Life is Strange Reflections

Lately episodic point-and-click story based games seem to have become a new trend in gaming and there's a new kid on the block looking to take on the likes of TellTale Games.  Square Enix's Life is Strange offers players another chance to shape a story based on their choices.  After two different playthroughs of the first (and only) episode in the series I have a pretty good feel for it now.  So should you run out and grab a copy (or the whole season)?  Spoilers ahoy!  Don't read it if you haven't played it!

I really enjoy the episodic story games.  It's like you get to play one of those old "choose your own story" books that I loved as a kid.  I also enjoy the fact that you get to play them in manageable chunks--each episode takes roughly two hours to play so they're easy to work into your busy schedule.  Plus, a new episode is released every few months so you have something to look forward to.  They're a really nice choice if you just want to kick back and enjoy a story rather than something really intense and action packed.

I found the story in Life is Strange to be serious but not as depressing as The Walking Dead.  Some people might not enjoy the somewhat cliche typical American high school setting complete with all your typical cliques--the popular "mean girls," the spoiled rich kids, the jocks, the nerds, and everyone inbetween.  If you're like me you'll enjoy the sense of nostalgia and that nothing really changes about high school.

Max Caulfield reversing time in "Life is Strange"

Max Caulfield is a fun character and I found myself trying to play her according to how I read her personality.  My Max is the quiet, new girl who doesn't really fit in at her new school.  When confronted with the choice to act rebellious or be mean I found it difficult to make those choices.  Sure, I dumped the paint on the horrible, mean girl Victoria but my Max felt bad about it and comforted her rather than poked fun at her (that was tough--a deep part of me wanted to relentlessly mock her).  When given the chance to mess up Victoria's pictures in her room I chose to leave them alone (or to rearrange them and then rewind to fix them).  I also chose to stick up for poor Kate when she was being harassed by the security guard.  I've made Max into a nice, sweet girl.  I hope that doesn't come back to bite me.

The part of the story that really resonated with me was Max and Chloe's friendship.  They were best friends who had drifted apart due to time and distance but who still seem to have strong bonds.  Exploring Chloe's house and snooping around revealed all the memories of the time they spent together.  You also get a good sense of what caused Chloe's rebelliousness and instability.  Her life has fallen brilliantly to pieces--her Dad died and her Mom remarried a real jerk, her best friend moved away and left her totally alone, and now her new best friend is missing (I think Rachel Amber was more than a best friend, but that remains to be seen).  When it came down to Max sticking up for Chloe and taking the blame for her I opted to have Max come out of hiding.  What's a scholarship against a friendship?

One thing that Square Enix is claiming that I'm not sure I agree with (and remains to be seen) is that they are "revolutionizing" the effect that player choice has on the story.  Being able to use Max's power to rewind through choices has turned out to be kind of cool, but I don't feel like it's really "revolutionizing" anything.  Seeing the butterflies appear on screen and knowing that I've just made a choice that could have an impact on the story is unnerving.  I am enjoying the fact that I have unlimited time to make choices unlike in The Walking Dead.  I feel like I often have fewer choices but that I have more time to think about my choices.

If you're looking for a more action oriented point-and-click episodic game I'd go with something like The Walking Dead.  Life is Strange is a better choice for someone who wants a more story-based experience.  I'm looking forward to the March release of part two in the Life is Strange story.