This is a brief, spoiler-free review of Episode 1.
I will review future episodes as they become available.
Before the Storm is Deck Nine's prequel to Dontnod's Life is Strange. Before the Storm takes place 3 years before Life is Strange and follows Max's partner-in-crime/partner-in-time Chloe as she struggles with the aftermath of her father's death. I kept my expectations low-- it's hard enough to make a satisfying follow-up to a game as loved as Life is Strange, let alone with a new developer and a new engine. However, Deck Nine seems to have succeeded in doing just that.
For me, the beginning of this game was a little rough. It took a few minutes to become immersed as Chloe, which I suspect is due to the fact that I'd just replayed Life is Strange and was still a bit stuck in the Max mentality. Once I settled in though, it was like coming home. Even Chloe's new voice actress wasn't disruptive to my experience. I loved returning to the familiar environments from Life is Strange, and picking out the subtle differences. Some characters even looked younger, though some looked suspiciously the same. This game had a particular challenge in that most players know Chloe's personality (at least, what it used to be, and what it will be in a few years). However, this is executed well-- the player is making choices that shape Chloe's transition to the person she is in Life is Strange. This timeline was carefully chosen to avoid forcing players into specific choices that fit Chloe's personality in the previous game.
Since Before the Storm tells Chloe's story, they've removed the time travel mechanic that was featured in Life is Strange. (Trust me I checked-- which is how I discovered that Chloe writes weirdly mundane objectives on her hand.) Since this was so essential to the identity of the game, I was interested to see how they would replace it with Chloe as a main character. This game introduces a backtalk mechanic, which is very fitting for Chloe's personality. Unfortunately, the execution of it left a lot to be desired. It seemed like the intention was to add a new type of dialogue puzzle since there's no ability to rewind and redo conversations. The interactions were timed, which was appropriate for the character, but overall I found it more tiresome than engaging. Of course I wanted to have snappy dialogue options, but the "puzzle" here is just choosing between the options that aren't the obviously wrong one.
Overall, I was surprised and overwhelmingly pleased with the execution of this game. The new mechanics weren't as polished as I would've liked, but they were true-to character and unobtrusive. The chemistry between characters was satisfying, the writing adhered to the style of the original game (including cheesy dialogue), and the storyline is engaging despite the lack of time travel. Though the soundtrack is excellently chosen for the theme, I didn't like the soundtrack to this game as much as the one in Life is Strange, but I'll attribute that to personal taste. I'm grateful for the chance to return to Arcadia Bay, and I'm excited to see where the story will go next.
