Life is Strange

Life is strange indeed. I actually came to write my blog post about the prequel to Life is Strange today, so so convinced I had already written this review yet after a good fifteen minutes of detective work, apparently not! All I can think is that I spent so much time gushing to anyone and everyone about how amazing the storyline is that it felt like I had already done it. Oh well, here we go (again?).

Finally releasing on Nintendo Switch as part of the two-game Arcadia Bay Collection, Life is Strange is a narrative-driven game in which the choices you make influence the outcome. This may be ringing a bell, and you’d be correct, I have already played the fourth game in the series and enjoyed it very much. The question is: is the original the best? The major difference between this game and all the others is that it was actually developed by a different studio, DONTNOD, though this remaster was still done by the current series developers Deck Nine. I can firmly say that whilst the gameplay is definitely showing its age, the controls and animation far jankier, and graphics taking a hit, the storytelling is possibly the best I’ve ever found in a game, certainly surpassing the sequel.

Moving back to your hometown of Arcadia Bay, you are Max Caulfield, a student enrolled at Blackwell Academy with ambition to become a photographer. In terms of gameplay it is much the same as the sequel, moving through the environment to interact with the objects and characters you discover. The characters make this game so successful and the school setting rapidly introduces the associated cliques: jocks, skaters, geeks, yourself falling under the latter. After leaving your first class, a little searching rapidly uncovers a mystery befallen Arcadia Bay: missing student Rachel Amber, and it is around her that much of the ensuing narrative revolves as you try to piece together what happened.

Quality voice acting is present throughout and a banging soundtrack accompanies the drama, particularly enriching the narrative set pieces. Whilst most conversation offers minor, inconsequential decisions, within each of the game’s five chapters there will be pivotal choices that affect progression. Whilst some feel easy, a lot of these decisions border right and wrong, becoming increasingly difficult to make as you become emotionally attached to the characters.

This is where the twist kicks in though. Besides choices, the Life is Strange games also grant you special powers and in this case, that is the ability to control time. This gives you the ability to go back and change your mind once the consequences unfurl. Though there is a duration limit to this, and it was a fun ability leading to some incredibly intense drama, at one point freezing time to halt catastrophe, it did feel like it lessened the impact of my decisions knowing that they weren’t set in stone. On the flipside, after conversing with characters, the ability cleverly lets you travel back and relive the conversation, utilising the information you’d uncovered to bond or unnerve.

Without divulging any major plot points, the narrative covers an array of themes: drug use, bullying, death and other associated topics, making it definitely unsuitable for younger persons. It’s bringing such themes to life though, surrounding vulnerable students amidst the darkness and unfortunate reality of life, that tugs at the heartstrings and makes the story so engaging. The developer is never gratuitous in this though, handling each topic sincerely.

To accompany the core gameplay, collectibles are obtained throughout in the form of photo opportunities – the focus hinted at within your diary. As well as this, SMS conversations play out between you and the other characters, often in correlation with the decisions you’ve made, and all story beats are logged within the diary too in case you ever need a recap.

An incredible game, perfect for my playstyle, I had a wonderful time exploring the sights of Arcadia Bay whilst uncovering the dark mysteries within. This game currently stands as the only to make me cry, the weighty decisions reaching a dramatic climax that will certainly remain with me. Oh, and did I forget to mention the impending storm set to destroy the entire town, foreseen from the beginning? Just a small detail I’m sure.