Tornadoes & Hurricanes. Jeez, "Life is Strange"!

'SUP, NERDS?!

I have fallen a bit behind on blogging due to Hurricane Irma. Things are slowly turning back to normal, but my home and household are completely fine. Before the storm, my roommate and I played Life is Strange, a title I've been itching to play since episode 1 released (Please remember it takes me five-ever to get around to every game I play).

Our protagonist, Max Caulfield, is always snapping pics.

tldr; Life is Strange

Life is Strange follows Max Caulfield over the course of a week at a prestigious high school. She studies photography and suddenly acquires the ability to reverse time. Max discovers this ability after witnessing a boy shoot Chloe, her childhood best friend, in the women's restroom. Drama ensues once Max finds a way to save Chloe. Going forward, you can make decisions that will prove consequential as the story progresses while a tornado threatens Arcadia Bay.


If you're looking to play for the first time, turn away now! I don't want to spoil Life is Strange to you because it will be most fun going in and knowing nothing. Otherwise, hang out if you've already played or don't care to be spoiled.

The Weight of Decision

You honestly can't help everyone.
(Cannot find artist, please tell who this
is if you are familiar so I can give credit!)

Choice is probably the most exciting element in a video game to me. Most folks play games for action, whereas I normally play for story. Many titles fail to bear any weight of a player's decision, but I found the choices in Life is Strange delightful, shocking and terrifying-- a sign of a well-crafted, story-driven game.

My greatest fear in a game of choice is not knowing the consequences. Max's monologues provided useful information and developed her character after making an altering decision. I like that I was able to rewind almost every scenario and pick another option, testing my decision before advancing. Having the ability to rewind was a relief, but ended up being more stressful when there is no inherently "good" choice. I learned that ignorance can truly be bliss.

For example, in episode 2 Max has a choice to shoot Frank as he threatens her and Chloe. At first I chose to not shoot because I didn't want blood on my hands, but Frank ended up taking the gun from me. Rewinding and choosing to shoot, I found out there was no ammo but I pissed off Frank more than he already was. Neither scenario was pleasant, but I rewound one last time and let Frank take the gun, upsetting Chloe. She wasn't responsible with it in the first place and I didn't want to risk angering an antagonistic character.

Secrets

The detail in Life is Strange is impeccable! There were times where I spent exploring a level for 15-20 minutes before actually taking any action to progress the story. Because investigation is so important, Max is frequently called nosy and you can wind up offending somebody if you don't cover her tracks (e.g. rewind powers).

You can unveil the secrets of students and faculty, which can be used to your benefit. The most rewarding instance of snooping was in Kate's room. By reading every shred of paper and sifting through her personal belongings, I discovered important details about Kate that aided me in coercing her to not commit suicide-- an irreversible event.

Yes, I still kind of love you, Mr. Jefferson, but let's rewind
and figure out a way to not drug, expose and kill young women.

I reveled in every room I snooped, but wasn't surprised when Mr. Jefferson was revealed as the mastermind. It wasn't much of a shock because he didn't have any secrets until the big reveal. Aside from Victoria schmoozing the professor one night, that evidence is used more against Victoria than Mr. Jefferson. I was quite disappointed in Mr. Jefferson's secrets and disturbing desires, but this twist cracks me up since my roommate's first impression of the game was, "Damn, Mr. Jefferson's HAWT!" (She is not alone in this sentiment...)

Chloe or Warren?

Both Chloe and Warren annoyed me for an extended period of time. At first, I thought Chloe was super cool. She does what she wants and is unapologetic about being herself. However, she is emotionally immature and I felt I had to often babysit her. Don't get me wrong-- I don't hate Chloe. I enjoyed the development of her and Max's relationship. Despite all the bullshit, their feelings were are so sweet and raw.

Warren initially weirded me out. I dismissed him as a total dork that was obsessed with Max, but he eventually proved how awesome he is when I didn't stop him from beating the snot out of Nathan. Looking back at his texts and Max's journals, Warren has a great heart and my feelings for him did a 180. During the climax, the only comment that made me feel attacked was when "Dark Warren" commented that I was two-timing him and Chloe... cuz I kissed them both.

A wonderful image I found on the Tell Tale Games forum... don't know who to credit for this, but I laughed my ass off!

Between Chloe and Warren, I can see Max being a better couple with Warren. Although the game implies that Max and Chloe are attracted to each other, their romance (if you'd like to call it that) happens all too quick. I don't think Chloe is completely over Rachel Amber either and that her and Max's relationship runs off adrenaline.

How was your playthrough?

Since there are so many variables, what happened in your game? Based upon your experience, do you disagree with any of my opinions? Who was your favorite character? Any scenes make you sweat? Did you choose to save Chloe or Arcadia Bay? It was difficult for me to choose because the hype of Irma was building when I finished... I picked Chloe and the dread of the disaster followed me as an actual hurricane hit my house.

LATER, DWEEBS!

Loverly Liz