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. 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.
    Read full review
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