We’re counting down the days until Chapter 1 of Tell Me Why, a narrative adventure game from DONTNOD Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios! Tell Me Why is the story of two twins, Alyson and Tyler Ronan, who realize upon returning to their rural Alaskan hometown that they share different memories of their childhood.
Even among a full August line-up from Xbox – including Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battletoads, Wasteland 3 and others – Tell Me Why stands out: it’s set to be the first narrative adventure title that’s exclusive to Xbox platforms.
Many of our Xbox MVPs are fans of past DONTNOD games, and they’re thrilled to welcome Tell Me Why and its growing fanbase to the Xbox universe. When we reached out to them to hear more about why the upcoming release of Tell Me Why is so important to them, we received a number of heartfelt responses about the role stories can play in games, and how the stories in Xbox games especially have created some of their most profound gaming experiences.
Below are some of the many insights we received from Xbox MVPs:
On the power of stories
“Stories are powerful. They are how we connect to nearly everything that happens in our lives. They are how we connect to people [and] experience their trials and tribulations. Stories are not only what we remember, but how we understand. To really understand a thing, follow a story of someone who lived through it.” -Xonatron
“A game with a good story stays with you, and in many ways becomes more memorable than the actual gameplay.” -AceAttorney
“Stories invoke a deeper meaning in our understanding of the medium, even more so in games as we become the director to shape the story around ourselves. It helps us understand different perspectives or challenge us to face hard truths we may avoid in normal life. I find myself experiencing more and more of these story driven architectures over the regular pvp style games as they simply give more meaning to the way we play and why.” -SimonDarksideJ
On MVPs’ favorite Xbox stories
“Sometimes storytelling doesn’t need to be extremely vocal. In [the Ori series], you are Ori, and the game makes you feel every emotion your character is feeling. You are scared when you are running from danger. You feel hope as a flower blossoms. You feel grief as you have to say goodbye to someone dear. I love stories that can make me feel as one with the character I am playing, and that’s one thing that Ori and the Will of the Wisps does really well.” -Sanana94
“Quantum Break, Alan Wake, Gears 5, Halo… each of these games have characters in it that invite you into their worlds. You feel the danger and stakes around every corner because the stories are so well-crafted.” -Deacon
“The Halo franchise came out at a time when developers were publishing just about anything that had a first-person perspective and the character was tasked with destroying anything that moved. With Halo, there was something more. Through the well-crafted narrative, the Master Chief became more than a faceless killing machine. You wanted to help him seize the mantle he never asked for and become, in essence, humanity’s savior.” -RandyAU93
Words of wisdom and welcome for new Xbox gamers
“Like story-based games, the Xbox community is diverse with a variety of different people, all with their own personalities, but come together through a collective goal of wanting games to be fun and inclusive to all. The Xbox community is welcoming, engaging and incredibly supportive and possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to Xbox and gaming, so newcomers can be assured that they’ll be well looked after. :)” -MissDeusGeek
“‘Community’ is an accurate word for this group of gamers who have made Xbox their home for the past nearly 20 years, but I can think of a better one: ‘family.’ Not of blood and ancestry, but of adventures shared and of triumphs celebrated. It’s a family that’s diverse and welcoming to all who join it, because each of us helps make this place so very special. We’re glad you’re here, and we welcome you.” -RandyAU93
Tell Me Why’s first chapter releases August 27. The second chapter will be available September 3, and the final chapter will be available September 10. All chapters will be available on Xbox One, and on PC for Windows 10 and Steam. Tell Me Why will also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC.
