Life is Strange is this cool series of adventure games made by Dontnod Entertainment. I got to play the first episode on my PC for a couple of hours, but dang, I still haven’t reached the ending yet! They say it’s meant for folks who are 16 and older because it’s got some mature stuff going on. It’s perfect for people who love interactive stories, solving mysteries, and messing around with time.
You play as this character named Max, who’s really into photography. She’s just come back to her hometown to go to Blackwell Academy, this fancy artsy school for seniors. And get this, right when the game starts, Max discovers she’s got this crazy ability to rewind time a bit. So she can prevent stuff from happening or try out different choices. The big mystery is that this girl named Rachel Amber has been missing for a while, and Max is determined to figure out what’s going on. But, man, she’s got her own personal challenges to deal with too. That’s basically what you’re up to in the game, at least in episode 1.
The gameplay in this game is like a walking simulator, where you control Max and move her around to interact with the surroundings. To interact with objects like posters or drawers, you just drag the mouse over the action text. Sometimes you can only choose to “Look,” which gives you some background info about the environment, story, or characters. Other times, you can do more with the objects like “open,” “search,” or “use.” It’s a neat way to do things because you’re not just being told stuff, you actually get to discover things by exploring. In fact, that’s how you stumble upon the mystery of Rachel Amber’s disappearance before the characters in the game even mention it—by looking at posters and getting info about the missing girl. It really adds to the narrative fun as you keep digging up more info on all the mysteries in the game.
But let me tell you, there’s way more to this game than just walking around and finding clues. You’re actually in control here, making choices about what actions to take. And what’s super cool is that you can undo actions and pick a different one instead. The ability to manipulate time like that really brings out the fantasy fun, ’cause you can imagine yourself rewinding time and changing things up. The game always reminds you that actions have consequences, so you can decide whether to undo your last move and try something different. It’s a unique mechanic that gives me mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s awesome that I can try out all the different choices and see what works best. But on the other hand, even though I’m warned about consequences, I can’t see into the future to know how my actions will affect things. So I gotta rely on what I know and trust my gut. That’s what adds a challenge to the fun of playing this game—I’m making choices, trying to unravel the mystery as quickly as possible using my newfound time-warping skills.
In this game, fantasy is brought to life through characters with special abilities. It’s pretty cool because you get to do things like reading minds, which takes you to dimensions that you can’t experience in real life. It adds a whole new level of excitement and imagination to the game.
But that’s not all. The game also thrives on discovery, creating a sense of mystery that keeps you hooked. You have to piece together clues, be wary of different characters, and figure out their motives. As you explore the game world and gather clues along the way, a feeling of suspicion starts to creep in. It’s like there’s this constant curiosity in the air, urging you to uncover the truth behind everything. It adds a whole layer of intrigue to every aspect of the game.
I particularly appreciated how the game delved into challenging themes such as racial discrimination and excessive use of force by law enforcement. In episode 2, Daniel faces a confrontation with a group of white supremacists who degrade him with their demeaning language, and we witness his internal struggle as he grapples with the words and ideologies forced upon him. Right from the beginning, we also witness instances where the police exhibit undue suspicion and directly target the two brothers due to their ethnicity. I admire how these issues are seamlessly integrated into the game, compelling players to engage with them as they experience the biased comments and actions firsthand. However, I do feel that the game’s pacing could be improved, as there are certain conversations or plotlines that lack relevance to the main objective of successfully evading the authorities and safely reaching Mexico, and instead tend to prolong the gameplay unnecessarily. Additionally, the game could benefit from providing explicit warnings regarding sensitive or triggering topics, especially within specific episodes. Although an overall warning is provided at the beginning of the game, it lacks specificity, and as the game progresses through its multi-chapter format, players may easily overlook or forget about it.
