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Tell Me Why Achievement guide and roadmap

Tell Me Why is out now and this Achievement guide and roadmap will detail what’s required to achieve all Achievements in the game across both Windows PC and Xbox One.

Overview

  • Estimated Achievement difficulty: 2/10
  • Approximate amount of time to complete: 10-15 hours
  • Offline Achievements: 30, seemingly worth 1,500 Gamerscore
  • Online Achievements: 0
  • Number of missable Achievements: 0
  • Glitched Achievements: 0
  • Does difficulty affect Achievements? No
  • Minimum playthroughs: 1 full, perhaps 2 full depending on your bond choices

Introduction

Welcome to Tell Me Why, a narrative told over three separate chapters.

DONTNOD and Microsoft have confirmed with Stevivor that the game’s Achievements will be enabled in batches, timed for the release of each chapter. As such, this guide will be updated with each new chapter. Update: Achievements have been scraped, though it’s unclear how some are unlocked as they weren’t popping as we completed the game. Additionally, Gamerscore allocations aren’t yet known.

A large number of Achievements come through normal progression, though some will require specific acts. We’ll keep Achievement details general below if you’d like to read through each chapter to identify when you’ll need to perform specific actions. To preserve the game’s story, we’d advise playing through a chapter without looking through the details below, though that’s entirely up to you.

You can replay missions if you need a specific Achievement under two circumstances:

  • Isolation mode
  • Restarting from that specific point and replaying everything beyond it

When replaying, we’d advise picking isolation mode, unless you’d like to explore alternate paths in the story. In these sections, you can skip cutscenes to move faster but holding Y.

Tell Me Why Chapter 1 Achievements

  • Rear View Mirror (50GS): Leave Fireweed Residential Center
    • Obtained through normal progression.
  • This is Despicable (50GS): When we say locked, it’s locked
    • You’ll get this from trying to open a locked door multiple times (we got it in three). We got this by trying to continually open the Ronan family barn. (Chapter: A Big Wooden House)
  • One for the Collection (25GS): Found your first Book of Goblins collectible.
    • The first is found under the Ronan’s house. (Chapter: A Big Wooden House)
  • Homecoming (50GS): Enter the Ronan House
    • Obtained through normal progression.
  • Crafty Goblins (50GS): Solve the puzzle on Mary-Ann’s door
    • The answer is Moose, Bear, Pelican (see below). (Chapter: A Big Wooden House)

  • Full confession (50GS): Make Tessa tell you everything she knows.
    • We did this by performing the following in the Vechhi’s store (and not to worry — the Achievement looks to pop far after you’re done speaking with Tessa):
      • Choose Tyler’s memory (Mary-Ann was angry)
      • Get Tom to put on the music Mary-Ann and Tessa argued to; then, follow your memories
      • Turn on Tessa’s PC and read the email about the Alliance for Traditional Families
      • Grab the 2004 ledger from the cupboard
      • Answer “October 2004” when questioning Tessa
      • Answer “You told her about the camp” next (Chapter: Rashomon)

  • Hacking 101 (50GS): Hack into the Police Department computer.
    • This password is Salem and is the name of the 2006 Iditarod winner, as per a note in Dee’s locker. Use the reception PC and D. Wilson to enter the password. (Chapter: To Serve And Protect)

  • Bound to a Lie (50GS): Remember a night when the twins agreed to lie.
    • After getting coffee from the Police Station break room, make sure to look into the Interrogation Room and trigger the memory inside. (Chapter: To Serve And Protect)
  • We Need to Talk (25GS): Took time to talk things over with your twin.
    • We got a prompt to sit down on a bench in the Police Station locker room to get this one. (Chapter: To Serve And Protect)

  • Chapter One (100GS): You completed Chapter One
    • Obtained through normal progression.

Tell Me Why Chapter 2 Achievements

(Don’t forget about collectibles throughout this chapter!)

  • Kick Me: Stick a post-it note in Tyler’s back.
    • After Tyler gives you post-it notes to put on stuff around the house, put one on him. (Chapter: Ahoy Goblins!)

  • Moo’d Changer: Prove to Tyler that moo boxes are actually funny.
    • When you go to clean the coffee table in the living room, the moo box is found on its bottom shelf. Keep using it until this pops. (Chapter: Ahoy Goblins!)

  • Guess Who?: Figure out who inspired each Book of Goblin character.
    • You’ll head to the kitchen table and figure this out; the answers are:
      • Left — The Pious Pelican (Tessa)
      • Centre — The Stalwart Moose (Eddy)
      • Right — The Old Bear (Sam) (Chapter: Ahoy Goblins!)

  • Arborglyph: Correct the old graffiti on the tree.
    • Before leaving the rest stop, there’s a big tree in an area just near the car. Interact with the tree. (Chapter: Compass and Northstar)

  • State Your Emergency: Find a recording of the twins’ 911 call.
    • When in the Archives office of the Police Station, you’ll need to use the computer to check for the “Ronan Children” and “March 1st 2005” tags during your search (they’ll pop up as you uncover more evidence). Doing so will open up a digitised audio recording of the call. Play it! (Chapter: Cold Case)

  • Cold Case: Discover intel about Mary-Ann’s past and her death.
    • Likely obtained through normal progression (Chapter: Cold Case)
  • Remember Strange Vampyr: Find three classic posters.
    • There are three posters to be found in the back of the Vecchi’s store. One with a camera is behind Michael, another with a Panda is in the left-hand corner of the room from Michael, and the other with a red wine glass is at the back of the room. (Chapter: Plushy Fight!)

  • Sharp Shooter: Win the plush battle.
    • Kick Michael’s butt in the back of the Vecchi’s store. (Chapter: Plushy Fight!)

  • Rest In Peace: Make peace with Mary-Ann at the cemetery.
    • Likely obtained through normal progression. (Chapter: Last Rites)
  • Chapter Two: You completed Chapter Two.
    • Done via normal progression.

(videos coming 4 September at 2.00 am AEST)

Tell Me Why Chapter 3 Achievements

(Don’t forget about collectibles throughout this chapter!)

  • Mailbox Bandit: Find out who the Mailbox Bandit really is.
    • When in the Police Station Break Room, eavesdrop on Dee’s conversation in the main room and then respond when “an animal” when she comes in and starts talking about the bandit. (Chapter: Paternity Test)
  • Just One Fix: Help Sam fix the engine.
    • You’ll need the red can to do this, which is up in the room off to Sam’s right (when looking at him). Check the upper cupboard on the left of the room. (Chapter: Adrift)

  • Are You My Daddy?: Learn the truth about Sam’s relationship to the twins.
    • Likely part of progression. (Chapter: Adrift)
  • Fish all the Fish: Catch all the fish with Michael.
    • There are three fish to catch. Follow the prompts — holding RT to reel in the fish and then holding LT in a sweet spot to finish the job. It’s almost impossible not to succeed. (Chapter: Chosen Family)
  • The Princess’ Lost Treasure: Uncover the princess’ lost treasure.
    • (Chapter: Princess and Tiara)
  • And Everything In Its Place: Place all collectibles in the attic.

  • Twins4life: Complete the story with the twins strongly bound together.
    • This is obtained by playing the game and making choices that bind the twins (represented by stars joining) rather than stars drifting apart, then playing to the conclusion of the game. Depending on your choices, some on TrueAchievements say you can focus on this from Chapter 3, with others saying you’ll need to restart Chapter 1 or 2 onwards with this in mind. (Chapter: Veni, Vidi, Vecchi or Epilogue)
  • Life Tears Us Apart: Complete the story with the twin’s bond weakened.
    • This is obtained by playing the game and making choices that drive the twins apart (represented by stars drifting apart) rather than stars joining, then playing to the conclusion of the game. Depending on your choices, some on TrueAchievements say you can focus on this from Chapter 3, with others saying you’ll need to restart Chapter 1 or 2 onwards with this in mind. (Chapter: Veni, Vidi, Vecchi or Epilogue)
    • (Chapter: Veni, Vidi, Vecchi or Epilogue)
  • A New Chapter: Start writing a new chapter with Alyson.
    • This unlocks when you finish the game without a strong bond with your sister. Some on TrueAchievements have posted that you’ll need to replay and break the bond from Chapter 1 or Chapter 2 onwards for both Achievements, as some who started this tact in Chapter 3 only only unlocked this one. (Chapter: Epilogue)
  • Lock-Up And Go: Lock-up and leave the Ronan House with Tyler.
    • This unlocks when you finish the game with a strong bond with your sister. (Chapter: Epilogue)

Tell Me Why Chapter 1 will be available on Windows PC and Xbox One from 28 August, part of Xbox Game Pass. The remaining two episodes will be released weekly on a Friday.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.