Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 - Roads

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 161 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 161
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 161
  3. Negative: 57 out of 161

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  1. mk3123
    Sep 28, 2018
    0
    Trash, which is a shame since I loved LiS. Heavy handed political crap (pushed on us from people across the pond, no less), cliche characters, lazy writing, none of the "feels" are earned but forced on you, characters make no sense in choices / actions and buggy. There's no way this deserves a high score by any objective measurement
  2. mekoneko
    Oct 31, 2018
    0
    Terrible. LiS and Before The Storm were great but this just sucks. Ugly, boring characters. Silly story.
  3. splinter3d
    Oct 2, 2018
    0
    Please, I beg you, don't buy this game.

    Awkward SJW storyline, corny with many cliches. Beautifull places can't save the game. How this people could made an excellent game Capitan Spirit I have no idea. PS: I knew that main chartacters were Mexicans befor buying the game. Such things are only importantt for brainless leftish developers. I hope you feel very good about yourself. It is    Please, I beg you, don't buy this game.

    Awkward SJW storyline, corny with many cliches. Beautifull places can't save the game. How this people could made an excellent game Capitan Spirit I have no idea.

    PS: I knew that main chartacters were Mexicans befor buying the game. Such things are only importantt for brainless leftish developers. I hope you feel very good about yourself. It is probably more important than making good games.

    PS2: And first game with lesbian protagonists was one of my favorite games ever. It wasn't a problem again.    … Expand
  4. heavencanwait
    Sep 29, 2018
    1
    So many stereotypes in just a short episode. Everything is there you need nowadays:
    The poor but honest Mexican immigrant family that innocently gets accused of a crime.
    The interracial couple. The cop that shoots too quick. And of course the proud white American patriot/racist guy. Even worse, Life is Strange 2 is another game that basically gives you zero choice to mercilessly    So many stereotypes in just a short episode. Everything is there you need nowadays:
    The poor but honest Mexican immigrant family that innocently gets accused of a crime.
    The interracial couple.
    The cop that shoots too quick.
    And of course the proud white American patriot/racist guy.

    Even worse, Life is Strange 2 is another game that basically gives you zero choice to mercilessly push its narrative, err story line.
    Playing this game you get reminded again and again that the developers have preferred being politically correct and becoming woke instead of delivering an interesting game.

    That's our new world: Getting political bias/propaganda served right in your video GAME.
    As if we wouldn't have enough of that in our traditional media already. :(    … Expand
  5. FORGETxMExNOT
    Sep 29, 2018
    0
    Another racist (stereotyping white men), heavy handed SJW political story that manages to be even less compelling while being more on-the-nose with its propoganda than David Cage's 'Detroit: Become Human.' That's just sad when your story has less subtlety than his and the gameplay still manages to be unimpressive and even unplayable with that awful camera. Both of these points make thisAnother racist (stereotyping white men), heavy handed SJW political story that manages to be even less compelling while being more on-the-nose with its propoganda than David Cage's 'Detroit: Become Human.' That's just sad when your story has less subtlety than his and the gameplay still manages to be unimpressive and even unplayable with that awful camera. Both of these points make this game even worse than the first LiS, which I didn't think was possible.

    Can we please get a game that doesn't reference "Drumpf" in some manner (looking at this and Wolfenstein 2)? The TDS is real and I didn't even vote for the man, smdh.    … Expand
  6. Zer0TheHer0
    Sep 28, 2018
    1
    the pointless non-centered camera makes it unplayable for me. why not using a normal center camera? why? why? why?
  7. slimbag
    Jan 20, 2019
    3
    why do devs need to push their leftist views in video games, I don't care about american politics. the first minutes were really good then it turned to ****
  8. Enado
    Oct 14, 2018
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The writing is so bad and uninspiring on the current climate in America, it could be considered satire.

    Bad white cop kills angelic mexican father protecting both sons. Sons go on the run and find a store. Store is run by a bad racist drumpfh supporter who accuses the main character of stealing. "You're the reason we need to build that wall." Is an actual line said. Hero white blogger that protests saves the day. That's episode 1 in a nutshell. This makes Life is Strange 1 look like a masterpiece.

    That being said, the money management and music, and puppy we're the only good things about this episode.    … Expand
  9. Hallowsend666
    Oct 18, 2018
    0
    This is a terrible follow-up to Life is Strange, Before the Storm and even Captain Spirit.

    Basically nothing that made people fall in love with the previous games is left here. This is an empty shell that clearly has the name "Life is Strange" attached to it to make people pick something up they would not have bought otherwise. Instead of a great, engaging and lovingly told story you    This is a terrible follow-up to Life is Strange, Before the Storm and even Captain Spirit.

    Basically nothing that made people fall in love with the previous games is left here. This is an empty shell that clearly has the name "Life is Strange" attached to it to make people pick something up they would not have bought otherwise.

    Instead of a great, engaging and lovingly told story you are bombarded with political messages all the time (which I agree with, but that is not the point). Where Life is Strange drew it strength from subtlety to make you think this here offers nothing in comparison - you get told what is correct.

    Apart from the politics the characters are weak, the voice acting is sub par and not even the music can compare to the first season - it is a shame when a previous title in the series completely destroys the facial animations and lip sync in this one.

    The plot is you wandering around with your brother (not really a spoiler since that happens after 20 minutes) with forced interactions and "on the nose" tests on morality. I find it hard to believe that this is actually the same team that created Life is Strange - the story quality in this one is so far below the first one that it hurts. This is enforced by that not only the whole triggering event but also almost every single decision taken by the characters is stupid beyond belief and can´t be explained just by their age.

    Speaking of decisions, none here matter at all - I can live with narratives not branching wildly. But when I have the option to walk away from a fight and I choose to just leading to me being insulted again and then starting the fight away its just lazy. This is basically true for every major decision offered - there is not even a slight variation.

    I would have not expected Dontnod to fail so hard.    … Expand
  10. Kenocartel
    Oct 20, 2018
    0
    Feels more like a far-left ideological propaganda piece than a game. I'm not averse to political themes as long as the developers let the players make up their own minds. This game does no such thing. It is written with the sole purpose of indoctrinating people to left wing causes, rather than provide opportunities for players to think critically and independently. Now we know where theFeels more like a far-left ideological propaganda piece than a game. I'm not averse to political themes as long as the developers let the players make up their own minds. This game does no such thing. It is written with the sole purpose of indoctrinating people to left wing causes, rather than provide opportunities for players to think critically and independently. Now we know where the NPC meme came from, because no independent thinking person could play this game without having his or her intelligence insulted.… Expand
  11. Ka5
    Oct 11, 2018
    0
    Thanks, square enix. I love this franchishe, but you killing it. Life is Strange 2 is junk, dont buy it
  12. jojimbo
    Oct 12, 2018
    0
    Firstly I love LiS/BtS with all my heart, Dontnod and Deck9 made something unique and beautiful. Both games are still in my inventory and will always remain there. This is a very critical review of the way Dontnod took the franchise, needlessly in my opinion, but that's all it is, an opinion. In trying to be more diverse and inclusive, they have only divided their fan base, and it shows.Firstly I love LiS/BtS with all my heart, Dontnod and Deck9 made something unique and beautiful. Both games are still in my inventory and will always remain there. This is a very critical review of the way Dontnod took the franchise, needlessly in my opinion, but that's all it is, an opinion. In trying to be more diverse and inclusive, they have only divided their fan base, and it shows. They failed in their artistic and ideological direction and deserve the criticism, because I still hope that in the tough love, they will come to their senses and actually replay their own original game and rediscover the magic they had in abundance with LiS/BtS and get back on track.

    They know (if they ever read this) they can redeem themselves with LiS3 and deliver to the millions of true fans, the sequel Max deserves.

    This is not a LiS game, the developers had a chance to create something really special but decided to completely crap on the franchise. Imagine a proper sequel the fans deserved.

    It's such a sad thing that happened to the LiS world, and the name was used to sell something that had nothing to do with LiS at all. Couldn't they, a talented (well they were) team think of something? It beggars belief.

    The fans were robbed, betrayed. No one wants to play as 2 dudes, and the political correctness is big. SJW anti-Trump, left wing garbage that deserves to be deleted and thrown in the trash. Don't make the mistake of buying this garbage off the back of Max, Chloe et al.

    This left wing political rubbish shouldn't be allowed to taint the world of LiS, and the poor sales proves it was a big big mistake by Dontnod.

    "yeah yeah b...but max and chloes story is over!"

    Why? A proper sequel could have been made with integrity, Chloe's story in it you could sidestep by having the player be Max, a little older in Seattle. Why not a story of her working for the FBI helping them to crack cases. Even I can come up with a decent synopsis that would have worked.

    Imagine the FBI are trying to find a serial killer, they send Max back into the past to find out who the killer is, but she gets personally involved with the victims (already dead in the future) and breaks the 4th wall. She was meant to witness from a distance, but ends up feeling compelled to save a victim, and now she is in danger.

    If she goes back to the future, her new found friend will die, can she alter the course of history for the good of all?

    There Dontnod, I did it for you, get on it, no need to thank me.

    "yeah yeah b...but there's going to be a comic about max and chloes story!"

    What a cheap joke, they know where they can stick this nonchalant lazy gimmick.

    LiS2 is for the franchise, Alien3 was to the films, a complete and utter failure, bad writing (lazy writing) and get my score of a whopping 0 (zero) sad thing is, these "woke" liberal game devs won't change, they will regurgitate a bias, and sadly, the LiS franchise is doomed.

    LiS (the original) didn't sway in a partisan way left or right, it didn't try and force an ideal or bias, even if you had your own political opinion, you were allowed to explore the world where there was none. (politics) we play game to get away from all that crap, let's face it, bi-partisan politics is in your face every day, 24/7. LiS was a world where you could leave that behind and experience something different, something beautiful in it's sincere humanity. BtS was the same, no politics (round of applause for Deck9) Whoever came up that going down this path was a good idea needs firing.

    What a terrible waste of a huge opportunity to make it into AAA game development.
    A true sequel with Max would have been a major success.    … Expand
  13. rexvonzombie
    Feb 20, 2019
    2
    Life is Strange 2 is a good narrative by most standards. It follows a clichéd story of two brothers whose father was wrongfully killed by a police officer, much unlike the originality of the prior entries into the series. The game stacks up well with other choice-based storytelling titles of the same nature. With that being said, it fails to get even remotely close to achieving the specialLife is Strange 2 is a good narrative by most standards. It follows a clichéd story of two brothers whose father was wrongfully killed by a police officer, much unlike the originality of the prior entries into the series. The game stacks up well with other choice-based storytelling titles of the same nature. With that being said, it fails to get even remotely close to achieving the special bond that is present in both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. In the original Life is Strange, Chloe's need to find Rachel, the one person who was there for her in an intense time of desperation, re-sparks a bond that she and her childhood friend Max once had. Then in the prequel, we get to see something truly special develop between Chloe and Rachel. A friendship.. but more. The type of relationship many of us could only dream of having. While there were a few cringe-inducing dialogue lines in the original, it felt real. Like real interactions taking place between real people with real emotions. The saddest a piece of entertainment media has ever made me feel was the final scene of Life is Strange: Before the Storm. When Rachel's phone is ringing with a call from Chloe and an additional seventeen missed. The player can do nothing but watch as we hear the sound of a camera's shutter capturing a soon-to-be-murdered Rachel. It gives us the same sense of hopelessness that Chloe must have felt calling Rachel. Life is Strange 2, on the other hand feels entirely scripted, and while it is a decent game, good at best, it fails to live up to the name and expectations of its incredible, emotionally-charged predecessors. This game makes me long for nothing more than another continuation of Chloe, Rachel and Max's stories. Maybe one day, DONTNOD or Deck Nine will deliver to us Life is Strange: Beyond the Storm. But until then, we'll have to settle for this.

    Edit: I almost forgot to mention, there are two other huge reasons that many are unhappy with Life is Strange 2. The first being that you cannot purchase the episodes individually, which makes some feel like they are paying for a preorder of an early access game rather than a polished episodic sequence. Another is the forced and unrealistic depiction of racism towards Hispanics in the Pacific Northwest. Dialogue often feels extremely exaggerated and unnatural in both currently released episodes due to this issue, something not present in the first two Life is Strange games. I also find it significantly more difficult to connect with the Diaz brothers on an emotional level than I did with Max, Chloe and Rachel.    … Expand
  14. dru1d
    Sep 30, 2018
    0
    If you like having nauseating far left social justice narratives shoved down your throat then this "game" is for you. If you're looking for a fun and playable game with a good story, avoid this walking simulator garbage. This is not a game, it's propaganda.

    Get woke go broke.
  15. user-a
    Oct 9, 2018
    1
    Avoid!!

    If you played Captain Spirit and thought you were getting something like that, you're completely wrong. And this is what they call BAIT and SWITCH What made LIS good is its world, possibilities of talking to so many characters, and getting to have that sense of belonging and finding your niche even in a school with mean girls and bullies. LIS2 has none of that. There is no    Avoid!!

    If you played Captain Spirit and thought you were getting something like that, you're completely wrong. And this is what they call BAIT and SWITCH

    What made LIS good is its world, possibilities of talking to so many characters, and getting to have that sense of belonging and finding your niche even in a school with mean girls and bullies.

    LIS2 has none of that. There is no sense of belonging, things are kept realistic and there's little mystery, and I mean who plays a game where they HIDE, worry, steal, experience nightmares and get beaten up by a strange guy. Is that what you call FUN? Or is that a GAME I'm supposed to buy and enjoy? And I'm bad person if I don't? How's that?

    So cons:

    - Game's atmosphere is downright MISERABLE.

    - You spend your time babysitting your younger brother (again, such fun!)

    - You're on the run and you're stealing food or dumpster diving or talking to people who treat you with contempt. Again, this is totally why I buy video games, I'm a masochist.

    - There's no sense of mystery or escape or world building like in LIS. Game has no LIS soul.

    - World in LIS2 is a hiking trail, the woods, and some bully's cabin. Wait, what worldbuiling are we talking about?

    - Politically charged narrative. Whether you're left-wing, right-wing, centrist, are you really buying games to spend your precious free time in ugly and a miserable world where you're on the run and being treated like a criminal by ugly people in the middle of nowhere? Wait, so I'm buying a game for THAT? Why not just go on Twitter?

    - Feels are indeed forced. When you're scared or on the run or thinking about stealing, it's very hard to connect to positive emotions of nostalgia, warmth or serenity. When you're scared and miserable and dumpster diving, there's THAT and nothing else. You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

    And FYI, I felt exactly the same thing when playing Detroit: Become Human so this is not tied to politics and being a good or a bad person or who you're voting or not voting for.

    Playing as Kara, ALL you do is take care of Alice, avoid miserable situations, hide from people who want to hurt you, and see the very worst of human kind.

    Fair but I'm not playing my games to be depressed, oppressed, afraid, or ruminate about things I can't control. That's not fun and that's not the world I want to be in.    … Expand
  16. Theqwe
    Jan 25, 2019
    0
    This game is trash. Poor performance because of Denuvo S* it Story is bad. Not compared to the good LIS 1
  17. black0678
    Apr 27, 2019
    0
    If you play The awesome adventure of captain spirit and you thought the game will be awesome like that, fck no they bait and switch their fans the game started just fine an high school kid who`s gonna go to the party and i thought the game will be pretty good, but then suddenly the turning into an racism propaganda. This game isnt worth your 8 bucks

    Im asian and i dont have any problem    If you play The awesome adventure of captain spirit and you thought the game will be awesome like that, fck no they bait and switch their fans the game started just fine an high school kid who`s gonna go to the party and i thought the game will be pretty good, but then suddenly the turning into an racism propaganda. This game isnt worth your 8 bucks

    Im asian and i dont have any problem with mexican or anything but i dont want to play fckn game with an strong propaganda in it about mexican getting cornered and blaming all the white people stuff. Fck no LIS fans play this game expecting this game will be masterpiece but instead people forced to like these two mexican on the run and brainwashing people to hate all the white people. Take your political somewhere elese DONTNOD!!!    … Expand
  18. Nikkie
    Sep 29, 2018
    10
    Absolut ein Kunstwerk

    Ich bin mehr als begeistert , die Story ist richtig gut , ich gebe zu bin sehr nah am Wasser gebaut und das Spiel hat das völlig ausgenutzt , bei Kapitel 2 brauch ich wohl eine Groß Packung Tempos. Das Beste ist es fühlt sich an wie Life is Strange aber es Spielt sich anders vom Spiel gefühl her ,es ist sehr gut geworden!!! Diese Verbindung auf sein klein    Absolut ein Kunstwerk

    Ich bin mehr als begeistert , die Story ist richtig gut , ich gebe zu bin sehr nah am Wasser gebaut und das Spiel hat das völlig ausgenutzt , bei Kapitel 2 brauch ich wohl eine Groß Packung Tempos.

    Das Beste ist es fühlt sich an wie Life is Strange aber es Spielt sich anders vom Spiel gefühl her ,es ist sehr gut geworden!!!
    Diese Verbindung auf sein klein Bruder zu achten ist richtig gut , habe mich laufend im Wald nach Daniel umgedreht weil angst hatte er geht mir verloren.
    Spiel ist super gelaufen keine Lags, Crashes oder sonstiges super ding Dontnod , Daumen hoch!!!

    +Tolle Vertonung
    +Diese Musik ist einfach ...wow
    +Grafik hat sich Verbessert und behält Trotzdem den Charm des Art Style
    +Deutscher untertitle sehr gelungen
    +Gutes Story telling
    +Neue Features

    Ich kann dieses Spiel mehr als empfehlen , muss sagen finde das erste Kapitel weit aus besser als den ersten teil, aber ich fand schon Captain Spirit besser, was nicht heisst das der erste teil nicht gut war nur dieser hier ist nochmal besser!
    Selbst die neben Figuren wirken Interessant gestaltet ich hoffe man trifft den einen oder anderen wieder in den nächsten Kapiteln.    … Expand
  19. yanks28th
    Sep 30, 2018
    10
    Another great achievement by Dontnod. Amazing character development, story line, and music. This game oozes with personality. It can be pretty sad at times, but its emotional depth sets it apart from other games. Ignore the negative reviews giving it a 0 - they are trolls who have assumed that this game has a political agenda, and are reviewing it without playing it. In reality, the gameAnother great achievement by Dontnod. Amazing character development, story line, and music. This game oozes with personality. It can be pretty sad at times, but its emotional depth sets it apart from other games. Ignore the negative reviews giving it a 0 - they are trolls who have assumed that this game has a political agenda, and are reviewing it without playing it. In reality, the game does not do this at all. It just deals with tough issues, its just a good story that makes you think.… Expand
  20. gimus
    Sep 27, 2018
    10
    I am really enjoying this game, it is nice surprise and discovery for me, maybe I will play LiS 1. Try it, worth for it! And that nicely written and spoken English, whoooa!
  21. kayleigh
    Sep 28, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This will be mean. You follow story of teenage guy of Mexican origin. After a slow start he commits a manslaughter after an unprovoked row. He nearly gets arrested but his father is shot in a Darwin award performance with a police officer. That triggers supernatural abilities in his younger brother. After a dramatic scene you found yourself on a mission to lead two fugitive minors out of US territory. Journey is interesting due to well done environment and a variety of characters you meet. Story seems innovative so far even though it is pretty far-fetched.… Expand
  22. Parzival_VK
    Oct 2, 2018
    10
    Great game with an exciting story. Definitely the best work in the series. This episode is honored and played as an independent, independent work, after the passage of which there is only a misunderstanding about what will happen next. As after passing you feel like was a whole game, but really waiting for you 4 lovely (I Hope so) episode. The new mechanics look and feel cool, and afterGreat game with an exciting story. Definitely the best work in the series. This episode is honored and played as an independent, independent work, after the passage of which there is only a misunderstanding about what will happen next. As after passing you feel like was a whole game, but really waiting for you 4 lovely (I Hope so) episode. The new mechanics look and feel cool, and after passing the episode, the first part seems unfinished.… Expand
  23. Metamort
    Dec 10, 2018
    10
    There's an easy test to see if a review of this is earnest and in good faith - if someone starts complaining about SJW's or "racism against white men", you can probably ignore their review.
  24. luclucasas
    Oct 2, 2018
    10
    A game to enter to hall of fame, after Max and Chloe's history, now we have to follow Sean and Daniel on their adventure, the episode is full of emotion and hype to the next episode, the graphics and the characters motion capture improved a lot! Really excited to the episode 2.
  25. Takhilin
    Oct 8, 2018
    10
    This game is phenomenal. If you're worried about topical issues being 'SJW' and that is your first response when anything happens to a minority in an art form, this game probably isn't for you. But the characters are relateable, and those of us that realize that bad **** happens in the U.S. will be pretty invested.
  26. Zoldyck
    Oct 9, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Desde el punto de vista interactivo, estoy un poco cansado con está formula, con está mecánica, de querer establecer una imagen de figura paterna/materna en uno de los protagonistas, como ya se ha aplicado con God Of War 4, The Last Of Us, The Walking Dead, Detroit: Become Human. Creo que ver tantas obras que utilizan este método al final del día, provoca que la formula se vuelva monótona debido a su recurrencia. A pesar de esto, me sentí muy dentro de la historia que es algo muy importante a la hora de analizar un juego, a pesar de lo repetitivo de la formula, pienso que la historia de Sean y Daniel va por un buen camino, tiene potencial para provocar lágrimas con su final, desde el inicio nos presentan eventos chocantes y desarrollan la relación de Sean y Daniel de manera que puedas identificarte con su historia. Por el lado estético, por lo menos, en mi experiencia, no encontré ningún error o deformidad visual, la iluminación complementa de buena manera los sentimientos y emociones de los personajes, dándole un atisbo de complementación, que, por lo menos, a mi me agrada cuando la estética y el paisaje son capaces de complementarse con la emoción y el sentimiento de los personajes. Y por parte de la construcción de los personajes, creo que es apropiado a la realidad que viven muchos latinos en Estados Unidos, a pesar de que peca de estereotipos, por ejemplo encontramos al típico americano patriota, que es propenso a la xenofobia, y por otro lado tenemos a latinos que deben enfrentarse al prejuicio social, sólo por pertenecer a otro país. A pesar de que esto es muy común, el desarrollo, por lo menos, es acertado, no se ve forzado, el personaje está ahí porque es necesario.
    Y por último, el poder de Daniel me intriga, parece que tiene un poder semejante al de Eleven personaje de Stranger Things, me alegra que hayan cambiado la formula del juego pasado. Durante el juego pasado, con Max, tenías la habilidad desde el principio. Por otra parte, ahora un secundario posee el poder, y no el personaje jugable que utilizas, me interesa saber, que dirección va a tomar el juego, como le va a sacar provecho a Daniel, y de que forma pueden innovar con está dirección.

    Estética y argumentalmente me parecen apropiadas, lamentablemente está mecánica de tener que criar y enseñar a un niño, me produce monotonía por lo ya mencionado anteriormente, y por otro lado la construcción de los personajes, como mencione, los personajes están porque deben estar, pero aún así, creo que utilizar un estereotipo común, le resta originalidad a una historia, por lo que también siento un poco de disgusto con está formula. Fuera de eso, me parece que el juego cumple la función de crear un vinculo entre jugador y personajes, por lo que me parece un juego más que aceptable, y desde mi apreciación está lejos de ser un mal juego, está más cerca de ser bueno, que malo.    … Expand
  27. popfox
    Oct 7, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Another teenage melodrama that follows Sean Diaz taking care of his younger brother Daniel after their father is killed.

    Where the first game centered on the politics of high school relationships and trying to either help or hurt other characters forced into four of five settings like dorm rooms, a friend's house, and various locations around a small town, LiS 2 focuses more on the outdoors with about 80% of the game taking place either walking down the side of an empty road or in the woods. There's more of a sense of exploration since Max was familiar with everything beforehand and your choice to view things and see new areas is mostly to give more backstory on her and the area, Sean is out of his hometown for the first time ever and your reading of notes, signage, and viewing of events is new experience to him and his brother as well. This means that, at least for the first episode, the focus is more on your environment and less on the characters and "powers" they possess. In fact, Sean doesn't even confirm to himself that his little brother has any powers until the end, chalking up most of the events to anything else that could be explained. This leads to a MUCH slower pace the first one but manages to fill the space with some nice detail on the environments and some truly excellent sound design. Planes flying overhead, trains in the distance, forest animals and sounds are all placed in subtly and panned to make it feel like a living, breathing world you're moving through rather than a set piece that leads to the next cutscene. The soundtrack is great; the main theme is a gorgeous little introspective number that melts into the background and already has its own "one hour version" on youtube. All the licensed tracks are the same as LiS 1, nice little picks that add to the moment that felt selected by some dude that runs a record shop.

    As far as gameplay, it's standard modern adventure game fair. Look around, explore, investigate things, and guide your character's personality through dialogue and action options. There's more "sit and think" places and extra options for Daniel that act as teach opportunities although some of these require some real patience.

    The main plot itself centers around Sean basically growing into his role as the new guiding figure in Daniel's life while trying to deal with the trauma himself. Your choices seem to affect what Daniel will do and how he'll react to the same world you're exploring. I've seen multiple playthroughs where your choices seem to affect if Daniel will react to your requests coldly, if he'll give up on something prematurely, and overall how he develops morally. That's a lot of weight and it's compounded by the fact that Sean doesn't seem to really grasp that Daniel is now learning everything from him. it'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the entire story; for instance if you play Sean as seeing every stranger as a possible racist, will Daniel pick up on that and if he might hurt someone.

    On that note: racism. There's one clunkily written overtly racist character in the entire episode. It's implied that the cop that shoots the father might be racist but it's also set up that the cop sees a character covered in fake blood on the ground. The game calls the area they're going to "redneck" but it's said by a guy who writes internet articles and travels everywhere so it's probably on par. All in all, it's not really all that distracting; just a piece of a bigger story.

    it's a slower, more open, and less focused animal than Life is Strange 1 but there's moments of brilliance that stick with you. I'm excited for the next episode to see where it goes from here.    … Expand
  28. amadi1337
    Aug 10, 2019
    9
    I like this one better than the LiS1. The story makes much more sense and it's void of the annoying teenage/academic drama. It feels more real if anything. Do people really care about politics? Damn, it's only a game...
  29. Mistermovies91
    Jun 30, 2020
    7
    Some of the user reviews are really unfair. This game isn't that bad and it political propaganda it's obvious, but not so much heavy or insufferable... unless you aren't an adorable Trump lover. The directing is really courageous with all those changes of angles, the soundtrack very good and hypnotic, the main characters easily relatable. The dialogues, instead, are honestly a bit weak,Some of the user reviews are really unfair. This game isn't that bad and it political propaganda it's obvious, but not so much heavy or insufferable... unless you aren't an adorable Trump lover. The directing is really courageous with all those changes of angles, the soundtrack very good and hypnotic, the main characters easily relatable. The dialogues, instead, are honestly a bit weak, but even the first season had the same flaw. A good game overall.… Expand
  30. realWhiteMan
    Apr 9, 2023
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My rating is based on my impressions of the game. This is not an objective review. I play quite a big number of titles per year and decided to review them as a peace of art and not as a product.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best PC Game of 2018
82
#82 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
23
#23 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. CD-Action
    Feb 13, 2019
    90
    At last, a game that has something to say about the world we live in, and is not afraid to do so loudly. The first episode includes a few powerful scenes and touches some heavy subjects, like police brutality, social inequality or toxic relationships. In addition writing and performances from the actors represent the quality level that overwhelming majority of video games can only aspire to. I genuinely can’t wait to see what happens next. [12/2018, p.52]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Nov 21, 2018
    76
    Diaz brothers’ debut isn’t groundbreaking, but it proves that Dontnod still can produce an engaging drama. You can’t help but feel sympathy for protagonists, especially since the stakes are much higher this time around. [Issue #233, p.48]
  3. GameWatcher
    Nov 9, 2018
    80
    Life is Strange 2 isn’t re-writing DONTNOD’s rulebook when it comes to gameplay, but the tale being told this time around is a far bigger statement than their last. And it’s only just begun.
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