Life Is Strange (2015)

An absolute fantastic game and I am not embarrassed to admit that this is one of the few games that have made me cry. It's a story about a teenager named Max Caulfield who discovers she has a hidden super-power allowing her to rewind time. She discovers this power after seeing her best friend get shot and killed.

Throughout the game, you will encounter different scenarios and you are faced to make difficult choices that will make you question every choice you make. You get emotionally attached to characters as a lot of characters in this universe have their own story and unique personality.

There's a lot of different elements to this story that is so incredibly written yet so easy to follow making it very engaging. It's like a TV show that you can interact with. Despite all the different elements the story involves, it all leads to Max using her power to her advantage to go back in time to fix any mistakes she has made. But it gets more interesting than that as the more she screws around with time, the more messed up the universe is getting. Something ominous is going to happen.

The soundtrack is beautiful and it adds a lot more emotion to every scene. It's perfect. Every episode leaves you on a cliff hanger that makes you want to play more just to find out more about the story. It has major plot twists and jaw dropping moments.

I didn’t think I would enjoy “Life is Strange” as much as I did. Maybe at the time I played it I was looking for something chill, that didn’t require much. I found that in this game but got really into the story & it’s characters that by the time I was done, I was eagerly looking forward to more installments in the future.

Before anything, I wanted to say that this game really touched me. My life was at a delicate time when I played it and I was too emotionally involved with the story. I do think this is a dangerous media if your mental health isn't stable. I projected myself in the characters and they are all problematic. It was a super personal experience, may I say. Anyway..

I bought this game for 12 Reais in a promo on psn back in early 2017. I had heard about it, but had no idea what it was about. Possibly one of the best surprises I've ever had playing video games.

Now that I'm older, I must admit that I find Chloe slightly annoying and by far the worst part of this game. Even though I know that she is essential in the narrative and her personality was handpicked to fit the whole project, still, a lot of people find her an ass, and I don't blame those people.

That said, the rest is exceptional. A lot of people criticize the graphics but honestly it never bothered me. I find it quite charming. Have you ever heard of The Cat Lady? Amazing game, ok?

Most of the characters are memorable. Highlighting, obviously, the two protagonists. Max will never get out of my head. The soundtrack that is possibly my favorite of everything I've played and one of the best atmospheric choices I've ever seen. And the story being the icing on the cake.

Of course, being a narrative wrapped in time travel, there are plot holes, but none that are noticeable enough to the point of discomfort. It's one of the best stories I've ever seen, and one that, ironically, only works because of this game's incredible voice work and all the technical choices behind it. A single song that plays changes a scene entirely. A nuance in the voice actor's voice changes an entire scene. I really admire this game for having managed to keep its promise despite being so technically delicate.

It's really worth it. 4 years after playing it, I have a butterfly tattoo on my arm, a Syd Matters playlist on Spotify, and lots of memories. I believe it gets you on a different way depending on how old you are when you play for the first time (16 years old, in my case), but either way it ends up being an incredible experience.

Just finished the game and I've got to say I'm a bit underwhelmed. The last parts went all over the place, throwing logical progression out of the window and removing a lot of player agency. The ending in particular felt forced and came out of nowhere. Chloe just states what the solution is without any real reasoning to back it and you are just forced to accept it. Similarly, Warren comes up with a vague explanation few seconds after Max explains some stuff to him and, again, we are supposed to accept it at face value? (I'm being intentionally spoiler-free here).

The big plot of this game is not its strong suit and almost every story beat is forced and nonsensical. Like the two characters just leaving damning evidence just lying around for anyone to tamper with, or a dude just letting someone drive into a storm after just having gone through major trauma. No; the game shines when Chloe and Max are playing or working together, developing a relationship.

While the last episode being almost entirely Chloe-less was a real bummer, the previous ones were quite a hoot. Anyone can check out my status updates as I played the game, so it's not a secret that I had quite an emotional ride with the characters. I took an immediate dislike to Chloe. She acted like a stupid, self-absorbed ass-hole. But after a while, I couldn't not like her. In a game in which people can rewind time and there's unpredicted eclipses, Chloe's and Max's relationship felt real; grounded. By Episode 3, I was completely captivated by their chemistry and loved every cute moment between them. (That night at the pool is definitely the high point of the entire game.) And Episode 4 made me stop playing to go cry in my bed.

So even if the ending disappoint me a little, Life is Strange did left a mark in me. I will most certainly rewind time to revisit it in the future.

I've been avoiding going back to this game for *checks notes* 4 months (!). Not because I don't like it or enjoy it, but because I was paralysed by one Very Big decision on episode 4 that really gutted me emotionally. Even now, just thinking about it makes me a bit anxious.

Have you folks had this experience with other games? A game in which you invested so much that some important part was so emotionally draining that you had a hard time playing through it?

5 stars for the final two episodes- they were absolutely brilliant. I'd give a lower score for the first three episodes, but they were still enjoyable, and most importantly, necessary to experience to build up to the finale.

You will be faced with many difficult choices in this game. Sometimes I would mull for 10 or even 20 minutes before making my decisions in my effort to create the least messy plot, yet some players may not mind leaving a trail of blood behind them. Sometimes decisions will be driven by your own emotions, and there will be major tension between your rationality and personal feelings. Great voice acting brings this game to life where the character models are pretty pitiful-looking (eg they usually don't even open their mouths when they talk :| ).

Not every character is fleshed out well, but they are certainly all at least somewhat interesting in their own regard. The plot, without giving any spoilers, in my opinion is very well crafted, and putting together all the clues gathered throughout multiple episodes to solve the mystery was extremely satisfying. This game is worth playing (maybe even multiple times to experience different endings)!

Hell of a ride with this game. Started intrigued, then mildly annoyed, then completely engrossed and now I'm almost crying.

That "plot twist" at the end of Episode 3 was obvious from kilometres away, but the decision you are force to make at the beginning of Episode 4 is soul crushing. So much so that that I had to pause, drop the controller and go to do the dishes for about half an hour to clear mind and keep me from bawling my eyes out. I still haven't continued. It was too much. Had to quit the game in the hopes that tomorrow I'll have the constitution to keep going.

Oh, boy.

I recently replayed this as part of a Game Pass quest that gave me the boost to play this again after several years of fond members. Knowing the key plot points did take away a bit of the emotional impact from the first play through but it still had a strong punch. While some of the writing can be a bit cringey it felt appropriate considering how many of us as teenagers used trendy lingo to seem cool, The biggest misstep was the wrapping up of the story, my first play through I had no complaints but the second time I could see where the canyons of plot holes popped up but it still didn't make the final decision of bay or bae any easier.

Anybody that enjoys a story telling game with some sci fi mixed in but is more heavy on the human condition should play through this at least once.

Pros:
-- Very compelling story-telling, each chapter leaving you wanting to immediately know what happens after the cliff-hanger. Lots of conversational paths to take, even if they generally end up at the same destination.
-- The world is quite rich and fleshed out through environmental and conversational exploration. You can dig in way further than you need to, or keep your focus on the main characters and story-points
-- The script, though sometimes a little cheesy, is completely voice-acted and really helps draw you in and connect to these characters. As per the previous Pro, you can really get to know some of these kids, or you can leave them alone and stick to your business.

Cons:
-- For as strong as the story is, the graphics have difficulty keeping up. Models and animations are relatively simple. Graphical glitches are apparent throughout the game, flashing black across the fore- or backgrounds now and then.
-- Time rewind mechanic can be finicky, causing minor frustration now and then. Speed of rewind and indication of where to stop is inconsistent and sometimes confusing.
-- Trophy hunters are going to need to come through with a guide to catch all of the secret side-pictures you need to take for the majority of the trophies.

Check out my full review at TheKlotzNet

Hmm, just finished episode one. Honestly, I don't think this is the game for me. I can see that it's a great game, and that the devs have put a lot of effort in. I can also see that it's quite a fresh approach, reminiscent of Quantic Dream. But personally I was just about bored to tears, plus the soundtrack was making my skin crawl. The story didn't really interest me at all, the characters were irritating, and all these references to selfies, flash drives, sexting and terms like "hella" and "dope," it rubbed me the wrong way. It came off sounding like elderly teachers/parents trying to be "hip" and use the "lingo" and failing miserably. It felt like the devs were trying way too hard to pander to young people, possibly teenage girls in particular.

And maybe that's the problem, maybe I'm not the target audience for this. I doubt I'll bother with the later episodes, but hats off to the devs for thinking outside the box. It's always great to see new kinds of games, aimed at different audiences; games shouldn't be designed exclusively for young white guys.

I'm not giving this a rating at all because I don't feel qualified to rate it. I can see that it's an excellent game, but I hated it intensely lol.