Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 3: Hell is Empty

Surprisingly good adventure prequel with emotional power. Runs out of steam towards the end.

The conclusion to Hell Is Empty didn’t give me my runaway future, but the prequel nature of Life Is Strange: Before The Storm made that an impossible dream. Instead, another story shoves it aside, trying to find the difference between what is right for someone and what is good for them, but there isn’t enough time in this episode to deliver this message and round out everything else. This pace leaves it rushed and somewhat tunnel-visioned. That said, characters I cared about and real, hard choices which often don’t feel truly right or wrong kept my gut firmly wrenched throughout. Light puzzles break up the talking and drama but again serve to remind us that correct isn’t necessarily right. Instead, there’s a strong single theme that’s delivered well in a story that isn’t afraid to get in a few punches.

Before the Storm's finale fails to deliver a fitting climax for the portrayal of a unique relationship. It feels hasty and loses scope, making the characters seem illogical and suspends our disbelief. At least the special bond that the heroines had retains its magic and young and tragic innocence.

Still has a great atmosphere, but that unique magic from the original is simply not there.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a good adventure game that conserve the quality of the original game, but is less emotive and surprising. The story is a beautiful novel about moral growth and love, and the relationship between Rachel and Chloe is captivating, but ends feeling rushed and loses the focus.

As someone who has played too many gun toting dudes, I’m delighted to see a game built around a dynamic young woman who can get a junkyard truck running, act as an emergency stand-in for Aerial in the “Tempest,” and solve a mystery.

Before the Storm tackles its themes with grace and provides an amazing exploration of female friendships and relationships with an emotional depth that is rare to come across. Many moments are heart-wrenching and in line with the primary thing that made the original so widely beloved: the emotional, real, and relatable experiences of its characters. Just like the original, it has its good share of flaws; but also just like the original, there are moments and characters so human that you can’t help but connect with them on a deeply personal level. Just like real people, Before the Storm’s final episode is a flawed but at times beautiful thing. Overall, even though I have a stronger personal connection to the first season, I dare say Before the Storm is the better of the two and it’s absolutely worth playing.

If you are a fan of the original game, get ready to hold back tears after watching a brief post-credits scene, and it will give you a deeper appreciation of that scene in the scrapyard from LIS Episode 4. I think this is the whole reason why Before the Storm exists, and that is good.

The numerous important conversational choices felt meaningful and heartfelt. But the game’s slow pace, unfinished story threads, and its restricted ending took away from the narrative’s full potential, leaving too many unanswered questions for Life is Strange fans.