![]() ![]() This is especially obvious in the game's conclusion, which struggles to explain the nature of Max's powers and ultimately takes the easy route with one of the oldest tricks in the time travel book. Though its slice-of-life story is appropriately lighthearted and its mystery is replete with strong twists, the supernatural plot falls back on sci-fi clichés and brings the whole story down with it. That's a lot of balls to keep in the air, and Life is Strange doesn't have the finesse to pull it off. Of course, friendship and watching the leaves turn isn't all there is to Life is Strange: there's also a detective story, a thriller plot, and a meditation on the effects of time travel that the game tries to handle all at once. You get the sense that this world isn't just a backdrop for something else, but a fully-realized character of its own, and that makes the time you spend there much more fulfilling. Every chapter has at least one place where Max can take a break and watch the world go by, and the game pays careful attention to making even the smallest pieces of the environment feel real, from the ambient noise of the Two Whales Diner to the things Chloe's written on her bedroom posters. Rather than using a real-world setting for the sole purpose of contrasting with its supernatural elements, Life is Strange wants to highlight beauty in the ordinary. Given how little you see of the actual town (the story is relegated to Blackwell Academy, Chloe's house, a diner, and some uninhabited areas out in the wilderness), making you feel a real connection to it is no small feat, and Life is Strange pulls it off gracefully. It's not ground-breaking stuff, but entertaining enough, and works to consistently give the world depth and a sense that it doesn't all revolve around you.Īll of this character-building is bolstered by gorgeous art and music that give life to the game's world. When you're not time-turning, Life is Strange plays out like many adventure games that came before it: you interact with different objects in the environment that range from plot-critical to merely decorative, and have conversations with your peers and teachers to get the full story of Arcadia Bay. It's the framing and the conversations around it that change. In terms of how much those decisions mean in the end, Life is Strange falls somewhere between The Walking Dead and Dragon Age - your choices do have a major impact on events that happen throughout the game and are mentioned later on, but the final decision happens the way it does no matter what. ![]() It's a simple idea that's easy to grasp and fun to experiment with, with results ranging from hilarious (when Max successfully guesses how much change Chloe has in her pockets) to horrifying (when a drug dealer gets angry and flashes a knife in Max's face). ![]() Those powers are the central focus of Life is Strange's gameplay, letting you reverse time to test out different responses to tough decisions, or sneak into a locked room and then rewind to erase any evidence of your intrusion. Shocked and grief-stricken by her friend's death, Max spontaneously develops time-rewind powers and helps Chloe escape unharmed. Life is Strange is the story of Max Caulfield (a photography student attending art school in her old hometown) and her childhood friend Chloe (a tough-talking punk who's shot to death in the school bathroom during the game's opening). ![]()
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