Its thriller storyline is undone by the desire to be kind and respectful to its characters, never facing them with a serious or troubling threat. Both these sides of Tell Me Why's story undermine each other. I frequently found myself needing to take a minute just to get on board with the sudden unexpected shifts, like the opening with its heart-warming montage set to indie music that comes right after watching a kid confessing to murder. The whiplash felt as the game swerves between these two tones borders on lethal. Because Tell Me Why also wants to tell a dark and mysterious story about the twins' past, with a dangerous hooded figure chasing them and covering up a conspiracy all while the threat of the supernatural looms over everything. The occasional attempt at youth speak is painfully "how do you do fellow kids". Especially in the middle, there are long segments of low stakes drama-like the twins cleaning up their old house or reconciling their grievances with a father figure-that engrossed me. I wanted to live in the small town drama, explore Tyler's navigation of a more conservative part of the world and the siblings trying to rekindle their relationship after so long apart. It's just a shame that it feels largely irrelevant to the story being told. Its depiction of rural Alaska is gorgeous and supremely detailed, Dontnod really have an eye for lived in spaces as well as those big vistas. If Tell Me Why was just that, it might well have been among my favourite games this year. Up front it's also a story about Tyler's identity as a trans man, his struggles with that identity in his past as well as dealing with prejudices in his present. Now they're revisiting the family home and all manner of painful memories are coming to the forefront. Twins Tyler and Alyson are reunited for the first time in ten years since the death of their mother, who we're told Tyler killed in self defence.
What's worth salvaging are some scattered bits and pieces, and a sizeable, engaging second chapter.
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