Life is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 438 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 361 out of 438
  2. Mixed: 53 out of 438
  3. Negative: 24 out of 438

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  1. Ciocolici
    Aug 5, 2023
    10
    Embarking on Episode 1 of "Life is Strange" was a journey of uncertainty for me. I anticipated an adventure game with Telltale-like elements, where choices hold significance. However, I was pleasantly taken aback by the sheer brilliance the game displayed from the very start. I found myself utterly enamored with the characters, the enthralling storyline, and every other aspect that thisEmbarking on Episode 1 of "Life is Strange" was a journey of uncertainty for me. I anticipated an adventure game with Telltale-like elements, where choices hold significance. However, I was pleasantly taken aback by the sheer brilliance the game displayed from the very start. I found myself utterly enamored with the characters, the enthralling storyline, and every other aspect that this initial episode had to offer.

    What struck me the most was the depth of the characters and their compelling narratives. Both Chloe and Max left an indelible mark on my heart, making me invested in their lives and experiences. The freedom to explore the world, immerse myself in character hubs, and witness the vividly crafted world added an enchanting layer of immersion.

    One aspect that truly impressed me is the profound empathy I felt for the characters. The game remarkably evoked genuine emotions, forging an unexpected and powerful connection between me and the virtual personas on the screen.

    I absolutely adore the Telltale-inspired style of gameplay, but what sets "Life is Strange" apart is the ability to exert more control over the characters' actions. Furthermore, the game's central theme of chaos theory piqued my interest, adding a unique layer of complexity to the narrative. And of course, the ingenious time-rewind gameplay mechanic is superbly executed, elevating the gaming experience to new heights.

    This initial episode has offered a truly distinctive and emotionally resonant journey, brimming with heartfelt moments. I've yet to encounter anything to criticize, and I have every confidence that this game will rank among my all-time favorites if the subsequent episodes maintain the same level of excellence.

    In conclusion, Episode 1 of "Life is Strange" stands as a remarkable experience, leaving me eager to explore the rest of the narrative. The sheer abundance of emotions and remarkable storytelling make it a game to cherish. I'm eagerly anticipating the forthcoming episodes and have no doubt that this captivating journey will leave a lasting impression on me. Bravo to the creators for crafting such a remarkable piece of interactive art!    … Expand
  2. geekslayer
    Nov 10, 2020
    9
    Бочка меда:
    - воистину уникальная картинка. Она очень светлая, слегка размытая и немного мультяшная, как будто нарисованная красками. Картины и постеры на стенах здесь так и вовсе размыты до очертаний. Не потому что разрабам было лень, просто стиль такой. А уникальность - это всегда хорошо. Создатели вдоволь наигрались с эффектами освещения - солнечные лучи тут сочатся из всех окон,    Бочка меда:
    - воистину уникальная картинка. Она очень светлая, слегка размытая и немного мультяшная, как будто нарисованная красками. Картины и постеры на стенах здесь так и вовсе размыты до очертаний. Не потому что разрабам было лень, просто стиль такой. А уникальность - это всегда хорошо. Создатели вдоволь наигрались с эффектами освещения - солнечные лучи тут сочатся из всех окон, форточек и мельчайших щелей, быстро заливая всё пространство помещений.
    - внимание к мелким деталям. По улицам бегают белочки, люди управляют дронами с планшетов, в общем, всё живенько и правдоподобно. На каждой локации можно обнаружить массу интерактивных предметов, о которых героиня обязательно сморозит что-то интересное или забавное. Даже об одинаковых постерах, которые висят в разных местах, она говорит абсолютно разные вещи.
    - перемотка времени работает на решение повседневных проблем обычной школьницы. И, стоит отметить, что получилось это у французов весьма забавно и мило. Заниматься «мотанием» тут очень удобно. «Возродившись», можно быстро пропустить все диалоги, ведь ты их один раз уже слышал. Французы из Dontnod продумали всё.

    Дохлая муха:
    - небольшие и заскриптованные локации.

    Как метко подметили многие игровые журналисты, Life is Strange - это когда Walking Dead встречает Gone Home. Эта игра не получилась бы, если бы много талантливых людей не встретили многих других талантливых людей. Красивая, уникальная, душевная, чистая, солнечная. Она доберется до самых потаенных струн твоей души.    … Expand
  3. Andromeda707
    Mar 5, 2020
    8
    8.2/10
    Всё-таки я предполагал, что эпизоды будут более длинными: я заглядывал в каждый уголок и читал каждый возможный постер и дневник (потому что это действительно увлекает, как не странно, своей атмосферой и натуралистичностью), но всё равно на этот эпизод я потратил всего 3 часа. А потом я узнаю, что сделал только 3 возможных опциональных фотографий из 10, а это значит, что не так уж    8.2/10
    Всё-таки я предполагал, что эпизоды будут более длинными: я заглядывал в каждый уголок и читал каждый возможный постер и дневник (потому что это действительно увлекает, как не странно, своей атмосферой и натуралистичностью), но всё равно на этот эпизод я потратил всего 3 часа. А потом я узнаю, что сделал только 3 возможных опциональных фотографий из 10, а это значит, что не так уж и подробно изучил я каждый уголок, и это значит, что скорее всего я заново вернусь в эту игру, когда закончу 5-ый эпизод. Ну, собственно, этим и важен 1-ый эпизод: как полноценный сериальный пилот, он завлекает своей историей, персонажами и главной героиней, которая, как и каждый 18-летний человек, ищет своего призвания, но это призвание, судя по всему, теперь обречено на героизм, граничащий с сумасшествием.
    P.S. и отдельная благодарность за множественные отсылки на современную культуру, на историю кино- и фотоискусства и так далее...сам посмотрел "Скотта Пилигримма против всех" в 17 лет не менее 5 раз.    … Expand
  4. Topfpflanze
    Oct 26, 2017
    7
    If you ever wanted to know how a teenager girl's life and mind might look like, this is your chance. It's about a high school girl's life, her daily situations, her dreams, her problems. Actually the girl can reverse time, so you have the chance to change each of your decisions from bad to worse. No matter what you do, the consequences will prevail. This is exactly how an adolescent feelsIf you ever wanted to know how a teenager girl's life and mind might look like, this is your chance. It's about a high school girl's life, her daily situations, her dreams, her problems. Actually the girl can reverse time, so you have the chance to change each of your decisions from bad to worse. No matter what you do, the consequences will prevail. This is exactly how an adolescent feels like, all the time. If you are older, you will feel reminded of times you thought long time forgotten. And yes, it's boring. Even though there is crime and murder everything drowns in the desperate dullness of a place that should never have been populated. Apropos nature: You will see the worst drawn trees in your life, and much of the other graphics details is sketch-like, unfinished. I guess the game might be a good recommendation for many female players, but it's just a guess.… Expand
  5. AndySwaggly
    Oct 10, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I went into life is strange with no knowledge on what the story or any of this was about, about 30 minutes in I thought this was going to be a time travelling sci-fi awesome adventure, changing decisions you've previously made really intrigued me. However the one thing I did not like at all was the emotional angst with chloe about her friend rachel. I don't care about this character Rachel who is being forced down my throat at every possible turn. The emotional teen drama was quite off putting but I understand why it was there. Hopefully the next couple of episodes can be more about the concept of time travel instead of it being about the teen drama.

    I didn't like how Chloe kept saying "hella" it's really annoying and no one in the real world says "hella' unless they're joking or with their friends. Saying it in the face of a gun.. was kind of stupid and did not appeal to me what so ever. (minor nitpick)

    I didn't really like how you couldn't go back in time and take a picture of Chloe almost getting shot to show the principle... that would've made sense but yeh
    Postives.. the music was good. The characters aren't that annoying, the story was good, aswell as the stuff you can do in the world. I just didn't really like the whole "Find the CD to put the music on" what?

    overall, a decent episode. Not what people have been making it out to be, but decent.    … Expand
  6. luketeddy
    Jul 29, 2015
    7
    Great game it's a little too long of an episode of all most nothing happening ( well in the last like 45 minutes of gameplay) the story is the best thing about this episode all in all I thought this was pretty good.
  7. Gwenchlan
    Jul 28, 2015
    9
    It's beginning slowly, but when the power is awakened, story interest rises. Good OST too. I was curious and when I finished it, I only wanted to continue with the Episode 2.
  8. BIGBenX
    Jun 29, 2015
    10
    This game is so good, I shat my pants.
    I really mean it. This has to be one of the best story-based games I've played in my life. The immersion is perfetly done. The Rewind-Feature is awesome and gives you much freedom and doesnt leave you with frustration and bad feeling because of a bad decision you didn't know the outcome of. You can just rewind then. Awesome!
    It's very realistic and    This game is so good, I shat my pants.
    I really mean it. This has to be one of the best story-based games I've played in my life. The immersion is perfetly done. The Rewind-Feature is awesome and gives you much freedom and doesnt leave you with frustration and bad feeling because of a bad decision you didn't know the outcome of. You can just rewind then. Awesome!
    It's very realistic and embodies the American Way of Life pretty accurately.
    I definiately reccomend this game. Escpecially if you are into kinda slow indie movies like Donnie Darko, Big Lebowski and Telltale games.    … Expand
  9. Bammerbom
    Jun 26, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is perfect! Only bad thing I found are the textures.
    Maybe a bit short.
    The story is perfect and I like the concept. .    … Expand
  10. Queezle98
    May 15, 2015
    10
    An awesome game. It's just something new. Slow paced and with a good story you can think about for hours. Already worth the 20 bucks (after 2 episodes). I can just recommend this peace of art.
  11. equinoxe8th
    Apr 16, 2015
    9
    It´s very good, esta genial, muy fahernheit. or me, there's only one way to judge an adventure game: Did it touch me, or did it not. The first episode of Life is strange touched me very deeply, as I figured it would after watching the trailer.
  12. MattBarker
    Apr 13, 2015
    7
    A good game with a good story and game-play but the lib-sync is so bad but you will love this game
    it have some fleas and a good story it will be a good one to too hour
  13. lexx
    Mar 30, 2015
    6
    Great presentation with a lot of content to click onto. Some characters are interesting but most are cliché and irritating. I love the time travel mechanic. But the story is boring. A lot...
  14. Kaisuke1
    Mar 25, 2015
    7
    I'm not really sure how to describe this game as an adult. It was an alright game in general.
    I'm a fan of choice/consequence games, but it was a teen drama, which may turn some people of it, and to be honest turned me off of it a little, because I don't relate to that kind of high school experience, or story.
    The dialogue was a bit much at times, but I understand why they had it.    I'm not really sure how to describe this game as an adult. It was an alright game in general.
    I'm a fan of choice/consequence games, but it was a teen drama, which may turn some people of it, and to be honest turned me off of it a little, because I don't relate to that kind of high school experience, or story.

    The dialogue was a bit much at times, but I understand why they had it.

    Overall though putting certain things aside, the soundtrack was alright, animation was good, and the story has great potential.    … Expand
  15. Steeldude
    Mar 24, 2015
    9
    One of the rare games that try to tell a realistic story where your decisions really matter. I like the characters and the school setting which is kind of rare to see done properly in video games. The story is interesting and I have to wonder what's going to happen next. Definitely a game worth replaying (after finishing all 5 episodes, though). Too bad it's so short, I fully explored allOne of the rare games that try to tell a realistic story where your decisions really matter. I like the characters and the school setting which is kind of rare to see done properly in video games. The story is interesting and I have to wonder what's going to happen next. Definitely a game worth replaying (after finishing all 5 episodes, though). Too bad it's so short, I fully explored all of the areas and it took me around 4 hours to finish this episode while seriously taking my time through it which is not that much (most episodic games I had played before took me around 7 hours) and left me with a slightly empty feeling, like I deserved a little more. Despite that, I can't wait to find out how the story is going to progress in Episode 2. And I guess that's the most important thing about a video game - wanting to play it more and once again after you're done with it. So, let's give this one a 9.… Expand
  16. braeden
    Mar 21, 2015
    10
    This is probably best story-rich game I have played in a while. Story, characters, atmosphere... everything is near perfection. The gameplay itself is all about character interaction and making choices that will have consequences later on. The trick is that you can reverse the time (to certain extent) and remake those choices. The mechanics for this work great, although the game wouldThis is probably best story-rich game I have played in a while. Story, characters, atmosphere... everything is near perfection. The gameplay itself is all about character interaction and making choices that will have consequences later on. The trick is that you can reverse the time (to certain extent) and remake those choices. The mechanics for this work great, although the game would probably be ok even without this gimmick.

    There's minor issue which isn't a biggie, but worth mentioning: The choices you make are divided to minor and major ones. The game logic is that you can reverse the time, but still keep items you acquired previously. This basically allows you to first select path that gives you some items and the select some other, more favorable path while keeping the items. However, for major choices this doesn't work which is somewhat inconsistent and even confusing at first.    … Expand
  17. AlexMcDouchebag
    Mar 20, 2015
    10
    The writing is great, not amazing but good enough to keep you interested. Though a bit of the dialogue does seem as if the writers were trying a bit to hard to add a bit of teenage sass. The graphics and aesthetics are absolutely gorgeous. I spent about six hours on episode one and later realized I had still managed to miss some cool optional objectives. TLDR: Its great and I am lookingThe writing is great, not amazing but good enough to keep you interested. Though a bit of the dialogue does seem as if the writers were trying a bit to hard to add a bit of teenage sass. The graphics and aesthetics are absolutely gorgeous. I spent about six hours on episode one and later realized I had still managed to miss some cool optional objectives. TLDR: Its great and I am looking forward to more of it.… Expand
  18. uforoboso
    Feb 26, 2015
    1
    Why have I bought this? I wish I could reverse time and undo it.

    The story is so dull, the characters are so cliché, the gameplay is so boring, there is no action (at all!), the "puzzles" are things like "find the metal box under the bed to get a CD to play music".. (or even worse than that) and the mystery? I've read paragons with Twin Peaks, only because it's about a missing girl? Are    Why have I bought this? I wish I could reverse time and undo it.

    The story is so dull, the characters are so cliché, the gameplay is so boring, there is no action (at all!), the "puzzles" are things like "find the metal box under the bed to get a CD to play music".. (or even worse than that) and the mystery? I've read paragons with Twin Peaks, only because it's about a missing girl? Are you serious?? Not even close.. well, not even VERY FAR!

    The game constantly holds your hands and all the choices you can do feel so stupid.

    Also, it's so short you can complete Episode 1 in like half an hour.

    And graphically.. are you serious? Low poly, low textures, objects that are repeated, like in a library you have 3 book covers that repeat 10 times, you lazy developers.

    I really don't suggest buying this.    … Expand
  19. Skitte
    Feb 22, 2015
    9
    Salted with a story that draw teenagers attention and a mistery that gets deeper step by step, life can truly bestrange for some people that presents special gifts.

    Pros: - Unpredictibility -Immersive story - Versatile protagonists - Girls team - Possibility to rewind the story and see more sides - The backstory - Unboring tasks Cons: - lip sync - some texture really suck,    Salted with a story that draw teenagers attention and a mistery that gets deeper step by step, life can truly bestrange for some people that presents special gifts.

    Pros:
    - Unpredictibility
    -Immersive story
    - Versatile protagonists
    - Girls team
    - Possibility to rewind the story and see more sides
    - The backstory
    - Unboring tasks

    Cons:
    - lip sync
    - some texture really suck, even on high graphics
    - slow start
    - no interactivity with the environment

    All in all, this is a good game that would be way better with a better design.    … Expand
  20. Swatson
    Feb 20, 2015
    10
    Finally another game out of the interactive drama genre. after telltale games marvellous job in the walking dead universe as well as heavy rain a couple of years before, this game came to my attention. and didn't disappoint at all.
    the atmosphere is really strong and it's a game you can get yourself lost in whilst time flies by. I don't want to go into the storyline, rather on the    Finally another game out of the interactive drama genre. after telltale games marvellous job in the walking dead universe as well as heavy rain a couple of years before, this game came to my attention. and didn't disappoint at all.
    the atmosphere is really strong and it's a game you can get yourself lost in whilst time flies by. I don't want to go into the storyline, rather on the mechanics and its effect on you, the consumer of it.

    the world is filled with a lot of attention to detail, posters, lovely decorations that breathe live into the scenery, the mix is stunning and if you open yourself to it lets you dip right in. it embraces you and let's you almost feel your decisions.
    finally being able to think over the decisions which face consequences for the first time is a very handy gimmick which puts pressure out of the game and lets you decide which decisions to make, not a hasty timer ticking down which makes it way more enjoyable to me.

    however, you have to be the right type of gamer/person to being able to enjoy this piece of art. it's not action, it's not comedy, it's drama after all. reading comments like "Bad jokes. And a lot of them" etc just shows me that people are not comfortable with this genre and are judging the game for something it's not supposed to be. you don't purchase a blender over amazon and then complain about is disfunctionality to microwave your chese sandwhich.

    anyhow, there are minor details, especially in animation (like the lips which are more or less independant from the spoken word) but all in all for a first episode it gives leaves behind a very strong resonance and urges me to continues with episode 2.

    dotnod & square enix - job well done!    … Expand
  21. Zimber
    Feb 19, 2015
    4
    It's really, really bad game.... What do you want to see in the beginning? Maybe you want to meet main characters, or see interesting pieces of story but... no, you will get 10+ pages of useless text and this is just a beginning of the end. All characters are awful dull and grey, they are just useless. First part of the chapter one contains only 1 phrase "I'm so unpopular", and second partIt's really, really bad game.... What do you want to see in the beginning? Maybe you want to meet main characters, or see interesting pieces of story but... no, you will get 10+ pages of useless text and this is just a beginning of the end. All characters are awful dull and grey, they are just useless. First part of the chapter one contains only 1 phrase "I'm so unpopular", and second part just empty at all. This powers and choices... there are something wrong with them. I mean, a lot of choices let you do both options at once, and you always can see what will happen and remade choice, what the point in this opportunity? Look at the walking dead series, it force you to choose, and this is the main point of choosing in game like this. Square Enix put a lot of time and work in it, but this is terrible anyway.It's look like they're wanted to wrest piece of bread from Telltale company, but this is really not their field of developing.… Expand
  22. Risa
    Feb 17, 2015
    10
    I went into Life Is Strange not really knowing much about it, nor have I played a game quite like it before, unless you consider LiS to be the distant descendant of the old text-based adventure games.

    First, the not-so-great: I have say that the lip syncing is, well, not bad, more like nearly nonexistent. You get used to it, but it's a standout in a game that otherwise really looks,    I went into Life Is Strange not really knowing much about it, nor have I played a game quite like it before, unless you consider LiS to be the distant descendant of the old text-based adventure games.

    First, the not-so-great: I have say that the lip syncing is, well, not bad, more like nearly nonexistent. You get used to it, but it's a standout in a game that otherwise really looks, sounds and *feels* good. My behind-the-scenes suspicion is the developers, who are a small French studio, synchronized the animation with the dialogue en Francais.

    Neutral: The dialogue can be pretty awkward, though I feel like a lot of that comes from it seeming to draw from a cultural lexicon spanning the early 90s to today. Being able to clearly remember being 18 myself, it may just be Max and her peers have settled on a vocabulary unique to their specific time and place, which does what group lingo does best: Makes you feel not quite invited to the party, but it grows on you.

    Great: I really, really like Max, and I'm glad they stuck with a female protagonist, because I feel like her vulnerability is an important part of her story. Her voice actor (Hannah Telle) is a perfect fit. The time reversal is a unique mechanic, and it takes a little trial and error to realize what you can actually do with it. I really like the look of the whole game, all the little details that are present in the environment. The soundtrack is fantastic - and the developers have a "Life Is Strange OST" playlist on Spotify. The game is powerfully atmospheric, which is a tricky thing to get right in any game, doubly so in one that doesn't rely on flashy action. Her friend Chloe so far has had the best pithy one-liners out of everyone we meet in this episode.

    In summary, I'd say my only real regret was discovering this game before all five episodes were available. Definitely looking forward to the next four.    … Expand
  23. tigerskin84
    Feb 17, 2015
    3
    Dontnod studios grabbed the mechanics of remember me and put it in this game(it is the only good thing), the animations are bad, lipsync too. the history is not bad but is for teens... if only the main character where less EMO ... didnt like it
  24. pmart4
    Feb 12, 2015
    7
    Not bad - not 'brilliant' but glad I played it - I like when a developer tries out new ideas. I think this is a positive step forward and builds on the great work done by devs like TellTale Inc

    Good Game

    NB: Rewind feature is kinda annoying - means you can't really fail and removes some of the meaning of your decision making.
  25. TheTitan84
    Feb 12, 2015
    9
    The good: Unique and interesting mechanic that ties well into the story. "Real" characters, and not zombies with no emotions or stuff behind them (looking at you, Dreamfall: Chapters). Action system makes the chapter re-playable. Lots of "side stuff" that gives a good universe, but not "needed" to explore to finish the game. Price, 5$ for the episode or 20$ for all.

    The bad: Lip    The good: Unique and interesting mechanic that ties well into the story. "Real" characters, and not zombies with no emotions or stuff behind them (looking at you, Dreamfall: Chapters). Action system makes the chapter re-playable. Lots of "side stuff" that gives a good universe, but not "needed" to explore to finish the game. Price, 5$ for the episode or 20$ for all.

    The bad: Lip animations/syncing, play with subs and avoid looking at faces during conversations as it ruins the immersion. Short, 2-3 hours fully exploring. 30 min speed run.    … Expand
  26. meediocre
    Feb 11, 2015
    7
    This is like hella a game for teenagers, but I'm a couple of decades older than that and found it kind of interesting. The environments are certainly more alive and has more things to check out, than your average Telltale game - but what is it with Square Enix games and the darn all-seeing-eye everywhere .. Anyway, I'm kind hoping that the ability to rewind time and story progression takesThis is like hella a game for teenagers, but I'm a couple of decades older than that and found it kind of interesting. The environments are certainly more alive and has more things to check out, than your average Telltale game - but what is it with Square Enix games and the darn all-seeing-eye everywhere .. Anyway, I'm kind hoping that the ability to rewind time and story progression takes things a bit darker in the next episodes - am also hoping some part of the game will be at least slightly challenging.… Expand
  27. faircritic
    Feb 10, 2015
    0
    I can't remember a game so onoxious and annoying since theprince of persia the cell shaded one,but unfortunately this is even worse.The so cliched teen girl who want to find his purpouse in life plus she is in her days... for christ sake SaquareEnix, I wanna puck!
    I was expecting a telltalegame plus Square Enix games weren't all bad until now. Even the not much recognized Murder Soul    I can't remember a game so onoxious and annoying since theprince of persia the cell shaded one,but unfortunately this is even worse.The so cliched teen girl who want to find his purpouse in life plus she is in her days... for christ sake SaquareEnix, I wanna puck!
    I was expecting a telltalegame plus Square Enix games weren't all bad until now. Even the not much recognized Murder Soul Suspect wasn't as horrendous as this one. Are SE so desperate in grabbing new audiences that now are aiming for the young female flower power sutff. My arse...
    Excuse me but now I have an abdominal pain cause Im in my days,thing is I am a man and not a teen,WHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH.x(    … Expand
  28. Dop
    Feb 8, 2015
    8
    The game and story are well made, the target audience seems to be teenagers rather than adults but if you bypass that part is a really well made game.
    So far the game runs flawless and i found more involment in this game that in any of the "adventures games" of telltale so stop being blind fanboys
  29. SenshudoTV
    Feb 8, 2015
    7
    Though it suffers from genre conventions and baffling slang, Life is Strange is a colourful and engaging attempt at a Telltale-style teen drama, with a promising central mechanic and enough plot threads to leave you curious for episode two.
  30. captainegypt
    Feb 8, 2015
    3
    Where do I start with this...? Muddled graphical style, clichéd "twee font" interface, dialogue which utterly fails to feel genuine and comes off more like something from a fanfic than the work of a professional writer...

    Everyone keeps raving about the "depth" and "complexity" but truth be told, all the choices felt meaningless and the characters felt like contrived stereotypes. I felt    Where do I start with this...? Muddled graphical style, clichéd "twee font" interface, dialogue which utterly fails to feel genuine and comes off more like something from a fanfic than the work of a professional writer...

    Everyone keeps raving about the "depth" and "complexity" but truth be told, all the choices felt meaningless and the characters felt like contrived stereotypes. I felt like I was playing a marketing team's idea of what "the kids are into these days."

    The main character feels like she's meant to be a victim from the start, as people are mean to her for no apparent reason and she takes it VERY seriously.

    The supporting characters are just there to be stereotypes and seem to have no real depth or ability to stand on their own, they only have significance in relation to Max. When they aren't spouting memes and making strained pop cultural references, they're blatantly fulfilling the one-dimensional role they've been given in the story. Max is the shy art girl. The pretty blonde girl hates her just because and takes any opportunity to show it. The blue-haired chick is the edgy stoner. The rich kid is the **** everyone hates who actually does seem to be something of a psycho. His friend is oblivious to how psycho he is. And so on. Every teen drama trope is there and its so heavy-handed that I found myself cringing my face off.

    Conversations feel forced and it's always very apparent that you're listening to something being read by a voice actor, rather than a believable, organic-feeling character. Nothing feels natural.

    Quality writing and acting makes you forget that what you're seeing and hearing isn't real, but everything about this game feels calculated to appeal to a very specific demographic of special snowflake types. As a result, Max is the -only- character so far who actually feels like she could be a real person, because everyone else feels so "written" and exists only for her, which is exactly how the type of narcissist who would enjoy this "game" perceives themselves and the world. Always weeping about how no one notices her despite being an unusually pretty girl, although to be fair, basically everyone in this game is pretty.

    Most of the "gameplay" is walking around listening to Max's internal monologue comment on anything and everyone you click on. You can't even speak to many of the characters, and the from the start it feels as though you don't get very much control over Max's choices or character development. There is a very clearly laid out, linear story going on here, which the game really doesn't want you to disrupt. And even when you do get to make a choice which actually matters, the game actually goes out of its way to remind you that the choice will have consequences and that you can rewind to change it.

    The whole thing feels like a teenager's power fantasy, better suited for a movie. Lots of films have already done this as a comedy, where LIS is basically the same concept presented as a pretentious, unintentionally funny art house non-game. The closest it comes to laughing at itself is when it "says things ironically," but much like real people who "say things ironically," it fails to convince you that this is actually the case. There are even a few instances where ignorant or biased viewpoints are presented in a matter-of-fact sort of way, such as "only women should have guns."

    Moreover, the music seems to cater to a niche group of appreciators and the graphics have this inconsistent feeling to them, as if they're sometimes meant to look realistic and other times meant to look like a graphic novel, and still other times as if they're somewhere in between or something entirely different.

    All-in-all this is a shoddy attempt to steal some of Telltale's thunder and I'm glad I played it on a friend's system instead of buying it. You should do the same before you give your money to such lazy developers.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Best PC Game of 2015
53
#53 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Mar 26, 2015
    80
    A very strong first chapter of an intriguing new adventure series. [Apr 2015, p.61]
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 19, 2015
    79
    A promising, if flawed first episode. Life Is Strange boasts believable characters and an intriguing setting. That said, the dialogue sounds awkward at times and some of the plot twists are a bit too much. [March 2015]
  3. CD-Action
    Mar 17, 2015
    75
    Adventure game – check. Developed by Frenchmen – check. Tells a story about an American – check – teenage girl – check – gifted with paranormal powers – check. Here’s where Beyond: Two Souls and Life is Strange go their separate ways, because the latter is actually good. [03/2014, p.74]
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