It's difficult to think of a way to convincingly recommend Life is Strange without including a multitude of caveats. It's an interactive drama, but the story isn't always well-written and the dialogue is frequently clumsy. It strikes at an audience other games rarely consider, but there's a lot of half-baked teen angst going on. It has a gorgeous, unique art style, but the graphics are nothing special. Some episodes are fantastic - others are not. But, for every reason I think someone might not get along with Life is Strange - it features piss-poor lip synching and its gameplay and story are sometimes straight-up not talking to one another - I still have to recommend it, more so than any other game I've played this year. Despite its many flaws, I can't help but think of it as one of the best interactive story games of this generation.
In less than a year and over the course of five episodes, Life is Strange has managed to transform itself from a little game nobody really cared about by a little French studio nobody really knew to one of the most talked-about releases of 2015. That metamorphosis began slowly; I remember, after playing the first episode, that bringing it up in conversation with others who had played it would always evoke the same, pleasantly surprised, wide-eyed head-nod. "Life is Strange? Yeah, it's alright actually. It's interesting." That word, interesting, continues to follow any and all discussion of the game. Interesting. It's safe to use, because even if you recommend it to someone and they don't like it, there are few who would say Life is Strange isn't interesting.
It's hard to sum up the game's premise in a way that doesn't make it sound awful. You play as a shy, thoughtful, photography-obsessed 18-year-old who returns to her childhood hometown after a few years away in order to attend an elite academy known for turning out up and coming artists. She keeps a diary, takes selfies, and without a doubt has 'free-thinker, tea-drinker' in her Tumblr or Instagram bio. She finds out she can rewind time after a girl is fatally shot in her school bathroom. After saving the girl, Max finds out that it's her childhood friend Chloe, whom she hasn't connected with in over five years. Over the course of the next week, the two are brought closer than ever as they investigate the disappearance of Chloe's friend Rachel Amber, Max comes to terms with her powers, and the threat of an apocalyptic storm looms over their sleepy midwestern town of Arcadia Bay.
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