Don’t Nod, the developers of Life is Strange and the upcoming Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, are putting one of their games out for free as part of Pride Month. Tell Me Why is an episodic adventure game about Tyler Ronan and his twin sister Alyson. Tyler is a trans man and Tell Me Why delves into his life pre and post-transition, as it includes flashbacks to the twins’ childhood.
This has become an annual tradition for Don’t Nod. Several of the studio’s games have LGBTQ+ themes and characters in them, though Tell Me Why’s dissection of Tyler’s gender identity stands out because he is the first trans protagonist for the studio, and the first trans lead in a AAA video game. There have been more trans side characters like Lev from The Last of Us Part II and Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Krem, but by and large, few AAA games put trans people front and center.
With all the money you’re saving by not paying for the game, Don’t Nod recommends using that cash to donate to trans-inclusive charities or give the $20 to your best trans friend. That’s allyship, baby.
Don’t Nod’s next game, Lost Records, is set to launch in two episodes in 2024 with the second being released a month after the first. While it bears a striking resemblance to the studio’s other games, it is a wholly new series with different worldbuilding and characters than Life is Strange and Tell Me Why.
In an interview with Kotaku, creative director Michel Koch explained that the team wanted more creative freedom it wasn’t getting working with a publisher on Life is Strange. If you’ve never played any of Don’t Nod’s narrative games, Life is Strange 2 was one of, if not the best games of 2019, and not enough people played it. Sure, it’s not free for Pride, but it is an exceptional video game that you should also play on top of trying out Tell Me Why.
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