Life is Strange: Before the Storm

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 626 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 460 out of 626
  2. Mixed: 111 out of 626
  3. Negative: 55 out of 626

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  1. realist980
    Mar 11, 2018
    4
    Without the time travel and that feeling of danger in the air, it is just a teenage drama and superficial youth renegade story with not enough "kick" to it.
  2. plakat
    Apr 16, 2018
    0
    Posted: Dec 15, 2017 @ 3:12am

    This has got to be the biggest disappointment ever. I come from four playthroughs and countless recommendations of the core game (Life is Strange). I preordered this because of the trust I placed in the company that made the original - here's the twist: Before the Storm wasn't made by DontNod (the Paris-based devs who brought us the original) but shuttled    Posted: Dec 15, 2017 @ 3:12am

    This has got to be the biggest disappointment ever. I come from four playthroughs and countless recommendations of the core game (Life is Strange). I preordered this because of the trust I placed in the company that made the original - here's the twist: Before the Storm wasn't made by DontNod (the Paris-based devs who brought us the original) but shuttled out by the publisher, Square Enix, to Deck Nine - an obscure company that brought us such blockbuster hits as "Neopets: The Darkest Faerie" and "Ratchet: Deadlocked", both flops on the PS2. In fact, when they got Before the Storm handed to them they hadn't developed anything since 2013.

    Even so, the name "Life is Strange" carries a lot of weight - it's a brand of quality I expected to carry over no matter who the developer is. Characters with depth, surreal and immersive storylines, heart-wrenching plot twists, and cringey-at-times but emotive voice acting are all elements of Life is Strange fans came to know and love.

    Before the Storm has none of that. We follow Chloe with (spoiler alert) no time travel powers like Max had in the first game - which leaves the game feeling void of any gameplay elements to set it apart from other choose-your-own-point-and-click story games. Instead there's a confusing and rarely used "backtalk" element that's as poorly introduced and explained as it is boring to use. The mechanic holds no weight and adds nothing to Chloe's character.

    Otherwise, the game's game mechanics are practically identical to its predecessor, with a few more technical issues probably due to the jump from Unreal Engine to Unity. Graphics look a lot worse - might as well be a PS2 game (and judging by the developer's portfolio, it's no surprise that PS2 graphics were the standard they held themselves to).

    All this could be excused if the story and characters mattered. I spent most of my time in the first couple episodes waiting for something to happen. The most interesting things in this game are tie-ins to the original like meeting characters or visiting locations from the first game, but there's very little point beyond "hey, remember this?" Locations and characters have very little purpose and value to the story.

    What story? Who knows. The plot meanders around aimlessly. Chloe gets in arguments with her parents, spends time at school, meets Rachel Amber who she has a crush on? I guess? It's unclear and heavy handed at the same time. Stilted voice acting doesn't help the process, and while I know some people criticized voice acting in the first game I tend to disagree - the voices and mannerisms felt right at home in Arcadia Bay when DontNod did it. Here, however every time a mouth opens on screen what comes out sounds like it was recorded phoenetically by non-nativespeakers. By the end of the second episode I found myself not caring whether the main character and her squeeze lived or died.

    This game made me feel bad for not killing Chloe at the end of the first one.    … Expand
  3. gyigyo2
    Sep 2, 2017
    1
    First of all i was a fan of lis1 when its released, but after the so many milking( make tv series, movie, and now this prequel) the game is getting disgusting talk about that you receive the extra mission farewell and chloe old clothes if you pre order the game this is disgusting by deck nines and square enix! Its totaly like a bad fanfiction and cheap game to only milking more LISFirst of all i was a fan of lis1 when its released, but after the so many milking( make tv series, movie, and now this prequel) the game is getting disgusting talk about that you receive the extra mission farewell and chloe old clothes if you pre order the game this is disgusting by deck nines and square enix! Its totaly like a bad fanfiction and cheap game to only milking more LIS universe and make easy money.

    If i have need to compare to the old LIS1 i say:
    -Voices mostly horrible
    -Graphics worse than LIS1 was
    -Game is just total boring unlike the previously one
    -Musics is not good ones like previously ones
    - Characters is boring...
    -The talks is horrible and boring.
    - The decisions and outcomes is boring and uninteresting
    - The game story is uninteresing and boring, like a bad fanfiction unlike the previously one.    … Expand
  4. 4y4
    Feb 15, 2020
    1
    This game is just a shadow compared to the original "Life is Stange". Not worth buying.
  5. cdpr_pidary
    Apr 26, 2022
    0
    Шлак редкостный. С оригинальной игрой и рядом не валялась. Игру превратили в кучу унылых тупых диалогов, которые хочется побыстрее пропустить.
  6. PaulJazz24
    Nov 1, 2020
    2
    Boring, sloppy, whimpering. I liked the first "Life Is Strange", but this prequel is terribly tedious. The characters speak very slowly, pausing for a second between one word and another, as if to give depth to dialogues that are actually banal and silly. The plot is basically an exaltation of a rude, ignorant, arrogant and vandalized youth. It would like to be touching but it just makesBoring, sloppy, whimpering. I liked the first "Life Is Strange", but this prequel is terribly tedious. The characters speak very slowly, pausing for a second between one word and another, as if to give depth to dialogues that are actually banal and silly. The plot is basically an exaltation of a rude, ignorant, arrogant and vandalized youth. It would like to be touching but it just makes you nervous.… Expand
  7. MillersWeeb
    Nov 16, 2018
    4
    Игра явно хуже оригинала, рейчел эмбер не раскрыта полностью, вообще никто полностью не раскрыт, а сюжет в стиле убийца - дворецкий.
  8. Norleft
    Aug 12, 2020
    4
    Sinceramente no merece la pena, hay muchos juegos en el mercado por el mismo precio o incluso menos, que son más interesantes y tienen un mejor acabado.

    No es que el juego se a malo, sino que en todo momento se ve forzado y apenas aporta mucho a lo que ya sabes del primer life is strange, quitandole toda la paja que tiene, la historia y escenas alargadas podría quedarse en un simple dlc    Sinceramente no merece la pena, hay muchos juegos en el mercado por el mismo precio o incluso menos, que son más interesantes y tienen un mejor acabado.

    No es que el juego se a malo, sino que en todo momento se ve forzado y apenas aporta mucho a lo que ya sabes del primer life is strange, quitandole toda la paja que tiene, la historia y escenas alargadas podría quedarse en un simple dlc de 10€ para el primer titulo (digo esto ya que aparte del doblaje y algún que otro nuevo personaje reutiliza TODO del primer life)

    Claro, si eres fan del primero seguramente te guste, porque es más de lo mismo sin innovar ni destacar en lo más mínimo, pero si esperas algo distinto aunque sea un argumento medianamente interesante.... por el precio hay mejores títulos.    … Expand
  9. JanetDax
    Nov 24, 2018
    2
    This was supposed to be Chloe's story, how she met Rachel and their relationship and what caused them to separate. What we got was awesome build-up to what looked like a budding same-sex romance, being scuttled by Rachel being injured and the B-plot of Rachel's mom. We don't even get the satisfaction of seeing the corrupt DA face any consequences. The story ends on a meaningless cut scene.
  10. lilkatina2
    Jan 31, 2020
    1
    Game is trash of the highest stink factor. It's undeserving of the same same as the first Life is Strange. The voice acting is worse thanks to a guild strike, the music Is uninspiring and bland and doesn't fit at all, the game play is horrible, no time powers or any power at all, it's just boring. Add to that, the story is just awful, I mean throw up bad. It's super rushed, superGame is trash of the highest stink factor. It's undeserving of the same same as the first Life is Strange. The voice acting is worse thanks to a guild strike, the music Is uninspiring and bland and doesn't fit at all, the game play is horrible, no time powers or any power at all, it's just boring. Add to that, the story is just awful, I mean throw up bad. It's super rushed, super cheesy, they get the characters personalities wrong and change them, they had no idea what they were doing. Square Enix should never license out a game to an inferior company (DeckNine) because the original creators (Dontnod) didn't want to make a prequel...because it was unnecessary, stupid, and poorly done.… Expand
  11. hoanns
    Jun 6, 2020
    3
    absolute cringefest -
  12. schatwal96
    Sep 18, 2020
    4
    100%ed this game, and has bad writing, story, and loses what made the original game special. Only buy this after you finish the main game, and only on a big sale.
  13. 1scon
    Oct 17, 2021
    3
    По сравнению с 1 частю игра слишком плоха.
  14. DarisW
    May 11, 2022
    4
    Game started promising but the forced romance, cringe dialogs and bad writing (especially ep.3) becomes unbearable fast. Though bonus episode Farewell were heartwarming for me, it was nice to see Max and Chloe as a kids
  15. AlisonOliveir4
    Feb 11, 2023
    0
    Embora seja apenas um spin off da serie principal, before the storm consegue entregar uma qualidade tão grande quando o primeiro jogo, aqui diferente do primeiro você consegue se apegar aos personagens secundários um pouco mais, por se tratarem de serem pessoas já conhecidas, o mais incrível a se destacar e o quão bom o jogo consegue apresentar uma historia com a limitação de roteiro queEmbora seja apenas um spin off da serie principal, before the storm consegue entregar uma qualidade tão grande quando o primeiro jogo, aqui diferente do primeiro você consegue se apegar aos personagens secundários um pouco mais, por se tratarem de serem pessoas já conhecidas, o mais incrível a se destacar e o quão bom o jogo consegue apresentar uma historia com a limitação de roteiro que foi colocada pelo primeiro. A penas uma obra prima… Expand

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. GameSpot
    Apr 18, 2018
    80
    It's rare that a prequel truly works, where a story can captivate despite the audience knowing what's coming and where the path will lead. Life Is Strange: Before The Storm is one of those exceptional stories because it draws you in on its own terms. The only problem: You know it's building you up just to break your heart.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Apr 3, 2018
    80
    Life indeed is strange. I was dead certain that Before the Storm simply cannot be good, but it turned out just fine. It’s really well-written, with fleshed out characters and some humor here and there. I applaud the writers for ditching science fiction elements, but I wish BtS was as good a thriller as it is a love story. [03/2018, p.58]
  3. PC Invasion
    Mar 14, 2018
    80
    Deck Nine have finished off Life is Strange in sterling fashion. Saying farewell to Arcadia Bay with Before the Storm is sad, but the best farewells usually are.
    Read full review
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