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Tell Me Why |OT| Ain't nothin' but a heartache [Mark Spoilers]

TheChronic2060

TheChronic2060

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
925
Yeah good episode in terms of character development, and also shows some really good voice acting all around. Really like the Michael character, and their voice actor. And the store owner is great, like how they make you wait a bit for him to finish the campaign talk on the phone. It feels pretty natural and believable, the conversations you run into, outside of the supernatural stuff.
Think I got some more of the refernces from tye book of goblins, and so
Eddys mom is the Very Old Beaver, and the deer hunter we have met twice now is the Mad Hunter? Or there is another dude out there who is the father of the twins, and to whom Mary Ann was talking to on the docks? Also something about the Old Hag living under the ice on the lake there

Looking forward to the last part next week, and then Im gonna redo some of the sections for achievements I missed. I missed a few in tonights episode
 
PlatypusDude

PlatypusDude

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,141
Just finished Chapter 2, enjoyed it a lot. Definitely feels like a worthy successor to Life is Strange so far.

Regarding the ending/plot direction of episode, it feels so obvious that it has to be a red herring right?

They seem to be leaning so heavily into the Sam is the father plot direction, I doubt that's actually the case, or there is more to it, sounded like his voice actor too in the flashback. However, my crazy twist prediction is the father is really Tom. Just seems like there is something suspicious about that guy. Plus he's a cowardly muskrat, a perfect allegory for a missing father with children from an affair.
 
TheSix

TheSix

Member
Nov 1, 2017
1,632
Toronto
Can't wait to see who gets their theories right with chapter 3! I ended up enjoying all three chapters equally but some of the magic wore off by the end
 
laoni

laoni

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,710
dojo32161 said:
I actually preferred episode 2 to 1, I preferred its pacing, though, as mentioned earlier
That police station file section was really tedious, could only keep track of one file at a time, so it was just kind of a slog to go through, going back to the compute to look up another even if you memorized it. Also, was it just me, or was Mary-Ann's autopsy report box just missing? Couldn't find R662 anywhere.
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The box was open on the table, right next to where you put the boxes you brought off the shelves. Took me a while to find it too.

I enjoyed this episode but, I was really bothered by one thing

The autopsy report details that Mary-Ann drowned, she didn't die to her stab wound. Unless I missed it, there was never a chance to give this information to Alyson, that she didn't (directly) kill their mother

For speculation though...

I'm thinking the person Mary-Ann had an affair with was Tom. I thought it sounded like him in the boat, he's the Cowardly Muskrat in the Book of Goblins, he has financial means but was struggling that winter with no cost, so that's why there was no money. It also ties into the reports for child neglect after she threatened to kill him (They came from Tessa, but the timing now seems more than coincidental). Could also be the reason Tessa was at the police station so quickly the night of things happening, if Tom had seen it happen and got back to Tessa to pass on the news before the police were called. There's also in the archives, Tessa discharged one of the twins from the hospital after a concussion that confused Tyler when he found it, she signed off as the guardian. Maybe there was an angle to have Tessa and Tom take on the kids? #wildspeculation
 
StormBrute

StormBrute

Member
Oct 26, 2017
262
I feel like it's pretty clearly leading to what's going to happen, so I'm hoping it's not quite so predictable...

Their dad is the hunter dude who held Tyler up with a gun at the house, Sam, and he also has some "Voice" abilities. Alyson heard their mom say "I'm going to kill you!" at the pier to him, and then he caused Tyler and Alyson to hear that the night of her death. It was pretty blunt foreshadowing with how they made Alyson hear something from Tyler that was fake, based on something he had said before.

Also, Tessa pretty bluntly hints about Sam being involved with Mary-Ann and it ruining his marriage in the confrontation at the cemetery.

There's also some hints hidden in the Goblin book.

A story about the bear (which you explicitly identify as Sam) has the bear repeatedly proposing to the princess (Mary-Ann) until she tells him that she won't see him again if he doesn't stop. There's also another bear story that has bits of text taped over with new text painting the bear in a positive light (whether that's from Sam doing it himself or the twins doing it to make it a happier story, since they didn't like Mary-Ann's depressing stories).

It could all be a red herring, sure, but I feel like it's a lot of red herrings.
 
IgnotumCL

IgnotumCL

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
1,170
Finished episode 2 and I actually preferred episode 1 to 2 because the first one had a better script.

The garage scene when the guy scape freaked me out
 
BoboBrazil

BoboBrazil

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Banned
Oct 25, 2017
18,765
Finished episode 2 and it was ok. Definitely prefer all of the Life Is Strange games over this, but it's not bad. The storyline just isn't that exciting at this point? Also feel like I had more connection with the characters in the Life Is Strange games.
 
laoni

laoni

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,710
Oh, and episode 2 has a LiS reference

The poster behind Michael is about polaroids with blue butterflies and when Tyler asks Michael what their marketing campaign for that was, Michael goes "Oh...something around time travel and life being weird..."
 
Hadok

Hadok

Member
Feb 14, 2018
5,792
laoni said:
Oh, and episode 2 has a LiS reference
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yep it was a cool easter egg.


Sure the plot is maybe not that interesting(there are not a lot of family secrets in this episode,ironically),but the real thing here is the relationship between the twins,and it's really good imo.Great characters developpement.That's the strength of the game so far.
 
BoboBrazil

BoboBrazil

Attempted to circumvent a ban with an alt
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Oct 25, 2017
18,765
Hadok said:
yep it was a cool easter egg.


Sure the plot is maybe not that interesting(there are not a lot of family secrets in this episode,ironically),but the real thing here is the relationship between the twins,and it's really good imo.Great characters developpement.That's the strength of the game so far.
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I like their relationship, but
I'm confused which memory I'm supposed to choose between them to get closer. I chose Allison's memory in the first chapter inside the store and apparently Tyler got upset so should I always be siding with him every time to build their relationship?

In the second episode I agreed to let a potential buyer come see the house in a couple of days and Tyler blew up at me after about it lol

 
PlatypusDude

PlatypusDude

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,141
Hadok said:
Hmmm

Spoiler episode 2
so Alexander is the Mad Hunter probably?
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Well:
I feel Alexander is a possibility, it would almost certainly feel like a left-field twist and detract from story imo. Being a seemingly random background character. Does match up with the Mad Hunter designation though.

Feel that Tom makes way more sense. Tessa was able to sign the kids out of the hospital as a guardian and she knew exactly when the incident happened. Tom being the father would easily explain both of those. Plus he has the most to lose being exposed and is rather evasive about the past.
 
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Damn Silly

Damn Silly

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,187
Finished episode 2 and I remain considerably intrigued.

Took my fair share of screenshot captures too, my favourite being these two.

EhFDfbpWkAIS4LB


EhFnH1sWAAAmDH9


EhFX-kUWAAEXrJU


EhFZI8yWAAAGQ1K


EhFZd29XsAEM9y_
 
Jonnykong

Jonnykong

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,898
Oh jesus, I clearly haven't been paying attention. Can someone kindly remind me who Alexander is?
 
Princess Bubblegum

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,267
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
Hadok said:
pause menu will tell you your next objective ;)
just don't do it until you've checked everything else.
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True but it's annoying to keep checking it all the time. Take the barn for example,
I checked out the photo with Tyler and didn't even get to examine the gun rack and maybe something else. It's a small area and after the first episode I'm trained to follow the AI controlled sibling like a hawk to avoid missable moments.
The story progression system is bar far what I least like about this game's design.
 

Deleted member 17184

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Oct 27, 2017
5,240
I really like how this is just about a family's conflict and not something with epic proportions. I also think
Alexander is the Mad Hunter.

Also, while playing this episode, I finally realized that the name "DONTNOD" is like a mirror: "don" turns into "nod," and the "t" is also a mirrored letter, so it's a part of both halves. Am I the only one who didn't see this before?
 
Princess Bubblegum

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,267
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
Finished Ep. 2 and I'm left feeling like I don't know what to believe. Overall, I liked this much better than the first episode. Though I don't think the first episode laid a good enough foundation for some emotional moments to land well in this one.

Also that opening cinematic, past the recap is simply sublime.
 

Deleted member 17184

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Reflecting more on it...

I can understand Alyson's reluctance to find the truth. She is already feeling guilty about Tyler getting blamed for Mary-Ann's death, and now she might learn she stabbed her mom who wasn't trying to kill her brother after all.
 
TheTrashBoi

TheTrashBoi

Member
Oct 20, 2019
33
I'm surprised people here are saying this episode was weaker than episode 1. Episode 2 blew episode 1 out of the water for me.
 
zaxil456

zaxil456

Member
Aug 4, 2020
1,562
I like the game overall, but it's really starting to show its lack of stakes. I honestly can't see myself really caring how it ends, but I'd love to be proven wrong.
 
Princess Bubblegum

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,267
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
zaxil456 said:
I like the game overall, but it's really starting to show its lack of stakes. I honestly can't see myself really caring how it ends, but I'd love to be proven wrong.
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Well, the stakes have been raised per the ending of this episode.
Their father has the power to manipulate thoughts and memories plus possibly straight up mind control.
 
zaxil456

zaxil456

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Aug 4, 2020
1,562
SapphiCine said:
Well, the stakes have been raised per the ending of this episode.
Their father has the power to manipulate thoughts and memories plus possibly straight up mind control.
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I mean yeah it's definitely been raised but just not as much as I thought and not enough for me to really care too much for what happens in the next episode.

I expected more supernatural/fantasy elements to come into play from the beginning so that reveal wasn't really huge for me. In fact I feel like it was kind of obvious from the start that mind control/manipulation was at play.
 
Princess Bubblegum

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,267
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
zaxil456 said:
I mean yeah it's definitely been raised but just not as much as I thought and not enough for me to really care too much for what happens in the next episode.

I expected more supernatural/fantasy elements to come into play from the beginning so that reveal wasn't really huge for me. In fact I feel like it was kind of obvious from the start that mind control/manipulation was at play.
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That's fair.
Even though this isn't in the same universe as Life is Strange (not officially anyway), it was still surprising to see the presumed villain have that much power. Plus we didn't know how much of the prior flashbacks to take at face value. I agree with you that the emotional stakes are not where they need to be. I like both twins but them (probably) getting turned against each other doesn't do it for me.
 
Dandy

Dandy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,437
I'm still not done with this episode, just arrived at the cemetary, but I am really enjoying the interactions with all the characters, especially Michael who is just the best.
 
dojo32161

dojo32161

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Sep 4, 2019
1,897
You know, if this antagonist can really alter memories, than [the fact that the scissor's Alysson used to stab her mother was never found is highly alarming.
 
zaxil456

zaxil456

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Aug 4, 2020
1,562
Hadok said:
it's onky 3 episodes,you can't have an incredible crazy story AND a good character developpement.
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No one said it had to have an incredible crazy story. LiS: BtS only had 3 episodes yet I thought it did a better job with managing stakes.

Anyway, I like the story and all. Just kind of wanted a bit more.
 
Xiofire

Xiofire

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Oct 27, 2017
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SapphiCine said:
Also that opening cinematic, past the recap is simply sublime.
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Glad I wasn't the only one that loved this. Really great intro to the episode and was a joy to watch.

Still need to finish the ep, I'm finding playing it in 20 - 30 minute burst to be better suited to this one.
 
laoni

laoni

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,710
dojo32161 said:
You know, if this antagonist can really alter memories, than [the fact that the scissor's Alysson used to stab her mother was never found is highly alarming.
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Funnily enough, there were some scissors in Eddie's desk drawer I had to double take on, I think it's the same model.
 
Lord Fanny

Lord Fanny

Banned
Apr 25, 2020
25,953
So I feel like I missed something in this episode.

When was it revealed that the father can alter memories?
 
Hey Please

Hey Please

Avenger
Oct 31, 2017
22,824
Not America
Something I noticed pertaining to this game's character renders is that the aesthetics are a more in line with OG Uncharted title remasters - Treading carefully between stylized and realistic.

Regular gameplay-
HVrcZd7N_o.jpg

pTgCG6yv_o.jpg
hTZGdlqA_o.jpg


Look at those high poly fingers-
vuUFajPm_o.jpg


Dialog/Conversation segment-
Tuhg5Q94_o.jpg

143HW8kD_o.jpg

Ample polygons were expended for the character models. Also, lip sync animations, especially, out of cutscenes are right up there with the best in the industry; a notable achievement for the size of the team and budget they were likely apportioned.
 

Deleted member 17184

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Oct 27, 2017
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Hey Please said:
Something I noticed pertaining to this game's character renders is that the aesthetics are a more in line with OG Uncharted title remasters - Treading carefully between stylized and realistic.

Regular gameplay-
HVrcZd7N_o.jpg

pTgCG6yv_o.jpg
hTZGdlqA_o.jpg


Look at those high poly fingers-
vuUFajPm_o.jpg


Dialog/Conversation segment-
Tuhg5Q94_o.jpg

143HW8kD_o.jpg

Ample polygons were expended for the character models. Also, lip sync animations, especially, out of cutscenes are right up there with the best in the industry; a notable achievement for the size of the team and budget they were likely apportioned.
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Yesh, I think the team wanted to separate it a bit from Life is Strange's art style, and I think it works well.
 
Hadok

Hadok

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Feb 14, 2018
5,792
it's not the same art director as well so...it makes sense.

Twin Mirror will also have a slightly different art style
geYXOyg.jpg
 
Hadok

Hadok

Member
Feb 14, 2018
5,792
Lord Fanny said:
Oh, I see. I thought I missed something big with how people were talking about it. I didn't see any indication of it at all lol
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The ending of episode 2

Well there's something wrong with The Voice.And the flashbacks aren't probably perfect.
The mother probably never said "i am going to kill you " at the end of episode 1.It was just in the head of Alyson/Tyler(cf episode 2 ending)
.Voice interference?Maybe.
The Mad Hunter seems to hold something in his hand when he's hidding behind the tree....
a magical thing?who knows?
 
Hadok

Hadok

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Feb 14, 2018
5,792
zaxil456 said:
Fair enough. Personally, I found the writing in BtS to be better to the point of being incomparable. I mean comparing episode 2 of BtS to episode 2 of this?
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oh well i totally disagree.I have some problems with the writing in BTS,the more i think about it.But that's not the right thread.
Writing in Tell Me Why is sooo much better imo.
 
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