Life is Strange: Before the Storm--Depressingly Fabulous. (And full of spoilers...so, careful!)

It's kind of weird, but I played through Life is Strange:  Before the Storm once and didn't feel particularly satisfied with my first playthrough.  I decided that to get a truly accurate picture of the game that I should go back and play through it in a completely different manner.  Now, after I've played through it twice I feel like I have a better feeling for the game and am ready to sum up my thoughts about the episodic prologue to 2015's Life is Strange.

Before I begin, I wanted to describe exactly how and why I decided that completing it twice was necessary.  I wrote about this last week when I had barely started delving into the first episode, but I found that the way I was playing Chloe was somewhat unsatisfactory.  In my mind I wanted Chloe to start being a respectful, responsible teenager rather than being the selfish, childish, asshat that she is.  And her asshattery isn't for good reason--she's dealing with a lot of tough issues--the death of her father, the departure of her best friend right at a critical moment, and the introduction of a new father figure in the form of David, the stepdouche.  It was morally rough to make many of the decisions that see Chloe being rude to her Mom or to steal, use drugs, and generally just be rebellious.  I also decided that Rachel Amber should be just a friend and nothing more.  In the end, it all felt really wrong.

In my second playthrough I decided that Chloe should be who Chloe really is--a brash, "no f#$@'s given," kind of character who lashes out at everybody and doesn't have much concern about the consequences.  Honestly, it felt so much better to play her this way.  Probably the best choice that I made was the decision that Chloe and Rachel's relationship should be romantic in nature.  The story and consequence felt like it fit so much better in my second playthrough.  I didn't necessarily enjoy the consequences of all the choices that I made.

I'm not going to write this in a pros/cons manner like other games.  I mostly just want to reflect on what I liked about the series, and I did find that I really liked it.  This is where the SPOILERS start, so if you don't want to know about the ending or the consequences of your choices...best to stop.

Let's be honest and say that there were some really irritating aspects of the original Life is Strange.  After playing it I felt like it was an alright episodic game--there were some things that I enjoyed and some things that I absolutely hated.  The good news is that Life is Strange:  Before the Storm took some of those irritating aspects from the first game and fixed them.  One of the most notable fixes is to the character dialogue.  Many people complained that the dialogue in the first game was written so poorly that it was cringeworthy--no, let's just say it, hella cringeworthy.  Before the Storm is completely devoid of the feeling that a bunch of middle aged male writers (who I think were also French and probably didn't have much context into how American teenagers talk) were pretending to know how the typical American teenager talks.  There are even some jokes about the usage of the word "hella" worked into the game in a clever way.  You will love it.

One of the things that I worried about in Before the Storm was that the lack of the supernatural abilities from the original game would leave the story slightly lacking.  It turns out that the story is actually better without all the time rewinding, universe altering aspects.  The many crises and issues that make up the story feel realistic and manage to be entertaining on their own.  Chloe is like a boat slipping from one storm into the next and players get to choose how she deals with each wave.  Should Chloe try to make amends with her Mom?  Or be more accepting of having David around?  Should she do her best to avoid using chemical coping mechanisms? Should she lie to Rachel or tell her the truth?  Each choice has some sort of consequence and they don't always turn out positive.

One of the impactful choices in "Before the Storm."

Unlike Life is Strange, the choices that you make throughout the game have an impact on events that happen in the game.  I was very frustrated with the fact that in the first game it all boiled down to one big decision in the the end--nothing else that you did really mattered.  I enjoyed the fact that when I had Chloe refuse to empty her pockets out for David (she was carrying pot after all) that when she returned to her house, her room had clearly been searched.  The clear consequence of that choice was that David had decided to go through all her stuff on his own--a total invasion of privacy.  Even though it might take awhile to see the consequences of your choices, they are definitely visible throughout the story.

The one thing that I hated the most about Life is Strange was the ending.  I hated it for multiple reasons--firstly, that players were left with one choice that felt completely undesirable (saving Chloe, destroying the town of Arcadia, and having Max declare her previously unrealized romantic feelings for Chloe) and one choice that was clearly the "canon" ending (Chloe dies, Arcadia is saved) and secondly, because the whole "romantic" aspect of Chloe and Max's relationship felt so forced.  I never interpreted Chloe and Max as having anything but friendly feelings toward each other and all of a sudden having Max declare that Chloe is literally "the one" felt wrong.

Before the Storm does a great job of showing how the relationship between Chloe and Rachel Amber develops.  The best part is that it feels believable (in a Hollywood, "love at first sight," universe pulls two people together kind of way...but, still) and genuine.  It's a story that shows two people who grow close very quickly and who clearly have a connection.  I would recommend that everyone who plays opt for the romantic choice because the game does a great job at depicting a mad type of teenage love.

There are lots of small things that also make Before the Storm enjoyable.  Finding all the different locations for Chloe to graffiti was fun and choosing how exactly she left her mark could be hilarious.  I've always enjoyed the quiet introspective moments that are part of the game--you can opt to have Chloe sit on a bench and listen to her internal monologue as she thinks about her current situation.  It's not very often that players are given the ability to connect with the feelings of characters in games.  Those moments are also punctuated extremely well by the soundtrack--the music fits perfectly.

Probably one of the most difficult parts of the game is the dark cloud that looms over the entire thing.  If you've played Life is Strange before Before the Storm you know exactly how the story ends--and it's not happy.  Before the Storm has some dark moments, but on the whole, it has a very positive, happy vibe.  I have read that some people were upset by the fact that after the credits rolled for the last episode that they included the brief nod to the demise of Rachel Amber.  It's definitely a punch in the gut, but one that I felt was needed.  I don't think they should have completely ignored the fact that things were doomed and it makes the relationship between Chloe and Rachel all the more tragic.

Overall, I really enjoyed Before the Storm.  It felt like they really paid attention to many of the shortcomings of the original game and worked to correct them.  They story was great even without the science fiction aspects and captured the life of a dysfunctional teenager in an engaging way.  The love story between Chloe Price and Rachel Amber is one that I think played out in a very sweet and believable way and that will appeal to many different types of gamers.

One question you might be asking yourself is "should I upgrade to the deluxe version for the bonus episode?"  If you're a fan of the series, I would say yes.  The Farewell episode adds another layer of depth to the relationship between Chloe and Max and fans will enjoy getting to see Chloe before she was shattered.  It's also heartbreaking, so bust out the tissues.  You also get a few bonus outfits for Chloe and "mixtape" mode which allows you to move the soundtrack from the game around to best fit your preferences (this is something that I didn't mess with, but seems kind of cool).

Being Chloe Price

Just last week Steam featured a sale on Square Enix titles (some of them are still on sale) and I decided to take advantage of the sweet, low prices.  One of those games that I snatched up was the prologue to the 2015 episodic game Life is Strange; Life is Strange:  Before the Storm.  I enjoyed playing Life is Strange, it had some really great moments and themes, but it also had some flaws.  My general opinion about episodic story games is that they are best when purchased for under $10.  It's not that they don't have something to offer, it's just that what they have to offer is really only good for 2 and possibly 3 playthroughs before you've seen everything there is to see.

Chloe hasn't quite reached the blue hair phase in "Before the Storm."

Life is Strange:  Before the Storm tells the story of Chloe Price before the return of her childhood best friend, Max Caulfield.  In Life is Strange, players were introduced the the blue-haired teenage rebel, and she was one of my favorite characters.  I am relishing the chance to learn more about Chloe, but I'm finding that her personality is so completely different and rebellious that it feels really weird.

I suppose that part of the problem comes from the way that players choose to play a character in a game that is based on player choice.  Do you play the character based on how you would want them to act?  Or do you play the character based on how you think they would act?  I tend to lean more toward the first option and it's causing me more mental grief than I've had in almost any other game that I've ever played.

Chloe has a very brash, "f*^% off" kind of attitude toward life.  She's going to do what she wants to do and damn the consequences.  There's something to be admired in that stance, but it's also off-putting for someone like me who likes to follow the rules.  I've only played through the first episode and there have been several interactions that have made me uncomfortable.  Chloe and her mom struggle to get along, but I can't bring myself to tell poor Joyce to just back off.  I couldn't bring myself to have Chloe enter into the verbal sparring mini-game with her principal--it just felt so wrong.

Much of the first episode attempts to explain how Chloe and Rachel Amber's relationship started.  There are parts of this aspect that also bothered me.  It doesn't bother me from the perspective of them having a relationship, but in a way that other video game relationships sometimes bother me.  Chloe and Rachel basically JUST meet and all of a sudden they are at a stage where they are almost declaring their undying love for each other.  It feels so forced, and when given the choice for Chloe to declare how she feels about Rachel, I had her opt for the friend zone.  It's pretty obvious that it's meant to be more, but it just feels weird to happen so suddenly.

I feel like I'm doing a disservice to the character that Chloe price is supposed to be.  My moral compass is making her into the law abiding, good kid who I want her to be and it just feels wrong.  Maybe in the next playthrough I will play Chloe how I think she would really act.

Besides my difficulty staying true to Chloe's attitude, I am enjoying learning more about Chloe as a character.  The loss of her dad in a car accident has completely shaken her and really torn her family apart.  Her mom has started dating again and Chloe is none too happy about having David in the picture.  It was really sad to search through Chloe's house and see that her mom had started to take down the old pictures that had Chloe's dad in them.  Joyce is trying to move on and Chloe just isn't ready to accept it.  They both struggle to communicate and it's easy to understand why Chloe is so rebellious and torn up--she lost her dad and then she lost her best friend when Max moved away.  To cope with those major changes, she has turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain.

In real life I am a teacher and sometimes it's hard to understand exactly what makes kids act out.  Rarely do I know much about what goes on in their lives outside of school.  Oddly, I've felt like playing as Chloe Price has given me a unique insight into behavior.  It makes me want to be more patient and try to understand all the challenges and struggles that students go through on a daily basis.

Play it or Skip it? "Life is Strange" Thoughts

After playing through the sometimes monotonous finale of the episodic story game Life is Strange, I've done some thinking about whether the $20 I spent on the series was worth it.  Spending our hard-earned money on games can require some research before laying down those simoleons (if you're a Sim anyway).  I've cobbled together some final opinions that might be beneficial to someone (I hope!).

Let me preface my thoughts by saying that I enjoy episodic story games but don't think they're for everyone.  If you enjoy the story-based aspects of games more than having engaging gameplay mechanics (pew-pew!) then you will probably enjoy them.  I also believe that how you purchase and play these games could influence your enjoyment.  I have purchased them before the initial release and then played each episode as it has been released (roughly every 1-3 months).  There's the whole aspect of waiting for the next episode that makes it feel exciting.  I don't know if it's the same if you buy the whole series and then play through it in a shorter timespan (I need to try it and see).  The $20 price tag makes these games affordable but the downside is that there's not a ton of replayability factor.

When Life is Strange was initially released I was very excited.  TellTale Games had sort of pioneered the episodic story genre (I'm probably way wrong on this) with it's amazing but dark series The Walking Dead.  Since then they've released numerous other games in the genre and really seem to be the dominant force.  Seeing a new face in the fray is and was great.  More diversity in the genre offers players a chance to have different experiences.  I hope to see the genre expand even more and we see more great stories!  But that's really a side note...back to Life is Strange.

Let's look at Life is Strange from a strengths and weaknesses standpoint.  I'm going to do this backwards and start with the weaknesses.  There could be possible spoilers.  Read with caution!

Weaknesses
1.) Goofy dialogue.  It's pretty clear that the writers for this game are not teenage girls.  There were cringeworthy moments of awkwardness scattered throughout the game.  It's nice that they tried to come up with some teenage lingo for those of us who are no longer of that persuasion.  I can live with this one and it didn't ruin the game for me.

2.) Bad lip-syncing.  I actually made it a point to not look at the mouth region of the characters who were talking because it just distracted me too much.  A word of advice:  read the subtitles.  The voice acting is great so just reading and listening to the dialogue is best.  I read in some recent patch notes that they were working to address this issue but didn't see much of a change in the final episode.

3.) Repetitious moments.  The story revolves around Max's ability to rewind time and use photographs to jump into different moments throughout her life.  There were times when the rewind mechanic became very tedious.  Rewinding through some conversations multiple times became tiring and got annoying after awhile.  Certain episodes involved more of this than others.  Even though it could get tiring it did add a fun aspect into other parts of the game.

Strengths

Max and Chloe.

1.) The "Core" Story.  I found it really interesting that Dontnod chose to make a game with two female protagonists and that the story is more female oriented.  At the core of this game is the story of two best friends who grow apart simply through tiny changes in their lives and then find themselves back together.  It's a story about friendship standing the test of time.  That's a really powerful concept and not your typical gaming material.  This emotional core is what made the relationship between Max and Chloe so great (but completely ruined it in one of the possible endings).

The more "detective" side of the story wasn't anything fresh or engaging.  It provided action to keep the story interesting but didn't stand out to me as much as what I am calling the "core."

2.)  Lots of cliffhangers and plot twists.  I was absolutely floored for each episode to be released.  Every episode ended with some serious drama that was going to unfold in the next episode.  I think a great episodic story game has to keep players on the edge of their seat and willing to wait for that next installment.  The major plot twist in episode four (revealing who was kidnapping students) caught me completely by surprise and made me look forward to the finale that much more (which turned out to be sort of disappointing).

 3.) The ending.  I have read so many differing opinions about the ending of the game--some people loved it and some people hated it.  I think it's a win if a game can spur debate.  (Note:  I have only experienced one of the possible endings and will say that I completely hate the concept of a Max/Chloe romantic relationship that was presented in one of the other endings.  I still don't really understand the point of adding in the possibility of a romantic relationship between the characters--political statement?  Attention grabber for the male audience?)  The ending I witnessed was so emotionally charged that it was depressing.

4.) The sci-fi aspect of the game.  The idea of Max having rewinding powers isn't anything new or fresh but the ability to hop between timeframes kept the story zigging and zagging.  When not being used to re-live the same conversations over and over the rewind power is pretty cool.  I liked seeing the multiple realities (which never worked out) and that the story wove those realities together so well.

Life is Strange is definitely worth playing.  I think the "core" story is powerful and deserves the bulk of the attention.  I'm excited for where episodic story games are going and like that these games are willing to address deeper topics.  The strengths of the series far outweigh the weaknesses.  I hope Dontnod keeps developing games and we see even more developers jumping into the episodic story genre.

"Life is Strange" Episode 5--It Hurt my Brain and my Heart.

It has been a big week in gaming for fans of episodic story games.  The teen centered, sort of sci-fi drama Life is Strange wrapped up it's final episode as did TellTale's Borderlands themed series Tales from the Borderlands.  I haven't quite had enough time to delve into Tales, but I spent my evening last night finishing up Life is Strange.  I'm still recovering physically and emotionally--the final episode managed to give me a headache while simultaneously ripping out my heart.

Please note that from this point forward there will be nothing but spoilers about Life is Strange episodes four and five.  If you haven't completed Life is Strange you should go finish it.

Episode four really left us with some crazy cliffhangers--we learned that Mr. Jefferson, the hipster photography teacher, is also the psycho responsible for drugging, kidnapping, and possibly killing students from Blackwell Academy.  We're also faced with the reality that Chloe might actually be dead since Jefferson has drugged Max thus preventing her from using her rewind powers.  This set the stage for an epic episode five--what was Jefferson going to do with Max?  Is Chloe dead?  These questions are answered in episode five, but you have to navigate a sloppy maze filled with meta-physical nonsense in order to finally get to the emotional main course.

Episode five opens with Max waking up in the creepy "dark room" that she and Chloe discover in episode four.  As she struggles to regain consciousness she realizes that she's not alone and that Victoria Chase has also been kidnapped by Jefferson.  As you look through the objects in the room, Max sees a table with one of the photographs taken of her while she was unconscious.  Using her powers she is able to focus on the picture and leap back to a previous point in the "dark room."  (Get comfy with the "dark room" because you're going to be spending an annoying amount of time there) This time Max finds herself on the floor and being actively photographed by Jefferson.  It's at this point that you really want to stab him.  He won't shut up!  For some reason the developers felt the need to have him run through this very long and very tedious monologue explaining his weird motives behind drugging and photographing the girls.  We get it, the dude is a total creeper!  I found myself wanting him to shut up and also getting very bored (getting bored at this early juncture of the episode wasn't a promising start).  The good news is that eventually he shuts up and leaves Max long enough that she can find her diary and focus on the selfie she took in Jefferson's classroom (in episode one).

Finding herself back at the beginning with her newfound courage, Max decides to take action.  She texts David Madsen and informs him that Jefferson is the kidnapper.  As she makes her way to the front of the classroom she has a nice, "I've got your back" moment with Kate.  In this reality she submits a photograph for the "Everyday Heroes" contest--but not before a very satisfying moment of putting Victoria Chase in her place (that's a rhyme!).  In the next beat Max wakes up on a plane headed to San Francisco.  Her photograph won the contest and she's on her way to be a part of the show.  At the gallery you can wander around and look at all the other photographs and there are some nice moments as Max realizes that she's a talented artist.  Max breaks away from the admiring throngs to check her phone and is shocked to discover that she has several missed calls.  Checking her voice mail reveals that Chloe has been leaving panicky messages because the giant tornado Max witnessed in episode one has hit Arcadia.  Chloe is trapped and is going to die.  Max has no choice but to use her winning photograph to jump back--and out of what felt like a very positive reality.

The winning photo!

The next jump finds Max back in her room taking her prize winning photograph.  She knows that the reality with the photograph can't exist so she chooses to tear it up.  Then she wakes up in the "dark room"....again.  There's more of Jefferson blah, blahing but it's here that Max realizes in this reality he has burned her diary--that means no more leaping back to the beginning.  This time it looks like Jefferson is going to kill her.  He fills a syringe with a large dose and prepares to finish her off.  He hears the noise of someone else entering the bunker and stops (phew!).  Remember how Max texted David Madsen?  That's about to pay off.  Jefferson grabs a nearby folded tri-pod and presses himself up against the wall to ambush David.  Max can rewind and warn David but this requires some good timing--too early and Jefferson will smash Max with the tri-pod, too late and he will knock David unconscious and proceed to kill Max.  I rewound multiple times and every time resulted in David being knocked unconscious.  Just when I was starting to get annoyed I rewound all the way to the beginning before David entered.  A new dialogue option opened up allowing Max to ask Jefferson to grant some type of last request before he kills her.  If you pick the right one it will allow David to enter without being heard.  After a couple of different tries I picked the option that allowed him to enter unnoticed.  It's not a straight up solution as now Jefferson pulls a gun that he has hidden in a nearby cabinet.  Boom!  David Madsen is dead.  Hmmm....rewind.  Max can tell David what to do!  Kick that table!  Boom!  David Madsen is dead.  Warn David that Jefferson has a gun.  Boom!  David Madsen is dead.  (This happened so many times that I was laughing--how many times do I have to watch this guy die?)  Eventually you choose the right thing (Max can pull on a lamp cord with her freed foot and knock it over causing Jefferson to move away from his hidden gun).  David, the guy who you possibly accused in the previous episodes, ends up saving Max.  Max explains what is going on and in the process has to make the choice about whether to tell him that Chloe was killed by Jefferson.  I opted to tell him (I had blamed him in the Kate Marsh incident and also not backed him up at Chloe's house when the argument about surveillance ensued--I pretty much wrecked his fictional life) and that result of that choice was watching him break down over Joyce, Chloe, and his general jerkiness.  He loses his temper and shoots the unconscious Jefferson, killing him.

Max then realizes that although she lost her diary and all the pictures that Warren still has the photograph from the Vortex Club party.  All she has to do is get that photograph and jump to the night of the party.  As she emerges from the bunker she calls Warren only to realize that the tornado is in full swing and is devastating the town.  Warren is hunkered down in the Two Whales diner and agrees to meet Max to give her the photo.

Once Max hits downtown Arcadia you get to realize the full extent of the damage from the storm.  Much of the town is in ruins and Max has to navigate through a devastated landscape filled with debris from the storm.  As Max is making her way through the wreckage she encounters many of her classmates from Blackwell who have been trapped by the storm.  Max can save them or choose to book it directly to the diner (I opted to save them--who cares if this is an alternate reality, you can't leave them to die).  Once Max reaches the diner she finds that Joyce is taking care of a wounded Frank.  You can have some lengthy conversations with both Joyce and Frank.  The conversation with Frank includes telling him that Rachel Amber is dead and witnessing his devastated reaction.  When Max makes it to Warren she has a brief conversation with him and then asks for the photo.  As she starts to focus on the picture Warren interrupts her and there is an interaction where you can choose whether Max hugs, kisses, or just simply leaves.  I chose to friendzone poor Warren and just gave him a friendly hug (this choice has some impact on the ending).

After focusing on the picture from the party Max finds herself back outside the Vortex Club party.  She tells Chloe what is going on and you have to navigate some different dialogue options to convince her that you don't need to go running off to the junkyard.  It took me a few tries but I finally convinced her that they should hide out at Chloe's house and avoid the junkyard.  And here begins the most tedious part of this episode.....

The next scene opens with Max and Chloe standing on the beach viewing the massive tornado heading toward Arcadia Bay.  Max knows that she needs to head toward the lighthouse and both girls start heading that way.  Max has really abused her rewind and focusing powers and it has taken a huge toll on her.  She passes out as they start heading up the trail towards the lighthouse.  Max wakes up back in Mr. Jefferson's class in Blackwell but there's no one in the room....  She walks out into the hallway but everything is happening in reverse--people are talking backwards, the text for selecting objects is backwards.  Something weird is happening.  Max heads down the hallway into the bathroom where she initially witnessed Nathan shooting Chloe and discovered her rewind powers.  As she opens the door to the bathroom she finds herself in the hallway to the dormitories.  The hallway is lit by eerie candles and Kate Marsh is crouched down outside her room.  As Max approaches Kate she opens the door to her room and appears to jump off a ledge.  Max follows her through the door only to discover that she's back at the entrance to the dorms again.....  There's this irritating sequence of figuring out which doors to go through as you keep finding yourself at the entrance to the dorms.  After a few times Max turns into Victoria Chase (I'm still not sure why), then she turns back but into Max wearing Rachel's clothes...then you finally escape the weird dorm part of the nightmare.

...And find yourself in a surreal landscape that mashes together the different areas from each episode.  Initially you are in a a gallery-like space and Jefferson is searching for Max.  You have to avoid Jefferson and find your way through this weird meta-physical maze.  Once you've done that Max finds herself in a locker room type of area similar to the pool area from episode 3 (or maybe 2?).  Now it's David Madsen looking for Max....you avoid him and move into another area and it's Warren looking for Max....you avoid Warren and you're in the junkyard and it's ALL of them and Frank shining flashlights and trying to find Max.  If you're caught by any of them you have the opportunity to rewind and avoid them, but overall it's another irritating sequence of sneaking.  Max finally reaches an area that is outside the lighthouse and can sit down on a bench.  While sitting Max finds that she's actually in a snow globe sitting on the mantle in the Price's house.  She witnesses the scene where William receives the fated call to go pick up Joyce.  Then you're back in front of the lighthouse but there's another path.  As Max walks up this path she witnesses a series of still scenes from the past episodes.  This serves as a re-cap of all the choices you made in the different episodes--I suppose it's a nice reminder, but by this point I was so tired of the whole nightmare sequence that I just wanted to move ahead.  I didn't spend much time stopping to witness each scene.

Max finally reaches the lighthouse and opens the door to find herself waking up.  She's with Chloe and they're at the actual lighthouse with the storm raging out in the ocean.  Max is exhausted after the experience of all the different realities.  Even with all the rewinding the storm just keeps happening.  There just doesn't appear to be any way to avoid the storm hitting Arcadia Bay.  It's Chloe who finally realizes that the storm is somehow tied to Max messing with destiny...it's destiny that Chloe has to die and the only way to avoid the storm is to rewind back to the beginning and let Nathan kill her.  This realization was like a karate kick right to the heart.  Max has to choose...she can sacrifice Chloe and save the entire town of Arcadia Bay or they can let the storm rage destroying Arcadia Bay but saving Chloe.  I let the screen sit on this decision for an agonizing amount of time.  In the end I decided that it was unfair to sacrifice the entire town to save one person...even if that person was your best friend.  Chloe hands Max the butterfly photograph from the first day and makes Max swear that she will remember her.  They hug and Max focuses on the photograph.

Back in the bathroom from the beginning...but now it just feels depressing.  Max sees the blue butterfly and photographs it.  She then slides to the floor and listens the the exchange between Nathan and Chloe.  While her tears drip on the floor she hears the gunshot that ends Chloe's life.  (This is where I started tearing up) The photo series runs by with the pictures of all of Max and Chloe's exchanges burn away and new photos of Nathan Prescott being arrested replace them.  The final scene sees a large group of black clad mourners heading to the cemetery for Chloe's funeral.  Joyce and David hug and cry.  Due to my friendzoning of Warren he stands awkwardly next to Max.  Then the small blue butterfly lands on the coffin.  Ugh, what an ending though!

So, what's my final verdict?
If you've played your way through the entire series there is no way that you can't play the final episode.  This final episode is all over the place and you'll most likely find yourself getting annoyed at all the physicy/time-travelly/timey-wimey nonsense that is woven throughout.  It really chops the episode up so much that I found myself getting bored (which didn't happen much in the previous episodes).  I get it that we need to be reminded that Max is travelling through alternate dimensions but the whole "many doors" thing has been played out (think BioShock:  Infinite's ending).  The fact that the ending basically tells you that all your choices didn't really matter is also pretty disenfranchising.  I was also irritated at the concept of the collectible photographs in the last episode and actually only completed about half of them.  I really wanted it to be over and had no desire to go back and find those minor opportunities for achievements.  I think if this episode had been done with less nonsensical stuff that it could have been really great.

As for the ending itself...(the one I chose anyway) the emotional impact was fantastic.  I think if a game can make you feel actual emotions that it has achieved something.  I felt connected to the friendship between Max and Chloe and it was really beautiful.  Although I haven't seen the alternative endings, I have read about them in other reviews.  Apparently if you spurn Warren's advances and opt to jokingly kiss Chloe in episode 2 or 3 and then choose to let the storm destroy Arcadia Bay you will see Max and Chloe in a romantic relationship.  This kills me and my concept of their beautiful friendship!  I never got the idea that there would be a romance between them.  Chloe is clearly in love with Rachel Amber and the possibility of a romance with Max seems almost perverse.  I don't really know why the developers felt the need to go there but it just feels so wrong (I just don't understand it and maybe other people got a much different feeling).

The Most Disturbing Stat in Episode 4 of "Life is Strange"

(This whole post is basically spoilers.  Don't read it unless you've played through all four episodes!)

Yesterday I played through the latest episode of Dontnod/Square Enix's excellent episodic story game "Life is Strange."  There were some serious cliffhangers at the end of episode three so I was pretty excited to see how the story was going to pan out.  Did Max's decision to save Chloe's dad mean sentencing Chloe to life as a paraplegic?  Why are all the animals dying?  Is the world really ending because of Max using her powers?  So many questions!  Luckily, episode four answers those questions and leaves enough of a cliffhanger to make us all chew our fingernails in anticipation of the final episode.

Do you do it or not?

One thing I enjoy are the statistics that pop up at the end of each episode.  It's kind of fun to see the decisions that other people made and see how you chalk up to other players.  Generally I find that I make similar choices to the vast majority of people--maybe there is hope for humanity...or myself.  Once in awhile though there is a statistic that really surprises me.  In this episode the one that shocked me was the one concerning Chloe's request for Max to administer an overdose and in effect kill Chloe.  My gut reaction was "no way!" but that single decision seems so debateable.  Would you be willing to kill your best friend if they asked you to?  Ooof.  That's a gut punch.  I was very shocked when I got to the end of the game and found that 45% did it.  Really?  Half of you would kill your best friend!  When I really got down to thinking about the scenario in the game it was a tough decision.  It's difficult because it's obvious that Chloe is in pain and her life bound to a wheelchair seems pretty sad.  Chloe's family is drowning in debt trying to cover the medical costs associated with taking care of her.  You also learn that her condition has taken a turn for the worst and that her lungs are failing--the reality is that she's dying a slow death.  Her death would ease the financial burden on her family and save her from a slow death due to respiratory failure.

On the other hand....Chloe's family seems like they are actually really happy.  Her dad is alive and loves her with all his heart.  Her mom isn't working as a waitress at the diner and seems to spend a lot of her time taking care of Chloe.  They've taken family trips to Paris and seem genuinely happy.  Who is Max to deprive the family of someone they love?  Even though Chloe's health is failing, who is to say how much time she would have left to enjoy the company of her family?  And on a much deeper, time travel-ly note...what if you kill Chloe in this reality and she ceases to exist in the other one?  Could that happen?

I opted to have Max refuse.  It might seem like the colder of the two decisions, but I felt like it was the right one (assisted suicide is legal in Oregon...just FYI).  The end of the episode left some serious cliffhangers to be resolved in the finale.  We finally learn who is behind all the ominous happenings at Blackwell Academy and it's a bit of a shocker.

Life is Strange Episode 4, "Dark Room" Out Tomorrow!

It's sort of like a mini-Christmas when a new part of an episodic game is finally released.  We're never really given a set release date so it's kind of a surprise.  The next episode of Dontnod's episodic story game Life is Strange is due to be released tomorrow.  Here's the trailer for what looks to be an exciting entry in the series:

The end of episode three saw some serious cliffhangers (spoilers ahead!).  Max who had previously only been able to rewind events in her current time was transported back to a time when she was 13.  She and Chloe were still best friends and Chloe's dad, William, was still alive.  Max intentionally tosses Williams car keys out a window in an effort to keep him from getting into the accident that kills him.  It seems like the best use of Max's rewind power so far...but we all knew things couldn't work out that perfectly!  After a brief "wake up" Max discovers that she is 18 again and on the Blackwell campus.  She's hanging out with Victoria and the rest of the Vortex Club (wait...what?).  Things have obviously changed and Max realizes that she needs to go see if her changes helped Chloe find the life she wanted.  After a brief bus ride where you pass a bunch of beached whales (Max's powers aren't without their consequences) she arrives at Chloe's house.  William answers the door and there's like two seconds of happy time where you feel glad that he is alive.  Your feelings are crushed exactly three seconds in as Chloe rolls up in her wheelchair.  So you did manage to rescue Chloe's dad, but now she's bound to a wheelchair?  Why can't things ever turn out the way they are supposed to?  Then we wouldn't have two more episodes to play through...so compromise.

The trailer for episode four looks ominous--there's a creepy barn undoubtedly filled with creepy stuff.  Max seems to be on her own so I guess fixing the Chloe thing isn't as simple as another rewind.  It looks like there is more investigation into the Rachel Amber mystery and that Max is managing to unravel more of the story.  It also seems like the world is continuing to revolve more towards impending doom.  And there's a party!  Maybe Max's alteration of the guest list in episode three will pay off?

This game has been a pleasant surprise and I'm willing to overlook it's small deficiencies (the lip dubbing would drive me nuts...I've learned to look away) because it has really kept me hooked.  Hopefully episode four is packed with more difficult choices, time rewinding, and modern teen angst.

Life is Strange Episode 3 Re-Cap and Thoughts

(Major Life is Strange spoilers!  Don't read ahead if you haven't completed episode three yet!)

Re-Cap
I decided to take a break from witchering (a word I just made up) and to check out the newest episode of Life is Strange.  A brief recap of episode two--Max and Chloe's friendship really seemed to be repairing itself and there were a lot of warm, squishy feelings.  Chloe found out about Max's superpowers and much of the episode was about Max flexing these powers.  The big event in episode two concerned Kate Marsh, a fellow student at Blackwell Academy, who was being relentlessly bullied by the resident mean girls.  The Kate saga culminated with her near suicide (or suicide if you failed to talk her down) and rescue by Max who managed to stop time despite having almost used up her quota of superpowers while messing around with Chloe.  The very end of the episode sees Max in the principal's office and making a choice about who to accuse in relation to Kate's issues--Nathan Prescott, the rich kid, or David Madsen, Chloe's "step-prick," who Max has witnessed harassing Kate (I went with David Madsen).  Then you see Warren and Max hanging out on the lawn as more weird stuff happens--an unscheduled solar eclipse.

Episode three picks up directly after these events with Max in her dorm room.  She's clearly tired and shaken after the day's events but Chloe is texting her to ask her to sneak out of the dorm to investigate clues related to both Rachel Amber and Kate.  Max has to sneak through the darkened dorms and meet Chloe in front of the main building, but not before doing some more snooping in Victoria's room to look for clues related to Kate.  After exploring Victoria's room, Max sneaks out of the dorm and has to navigate the dark campus to find Chloe.  On the trek she is forced to use her powers to sneak past a very drunk Principal Wells who is hanging out on the front porch of a building near the dorms.

Max and Chloe sneaking through the school.

Max manages to sneak to the front of the school building and is surprised by Chloe who is lurking in the shadows.  Chloe reveals that she has swiped the spare keys to the school from David and that they can investigate the entire building.  They make their way to the front only to stumble across Mr. Jefferson (Max's photography teacher) and Victoria coming out of the building.  Max and Chloe hide behind a display and spy on the conversation between the two of them.  Victoria is being her normal, despicable self and trying to force Jefferson to pick her photograph for a contest.  They finally clear out and Max and Chloe enter the school building.  Once they're inside they head directly for the principal's office to search for clues.  Chloe quickly discovers that she doesn't have a key for the principal's office and sends Max to search for a key while she uses her "skills" to try to pick the lock.  The brief search of the office reveals that there is no key for the principal's office.  Max decides to ask Warren for advice about building a bomb to blow up the lock.  Warren texts her back instructions for how to build a small bomb and she sets off to explore the school to track down the materials while Chloe continues her attempts to pick the lock.

In her explorations of the school, Max tracks down the materials for the bomb and heads back to the principal's office.  Once there she fits the small bomb onto the door and she and Chloe take cover and wait for the results.  The bomb explodes and the door opens....but it also sets off the fire alarm.  This is the perfect time for Max to use her rewind powers so she heads into the office and then rewinds.  You hear Chloe swearing at the lock and then Max opens the door--ta-da!  Max and Chloe set off to investigate the files in the office for clues.  A cursory investigation reveals that Nathan Prescott has a spotless file despite the fact that he's a known trouble-maker and drug dealer.  Chloe looks through the files on the principal's computer and finds that much of the information about Nathan has been covered up or doctored to make him look like a stellar student.  Max finds files about both Rachel Amber and Kate Marsh and takes the information.  Chloe starts digging through the drawers of the principal's desk and finds an envelope labelled "handicapped fund" that contains five thousand dollars.  At this point players are faced with a decision about whether Chloe should take the money.  She wants to use it to pay off Frank, the drug dealer who threatened her and Max in episode two.  I opted to have Chloe leave the money--it seemed like if they got caught that stealing five thousand dollars would be a much bigger problem than breaking into the office.

Max and Chloe make their way out of the building and decide where to head next.  Chloe isn't content with simply heading home but decides that since she has the keys to the whole school that they should break into the pool for a swim.  Max does some exploring and manages to find the controls for the pool lights and turns them on.  Both girls hop into the pool and there is a nice bonding moment as Max and Chloe reflect on their friendship.  Eventually they decide they've had enough swimming and they decide to head home.  As they're preparing to walk out of the pool building a light shines through the window of the door.  There's a security guard in front of the building and he's coming inside!  Max and Chloe both hide and players have to figure out the best way to avoid the guard.  After they've left the pool building they head for Chloe's truck in the parking lot with the security guard hot at their heels.  They speed off, heading to Chloe's house.

The next morning there is a nice reflective moment as Max wakes up at Chloe's house and remembers all the time she's spent with her friend and her family.  Max realizes that her clothes still smell like chlorine from the night before and Chloe encourages her to dress in an outfit that was left by Rachel Amber.  Max heads downstairs to have a nice breakfast prepared by Joyce.  Players can spend a little time exploring the house and yard.  In the yard you discover a bunch of dead birds--what the heck is going on?  Once you return inside you eat breakfast and have a friendly discussion with Joyce, Chloe's mom.  It gets sad as she shows Max an old photo album from when she and Chloe were kids and William, Chloe's dad, was still alive.  Chloe finally arrives at the table and whispers that Max should go explore the garage and try to break into David's files to find more clues about the disappearance of Rachel Amber and his involvement with Kate Marsh.  After going through a sequence of guessing passwords and rewinding, Max manages to get into David's computer.  The files on the computer reveal that he was definitely following and gathering information on both girls.  The information on Rachel Amber reveals that she was spending a lot of time with Frank, the drug dealer guy who keeps threatening Chloe.  Max leaves the garage and re-enters the living room to find Joyce and Chloe sitting silently.  The front door opens and David enters the house.  He's angry because he had been up all night investigating the break-in at the school.  Max and Chloe decide to confront David about the information that they've collected and there's a big confrontation in which players are forced to decide whether they side with David or not.

As Chloe is angrily driving through Arcadia Bay, she and Chloe notice Frank's RV in the parking lot of the Two Whale's diner.  Chloe decides that they should break into his RV to look for more evidence related to Rachel Amber.  Chloe formulates a plan for Max to get Frank to give her the keys to the RV and then she will rewind time with the keys.  It's genius!  The plan is not as easy as it sounds and involves a lot of discussion with different characters and much rewinding.  After Max has gotten enough satisfactory information she can use this information to get Frank to take the keys out of his pocket where she can then swipe them.  Once the keys are in her possession, she can rewind and meet Chloe in the parking lot.  They enter Frank's RV and start looking for information.  Max discovers a sort of diary hidden in a vent.  The information within the diary reveals that Rachel and Frank were much closer than Chloe thought and were involved in some sort of relationship.  Max take the diary to Chloe and shares this information.  Chloe becomes very upset and decides to take Max back to school--there's an uncomfortable discussion in the car where Chloe blames everyone for her problems and is inconsolable.

Back at school, Max returns to her dorm room and looks at a photograph that Joyce gave her.  The photograph is of her and Chloe when they were younger.  It was taken on the day that Chloe's dad was killed and Max remembers many of the events that happened that day.  Then, something weird starts happening with the photo--almost like it's moving.  Max focuses on the picture and then she is transported back to the exact time of the photo.  She's 10 years-old and hanging out in Chloe's house.  Chloe's dad is still alive and Max realizes that shes has been transported back and has the ability to prevent him from being killed.  The phone rings and it's Joyce asking him to come pick her up at the diner.  Max starts looking for his car keys so she can hide them and prevent him from driving...and getting into the accident that kills him.  Her efforts to hide the keys are foiled by a beeper that he has attached to the keys.  Max has to hid them somewhere where he can't hear them.  She chucks them out the door into the yard.  William finally gives up on finding the keys and Max convinces him to take the bus to get Joyce.  She just saved him!  Players are then greeted with a montage of family photos--those of the current world, like from William's funeral, burn away and are replaced with happier photographs of the family.  It appears that Max has completely changed Chloe's life and has been able to keep the family intact.

Max is jolted awake and is now back at school.  Oddly enough she's hanging out with Victoria and her group.  The discussion in the group seems to indicate that Max is one of the Vortex Club in-crowd.  Max scrambles away stunned and hops on a bus to head to Chloe's house. On the way she is greeted by a strange scene--whales have beached themselves and are dead.  At Chloe's house, Max rings the doorbell an anxiously waits to see her friend.  Chloe's dad opens the door and calls for Chloe.  You expect to see a happy, non-blue haired Chloe bounding to the door but instead see Chloe bound to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic.

Thoughts
I felt like episode three had very slow pacing.  The preview led me to believe that this episode was going to be much more action-packed.  The parts I found most tedious were those that involved the most rewinding--at the diner you have to talk to the same people multiple times in order to gain the insight needed to get Frank to put the keys to the RV on the table.  The story seemed pretty flat until the cliffhanger right at the end.

The story did manage to keep me somewhat hooked but I feel that my focus has shifted away from what happened to Rachel Amber to what is happening with Max's powers.  The ending of this episode implied that Max's powers have allowed her to alter events to the point that in this new world things are completely different.  She's one of the cool kids who she spends so much time despising!  The big question that I'm sure everyone is wondering is what happened to Chloe?  Why is she now in a wheelchair?  It has become apparent that Max's powers aren't an easy solution to all the bad things that are going on.

Even though I felt like this episode was pretty slow the ending did manage to spice things up enough that I want to find out what happens next.  Are Max's powers going to destroy Arcadia Bay?  Is Max going to be able to fix Chloe's life?

Life is Strange Choices Cause Re-load

I have written a few times about the episodic story game Life is Strange.  Unlike other games in this genre it features the unique ability to rewind time and change your decisions.  Well, it mostly does.  (Spoilers--don't read if you haven't finished episode 2!).  The the very end of episode two Max is faced with a difficult situation.  Kate Marsh, a fellow student who is being ruthlessly bullied by a group of horrible classmates, is standing on top of a dormitory building and looks like she's ready to jump.  Players can stop time and take Max up to the roof in an effort to talk Kate down.  It's at this point that players are confronted with the fact that Max seems to have temporarily lost her ability to rewind.  Your choices determine if Kate Marsh lives or dies.  That's a high pressure situation and, surprisingly, many players who failed to save Kate were so stricken by this fact that they opted to replay the entire episode!

Read this article from Kotaku that describes how many people couldn't face the decisions that they made.

Life is Strange--Episode 2

Max and Chloe rekindle their friendship.

The second episode of Square Enix/Dontnod's episodic story game Life is Strange was released two days ago and I've finally completed it.  I gotta say, for a game that I picked up on a lark I'm really enjoying it.  There are some great plot elements--a missing student, a long-lost friendship that is revived, weird supernatural phenomenons, and modern teenage angst.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the whole thing actually plays out.  They are definitely giving TellTale a run for their money in the episodic story genre.  (Spoilers ahead.  If you haven't played it, don't read.)

But back to episode two of Life is Strange.  If you remember back to the ending of episode one (which, unlike Tales from the Borderlands, wasn't delayed for months so is much easier to remember) there were a bunch of weird things that were happening in the fictional town of Arcadia Bay.  Max, a high school student at a prestigious school, discovered that she possessed the ability to rewind time.  At the end of episode one Max and Chloe are hanging out at a lighthouse and discussing Max's new ability.  It's then that Max blacks out and has a vision of a huge tornado coming to destroy the town.  When she wakes up she makes the decision to inform her friend Chloe about her powers.  Then it starts to snow....when it definitely shouldn't be.

There's something strange going on in Arcadia Bay and unfortunately episode two doesn't really delve very deeply into those things.  The beginning of the episode sees Max back in her dorm room sleeping.  A voiceover reveals that she stayed up almost all-night reading books about quantum physics in an attempt to understand her powers.  She still doesn't really understand where they come from and much of this episode deals with Max learning more about them.  Max then receives a text from Chloe asking her to meet up at the local diner.  You navigate the dormitories at Blackwell academy and learn that Kate Marsh, the quiet religious girl from episode one, is being relentlessly bullied.  Rumors are swirling of a video featuring Kate at a party looking very drunk and making out with a bunch of random people.  These rumors are being circulated by Victoria and her posse of mean girls.  Throughout this episode Max can choose to support Kate or to leave her hanging.  I opted to help her and made sure to choose every option that involved trying to prevent people from watching the video or sharing the link.  Kate also reveals to Max that she thinks she was drugged at the party and that Nathan Prescott, the rich kid/drug dealer from episode one, might have taken her somewhere and assaulted her.  Kate asks Max what she should do and you are forced to choose between informing Kate that she should go to the police or that she should try to find evidence first.  This is a tough decision because Nathan Prescott appears to be threatening Max over the bathroom gun incident that happened the day before.  You want to support your friend, but you also don't want Nathan to harm anyone.

After Max leaves the dorm she heads out to meet Chloe at the Two Whale's diner.  Chloe finally shows up and that's when things get interesting.  Chloe is very interested in testing Max's rewind ability an formulates a series of tests.  One test involves guessing exactly what is in Chloe's pockets.  Another test involves Max predicting a series of events that take place inside the diner within a short time period.  You pass the tests and Chloe is very impressed with Max's superpower.  She decides that they should take a trip to one of her "secret lairs" and really get a sense of what Max can do.  Before you leave the diner, Kate calls Max.  Players are given the choice of answering the call, much to Chloe's dislike, or ignoring the call.  It's obvious that Kate is having a really hard time and that Max is a source of support.

Chloe takes Max to her "secret lair" which is actually a junkyard filled with rusted out old cars and signs of Arcadia Bay's decay--broken signs from closed businesses.  At the junkyard Chloe decides that she wants to do some target practice and sends Max searching for beer bottles to use as targets.  Max wanders through the junkyard finding bottles and also finding more evidence that this was a place where Chloe and Rachel Amber, the missing girl from episode one, had hung out.  Max manages to find the bottles and returns them to Chloe.  Chloe sets them up and whips out the pistol she stole from her stepfather, the Blackwell security guard David Madsen.  She asks Max to use her powers to help her aim.  Chloe shoots and then Max rewinds time to tell her how to alter her aim.  It's here that Max starts to feel her nose bleed and realizes that using her powers all the time may not be a good idea.  She still doesn't understand how they work but it's obvious that she can only use them so much before she starts to have problems.

As Max and Chloe are leaving the junkyard they are confronted by a strange man.  It turns out that this man is the person who Chloe owes money.  At this point Chloe has handed the gun to Max in an effort to get her to try shooting.  Chloe and the man, named Frank (owner of the weird RV from episode one), get into an argument and Frank pulls out a knife and threatens Chloe.  Max holds up the pistol and tells him to step back.  Here players also have a tough choice--you can opt to have Max shoot Frank or to have her hold off.  I chose to have her hold off and the result was that Frank took the gun.  So now Frank is armed with a gun and is clearly out to get Chloe.

There are some really nice moments as Chloe and Max balance on the railroad tracks and talk like old friends.  Their friendship seems to be slowly getting repaired and you are given a sense of the unbreakable bond between them.  It's here that things start to go wrong.  As Chloe and Max are laying on the tracks and reminiscing, Chloe realizes that her foot is stuck under the tracks.  Max has to figure out a way to help Chloe avoid getting squashed by a train.  Fortunately there is a shed with tools nearby and players are able to rewind time in an effort to figure out how to free Chloe.

After Chloe is freed, Max decides it is time to return to school to attend class.  Chloe drives Max back to school and continues to expound on Max's new powers.  Max then enters the school and heads off to class.  On her way to class she witnesses Kate talking to the photography teacher, Mr. Jefferson, and telling him about the video.  Mr. Jefferson informs Kate that there is nothing she can do about the video and Kate runs off, clearly very upset.  Max tries to talk to Mr. Jefferson, but their conversation is interrupted by a phone call.  Max enters class and is forced to face off against Victoria and Nathan who have taken over her desk.  The bell rings and Mr. Jefferson enters the room.  He starts teaching the class but is interrupted by another student who runs into the room announcing that there is something going on at the girls dorm.  The students run out of class and toward the dorm.

Once Max arrives at the dorm she sees what is going on.  Kate is standing on the roof and she looks like she is going to jump.  Max tries to rewind time and realizes that she has nearly spent all of her ability while messing around with Chloe.  With great effort she manages to stop time and reach the roof.  On the roof Max realizes that she can't rewind any more and that she has to talk Kate down without making any mistakes.  Fortunately I had paid close attention earlier in the episode and knew what to say to convince Kate to back down.

The next scene opens with Max in the principal's office being interrogated about Kate.  Max explains what is happening but is forced to pin the events on someone.  You are again forced to choose who should take the blame--David Madsen, the security guard who seems to be stalking Kate, Mr. Jefferson, the teacher who did little to help her, or Nathan Prescott, the devious rich kid who may have raped Kate.  I desperately wanted to pin it on Nathan Prescott but instead opted for David Madsen.  This is one decision that I am regretting.

The episode ends with Max and Warren sitting in front of the school discussing the events of the day.  As they are talking they notice that there is a solar eclipse happening.  Warren remarks that it is unscheduled.  Are Max's powers changing the entire universe?  The game closes with a montage of events--the principal talking to Mr. Jefferson in his car, Kate lying in a hospital bed, Chloe sitting by the lighthouse smoking a cigarette and texting Max to ask her if she's alright.

I enjoyed this episode and thought that the most significant part of it was the exploration into Max's powers.  It's very apparent that Max needs to use them sparingly as they are limited and can cause her to have severe pain or to even black out if she overuses them.  I'm not so sure that David Madsen is the jerk that he appears to be.  As a middle episode it left plenty of room for the story to grow more.  The very brief preview of episode three looks to have Max and Chloe investigating the school directly.  It appears that they have broken in at night and are looking for clues...and that they are being pursued.  Can't wait to see what the rest of the story brings!

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. 

Life is Strange

I've been stuck in a bit of a gaming rut lately. There are no new games out that I'm interested in so I've reverted to replaying the old reliables.  Unfortunately I can only kill so many demons in Diablo III before I get bored.  Last night, when confronted with the choice to do some bounties or clear another nephalem rift, I decided I would peruse the Steam store and see if there was anything out which looked interesting.  A notification popped up informing me of the release of the new episodic story game Life is Strange.  I decided to try it out and see if Square Enix has managed to improve upon the TellTale formula.  (Spoilers ahead regarding part one of Life is Strange)

I had read a little bit about Life is Strange and was intrigued by the idea of having both main characters be female.  This seems like as interesting choice but could be an intentional effort to gain more of a female audience.  I think the episodic point-and-click story games might appeal to some lady gamers who are new to gaming.  They're easy to learn and fairly simple while being engaging and allowing players to craft the story according to the choices they make.  Perfect for someone who is a novice gamer.

The story in Life is Strange revolves around the main character Max Caulfield.  Max is a typical teenager with a gift for photography that lands her at a trendy, private art school located in a small town in Oregon (yay Oregon!).  The game begins with Max sitting in class and listening to her semi-famous photography teacher giving a lecture.  This acts as a sort of tutorial as you learn how to navigate and interact with the world around you.  You are also thrust back into the super cliquey modern high school and are immediately bombarded with the fact that Max doesn't really fit in well here.  One of your first tasks is to navigate the hallways to find the bathroom because Max needs a minute to have a minor breakdown.

It's when you finally manage to make it there that you learn that Max isn't typical at all.  While in the bathroom gathering her strength for the return to the teenage labyrinth, Max witnesses a popular male student enter the bathroom.  She hides in the corner while he rants and raves to himself.  Then another student enters the bathroom and an argument breaks out between the two.  Max peeks around the corner and sees a girl with blue hair struggling against the male student.  The argument is fast but involves drugs and money.  Then the male student pulls out a gun and in the struggle shoots the blue-haired girl.  As this happens Max reaches out in shock and the whole world collapses around her.  She wakes up and finds that she's back in photography class listening to the same lecture as before.  It's here that Max realizes that she can manipulate time--rewinding it to go back and change how things turn out.  She can go back and save the blue-haired girl!

I know what you're thinking, and I was thinking it too.  Being able to rewind time seems pretty cliche and maybe a little cheesy.  It actually makes the game and the choices in it more interesting and more difficult to make.  If you don't like how things turned out you can go back and do it differently.  The game also points out when you have made a decision that will have some sort of impact on future events which can make you a little uneasy.  Instead of feeling that I had made the right choice I found myself going back to see if the opposite choice would turn out better.  Generally it didn't make me feel any better and I doubted almost all of the choices I made.  This is a big change from TellTale games where you are forced to make your choice (in a short timespan) and replay an entire scenario to see how things play out.

It's making me doubt my decisions so much that I think I'm going to go back and replay it.  More about Life is Strange tomorrow!