Tell Me Why

Tell Me Why is a good story in a charming world but the choices and plot fail to enthrall.

Tell Me Why puts Dontnod's usual bag of tricks to good use in an empathetic but somewhat toothless narrative.

Another excellent narrative adventure that combines topical issues and emotional drama.

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

Tell Me Why offers a much-needed reshaping of the choose your own adventure games, moving away from cliffhangers and dramatic, distinct choices towards a more gentle and meaningful experience. The game features bouts of magic realism, but is most magic in its human moments. All the major choices shape your character's experience more than their actions, and while the first, introductory chapter occasionally feels shallow, later chapters are overflowing with depth.

Tell Me Why shines brightest when it's focusing on the powerful bond between twins Tyler and Alyson, but the overall story and memory mechanics don't ever reach the same high bar

By cleverly leaning on the conventions of YA fiction — supernatural elements, family conflicts and the like — the studio has hit emotional peaks rarely, if ever, seen before in gaming (both the first and the second Life is Strange games left me misty-eyed).

It’s less dramatic than some of Dontnod’s other outings (and probably not for those with short attention spans given the pacing), but Tell Me Why remains a good entry in their the library of stories about families and sad magic – and it’s probably the most hopeful one yet.

Take a trip down memory lane, but be prepared for a bit of a bumpy ride.

Dontnod knows just what it wants to say and it says it beautifully.