I've heard about the game Life is Strange before but I never got around to playing. Truth be told, I kind of felt that it wasn't the kind of game for me. Don't get me wrong, I actually love story games like this. I really liked Fahrenheit or Indigo Prophecy, despite its godawful ending, back when my PS2 didn't sound like a grinder. I'm still pissed to this day that Heavy Rain isn't on the PC and would have really loved to play Until Dawn. But today, The first episode of Life is Strange was free so I figured, why the hell not or "why the hella not?" as the game would probably put it.
This is just a rambling of my thoughts on it. I don't know if it's correct to call this a review since it's just the first episode. I dunno, maybe it gets really, really good later? I guess the point of making the first episode free is to draw people in so they want to buy the rest.
So the story premise is that you're this young photography student named Maxine Caulfield, who lives in a fictional town in Oregon and has the power to rewind time. You walk around, solve puzzles, grab stuff for people and make decisions which have consequences and shit; butterfly effect or whatnot. Hopefully, you get wrapped up in the characters and drama and you enjoy yourself. To add a bit of tension, you get a premonition about a huge tornado that will destroy the town. I'm guessing your decisions will be important in deciding the fate of everyone who lives there. There's a lighthouse that seems significantThere's also a mystery of a missing person.
So what did I think of it? It was... OK. I didn't hate it but I wasn't blown away by it either. Look, games like these always have what I call a "hook", right? Some games use a horror element, some use a murder mystery element and so on. Life is Strange has that paranormal element with the time travel thing but it didn't seem to be the draw. After some thinking, I figured it out. Life is Strange's hook is Maxine Caulfield herself or rather, playing as her and exploring her life and relationships with the people around her.
The game is basically about teen/young adult angst, relationships, growing up and that sort of thing. It's a young adult story. To its credit, it looks to be character focused which is a little unusual. Games like these tend to use characters as a means to an end and we usually don't get to delve too deep into them. However, I always preferred adventure games with a bit more edge to it. I guess that's why I liked Fahrenheit (the first half anyway before things went insane). In Fahrenheit, it starts with you being mind-controlled and killing a man. It was a compelling hook. What I'm saying is that Life is Strange's hook just doesn't work for me. Oh, I can get why people like it, it's just not for me. I'm probably not gonna get the later episodes.
Keep in mind that I could be wrong though. This is only the first episode after all. Maybe the story takes a wild turn later on. This is just the impression it left on me so take it or leave it.
The game is basically about teen/young adult angst, relationships, growing up and that sort of thing. It's a young adult story. To its credit, it looks to be character focused which is a little unusual. Games like these tend to use characters as a means to an end and we usually don't get to delve too deep into them. However, I always preferred adventure games with a bit more edge to it. I guess that's why I liked Fahrenheit (the first half anyway before things went insane). In Fahrenheit, it starts with you being mind-controlled and killing a man. It was a compelling hook. What I'm saying is that Life is Strange's hook just doesn't work for me. Oh, I can get why people like it, it's just not for me. I'm probably not gonna get the later episodes.
Keep in mind that I could be wrong though. This is only the first episode after all. Maybe the story takes a wild turn later on. This is just the impression it left on me so take it or leave it.
There is no right or wrong here. Some people like horror movies, some people don't. Some people like Chinese food, some don't. Some like Life is Strange, some might not. If what I've described about LIS sounds great to you, give it a try. Girls will probably enjoy this game. Yeah I know that sounds sexist so sue me.
I do have a few minor complaints. The characters look a little weird sometimes. Is it the lip-sync? Also, the dialogue is... strange. I'm not sure if people actually talk the way the characters do. "Hella"? maybe. It comes off as trying too hard sometimes, like how an out-of-touch adult might imagine how the "kids these days" talk, but it's nothing so outrageous that you can't ignore.
Give it a try. I don't like it that much but it deserves a chance.
It's hella free anyway.
Please kill me.
[SPOILER ALERT! TURN AWAY IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE STORY POINTS]
[SPOILER ALERT! TURN AWAY IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE STORY POINTS]
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