Tell Me Why, the narrative adventure from Life is Strange developers Dontnod Entertainment, is available for free on Steam and the Microsoft store throughout June in celebration of Pride Month.
The game follows the story of Tyler Anson, a trans man who returns to his Alaskan hometown to reunite with this sister Alyson as the pair investigate the mysterious death of their mother. Oh, and they can communicate with each other telepathically, because it isn’t a Dontnod game without some supernatural shenanigans thrown in for good measure.
This isn’t the first time Tell Me Why has gone gratis. Not only was the first episode made available for free permanently some time ago, Microsoft gave away the whole series for free during last year’s Pride Month as well, although the publisher didn’t specify that as the reason. Microsoft is being much more forefront about the reason this year, though, issuing a statement in support of the trans community on the official Xbox website to along with the giveaway.
"Tell Me Why, the award-winning narrative adventure from Dontnod Entertainment and Xbox Publishing, will be available for free on Xbox consoles, the Microsoft Store, and Steam for the entire month of June 2022. To acknowledge that this year has seen a sharp rise in anti-trans sentiment in the United States, Xbox Publishing is accompanying the free period with donations of $25,000 each to Transgender Law Center and Trans Lifeline, two non-profit organizations offering resources and support to trans, non-binary, and genderqueer people."
Sam Greer found Tell Me Why’s intentions admirable in her review, but felt the game’s familial drama lay at odds with the supernatural thriller, saying “The game’s gentle coming of age story is equally undone by the hard yank back into its darker overarching story, with its disturbing and occasionally absurd twists.”
Still for zero pounds, the more human side of Tell Me Why probably makes it worth a go. Microsoft is also planning a charity stream of the game on June 23, with funds raised going to the charity Trans Lifeline.
