All Three Episodes of Tell Me Why are Free-to-Keep on Steam

Happy Pride! DON’T NOD Entertainment, who created Life is Strange and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, are making their 2020 release Tell Me Why free to keep if you claim it before July 1st. 

Tell Me Why is a three-part adventure game following two twins, Alyson (Erica Lindbeck) and Tyler (August Aiden). Throughout each episode, you navigate the twins’ otherworldly connection to one another while exploring their childhood memories, shaping their future in the process. As a pair, they try to piece together fractured experiences they shared – or didn’t share – growing up.

As you’ve probably guessed from the giveaway’s timing, things are a little queer in this small-town story. Tyler is trans, and without giving too much away, he’s actually not the only member of the community out there.

DON’T NOD are no stranger to crafting queer narratives. There’s a reason why Tell Me Why won two awards (and was nominated for more) by Gayming Magazine back in 2021. The Gayming Awards weren’t the only accolades it received, either. It also won Best Microsoft Xbox Game at Gamescon, Games For Impact at The Game Awards, and Excellence in Narrative at Pégases. 

The game was a joint effort between DON’T NOD and Xbox Game Studios, which is the title’s publisher. They say that they used this collaboration to conduct thorough research into the communities most affected by the stories told in the game, alongside partnering with ‘cultural, mental health, and gender advocates’.

DON’T NOD has become a heavyweight in narrative gaming since Life is Strange first launched a decade ago. Since then, they’ve shared a long list of interesting and innovative titles, including this year’s Lost Records.

You can grab Tell Me Why for free on its official Steam page. Once you’ve added it to your Steam library, you’ll be able to play it any time you want – not just for Pride month. Incidentally, the first episode of Life is Strange is also always free to play on Steam.

Looking for other things to play this Pride month? Try checking out these queer-friendly life simulators or this list of indie games.

---

Toni Oisin H.C. is the Head of Audio at QSO Media. Read more of his writing here.

Support the UK-based Trans Legal Fund here.

Enjoy QSO Media’s content? Support alternative LGBTQ+ journalism by buying us a Ko-Fi.