DONTNOD’s Tell Me Why is the story of twins Tyler and Alyson revisiting the past trauma founded by the death of their mother and the mysterious reasons that may have led up to it. DONTNOD excels at bold, progressive narratives, and Tell Me Why is no different. Though the story may have felt lackluster to some, the accurate representation of the transgender community was a big draw for the game’s release, but there’s another underlying message found in the lines of dialogue and the memories of the twins’ childhood. MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD.
The game opens up to a child, a young Tyler, telling the police that he stabbed and killed his own mother after she chased him down. She had seemed upset by Tyler having his hair cut off, and Tyler claims that his mom, Mary Ann, was trying to kill him. This is the biggest question that the twins face: why their mother was in this state and if she was actually pointing a gun at her son.
In the first playable moments of Tell Me Why, it’s now ten years later, and a grown-up Tyler is cleaning out his dorm in Fireweed where he went to juvenile hall for the murder of his mother, while a grown-up Alyson has been living with Eddy, the chief of police in their hometown of Delos Crossing as well as a good family friend. After an awkward yet positive reunion between the siblings when Alyson picks her brother up, they take a ferry and return to Delos Crossing. The task between them now is to sell Mary Ann’s still-empty house, but when they begin to sort through the objects of their childhood, the twins rediscover their twin telepathy, the Bond.
In Mary Ann’s room, Tyler finds a book titled “Raising Your Transgender Child,” which conflicts with the truth that the twins grew up believing: that Mary Ann pointed a gun at her son for cutting his hair. Through their Bond, the twins uncover memories that reveal insights about what may have led to Mary Ann’s last moments. They are also able to use this information to confront those who are keeping the truth from the twins, such as Sam, who was seemingly in love with Mary Ann and is still distraught by her death.
Two of those people are Tom and Tessa Vecchi. While Tom is running for Mayor of Delos Crossing and helps Tessa run their store, Tessa was one of the closest people to their mother. But even after the twins confront her for the first time and discover Mary Ann was struggling financially right before her death, there’s still a lot that Tessa and Tom are keeping secret.
While the twins work to rebuild their relationship throughout the game, the siblings also battle their own demons. Tyler, though he’s already grown comfortable in his own skin as a trans man, must face and confront friends of their past that are not accustomed or aware of the change. Luckily, most familiar faces in Delos Crossing are accepting of Tyler’s transition, even if some of their views are a bit misguided.
Alyson’s demons come at the end of Chapter One when it’s revealed that Tyler wasn’t the sibling that killed his mother. Rather, when Alyson heard her brother calling for help with the Bond, she stabbed their mother in the back to defend Tyler. But Tyler took the fall for his sister. Slowly, it’s revealed how unhinged Alyson is becoming after dealing with such trauma and guilt for so many years, while Tyler, on the other hand, received the necessary therapy, resulting in him being more mentally stable than his sister. Alyson’s struggle only worsens as they dig up more secrets and the truth becomes more blurred.
Using their Bond, the twins (via the player) decide which memories are the most accurate, which can either strengthen or divide their relationship depending on if they agree on the memory or not. Through these memories, Tyler becomes the most suspicious of Eddy, who’s been Alyson’s father figure for the last ten years. Though Alyson is defensive, they confront him as well and learn some grueling information.
After sneaking into his office, files reveal that he’s not as truthful of a person one would hope of a police chief. He denied Alyson’s acceptance letter to higher education in fine arts behind her back, and Tessa worked with Eddy on having Social Services take the twins away from Mary Ann due to her financial struggles and mental instability. There’s also a record (minor’s names are all redacted) of a child with the last name of Ronan born in a different year than Tyler and Alyson, indicating that Mary Ann may have had another child prior to the twins.
The Twins confront Tessa again, and though she was a close friend of their mother and kept the twins fed for years, she may have had a conflict of interest when calling Social Services. Tessa suggests to Tyler and Alyson that Mary Ann may have had affairs with married men, but believes that she may have said too much. This leads Alyson to believe that Sam might be their father, and the twins arrive home to find a stranger attempting to burn down Mary Ann’s garage.
As Alyson’s health becomes further unraveled due to blaming herself for the events of the past, the twins struggle to remember one key ingredient to their mothers’ death: the Mad Hunter. The Mad Hunter represents the twins’ father, and the siblings can use their Bond to recall his face. It’s too difficult, and the twins separate for a night after having fought about whether or not remembering his face is the right move.
After spending a day apart with their individual thoughts, Tyler and Alyson are finally ready to surface the memory of the face of their father, who is revealed to be Tom Vecchi, Tessa’s husband. Tessa seemingly knew of the affair based on her previous comment to twins. They confront him, but Tom tells them not that Mary Ann was trying to kill Tyler, but rather herself because of her mental instability. The player will need to decide which truth they will believe, but the true ending will come if the twins’ relationship was strengthened throughout the game, and Tom Vecchi’s insights have little effect on the overall outcome.
The canon ending of Tell Me Why shows Tyler arriving at Mary Ann’s place after it’s been cleared out, now being transferred over to a buyer. Tyler and Alyson have chosen to move on from their mothers’ death and the trauma caused by it. Alyson is seeing a therapist that she really likes and found a job that she thrives in, while Tyler has decided to move in with her in Juneau.
Tell Me Why is out now for PC and Xbox One.
MORE: Tell Me Why Review
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