Note: For expanded discussion on the first episode of Life is Strange, be sure to check out the first Geekscape Games Bonus Stage, in which Josh, Juan, Shane, and I discuss the episode and our thoughts at length. It’s also filled with spoilers (though the below review is as spoiler free as possible to a point that it sounds like I barely played it).
Life is Strange is a title that remained under my radar for far too long. Shane posted the game’s reveal trailer back in December… which I proceeded to not watch, and even mentioned how excited he was for the release a month or so back on Geekscape Games. It wasn’t until the game launched and I saw droves of FaceBook and Twitter comments (both positive and negative) about the title that I decided it was something that I needed to experience.
I’m so, so glad that I did.
Life is Strange tells the story of Maxine Caulfield, an 18 year old private school student who we’ll learn a ton about during the episode’s 2-3 hour runtime. The title is a graphical adventure game, akin to the phenomenal titles that our beloved Telltale Games develops, but at the same time so much different. See, while Telltale’s titles regularly deal with survival, zombies, fairy tales, vault hunters, songs of ice and fire, and life or death decisions, Life is Strange explores a theme that we as players have all explored, but Telltale is yet to: growing up.
We first meet Maxine (Max for short) amidst what looks like a world-ending storm (that tornado though), which quickly reveals itself to be an in-class daydream. After exploring the room, which can take quite some time as DONTNOD has demonstrated some fantastic attention to detail here (it feels as though almost every object in the game is interactive), an extreme event in the school’s women’s room leads to Max discovering that she can actually rewind time. This surprisingly unique mechanic really changes the feel of the game, as every decision that you make… is now re-makeable. Whereas in a game like The Walking Dead, the decisions are so hard because they’re irreversible and permanent, the choices in Life is Strange surprisingly feel just as tough, since you now have the ability to see the outcome of each decision you make before deciding which option to take.
The ability to rewind the game and change the decisions that you make have lead to some of the most self-reflective moments that I’ve had in a video game. Maxine has the power to do something that all of us have wanted to countless times in our lives: change the outcome of our decisions. A myriad of times throughout this short experience I thought back to the many, many times I wished that I could change a situation that I had created, and in-game I found myself sitting for far too long on these hard choices, weighing each outcome for an eternity before finally solidifying an action. Another great aspect here is that, while Life is Strange makes you reflect back on your own life (and it will), it also makes you reflect on the consequences (good or bad) of those decisions that you’ve thought back on; you likely wouldn’t be anywhere near where you are now had you made any of these decisions differently. Max’s decisions all have (what I imagine to be) vastly different outcomes on the game and on the interactions that she has with those around her (so that’s what the game’s ever prominent butterfly was telling me). It’s hard. It’s awesome. It’s a quirky, independent coming of age film that’s been made into a video game instead, and I totally love it.
The game’s presentation is absolutely stellar, especially considering the title’s price tag. The visuals won’t compare to a AAA game, but they’re stylish and notable across the board in a way that makes me think that DONTNOD doesn’t want them to, from every character model, to the schoolyard and dorms and beyond. Animation and framerate is smooth in a way that Telltale wishes their games could be (not a burn, I do love my Telltale titles), and the game’s simple and unobtrusive ‘notepad sketch’ UI is one that I hope more games will draw from. Even better than the game’s visuals is the audio in Life is Strange; be warned about the unexpected, scary-as-hell thunderclap that opens the title (which almost had me throw my headset across the room), but beyond that turn the volume up and revel in the praiseworthy voice acting (on all counts) and ‘you’ll want to Shazam this music’. Again, the presentation of Life is Strange is commendable, aside from the fact that the game has the worst lip syncing this side of Fallout 3. I really have no idea how it could be so bad when the rest of the game is so polished and presentable, but it’s really a small blemish in an otherwise beautiful experience.
Max’s journey is also one that very much depends on the type of gamer playing it. It’s an extremely accessible title, and one that I think even non-gaming spouses, co-workers, and friends could get a lot of enjoyment out of, but there is so much optional content here that you may be very surprised to come across the ‘Choices’ screen upon completing the episode and see that you completely missed out on half the opportunities that were just a few feet in front of you. This optional content feels far different from what you would find in a Telltale adventure title, which generally makes you explore and look at everything you can in an area before moving on. It also means that playthrough time for the episode should be vastly different for many who play it; I took my time and explored and talked to everyone because I was so interested in this world and everything in it, but I know of others who completed Chysalis in less than half the time that I did because the main objective was their only one.
Overall, the first episode of Life is Strange introduced us to a clean world filled with quirky, Juno-esque (though also extremely relevant and realistic based on where I’m from) dialogue, unique and memorable characters (at least and especially our heroine, though it does also host all of the stereotypes and cliques that we all experienced in high school), and a plot that starts with a ton character building and high school drama and ends with an ‘oh shit I need the next episode right now’ twist. It’s a commendable, ambitious debut of an intriguing-as-hell new IP, and I cannot wait the six weeks for the next episode.
Life is Strange: Episode 1 – Chysalis scores an extra crispy sensitive 4/5.
tl;dr
+ Adds a game-changing mechanic to the genre.
+ Great introduction and build up to an awesome twist.
+ Stellar sound and voice acting, gorgeous graphics.
– Terribad lip syncing
– Some too stereotypical characters.