Summary: 4.5/5.0
Life is Strange 2 is DONTNOD’s sequel to their original Life is Strange episodic game about Max and Chloe. Since the very first announcement of this game, DONTNOD has been very clear that Life is Strange 2 will feature a new set of characters. Aside from recognizing that Max and Chloe won’t be in the game, in my opinion it’s best to go into this game with no expectations and having only watched the initial trailer and not gameplay footage. I’ve found that Life is Strange is most impactful when you have the agency to explore at your own pace and make your own decisions. With that in mind, there will be some references to specific events within the first episode, but won’t include any explicit spoilers for major plot points.
Developer: DONTNOD
Genre: Narrative Adventure
Release Date: September 27, 2018
Platform: PS4 (Also available on PC & XBOXONE)
Price: $7.99 for Episode 1, $39.99 for Complete Season
Characters
The Life is Strange franchise is all about the characters. Life is Strange 2’s playable character is 16-year-old Sean Diaz, an average American high-schooler worried about impressing the girl he has a crush on and getting some cash from his dad. You know, until a sudden supernatural incident spurs him to take his 9-year-old brother on the run. Sean and Daniel are great protagonists for this story, and protagonists that aren’t blank slates. They come with their own personalities and the player merely influences how interact with each other in the aftermath of tragedy.
Environment
Life is Strange established an almost-painted art style, which is beautiful, but Life is Strange 2 is often breathtaking. The wooded environments are both serene and lively. Graphics have been significantly upgraded, which is particularly noticeable in Lyla’s hair. She has a brief introduction, but the moment of her hair as she talks is phenomenal compared to the original game. Aside from the improved visual aesthetic, the game also upholds the high standard of audio set by the original Life is Strange. The music is outstanding, and the use of vocal tracks to optimize immersion within the game is also very clever. For example, if you turn on the stereo in Sean’s room, he’ll occasionally sing along as you explore his room, and Lyla will comment on the fact that he’s getting in the mood for the party.
Mechanics
Whereas Life is Strange allowed players to rewind time and experiment with the immediate consequences of their decisions, the protagonist of Life is Strange 2 isn’t the one with the powers. Since this game doesn’t have the same consistent locations and characters as the original, your choices shape the development of your younger brother, rather than the story or world. This is a fascinating variation of “This action will have consequences” and so far, I love the execution. Daniel watches your every move, and the decisions he makes are heavily influenced by the example you set. You can also choose to interact with items in the environment and teach Daniel about them, which will also contribute to Daniel’s decision making. This mechanic has great potential for the remaining episodes and I’m excited to see how Daniel’s decision making is affected long-term. However, since you can’t rewind time, you’ll have to create new save games to make different choices at pivotal moment.
Narrative
My first playthrough of this episode took nearly four hours. I spent the first hour wandering the Diaz house, examining and reading everything available. During this exploration, I became attached to Sean’s life on “lame avenue,” and I was invested in his relationships with family and friends. (Okay, mostly “Lyla the love witch.”) Then, without warning, that life is ripped away. It’s abrupt. It’s messy. And it should be. We don’t necessarily get Sean’s thoughts about it, but in this situation, Sean wouldn’t have time to process his own grief while also assuming responsibility for Daniel. In fact, it’s in the rare moment away from Daniel that we see glimpses of Sean processing his emotions, and these are some of the most impactful parts of the episode.
Life is Strange is one of those games where you get out of it what you put in to it. If you like your story spoon-fed to you through endless expository narration, these games probably aren’t for you. DONTNOD is excellent at providing nuanced narrative details about the characters and their relationships through objects in the environment (and Sean’s commentary on them), texts, journal entries, and of course dialogue (with very deliberate word choices).
Finally, this game is hella political. This shouldn’t be surprising, because one of the most admirable ambitions of the original Life is Strange was its inclusion of difficult subject matter, including drugs, rape, sexuality, bullying, teen pregnancy, and suicide. So a game set in 2016 with a Hispanic protagonist will naturally include political themes. Some of these are subtle references to the 2016 election in old text messages, but the game is also overtly political at times. These encounters can be brutal and even unbelievable for those who haven’t experienced that type of blatant racism and raw irrational hatred. While most racism might not be so explicit, those people do exist, and a story doesn’t have to be about what most people experience to be relevant. This is where Life is Strange continues to excel - crafting relatable narratives from a combination of universal themes and extraordinary circumstances.
Technical
There’s not much to say about the technical execution of this game. Everything is vastly improved from the original game. My only real complaint is the drawing mechanic, which takes the place of photography in the original game. Whereas the photography was seamlessly integrated into gameplay, the drawing sequences are needlessly extended and tedious to complete.
Conclusion
So far, I absolutely recommend Life is Strange 2, especially for those who enjoyed the original Life is Strange. The mechanics, aesthetics, soundtrack, narrative, and especially characters are all carefully crafted into an experience that is proving to be well worth the additional few dollars per episode. I will be reviewing additional episodes are they released.
Welcome to the rollercoaster of emotions that you would expect from the finale of Life is Strange: Before the Storm. In case you were craving a few hours of whiplash between heartbreak, turmoil, anxiety, adrenaline, affection, and heartbreak again, Deck Nine has your back.