After yesterday’s Xbox Games Showcase, developer Dontnod took an unusual step in publishing an FAQ with spoilers for its narrative adventure Tell Me Why.

(This is a spoiler warning for the rest of the article, as well as a trigger warning for discussions of transphobia to follow.)

The spoilers discussed in the FAQ do not directly discuss plot points. Rather they lay groundwork for how the game depicts one of its central characters, Tyler, who is transgender, and the depiction of Tlingit characters and culture (the Tlingit tribe resides in Alaska, where the game is set). The document also appears to act as a content warning to help players gauge if Tell Me Why will be triggering for any players who’ve experienced trauma around the game’s themes.

From an external point of view, the FAQ also reveals the thorny issues around telling stories featuring Trans and Indigenous characters when no one on the development team appears to be a member of either group.

Both transgender and Indigenous creators have spoken about the complex emotions of watching their stories be told by creatives who have not lived through their respective realities.

Dontnod’s document does appear to be a good-faith effort to inform players about the emotional intensity of the game’s plot, trading an “unspoiled experience” for transparency about how the developers aim to depict a story that mimics real-life traumatic pain.

Trailers for Tell Me Why have shown that the Ronan Twins experienced some kind of violence at the hands of their mother before the game starts. Since transgender people often experience familial violence, there was some speculation that the game’s plot is spurred by a troubling depiction of transphobia.

Dontnod’s FAQ states that this is not the company’s intent. Apparently the game’s writers have attempted to paint the Ronan twins’ mother as a character undergoing some other (possibly supernatural) crisis, who was supportive of her transgender son and trying to learn more about his identity. The game also does not use Tyler’s assigned birth name (commonly referred to by transgender folks as a ‘deadname’), though it does contain discussions and brief depictions of transphobia and homophobia.

The studio explictly states in the FAQ that it does not want to follow in the footsteps of other mainstream stories like the film Dallas Buyer’s Club (our reference, not theirs) that rely on the experience of transitioning and the pain of transphobia as central story points. “Because so many mainstream narratives about trans people are rooted in pain or trauma, it was important to our team to tell a different, more multi-dimensional story with Tyler,” the FAQ says.

Elsewhere, the FAQ attempts to address the inclusion of Tlingit characters, explaining that Tlingit artists were comissioned to create in-game assets that represent the tribe’s culture. Dontnod also states that it partnered with the Huna Heritage Foundation to consult on how it depicts the game’s Indigenous characters and culture. The FAQ does not state if Tell Me Why’s two Tlingit characters are voiced by Indigenous actors.

If that all seems like a complex document for a developer to put out, it’s because these are complex issues made worthy of scrutiny by Dontnod’s seeming lack of trans & Indigenous creative leads, and the historical exploitation of both groups in commercial media.

This FAQ can represent a good-faith effort by Dontnod to let players know about how it’s approached these sensitive themes, yet players (and fellow developers) may still have reason to be wary about the game’s direction. After all, developers from both groups have spent the last few decades telling their own stories in different ways, sometimes to explore their trauma, other times to celebrate their own existence.

How successfully Dontnod has told Tell Me Why’s story will become clear when it debuts on August 27th, 2020.

The new update to Dead by Daylight Mobile sees the introduction of a new game mode: training. While training game modes are quite popular in games across a multitude of genres, few of them have as many benefits as the Dead by Daylight Mobile training mode does.

Unsurprisingly, the training mode is a solo experience where you can refine your skills against bots. The gameplay is the same as you would see outside of training, and you get to keep 50% of Bloodpoints and 10% of Character experience if you appease or outwit The Entity. The game mode offers advantages for new and veteran players, as the bot’s difficulty scales up depending on your skill level.

If you have yet to play Dead by Daylight Mobile, then you are missing out on a brilliant and yet terrifying survival experience – which you can read about in our Dead by Daylight Mobile review. The game is a four-on-one multiplayer horror where one killer hunts and stops the other four players from escaping. Dead by Daylight Mobile isn’t just entertaining, it is also exhilarating as the deranged killer can sneak up on you at any moment.

Dead by Daylight Mobile training mode trailer: What to expect from the new mode

If you are yet to see any of the gameplay for the new mode, this trailer will give you a better understanding of why training was added and how to use it.

Dead by Daylight Mobile update: Cook Out outfits

As part of the Dead by Daylight Mobile update, four new skins have been added for players to collect. The outfits are only available inside Gold Tier Super Mystery Boxes and are available from now until August 23.

The new outfits include two killers and two survivors:

• The Huntress: Wild Feast (Killer)
• The Clown: Chef Carnage (Killer)
• Jane Romero: Guest Superstar (Survivor)
• Ace Visconti: Maitre Ace (Survivor)

If you are playing Dead by Daylight Mobile and would like to see the best survivors and killers, then you should read our Dead by Daylight character tier list.

Tokyo-based Rabbit & Bear Studios has announced that it is creating a spiritual successor to Konami’s classic Suikoden series.

The studio – which was founded recently by many of the key creators of the Suikoden franchise – plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign for the game on 27th July, which is entitled Eiyuden Chronicle.

The game is described as “an ode to the classic JRPG genre from the PlayStation era that will feature classic JRPG exploration and battles in high-resolution 2.5D graphics, pixel-based characters, a story of war and friendship, a diverse cast of 100 unique heroes to join the protagonist’s endeavour, and a fortress building system to grow their army.” A guild system will allow players to change the attributes of their fortress, while battles will be turn-based and feature up to 6 party members.

Here’s the plot:

Our story begins in one corner of Allraan, a tapestry of nations with diverse cultures and values.

By dint of sword, and by way of magical objects known as “rune-lenses,” the land’s history has been shaped by the alliances and aggressions of the humans, beastmen, elves, and desert people who live there.

The Galdean Empire has edged out other nations and discovered a technology that amplifies the rune-lenses’ magic. Now, the Empire is scouring the continent for an artefact that will expand their power even further.

It is on one such expedition that Seign Kesling, a young and gifted imperial officer, and Nowa, a boy from a remote village, meet each other and become friends.

However, a twist of fate will soon drag them into the fires of war, and force them both to reexamine everything they believe to be right and true.

The team behind Eiyuden Chronicle includes:

• Yoshitaka Murayama – Scenario Writer/Director (Suikoden I, Suikoden II, The Alliance Alive)
• Junko Kawano – Lead Artist (Suikoden I, IV, Arca Last)
• Osamu Komuta – Director (Suikoden Tierkreis, Suikoden Tactics, Arca Last)
• Junichi Murakami – Producer/Art Director – (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, OZ)
• Motoi Sakuraba – Composer (Tales Series)
• Michiko Naruke – Composer (Wild Arms Series)

While the game isn’t confirmed for Switch yet – or indeed any console format – a stretch goal for Switch will “definitely” be included as part of the campaign, Rabbit & Bear Studios tells us. The release date is expected to be Fall 2022.

Murayama, the project leader of Eiyuden Chronicle, had this to say:

The first thing we decided when our members came together was, ‘It’s about time we made a really interesting game that we ourselves want to make.’ We chose Kickstarter in order to make an interesting game with the players in mind, hold the rights to the planning, world, and story of the game, all while keeping the fun of the project. Please lend us your support in this new challenge of ours! We promise to create something that heeds the call of your voices.

The Kickstarter campaign will run from July 27th to August 28th. Will you be laying down your cash?

Here at Nintendo Life we’ve been anticipating the release of zany physics-based battler Fight Crab for a while now – over two years, in fact. Today publisher and developer Mastiff and partner Calappa Games have announced that the 3D crustacean-based scrapper will be arriving on Switch eShop on 15th September in North America, Europe, and Australia.

The announcement comes with a new preview trailer which you can enjoy above. If you’ve forgotten the general premise of this crazy crab battler, it involves taking control of a crab and engaging in deadly combat against other creatures using a variety of weaponry, including a whip sword, nunchaku, an axe gun, a chainsaw, and even lightsabers (sorry, “Beam Sabers”).

Allow us to refresh your memory with details and some key features from the PR blurb and a few screenshots:

– Claw through 7 Tutorial stages and a Campaign Mode with 34 stages spread out across 7 chapters
– 23 types of playable crab, 48 different weapons, and 11 unique battle arenas
– A variety of matchmaking options including 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, and both offline and online co-op and versus battle modes
– Unlock special Skills like the fabled Kanihameha, the devastating Crab Copter, and more
– Level up your crab, recruit new crabs, and purchase deadly new weapons – build the ultimate crab warrior
– Use the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con™ motion controls to freely manipulate limbs to punch, grab, and flip your way to victory
– Use Photo Mode to capture, share, and immortalize epic confrontations and intense battles

No word on pricing just yet, but we’ll update this article when we hear how much this delicious crab meat will cost.

Looking forward to unleashing some massive damage as ol’ Snipper here? Let us know below.