Life is Strange: Game Review

Game Title: Life is Strange
Publisher: Square Enix 
Year: 2015
ESRB Rating: M(17+) 
Platform: Windows, PlayStation 3 and 4, Xbox 360 and One
Genre: Graphic Adventure

Life really is strange for protagonist Max Caulfield in the decision driven game Life is Strange. I picked up this game after a friend talked about it for a good 20 minutes and it got stuck in my head. Ironically, the next day, this game went on sale on Steam, and is still on sale if anyone is interested. It must have been fate that I played this game for my review.

Speaking of fate, fate and destiny are important concepts to this game. The game follows Max as she experiences the weirdest week of her life. Quickly into the game Max realizes she has the power to go rewind through a short span of time. Using this she can change her decisions or actions but also have more time to solve puzzles and help people around her. As the game goes on, she finds that decisions have become harder to make and sometimes she needs to sacrifice someone's well-being for another's. Throughout the game there is the constant struggle of trying to keep a good academic standing and image, while still trying to help those around her with problems such as bullying. Also Max must attempt to piece together the mystery of the missing student Rachel Amber, expose the rich and powerful Nathan Prescott for his illegal actions, and figure out why she is getting a recurring nightmare involving a tornado destroying her hometown and current residence, Arcadia Bay.

The Characters with the biggest roles and importance in the game.
Theses characters drastically impact the story line.

The characters in this game all have interesting designs and unique personalities. In addition to the main story cast, most NPCs can be interacted with and have names and special dialogue. Even characters that have nothing to do with the rest of the game are given backstories and interesting quirks in addition to their individual names. Most NPCs are recurring and give out useful information to be used later during decisions and other important plot points.

Screenshots taken from Chloe's laptop when searching her
room. These pictures were taken before Max and Chloe
reconnected.

One character that was introduced fairly early in the game and quickly became my favorite character is Chloe. Chloe is Max's childhood friend. The two lost touch for 5 years when Max's parents moved to Seattle. During that time Max never called or contacted Chloe and the latter felt abandoned. Upon reconnecting, Max immediately feels guilty for leaving her friend in the dust. Throughout the game, the two spend this week bonding and catching up. After saving Chloe's life, Max tells Chloe about her strange time rewinding power. Chloe, of course, demands proof and when proven she decides that she is Max's sidekick. She becomes a key element in solving the Rachel Amber mystery as well as a super important character in general. Max ends up saving Chloe's life on multiple accounts during the game, which leaves Chloe extremely grateful of their friendship. Chloe also gives Max information about what happened in town while Max was away for 5 years which becomes helpful in certain situations.

Music is played throughout the game. Music is used as a way for Max to avoid socializing in certain situations and is often played when Max has a moment to relax and/or reflect. At the beginning and end of every day, music is played to reflect past decisions and witness their outcomes. Sometimes these scenes even hint at future events. The music of the game does not distract from the story and is cleverly tied into the story. Music doesn't constantly play throughout the game, much like music doesn't constantly play in real life. Sounds are always present however as objects in the area may give off certain atmospheric sounds. In hallways and the dormitory you can even make out student's conversations in the background. I think they do a good job of incorporating sound in a realistic everyday way.

The graphics in this game are beautiful. For a relatively simple game, it looks absolutely gorgeous. The settings were created with care and every area in the game is picturesque, which is fitting considering Max dreams of being a photographer. Time was definitely well spent on creating the models and scenery. It has an artistic charm to it that leaves the game memorable to many.

The controls of the game are very standard. I personally played Life is Strange on my Windows computer. I moved around with the WASD keys and looked around with the mouse. The game takes advantage of left and right clicking but that's about it. There's nothing super complex about it and if a player has trouble, they can click How To Play in the main menu. Otherwise the beginning of the game emphasizes use of the controls and the game constantly reminds you what you need to click at what times. The game was pretty easy to get into and understand, besides a couple tricky puzzles, I haven't had any issues so far. The game is broken down by 5 days or "episodes". Back when it was first released all episodes hadn't been available yet. Now you can purchase them all in a bundle rather than purchasing them individually.

Max after watering her plant. The words "This action will
have consequences" are on the top left corner.

The biggest part of the game is making decisions. Depending on your choices, certain events will change in the future. Although you can go back and change some of your decisions, some can not be changed and can have major consequences. Others may seem insignificant yet still hold certain consequences, such as watering the plant in Max's dorm. These consequences follow into later episodes as well and can prove to be very troubling depending on the action.

I personally enjoyed this game a lot. I did not have very high expectations for it but I was pleasantly surprised. I found the story and characters to be interesting. I liked how they approached the "decision heavy" game story and the added time control aspect was really unique. As stated before I fell in love with some of the characters such as Chloe. Surprisingly, in the beginning I did not like Max at all. I thought she was cliche and boring, however as the game progressed I began rooting for her. Max still isn't my favorite character but she's definitely grown on me. Overall, I think it was $12 well spent.

I am definitely going to recommend this game to others, whether they be friends or other peers. I personally enjoyed it a lot and plan to continue playing and finish it soon. I also want to go back and restart the game to see what other decisions can lead to story wise. It's also a fun challenge to collect all the optional pictures in the game and try to earn all the achievements but maybe that's just me. I found this game to be a lovely use of my time and am excited for my next chance to open it up and continue.