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Tell Me Why

Dontnod Entertainment · Aug 27, 2020

PC · Series X|S · Xbox One

Mature

About

Tell Me Why is the latest narrative adventure game from DONTNOD Entertainment, the studio behind the beloved franchise, Life Is Strange. In this intimate thriller, twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan use their special bond to unravel mysteries of their loving but troubled childhood. Set in beautiful small-town Alaska, Tell Me Why features true-to-life characters, mature themes and gripping choices.

Trailers & screenshots

Scores by platform

PC

Critic 8.0 (29 critics) · Gamer 8.4

8.1

Xbox Series X|S

Critic 8.0 (2 critics) · No ratings yet

Xbox One

Critic 7.9 (32 critics) · Gamer 7.6

7.8

Critic reviews

  • RPGFan

    Caitlin Argyros · Jun 26, 2022

    7.9
    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.
  • Adventure Gamers

    Jesse Gregoire · Feb 15, 2021

    8.0
    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.
  • Critical Hit

    Noelle Adams · Nov 16, 2020

    7.5
    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.
  • Sirus Gaming

    Rhett Roxl · Sep 22, 2020

    8.0
    Tell Me Why is quite amazing. It’s very heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. It pulls you in nicely and makes you care for these characters. It makes you one of them. And while this is in no way a perfect game, it’s a fun ride from start to finish, and the players will surely be enticed with this title for its characters and story.
  • Gaming Bolt

    Shubhankar Parijat · Sep 14, 2020

    8.0
    In the end, that most criticisms of the game can be boiled down to “I wish I had had more time to spend in its world and with its characters” should, ultimately, be all that really needs to be said about Tell Me Why.
  • NoobFeed

    Grayshadow · Sep 11, 2020

    5.5
    Tell Me Why just doesn't provide the same emotionally charged experience that past Dontnod titles. The short tale of Alyson and Tyler searching for their mother's trove of secrets starts strong but ends with a whimper. Navigating the Book of Goblins to search for answers to Mary-Ann's puzzles as you try to make sense of broken memories to try and repair a fractured bond sounds promises but lacks engaging elements.

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Gamer reviews

  • Kitarachi

    Sep 29, 2023 · Xbox One

    7.5

    Tell Me Why

    I enjoyed Tell me Why. I never really knew what direction it was going to go in, but I was excited to find out. The game is beautiful and has intresting characters. The two protagonist have alot of intresting things to say and it's also intresting to see how they bounce off each others dialogue. The environments are decent and I love the setting being Alaska. The cutscenes can leave you wanting to know more and I believe that's exactly what a good cutscene should do. Overall I enjoyed this game and would play it again. No doubt I'll 100% its achievements at some point. I hope dontnod continue to branch out and tell intresting story's just like they tend to do with the life is strange series.

  • DigitalSwordz

    Jun 28, 2021 · Xbox One

    8.0

    I enjoyed this game. The story was well written with a couple interesting twists along the way. If you enjoy narrative games you will like this game. :white\_check\_mark:Story :white\_check\_mark:Sound :white\_check\_mark:Graphics :no\_entry:Game Play

  • Crystal Johnson

    Nov 17, 2020 · Xbox One

    8.0

    I appreciated the Trans/queer elements in the story. Great story line.

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