Life Is Strange
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| Released in five "episodes," from January 30, 2015 to October 20, 2015 by Square Enix, Life Is Strange is a graphic adventure game featuring a protagonist who not only has to navigate through the perils of high school, but do so while managing her new time traveling abilities. |
I haven't exactly been on the "cutting edge" of video gaming over the last 15 years. I missed the entire Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 generation when it was actually happened, and while I've since sort of caught up with modern home console gaming, there's one realm where I've truly been left behind: PC games. Yes, computer games were a true passion of mine in the late 80's, and throughout the 90's, but as the price of entry grew steeper, and I got married and had a kid, that seemed like the easiest hobby to shed. Fortunately, though, I've got a laptop now that can take on the best that five years ago (and especially 10 years ago!) had to offer. I'm also back at the office, where I've got a lunch break that allows me to shut my door, turn out the lights, and voyage off to magical realms on my laptop. However, for some reason, I decided the game from the 10's I really wanted to play first is one set more in the real world.
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| This picture is a metaphor for my relationship to computer games over the last 15 years. |
I remember hearing about 2015's Life Is Strange back then, when it started collected accolades. Having no way to play it, I didn't even look into it, but something about the game even tangentially, from that great a distance, struck my fancy. When GOG.com (love that site!) was having a big sale recently, scooping up Life Is Strange was a no-brainer.
Life Is Strange takes place on the
Pacific Coast of Oregon, in a fictional town called Arcadia Bay. The player
controls photography student wallflower, Max Caulfield, a high school senior at
the semi-prestigious Blackwell Academy. Max is well-liked, but also just sort of
there, excited to be studying under the tutelage of the highly regarded
photography teacher, Mark Jefferson, but lacking the confidence to enter one of
her pictures into a major photography contest, despite Jefferson's urgings.
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| Ah, the Pacific Northwest, which, for a South Louisiana kid, might as well be Fiji. |
It's not all smiles and giggles at Blackwell Academy, though. There's a vicious social hierarchy, with the seemingly psychotic child of wealthy donors, Nathan Prescott, at the top. The game begins as Max is having a terrifying nightmare, in which an enormous tornado is destroying Arcadia Bay. She wakes up to find herself right in the middle of Jefferson's class, as she's being ribbed by Nathan's friend, Victoria, and being put on the spot to answer a question by Jefferson. This is the exact moment the player takes control of Max.
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| The graphics in this game might not be state-of-the-art, even for 2015, but Life Is Strange still features some stunning imagery. |
Gameplay in Life Is Strange is simple. The player can move around the given situation and environment, within the realm of the story (for instance, you can't get up and walk around the classroom in that opening sequence where Jefferson is lecturing). Max can have conversations with a large amount of NPC's around the school, and eventually around Arcadia Bay, though again, within the realm of the story. The game's minor hook is that certain conversational choices the player makes for Max will have major consequences across the the game's five-part story. There are many important choices to be made throughout Life Is Strange, though thankfully the game at least lets you know when you're choosing an option from the its branching dialogue that will have major consequences.
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| Important Choice Number One: Tell Chloe that smoking is bad for her. |
Life Is Strange's major hook is revealed 15-minutes into the game. As Max is in the bathroom, taking a photograph of a stray butterfly, Nathan comes in, along with Max's childhood friend, Chloe. In a fit of rage, Nathan murders Chloe in cold blood. At that exact moment, Max realizes she can travel back in time, and rescues the friend she hasn't seen in so long. Nathan leaves the room confused and angry, and the rest of the game unfolds from there, as Max reconnects with Chloe, and the two attempt to solve the mystery of what happened to Chloe's missing friend, Rachel. From that point on, the gameplay centers around Max's time traveling ability, as she can not only go back to a previous point in a conversation to achieve desired results, but manipulate the environment to her advantage, as well. Need to get into the principal's locked office to view some important records? Knock the door down, step inside, travel back in time to before you knocked the door down, and simply unlock the door from the inside. Puzzles of this sort range from ingenious to slightly frustrating.
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| Looks like it's time for some shenanigans! |
However, the gameplay as a whole, enjoyable as it is, is not Life Is Strange's main draw. Life Is Strange's main draws are its well-drawn, perfectly realized characters, and its realistic look at adolescence (in addition to explorations of bullying and suicide, you even get text messages on Max's phone!). Max is an extremely likable and believable protagonist, and Chloe and the game's busload of NPC's are realistic and believable, as well. I not only cared about them, but (outside of the evil ones) genuinely liked them. Coming back to this game at lunch every day felt like visiting old friends. The developers did a truly great job with the characters and world-building here, and up until the slightly loony final chapter, with the storytelling, as well. Life Is Strange sucked me into its world, and the folky, mid-10's indie soundtrack certainly contributed, making me feel like I was on a back porch in Austin, which is probably the closest analogue I have for the culture of coastal Oregon. The game also has important, yet not preachy lessons about the importance of accepting and maybe even enjoying the present, as well. So much to love here.
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| Right, Max? |
I guess I should recognize, though, that Life Is Strange isn't absolutely perfect. The control scheme on a laptop will give your hand a cramp. I actually ended up picking up a gaming controller two episodes in (the game is divided into five episodes, as that is how it was initially released), which not only made things a lot easier to manage, but more intuitive. Also, now that I have a good controller, this page is about to fill up with a lot more PC game reviews. I should also mention, Life Is Strange's graphics won't stun anyone, as they seem more geared toward making this experience as accessible to as many people as possible--they're just fine, though, and they get the job done. The lip-syncing also isn't perfect, but the voice acting and dialogue is so perfect, the lips didn't bother me. Also, Life Is Strange definitely leaves that "slice of life" vibe for some serious melodrama at the end, but this is a mystery involving time travel, so those elements do have to be paid off. Indeed, those time-travel elements actually help make the slice of life ones even more enjoyable.
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| Wait, this game has a Twin Peaks reference? 10/10!!! |
Overall, Life Is Strange felt like comfort food for me, every lunch break I got to visit Arcadia Bay. I actually started cooking more food at night to where I'd have better leftovers to bring to work the next day, the better to augment my experience. I have a feeling I'll remember that experience for a long time to come. Now, bring on more 2010's PC games. Maybe one day I'll even get to the 2020's...
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| ...Indeed |
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