Tell Me Why (PC, GamePass)
Oh man, I've missed Dontnod games. I still haven't got past the first episode of Life is Strange 2 because I really wasn't feeling it compared to the first game, but Tell Me Why captured more of the things I loved about the original Life is Strange. The sense of place and intimacy, and the fact that the power the characters have is more interesting.
While obviously a bit more budget constrained than their Life is Strange series, Tell Me Why feels like a LiS short. It has some puzzles, a mystery, great cliffhangers at the end of each episode and handles complex issues with the sensitivity and understanding that they deserve.
There are some flaws. I felt some plot points were unjustly rushed, and the twist at the end could've hit its landing a bit better if we'd had a slightly bigger world, some more characters to get to know, and a few more episodes to really flesh things out. Alas, it felt a bit predictable and that's because the game is so small. I feel a better twist could've been used, given the circumstances of the game's scope, and it just leaves me feeling like Dontnod wanted to do more.
All that said, I really enjoyed my brief time with Alyson and Tyler, uncovering the mysteries of their childhood home and dredging up unhappy memories from their past. It's a shame we don't get more games like this on a regular basis, but with Telltale gone the area feels very much unloved right now. Despite its flaws, Tell Me Why was really enjoyable, and I'd like to see Microsoft putting a bit more cash into this kind of game.
8/10
Catherine: Full Body (Switch)
I had Full Body on PS4, but felt the introduction of Rin at the beginning of the game was more slammed in than intricately woven into the plot, and dropped the game in disappointment. However, there was an offer on the Nintendo eShop so I decided to jump back in.
And I'm glad I did.
It's still Catherine, but with some quality of life improvements in the gameplay. I like the Remixed style blocks that shake things up and force you to rethink otherwise common strategies, and I feel the difficulty is better balanced in this version. Normal feels like a robust challenge rather than being impossibly difficult, while Easy is definitely easy. I haven't tried Hard because, well, I struggled in the original!
But I should probably address the two elephants in the room: the first being the story.
Rin is definitely not handled well in the beginning. Their character just kind of lands in the original story very un-subtly, but they slowly begin to feel more and more welcome into the narrative and events happening. I really enjoyed pursuing their ending and playing some extra levels as a result, and their silly twist at their ending is fun and actually fits rather well with the Freedom ending of the original Catherine. So yeah, I kinda dig it actually.
However, and here comes the second elephant: representation and transphobia.
Let's not pretend this game isn't transphobic. It is. And it's reprehensible. I hadn't read anything about the transphobia before as I was avoiding all Full Body spoilers before playing the game, but now I'm done the flaws stick out like a sore thumb. On the one hand the game is telling you it's okay to be whoever you want to be, and love whoever you want to love, but the transphobic shaming of a certain character takes a really appalling turn with one of the new endings in the game, where said character's entire transition is, well, erased from history in a "perfect world". I feel it's an ending borne out of ignorance and could've been handled better. I can see why it caused a lot of hurt to trans people.
With that in mind, I'm finding it hard to rate this game. The gameplay is certainly improved, but that cannot excuse the ignorance. The original Catherine already treaded in some transphobic areas, but you could argue that was shitty characters treating someone who has transitioned in a shitty way, and that it was more tone deaf and poorly-researched. That the people who made the original then decided to double down on the ignorance and go further, makes it hard for me to recommend this game.
From a pure gameplay perspective, Full Body is an improvement on the original. A solid 8/10. But as George Orwell argued in 'Why I Write', art is also political, and this game's politics are trash. As a result, I highly suggest people play the original game. It's available on Xbox and PC and honestly, it's the best way to play Catherine.
1/10