Life is strange isn’t it? Stranger that a series like Life is Strange is actually getting a prequel of all things consisting of three episodes the first of which is now here on steam. Available on individual episode purchase or for about 8 dollars more you can buy the deluxe edition of the game which is essentially you get all episodes as they come out automatically downloaded to your computer. I’d recommend going for that option if your gonna buy this one.
And now as always I’ll go over gameplay, characters and story to give you the conclusion and ensure you don’t waste your money.
STORY
This story of Life is Strange prequel is how life is strange; the end.
I’m kidding I’m kidding! There’s more. The story follows Chloe as she’s dealing with the loss of her biological father and the new one that is coming into the picture. She’s deals with this with typical teenage rebellion, and its during all this we meet Rachel Amber. A fellow teenage girl that also decides to rebel because she’s tired of being perfect all the time and she brings Chloe along for the ride as Chloe has more experience with this sort of thing I suppose.
CHARACTERS
As the story is only on the first episode meaning we don’t know if anyone else will show up next I’ll stick to the two main characters of this game.
Chloe Price
The main character and one you control. Goes through big teenage rebellion phase due to the loss of her father and becomes known as the tomboy school delinquent. As a result most problems she goes through tend to be of her own making. Yet she has become good at talking her way out of troubling spots. More on that later.
Rachel Amber
Chloe Price’s friend made during the first episode. The most popular girl in school who gets together with Chloe as part of a rebellious phase in her life and to get away from Arcadia Bay. She’s part of the drama club and therefore a trained actress which she uses to her advantage in her interactions with Chloe and others.
GAMEPLAY
Those familiar with the original should be familiar with most of the game play, it comes from the original Life is Strange, apart from the time travel. As we’re playing as Chloe now she does not have the time travel ability that Max had.
So instead she has a conversation power, when she needs something from people she can have a kind of conversational battle with them and choose the right decisions within a time limit can get her way. Its different from the time travel but admittedly innovative.
CONCLUSION
This is a hard game for me to recommend mainly because I didn’t enjoy it that much. Not because I think it’s a bad game but because of its main weakness. It’s a prequel to another game, as someone who played the original life is strange I already know the ultimate fate of the two main characters and getting invested in them is difficult for me as a result. That combined with the fact there’s no time travel mechanic also makes this game harder for me to love.
Now if you never played the original Life is Strange then by all means pick this game up along with the original series, you’ll enjoy them yet for people like me who have already played the original game this is a tough game to love. And very hard to score fairly because what I see as a weakness and what a newcomer to the series will see as a weakness will differ.
I mean sure that’s technically the problem with every review but you get what I mean.