The crux of Dontnod Entertainment's newest game Tell Me Why hinges on the mystery of the motivations of Mary-Ann, mother to twins Alyson and Tyler. The night of her death, was she truly trying to kill Tyler? Or was she afraid of something else? The clues to those answers might be hiding in an item called The Book of Goblins.

[Warning: Spoilers for Tell Me Why, Chapter 1]

Tell Me Why is a new adventure game from the studio that previously made Life is Strange. The two projects have similar styles: both have been released in episodic chunks and have contemporary dramatic plots with a paranormal twist. In the case of Tell Me Why, the two lead twins share a telepathic bond and can conjure up memories of their past to play out in front of them. Tell Me Why has also garnered attention as one of the first games to have a playable transgender character. Tyler's identity is a major plot point as he and his sister try to work through how their mom felt about Tyler, and what really happened the night ten years ago when they were forced to kill her in self-defense.

Related: Tell Me Why Review: The Truth Can Hurt

By the end of chapter one, it's become clear that, like in other Dontnod games, there might be a paranormal force at play. While Mary-Ann's specific fear isn't revealed in this chapter, clues can be garnered by reading The Book of Goblins. This item is a collection of short stories written by Mary-Ann and Alyson about various magical adventures of animals and spirits in a forest near a lake. Although reading only one of the stories is necessary to solve a puzzle, perusing the other stories quickly reveals that they are allegories for the various citizens of the town of Delos Crossing.

The Book of Goblins is More Than Just a Puzzle Solution

Tell Me Why Key Art

A few of the references are easy to decipher. Mary-Ann is the princess, and the twins are the Crafty Goblins. Others become more apparent as the twins meet other people of Delos Crossing, reinforced by the presence of small collectible statues hiding near specific individuals. The devout Tessa, for instance, who helped out Mary-Ann financially over the years, has a statue of the Pious Pelican hiding in her office. In The Book of Goblins, there's a story about how the Pious Pelican helped keep the Princess and the Crafty Goblins safe and warm through a cold winter. But there's one important character from The Book of Goblins that doesn't yet have an analogue: the Mad Hunter.

The Mad Hunter is introduced on the very first page of The Book of Goblins as a figure that is chasing the Princess. Why is never explained in the stories, and examining the token of the Princess in the collectibles menu reveals the Princess "won't tell anyone what she's running from, because just thinking about it makes her cry." The twins also note at one point that the Mad Hunter was Mary-Ann's creation, not Alyson's. Something tragic happened in Mary-Ann's past that she won't talk about, and she never felt she escaped it, as one of the key features of the Mad Hunter is "once he starts hunting someone, he never stops."

But most alarmingly, the Mad Hunter might be more than just a reference to another human. A shadowy figure that looks like the Mad Hunter can be spotted lurking as the twins leave the station, and he also makes an appearance the night Mary-Ann dies. Whether the Mad Hunter of Tell Me Why is truly a paranormal force or just how the twins process certain emotions remains to be seen in the coming chapters from Dontnod.

Next: What Tell Me Why Could Learn From Life Is Strange

Tell Me Why released its first episode on August 27th, 2020 for PC and Xbox One, with subsequent episodes on September 3rd and September 10th.