It is unclear whether Tom and Tessa have any children of their own. The twins remember Tessa helping them one day after Tyler fell out of a large tree, Alyson fetching Tessa from town to drive Tyler to the hospital for his concussion. She had a fondness for them, insisting they were 'gifted', buying new textbooks for them and generally supporting the family through loans and gifts. She also spent a lot of time with Tyler and Alyson during their childhood, as they hung around the store and cafe when Mary-Ann was around. Tessa was previously best friends with Mary-Ann, who she would have played cards and canasta with frequently. Tessa used to run a food truck, a time which she remembers fondly having kept the truck to use as an advertisement for her cafe beside the general store. Tessa was described as 'preachy' by Alyson. This ties in with her strong religious beliefs. Tessa is known to be very generous with her friends and community. She is frequently seen wearing sunglasses/ tinted glasses, along with a plaid scarf and blue puffy jacket. The consequences of a 'wrong' choice seemed very low stake.Tessa has dark short hair, tan skin, and dark eyes. I never worried in Tell Me Why because I felt that I was making decisions true to myself and the characters, which were the 'good' options. In games like this, I'll usually stress over making a decision and wondering what might happen if I choose the 'wrong' option. I just don't feel like these were conveyed well in the moment. This isn't true, in the end, because your choices do change certain scenarios and outcomes. That's not to say your choices don't matter, but I never felt that my choices would have a drastic effect on anything. These problems are par for the course with a Dontnod game like this, but still worth mentioning - and they could be fixed before the game releases in a patch.ĭecisions in Tell Me Why also don't feel as impactful as they probably should. Combined with some lip-syncing issues, you'll definitely want to keep subtitles turned on. Sometimes you can't even hear the dialogue at all because it will cut out sporadically for a few seconds. That returns in Tell Me Why, but it's much less egregious. If you've played Life is Strange, you know that Dontnod has somewhat of a penchant for awkward and stilted dialogue. At the very least, it shows a serious commitment towards their diversity efforts, even if there's still a long way to go. They didn't have to do this, but I really appreciate that they did. Microsoft even created an email alias for reviewers where we could email those same experts to discuss the game. Tell Me Why was developed in partnership with GLAAD and the Huna Heritage Foundation, along with expert transgender, indigenous, and mental health consultants to ensure that the game's themes and characters were portrayed with respect. They're a severely underrepresented group in most forms of media.

Truthfully, I can't remember any games that include indigenous peoples at all, let alone Alaskan Natives. I can't remember a game as respectful to indigenous cultures as Tell Me Why other than Never Alone, a 2015 platformer that was developed with Alaskan indigenous writers and groups. Source: Xbox Game Studios (Image credit: Source: Xbox Game Studios)īecause it takes place in Alaska, several prominent characters are Tlingit, one of many Native Alaskan peoples. In my playthrough, they made peace with their tragic past and moved forward together. Their relationships with other characters, particularly Alyson's adoptive father Eddy and the twins' friend Michael, were stronger than they've ever been. The shining star was undoubtedly Tyler and Alyson's relationship.Īt the end of the game, I was happy where Alyson and Tyler ended up. Do we remember what we want to remember for our own comfort? Sometimes Tyler and Alyson would remember vastly different accounts of a memory, and it makes you question just how much you can trust your own memories.

I like the way that Dontnod used this to explore their grief. Going a step further, the twins can also conjure up memories that they may have previously forgotten, allowing them to explore past events to shine a new light on what had happened during their childhood. An integral part of this relationship is something they call 'our Voice.' Essentially, it's a play on the twin telepathy belief and it allows them to communicate with one another in their thoughts, going so far as to share emotions.

Tell me why