Life is Strange: Double Exposure (2024)

So…

I like life is strange games, and I went into this with an open mind. Even though chapter 1 and 2 are fun, that cannot salvage this game.

The actual conflict of the game is a suicide from years before Max arrived, the consequences just hit later when she starts meddling. Apparently, the person killed herself because a professor stole her entire book(?) and the game doesn’t really explain how that even happened. This professor is set up to parallel Jefferson, however they treat this man with kid gloves and try to make the player feel bad for or sympathize with him. This is never explained fully, and so it feels jarring.

This suicide is what Safi, the other main character of the game, writes her book about. Her book deal gets cancelled, and then she dies. And then max opens/creates a parallel world in which she isn’t dead. And the whole game is about her going back and forth between the two.

There are two love interests for max. One is some dickhead man that has a sensitive side or something. But he’s literally still pining after SAFI. The DEAD BEST FRIEND. And for some reason he’s an option for Ms. Max “Ride or die” Caulfield. And then there’s Amanda, who I went for, who is kind of cringe but we are told she is cool. She rejects you in the world in which Safi is dead, and will put up with you in the world in which Safi is alive even though you’re flaky and meddling. She’s fine, but I don’t see why Max needed any love interests at all.

There’s a certain point where we learn Safi is a shapeshifter and she’s lowkey on a revenge spree and has been pretending to be ppl to get them bad reputations because she’s mad or something. And I checked out at this point. Blah Blah Blah there’s a storm again, Blah Blah Blah Max actually is the one who kills safi apparently, blah blah blah lets jump INTO the storm actually fuck the rules. And then everyone has a part of safi in them and max has to photograph them to get that part out and free her or whatever and it’s dumb. Oh. And Safi shoots her mom? And once they exit the weird storm dream sequence Safi is like ‘come with me and form a superhero colony’ and max can say answer either way and nothing changes. Safi’s mom watches this as she is clutching her bleeding, shot shoulder.

Then Max goes and talks to everyone in one of the three only settings (outside, inside, inside amanda’s bar). It’s the bar, btw, and they’re all like sad and whatever. Oh, and Max merged the two worlds so both of their conciousnesses are battling against eachother and Max is like ‘my bad’ and they’re like ‘it’s cool dw about it’

And then you watch the credits and it says “Max Caulfield will return” and obviously we know that they followed through but that’s SO CORNY omf.

There’s more to complain about but I will spare you.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure once again follows the protagonist of the first game, Max Caulfield, later in life where she now works as a TA at a college in Vermont. She's found herself there after running from the problems of her hometown we faced in the first game.

Ignoring her former powers and trying to live a normal life without them, she is a TA (or possibly a teacher? unclear) at a college where things go awry and once again she discovers powers that she has tried to suppress. The powers this time around though involve being able to jump between two different realities or dimensions. While losing a friend in one, she tries to do what she can to ensure the same doesn't happen in the other dimension. It's enough to freshen things up not having the same powers as the other games, while still having that mystical/magical feeling.

Gameplay this one feels even more like a walking simulator where you just carry on various conversations, occasionally interrupted by investigative sections. The investigations unfortunately rarely boil down to much of anything, and conversations are usually just between two decisions that will just make small changes to the story. I think over the course the course of the entire game, it only contains 14 "major" choices where the camera zooms in, time stops, intense music plays while you choose a or b. Some of these aren't even that big of a decision either. The story is still pretty entertaining and enjoyable throughout.

On to the negatives, which unfortunately there are several. The first three chapters of the game are paced really well and very interesting. Unfortunately it seems once again this time either struggles with time or budgeting, or they do not know how to stick a landing. A few of the characters are written really well, while others not so well. Without spoilers, one of the bigger characters in this game, you have a deep conversation with about trying to be better, then in the next scene they basically want to watch the world burn. My partner and I thought we accidentally skipped a scene or something as it was such a large tonal shift immediately occurring. Even almost 2 years later, there are still some bugs in the game. Nothing game breaking, but enough to be distracting. Given there's a newer release in the franchise now, I doubt we'll see any more patches to address these. The biggest issue I have with the game is the predatory pricing and content locking. I bought the main/base game. I try to get as many achievements as possible in a game, or 100% a game if it's not too taxing. This entry locks two achievements behind the Deluxe edition upgrade that costs $20! Looking into it, the deluxe edition comes with an extra chapter that basically involves finding a stray cat, then trying to find it's owner. Sounds cute. But supposedly this content is 15-30 minutes long. Needing to pay an additional $20 on top of the full priced game, for 15 minutes of content to 100% the game is insane. I refuse to support this predatory and greedy behavior.

I know I did this backwards. I marathoned both new games quickly just to see where we went. Because I am the biggest max and chloe shipper. I played the original and before the storm over a dozen times. I bought all the comics. I cosplayed as both of them (and rachel). So when everyone complained that this game erases chloe from your save chloe choice, and has them break up. I admit, it kept me away. But that was a mistake. Because this isn't a betrayal of the series. It's not flawless. But it's still the story and the characters I love.

There is an impossible demand at the heart of this. The original game was built on splitting the outcome dramatically as to chloe. To make a sequel, you had to allow for a narrative where chloe isn't here, or pull some serious multiverse shenanigans. And. well. It's both.

DE isn't a Max and Chloe story. Not yet. It's a Max and Max's Rachel story. In a way, we are bringing Max a parallel to before the storm on the opposite end. Safi is undeniably Rachel. Thoughtless, selfish, traumatized, lonely, latching onto the only target she has and loving her with everything. For now. Max and Safi are not the end game. But it's impossible not to love them together.

There are flaws and there are failings. But this isn't a mistake. It's a welcome addition to the story. I'm glad this game exists the way it does.

Platform: Switch

Playthrough: First

Language: French/English VOD

Finish Status: Completed

Playtime: 12h

First of all, I have to get it out of the way that the Switch version of this game is absolutely ugly as sin and reeks of LOD and character model pop-ins, face animation bugs, lags, and loading times. In terms of ugly, I mean,n compared to the console version. The price to have it handled... This won't affect what I think about the game in general, though.

This game started out really strong for me. I have a lot of nostalgia connected to the first game, but I do not have any particular strong opinions about the endings or whatever. I was pleased to see Max again!

For the first few chapters, I felt really swept up in the world. The writing sometimes feels a bit clunky, pacing sometimes awkwardly slow, but it's ok. I'm enjoying it! It does, however, at some point kind of spin off the rails, and I can see why a lot of people disliked the game. The second half of the game felt as rushed as poorly paced, and the whole intrigue and fun "whodunnit" theories were quickly shoved into a trash can at the corner of the claustrophobic campus grounds.

So overall, a very mid-experience, was it worth it? I think so? I'm still excited to see what they will do for the future after all.

Having finished this game in the Life is Strange series, I can see as to why it has so many mixed opinions around it and I'm in the majority of also having those mixed opinions though I do feel that I liked the game more than most people did.

As someone that loved the first Life is Strange game, I found that my chosen ending of sacrificing Chloe to save Arcadia Bay was the better respected ending by this game given that I feel like Double Exposure does a good job at constantly having Chloe still be at the forefront of Max's mind and having Max grapple with the very trauma that she had to make such a big decision. Apparently the ending to save Chloe is massively disrespected by this game especially given the fact that Chloe is not even in it so I can see why that annoyed a lot of people from the get go and how it could have attributed to me enjoying the start of the game more than others did.

Speaking of, I'm of the mind that the first 3 chapters of the game are really fun and quite interesting and then chapters 4 and 5, in particular 5, is where the game loses its way. I thought that the plot within the first 3 chapters was quite interesting with how layered it was (and I liked how the game helped you keep track of it easier with the clues section of Max's phone). Max's new abilities are fun too with being able to hop through different timelines allowing for her powers to feel fresh as well as essentially allowing the characters of the game to have 2 different versions of themselves depending on the timeline that you were in.

However, by the latter two chapters, the game really began to lose its way for me, mainly after being done with exposing Lucas, as then Safi becomes a character that flip flops between leaning towards evil and being good, something that continues in the final chapter of the game. Much of Safi's justification for this out of nowhere character development is really incoherent as I didn't understand that Jasmin had had her book deal cancelled until after I finished the game and looked it up because the game does not make it clear to you. The same can be said for how Safi 'hurts' the cast of characters at the end of chapter 4 and in chapter 5 by speaking through them and preventing them from doing anything? It's hard to grasp because it doesn't make any sense and doesn't seem to be something Safi could actually do with her powers.

Chapter 5 I'd say is the only aspect of this game that is downright disappointing for me at least. It has some cool moments like Max having to confront her trauma from Mr Jefferson by being trapped in the same chair he trapped her in all those years ago, but on the whole it just feels so rushed and has only one major choice that doesn't really even impact this game as it seems to instead want to affect a potential future installment in the franchise continuing from this one. Chapter 5 for me solidified the meaningless nature of our choices in the game as I feel that they do very little to actually impact the ending and the plot has so many unresolved elements like Alderman being erased from existence entirely because his two timeline versions interacted and the implications of that, Lucas' restraining order against Safi, Max being able to swap objects over between timelines, and whatever Lucas said to stop Vinh from exposing him so intensely at the roast being examples of this.

The game just sort of ends without much resolution and a seemingly franchise shift in focus on the powers part of its main characters and not the human part which I think is what the original did and did it well. I do still like the character of Max here and I think Hannah Telle is great in her performance of her and some of the other side characters like Vinh, Reggie, Moses, Gwen, and Amanda are fun but I wish they were given more to do. I'm hoping that if they do decide to deliver the next installment in the franchise as a sequel to this one that they not only better stick the landing but also work to tie up the lose ends from this game because otherwise they have no reason for existing.

OK so.. the game is not bad. Everybody's just mad because they chose the wrong ending to the first Life is Strange and this game reveals things don't turn out how they'd hoped for Max Caulfield in between that story and this one. Boo hoo.

The game is good, mechanically it's engaging and gives some new twists to Max's powers that make it more surprising and interesting than just "same game new chapter". I was a little disappointed that it wasn't as emotionally impactful as the first game, or really any of the other games in the series... but that is a very high bar. It still gave me some feels and made me emotionally engage with the characters and grapple with the choices. Not the best LIS title but somebody has to be in last place, it's a tough bunch of games to beat. Still very much worth playing.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

First Impressions and Expectations

I approached Life is Strange: Double Exposure without high expectations. Prior to playing, I read some reviews mentioning that choices don't significantly impact the main story, which left me somewhat disheartened. Despite this, I decided to give it a chance, and the experience turned out better than I anticipated.

Compelling Narrative and Characters

The story in this installment is engaging but falls short regarding meaningful choices. Unlike other titles in the franchise, the decisions you make here don't truly alter the main plot events, affecting only relationships with characters. This was a disappointment for me, especially considering the series' narrative potential. Nonetheless, the storyline was more interesting than I initially expected.

Regarding Max's counterpart, Safi, I started off liking her, but my enthusiasm waned as the game progressed. Even so, she provided enjoyable moments and played an important role in the story. Amanda, on the other hand, was, for me, the best character – charismatic and engaging. The characters, in general, are well-constructed, and it's interesting to see how your choices shape their personalities.

This time, there wasn't that moment when the true culprit is unexpectedly revealed. Despite this, the story managed to keep me engaged. The ending was somewhat predictable, which I found interesting, but it wasn't exactly the conclusion I was hoping for.

One aspect I found intriguing was the more detailed exploration of the origins of Max's powers, which genuinely caught me by surprise. It seems this will be further explored in the next game, perhaps even providing answers about the source of these abilities, which could be a positive point for the franchise.

Impeccable Graphics and Gameplay

The graphics of Double Exposure are beautiful, and the art direction and music remain impeccable. The mechanics were well-utilized, and there's nothing to complain about regarding the gameplay. Everything functions smoothly and contributes to an immersive experience.

A Bittersweet Conclusion

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a good game but could have been better. The lack of impact from choices on the main story was a weak point, but the narrative managed to remain engaging. The characters were well-developed, and the exploration of powers opens interesting doors for the future of the franchise.

In the end, it's a game worth playing, but with moderate expectations.

Rating: 7/10

I have only played the Max stories. Her time-traveling ability seemed more interesting as a power and as a device for drama than what the other seasons were pitching. The choice at the end of the first Life is Strange doesn't seem to matter that much because Chloe is not a part of this story either way. Max is now a photography teacher at a university. I had to keep reminding myself because she looks the same age as her students. The same goes for her friend group. Her behavior fit a student too, so this felt odd through most of the game. This is, once again, a story about Max trying to save her friend after she was murdered. Instead of rewinding time though, she can travel to an alternate world where her friend, Safi, didn't die. Using this ability, she tries to solve the mystery of who killed Safi and why in order to save her.

Murder mysteries are always an easy way to hook me, so the game didn't have a difficult time holding my attention. These character joke a lot, and their jokes are really corny and not funny. This didn't bother me as much as it usually can because there was no one person the characters considered the "funny" one. They all had the same sense of humor which makes it believable these characters would hang out and be friends. It eventually becomes endearing, and I was proud of them when they actually make a funny joke. Digging into the mystery led to some embarrassing, painful moments, difficult decisions, and fun surprises that can make choice and consequence games so fun and engaging. When I feel all these things, I know the game is working for me because I care about the choices I'm making. The game goes from good to great in chapter 3 and 4 where some shocking twists and great character moments happen. Some of the material even brought tears to my eyes. I was starting to wonder how anyone could be down on this game.

Then I got to chapter 5. The final chapter sets up a sequel for this series. The direction of the story doesn't fit the series at all. It like such a strange left turned in a way that leaves the game's ending unsatisfying. The mystery is resolved, but the aftermath is still a big question mark. And the future of the series doesn't seem exciting. I still enjoyed my time with this game even if I didn't care for where it ended.

Let me start my review by saying that I loved Chloe and Max in the original game, but I chose Bay and stand by that decision. So this isn't coming from an annoyed Pricefield shipper.

However, this game is really not very good. The actual GAME mechanics are fun, I enjoyed the powers and how we used them. The story starts off really really interesting and mysterious, I was excited to see how things turned out.

Unfortunately so many plot points are left unexplained, and additionally the ending is bad. I'm sad because I did enjoy the ride, I liked the characters (especially Amanda and Moses!), liked the small throwbacks to the original LIS, but the story is so bad I can't really recommend this game, honestly.

Oh, and I hate that they made this game such a pain to 100% as well! All previous LIS games were very easy 100%'ers but this requires an entire second playthrough which I just couldn't be bothered to do.

I first played the original Life Is Strange in 2016. The game had a profound impact on me like few other stories have. Eight years later, this new game manages to profoundly disrespect the original story and is built upon a fundamentally flawed premise. The first game ends with an impactful final choice: save Max's best friend and love interest Chloe or sacrifice Chloe to save many more lives. The final episode of the original game is titled "Polarized", symbolizing the dramatically different outcomes for Max depending on which choice the player makes. The many fans, including myself, who chose to save Chloe did so because of Max and Chloe's powerful bond and love story. And the game ends with Chloe telling Max, "I'll always be with you," and Max replies, "Forever." While many lives are lost in the storm, Max and Chloe survive and take comfort in each other, promising to remain forever bonded. Max and Chloe's love story remains one of the most powerful in video games and is significant in the history of LGBT representation in gaming.

Double Exposure takes the dual endings of the first game and decides that Max ended up in basically the same place a decade later, which is absurd and takes away the impact of the player's choice in the first game. It furthermore disrespects the fans who chose to save Chloe by separating Max and Chloe for no reason other than it would be inconvenient to include Chloe in the game (and according to a former Deck Nine employee, higher ups in Deck Nine and Square Enix do not like Chloe). Effectively, this decision takes away all of the agency players had in making the final choice in the original game and does not restore any agency by giving players the option to reunite Max and Chloe. The game does absolutely nothing interesting or substantial to justify their separation.

Even if you don't care about Max and Chloe's relationship, the breakup serves little point in the narrative. It’s all setup with no payoff.

Instead, this new game tells a mediocre story with choices that do not matter and an edition of the game that costs an extra $20 for little more than a few bonus scenes. It also attempts to treat Life Is Strange as an MCU story, when the whole point of the first game was to subvert superhero tropes. It's so bad that it's funny, until you remember that the game was made under toxic working conditions where Nazis attempted to include white supremacy symbols in the game.

I will give the game a few points because it is far more explicit with its LGBT inclusion than previous entries in the series. But ultimately that rings hollow considering how they treated Max and Chloe's relationship.

The good news is, Max and Chloe's love story is more powerful than this silly excuse for a story, and the fans of the series can continue to believe in the true canon: that Max and Chloe stay together the rest of their lives. And there are literally thousands of fan works that tell their story far better than this game, written by people who actually understand Life Is Strange.