground.
At crucial junctures, players are tasked with choosing between Tyler’s and Alyson’s versions of a memory. These choices, positioned as pivotal, are surprisingly limited in their impact. While the game highlights the consequences of these decisions, only a single choice truly alters the narrative trajectory in a significant way. This binary approach to memory and truth, while mechanically straightforward, undermines the nuanced exploration of perspective and reconciliation that the story initially hints at.
Reflecting on the nature of memory and truth, the reviewer draws a parallel to personal experiences, illustrating how recollections can be deeply subjective and vary drastically even within the same event. The truth, often, is a synthesis of multiple perspectives, a complex tapestry woven from differing interpretations. However, Tell Me Why confines itself to a more simplistic, binary structure. The twins, despite their psychic connection, never truly engage in a meaningful dialogue about the potential validity of both their memories or what these discrepancies reveal about their individual perspectives and biases. This is where Tell Me Why falters – in its unwillingness to embrace the messy, multifaceted nature of truth and relationships.
The game’s commitment to a binary choice system extends to its thematic explorations as well. Dualism becomes a crutch, a safe thematic and developmental framework. Choosing between two outcomes simplifies the narrative flowchart, reducing the complexity and potential depth of mediated resolutions. In a game aiming to explore reconnection and relationships, this binary approach feels like a disservice to the characters and the story’s inherent potential. It suggests an insecurity, a reliance on established, less challenging narrative structures.
This insecurity is further evident in Tell Me Why‘s approach to representation, particularly concerning Tyler’s transgender identity. While the inclusion of a transgender protagonist is noteworthy and commendable, the portrayal often feels overly cautious, striving for “correctness” rather than authentic and nuanced exploration. The developers’ eagerness to “get it right” is palpable, almost to a fault. Extensive FAQs and pre-release assurances emphasize the game’s sensitivity and commitment to responsible representation. This meticulous approach, while well-intentioned, results in a portrayal that feels somewhat sanitized and lacking in genuine tension or risk.
Tyler’s trans identity, while central to his character, is handled with kid gloves. The game avoids explicit transphobic violence or slurs, and instances of misgendering are quickly corrected and portrayed as minor gaffes. While this sensitivity is appreciated, it also inadvertently defangs the reality of transphobia, presenting it as a negligible issue. Any trauma Tyler experiences related to his identity is largely subsumed by the broader trauma surrounding his mother’s death, effectively divorcing transgender trauma from its specific context.
In the wake of controversies surrounding representation in other games, like The Last of Us Part 2, Tell Me Why‘s cautious approach is understandable. The game seemingly aims for a safe space, where marginalized identities are depicted without directly engaging with the harsher realities of prejudice and discrimination. This raises a critical question: in the pursuit of positive representation, are we inadvertently sanding down the edges of these identities, wrapping them in a layer of “Nerf foam” for the comfort of a wider audience?
While Tell Me Why deserves credit for its attempt at representation, its timidity ultimately limits its impact. The game shies away from daring choices, from exploring the complexities and potential messiness of identity and trauma. It aims for safe perfection, a representation that ticks all the boxes but lacks the raw authenticity that comes from embracing vulnerability and risk.
Similarly, Tell Me Why‘s portrayal of indigeneity, while featuring Tlingit characters and cultural elements, feels somewhat superficial. References to Tlingit culture are present, but often as set dressing rather than integral parts of the narrative or character development. While the game consulted with the Huna Heritage Foundation and included Tlingit artists and actors, the integration of indigenous perspectives feels muted.
The diverse cast of Delos Crossing, the fictional Alaskan town, further highlights this superficiality. While the game includes characters from various ethnic backgrounds, their identities often feel like checkboxes, lacking meaningful exploration beyond surface-level details. This “United Colors of DONTNOD” approach, while visually diverse, doesn’t translate into substantive engagement with the complexities of these characters’ experiences.
Despite these criticisms, Tell Me Why possesses undeniable strengths. DONTNOD excels at creating immersive environments and populating them with engaging details. The game world, though limited in scope, is beautifully rendered, evoking a sense of place and atmosphere. The quirky dialogue and the charmingly absurd adventure game puzzles contribute to a unique and enjoyable experience. The concept of using memory manifestation to solve puzzles and unravel mysteries holds promise, but its execution remains underdeveloped.
Ultimately, Tell Me Why pulls its punches. It hesitates to fully commit to its memory gameplay mechanic or to explore the darker, more challenging aspects of its narrative. The game’s reluctance to introduce genuine danger or lasting consequences results in a lack of tension and stakes. While the central mysteries are intriguing, they are resolved too quickly and neatly, offering pat answers before the questions have had time to truly resonate.
While the reviewer encountered technical issues preventing a complete playthrough, the core criticisms remain. Tell Me Why, despite its potential and commendable intentions, ultimately feels too safe. It prioritizes comfort and reassurance over narrative depth and daring exploration. The game offers a glimpse into complex themes of identity, trauma, and reconciliation, but it stops short of fully engaging with their messy realities. Instead of reflecting life in its full complexity, Tell Me Why presents a carefully curated, somewhat sanitized version, leaving the player wanting more grit, more depth, and ultimately, more bravery. For a game that asks “tell me why”, the answers it provides are often too neat, too easy, and ultimately, too safe.
