Following the footsteps of Life is Strange and other titles from developer DONTNOD, the first chapter of the Tell Me Why video game is now accessible for free across the different platforms that it’s available to play on.
The episodic narrative adventure game was initially launched in August of last year, garnering positive reviews from players and critics alike. Given the developer’s repertoire of games, the addition of Tell Me Why essentially cemented the heartfelt formula that DONTNOD has utilized across its point-and-click adventures.
In this fairly recent game, DONTNOD continued to weave representation into its narrative, including representation for the LGBTQ+ community and fighting against stigma towards mental health issues. Tell Me Why was able to win several rewards, including a Game for Impact award at last year’s The Game Awards. Other than that, many fans enjoyed the game for its Alaskan scenery.
Similar to many DONTNOD titles, Tell Me Why is an episodic adventure game. This type of games are usually released by episodes as well, although in this case, the game only has three episodes. The first episode or chapter is now available to play for free for PC and Xbox One users.
Players take on the roles of the two main characters in Tell Me Why. Tyler and Allison are twins who not only revisit their past, but confront it together. Being twins, both are endowed with twin telepathy, which allows them to communicate with each other without having to say a word. Not only that, they can even share their memories with one another.
However, it appears that their memories don’t always coincide, and as the player, you’ll have to make difficult choices and choose between the two memories in order to progress in the game. Some fans believe that Tell Me Why is set in the same universe as Life is Strange, so much so that they view it as a part of that franchise.
In Tell Me Why, Tyler and Allison reunite in their hometown of Delos Crossing, Alaska after 10 years in order to sell their childhood home. Tyler had to leave the place when he was a kid for admitting that he murdered his mom in self defense, as she seemingly reacted violently to his transition—at least, this is what Tyer and Allison believed for all these years.
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In the game’s present time, Tyler is more confident in who he is and is fully living his life as a trans man. His sister, on the other hand, has been struggling with her mental health due to what happened when they were younger, along with the lack of guidance and therapy.
Progressing through the game will reveal more information as to what really happened all those years ago, as well as more information about their elusive father’s identity. When Tell Me Why was first release, the gaming community criticized it for being priced at a whopping $29.99, especially since it can be completed around 10 hours.
Now that Chapter 1 is completely free, however, players will be offered more freedom to check out the game first (like a demo) before deciding if they want to purchase it or not.
