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Tell Me Why (2020)

I enjoyed my comparatively short time with Tell Me Why (2020), a game by Life Is Strange developer DONTNOD. It tells the story of a voice that's not often heard, and it does so in the "genre" of Life is Strange. It's at least half as short as its better known cousins. In retrospect, it could have used some of that time more productively.

Rating: 3.5/7

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Praises

The set-up of this story is promising. Tyler and Alyson Ronan are siblings that connect after more than half a decade apart. However, the last time they saw each other, they were Ollie and Aly. Indeed, Tell Me Why presents a transgender man as one of the protagonists. This is the first time I've seen this in a video game, though I have played a cute tiny story with a transgender woman protagonist. The developers of Tell Me Why highlight that there are LGBT resources on their website. The representation of trans men in this game is seemingly carefully implemented. I'm happy to say that a trans masculine voice actor was hired to play Tyler.

That said, this game should attract more than just those looking for representation. Set in Delos Crossing, Alaska (based on the real town of Hoonah, Alaska), it follows the stories of two siblings confronting the past and their differences. Tyler is determined to find out if his mother really intended to kill him fifteen years ago. However, Alyson has a life in this town and she wouldn't like to sacrifice everything for the truth.

The gameplay has about the same depth as the Life is Strange series, meaning not too much for some. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The game focuses on accessibility, which is always a plus. If anything, games tend to have an exclusivity to them, and I'm happy to say this game does not.

One interesting mechanic is utilizing a book of short stories (roughly speaking) in order to solve puzzles. You have to actually do some reading and interpretation to progress in the game. Of course, I enjoyed this as a literature student. I can imagine that for most people this does not bear any special appeal.

Critiques

This piece is a bit shorter than other DONTNOD games, its budget was much more limited. Yet the same care and attention are put into it. The limited environments and cast of characters are utilized as much as possible in the writing.

However, retrospectively, the story feels drawn out despite its brevity. I cannot recall anything important that Episode 2 achieved. Indeed, the three episode story could have just been a two longer halves of a full game. In fact, why not just make it a standalone game of 4-5 hours?

The production value is obviously lower to the Life is Strange franchise, but that is of course to be expected. Still, the lack of finer polish detracts from the experience, as that is the main offer of such games. I can't help but care about it.

About the Ending

The ending is a bit of an anti-climax (maybe I should Google this word to be sure what it means?). The final choice is, in fact, the first big plot point you're presented with. Did Tyler's mom intend to kill him? It's fascinating that it's a choice and that's what makes it powerful. You, the player, as well as the characters, have to choose how to remember. This is admittedly not exciting, yet the thought-provoking nature.

The statistics told me "0% chose to believe [that Tyler's mom didn't intend to kill him]" - this is obviously wrong. I know because that's the option I chose. I think one would rather remember that the mother one once had was a loving one. Of course, this makes her accidental murder even more tragic. And while there is no more justification to it, there are some good memories left.

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Sid Meier's Civilization VI (2016)

Who is Sid Meier, anyway? "Civ-Six" is a strategy game, which feels as complex as it is visually appealing. That is to say, more than average. At times it feels like a brilliant game, but occasionally it gets so frustrating that you quit before turn 100. Yes, that's early.

My earliest recollection of getting sucked in into this game was one night when I was at home alone. I put on an audiobook (Hard Times by Charles Dickens) and looked for an game to play absent-mindedly. I settled on Sid Meier's Civilization VI, which was a good and bad choice.

I wanted to play this game like I play The Sims 4 - aimless at first, but then a burst of creativity comes through and I come up with an entertaining premise for myself. After that, the gameplay gives you different things to focus on as you please. It always keeps going forward, but you have control over how (fast) to do so. Civilization VI was certainly not like this.

Stemming from games like SimCity (2003) and Cities: Skylines (2015), I expected this to be a city builder-type of game. Managing things here and there, pausing the semi-real-time world, etc. I was very wrong. It (re-)discovered the strategy genre of games after playing a 6-hour game of Civilization VI until 2AM. The audiobook for Hard Times was a few chapters into book two, and I barely knew what it was about.

This one of the few games I prefer to play by myself. Maybe it's because I don't have a good desktop (or my friends don't -- but I think it's me); but I definitely prefer the single player experience. I bought this game (on sale) on Switch, twice. I was considering buying it a fourth time on PS4. It always feels interesting to play. That said, it's a horrible game to play absent-mindedly. Like it or not, I need to invest a lot of attention to it.

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Shin Megami Tensei V (2021)

This is the modern game that I love to bits and pieces. I mean, of course it is. Shin Megami Tensei (hereafter SMT) is my all-time favourite game franchise. The game was first teased in 2017, and I have been patiently waiting for it ever since. It was worth it. I enjoyed the gameplay and, by the end, the writing surprisingly paid off too.

The SMT franchise is my comfort game. Gameplay is slow-paced and methodical, somewhat formulaic but not too much. You can prepare for a boss as much as you'd like, you can resort to using items if you're struggling but normally you don't have to.

I despise comparing SMT to Pokémon, but I suppose that's the easiest comparison to make: it is Pokémon with more depth. Instead of catching them, you have to talk to them and select a response based on their personality. Also, you yourself are a pokémon. Status conditions tend to be more nuanced in SMT (though I can't say this is really the case in SMTV specifically), weaknesses, turn advantages, skills, buffs and debuffs...

These systems will be very familiar to you if you've played other games the other games, but each entry has nuances. SMTV has a "palette" of balances that works out surprisingly well (at least on Normal difficulty).

Unlike previous games, I felt like I had to use items and switch demons mid-battle. This seems minor, but it really isn't. In previous SMT games, you would just have to reliably have three strong demons and you could breeze through any area. Bosses tend to be easily exploitable to the demons you can find in their area/level range. But not here! Every boss fight in SMTV felt tense since there was no "one-size" solution to bosses. Even if you play a physical build, which traditionally is the most "versatile", the game surprises you.

In terms of story, I didn't really have big expectations. The SMT story is a sort of ever-repeating tale. You know that by the end you'll have three choice: Law, Chaos, or Neutral. Do you side with God or are you against him? Or do you maintain the status quo and stay Neutral? This formula works as context and setting, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. And yet, they did add some surprising and refreshing variety to it. Especially with Abdiel. Wow, how I love her arc. I almost wanted to join her side by the end.

I loved SMTV. Sad that it takes so long to get an SMT game, but it is always worth the wait. There is one major thing I disliked: the Mitama paid DLC. It should have been free. But that is technically "para-textual" to the game, so I won't complain too much.

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Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition (2014)

I’ve had to isolate for a good two weeks. I browsed my Steam of unplayed games and lo and behold, Sleeping Dogs. This is a game I shouldn’t have liked, but I did. It’s very much a GTA-like, which is usually not my cup of tea for many reasons. This game is everything I would have wanted from a GTA-like game, and maybe even a bit more.

I started Sleeping Dogs with very little expectations. They were lowered a bit when the opening of the game was a chase scene. I’m not a big adrenaline junkie. My expectations were subverted when I realised Wei Shen is in fact an undercover cop (even though I knew this from a long time ago).

The game is smooth to play, culturally interesting and engaging. A lot of Chinese signs, a lot of Cantonese can be heard and seen throughout. I am a bit worried on how realistic it is, but I’m willing to trust the developers. Driving is on the left side of the road, which is oddly refreshing. That said, I’m not too big on driving in games even if it was enjoyable in this one.

In Sleeping Dogs, there are some gameplay changes which are essentially a satisfying mixture of theme and setting. For instance, getting a fire arm is much more difficult than in GTA games. Developer Frontier Games even references this directly in a cutscene, stating that guns are hard to acquire in Hong Kong, and this is indeed reflected in the flow of the game.

This game is notably, though not purposefully, somewhat accessible - you can use certain handicaps if you’re having a hard time. I could imagine other people describe this as a lack of challenge, which could be a fair critique. But I doubt people play GTA(-like) games for the challenge anyway.

The main plot dynamics of the game are between rival gangs, which feels a bit cliché. However, it’s quite understandable - what would a GTA-like be without gang violence?

Violence - that is one thing that struck me. Sleeping Dogs’ pleasantly complicated but not inaccessible arcade-like fighting system is a very welcome addition. It adds variety to the game why not being too overbearing. Yet, I did find its violence a bit sobering. Nearing its end, I’m now desensitized to it. But it was very striking when I broke someone’s knee for the first time.

There are things to dislike about this game. The main disconnect comes from how Wei can show up to any mission dressed as a cop, or arrive to any location in a police vehicle - his gangster networks will not question it. Of course, I’m thankful that they don’t, but it certainly is jarring to see a mafia boss die and the other characters talk to me sympathetically while I’m wearing a SWAT team suit.

It is certainly not a masterpiece. But it managed to tease out what I’d like to see from GTA-like games: involved but not difficult combat, non-Western setting, limited number of collectibles, more story than violence between gangs.