Tell Me Why (2020)

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

Tell Me Why struggles on the edge of irregular nuances: the game overflows with beautiful ideas, but on the other hand the potential of most of these ideas goes nowhere. Adventure opens you the door to another world, yet it can be one you won't like much at first. But as you dig deeper through the story, you realize that behind another social problem and „controversy" stands much larger narration with detective subtext in its core. Even though you want to compare Tell Me Why to Life is Strange, Tell Me Why is not Life is Strange: not with its story and not with its quality. And that's a shame, because Tell Me Why took some steps that brought the game so close to the line, which Life is Strange back then drew us. Only the small details left it a few steps before the finish line.

Tell Me Why is a beautiful and interesting narrative game with charismatic and complex characters. Its artistic characteristics are well crafted and it discuss sensitive topics in a very respectful and natural way. Despite some specific technical problems, Tell Me Why is recommended to those who like investigative games with intense stories and immersive experiences.

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.

Everyone should play Tell Me Why for what it says about how we often neglect or don't recognize the love of those around us and how that can effect everyone, not just ourselves.