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Review: Life is Strange “Episode One: Chrysalis”

Life is Strange sure is strange… and for the most part, that’s what makes it so great.

Remember Me’s DONTNOD returns for an episodic game revolving around two teenage girls, Max and Chloe. Once best friends, Max left the small town of Arcadia Bay for the bright lights of Seattle, only to return to pursue a course of study in photography exclusive to her old alma mater. Max and Chloe haven’t spoken for the five years the girls have been apart, and both have gone down drastically different paths. At its core, a big chunk of Life is Strange is about exploring the girls’ reunion.

The rest of it involves a missing girl, a murderous student and Max’s new ability to rewind time.

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Max stumbles onto her newfound power at the start of this episode — the first of five — without much explanation. The rest of the two hour episode really concentrates on Max’s backstory – why she left Arcadia Bay, why she’s returned and what’s happened with her friendships – rather than investigating her ability. It’s a good move on DONTNOD’s part, for as great as the power to rewind time is, it’s not the point of the game. Instead, it’s a means to an end; you’ll spend your time wandering the hallways of Blackwell Academy and its surrounds, interacting with characters and the environment in order to figure out where you fit. If that lack of explanation annoys you, fret not; foreshadowing clearly shows we’ll eventually get to the bottom of it all, powers or otherwise.

In this slow-burn of an episode, Life is Strange spends most of its time familiarising you with its characters. Max is the shy wallflower, uncertain about her talents as a photographer. Chloe’s been beaten down by life and looks as if she’s ready to give up. Warren’s the geeky love-interest who’d better get more screen time in coming instalments. Nathan and Victoria do their best Mean Girls impressions around the school, terrorising fellow students with insults, social media blacklistings… and a real gun.

But wait, there’s more: Chloe’s stepdad is an ex-soldier with trust issues. Kate is a shady fellow student who’s friendly but clearly hiding something. I could go on; there are many more characters to get to know if you’ll willing to make the time, all with their own quirks. That said, Life is Strange’s ensemble work great as a package, but it’s hard to deny they’re a little too one-dimensional on their own. I get that Max is a shy returning student, but spends the first forty-five minutes of the game being ultra-clichéd, hiding behind her angst as much as her iPod headphones.

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Max’s power lets you play around in the world, rewinding time to test out what various choices will amount to. If you’re not happy that you tattled on a fellow student, simply rewind time and go down a different path. It’s a little bit Butterfly Effect in that implementation, tied together with a high school drama akin to Pretty Little Liars. If that’s not quite your thing, there are enough puzzles littered throughout “Episode One: Crystalis” that you can forego the relationship side of the game to focus on those. At the very least, Life is Strange offers up moments of zen that are immeasurably relaxing and rewarding: sitting on a bench and checking out a sunset. Observing squirrels or birds. Playing guitar in your dorm room. I’ve little doubt that the game has something for everyone.

While the closest games we have in comparison to Life is Strange are anything made by Telltale Games, it’s not really a fair contrast for so many reasons. Life is Strange has an art style all its own, full of hauntingly beautiful music by the likes of Angus & Julia Stone and a look more reminiscent of Remember Me than the cel-shaded blandness that’s become a staple of Telltale’s recent work. The only time the comparison really works is with the point-and-click-type gameplay.

Most of the world of Arcadia Bay has a look that screams half-finished, but considering that’s one of the game’s major themes – trying to find yourself, figuring out who you are as a developing teenager – it fits well. In fact, the only time I wasn’t absolutely in love with the game’s look is when shown what’s supposed to be a whirling, menacing tornado. More like tornadon’t.

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All up, Life is Strange has made a great first impression, offering up a game that’s inexpensive, unique and, ultimately, well worth trying out. The groundwork has been set, and I expect big things from future instalments. Sadly, that’s the episodic game’s big downside; after such a solid opening, the game’s “Next time on Life is Strange” tease confirms we’ll be waiting until March to get our second taste.

Life is Strange “Episode One” was reviewed using a promotional code on Xbox One, as provided by the publisher.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.