Life is Strange

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3257 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,751 out of 3257
  2. Mixed: 277 out of 3257
  3. Negative: 229 out of 3257

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  1. KaiserS
    Feb 11, 2016
    10
    Это одна из лучших игр этого времени. Life is Strange в одно время вдохновляет и удивляет тебя... Открывает тебе с душой написанную историю о студентке Макс и её подруге Хлои. Все эпизоды пронизаны прекрасной постановкой и режиссурой, а музыкальное сопровождения заставит вас искать эти прекрасные треки и переслушивать их раз за разом. Великолепная игра и оценка должна ей соответствовать!Это одна из лучших игр этого времени. Life is Strange в одно время вдохновляет и удивляет тебя... Открывает тебе с душой написанную историю о студентке Макс и её подруге Хлои. Все эпизоды пронизаны прекрасной постановкой и режиссурой, а музыкальное сопровождения заставит вас искать эти прекрасные треки и переслушивать их раз за разом. Великолепная игра и оценка должна ей соответствовать!
  2. JQLeitch
    Feb 11, 2016
    8
    A very good game, although I wasn't that fussed about the characters (wasn't that emotionally connected to them unlike other games such as The Walking Dead, but that doesn't mean you will)

    I was engrossed for the entire playthrough. I will also say there are a few rough spots in the start of Episode 3 and 4, but stick through it, it's worth it. Would recommend to almost everyone. Also    A very good game, although I wasn't that fussed about the characters (wasn't that emotionally connected to them unlike other games such as The Walking Dead, but that doesn't mean you will)

    I was engrossed for the entire playthrough. I will also say there are a few rough spots in the start of Episode 3 and 4, but stick through it, it's worth it. Would recommend to almost everyone. Also the game's soundtrack is phenomenal.

    Prepare to suspend your disbelief.    … Expand
  3. PedroLFerrari
    Feb 11, 2016
    10
    This game is one of those games that makes you keep thinking about yourself. At least for me I can take it out of my mind. Mostly because I was always trying to be myself while playing this game, so every choice I made was telling something about who I am. I don't know if this was something that was intended or not, but that is the beauty of this game.

    It is such an unique experience    This game is one of those games that makes you keep thinking about yourself. At least for me I can take it out of my mind. Mostly because I was always trying to be myself while playing this game, so every choice I made was telling something about who I am. I don't know if this was something that was intended or not, but that is the beauty of this game.

    It is such an unique experience that makes this game deserve a 10. Sometimes it gets really messy and confusing. Max adventure is very well written and it is a huge rollercoaster. But if you like GREAT stories, and if you want to get one of the most unique games on the last years do yourself a favor and play this game.    … Expand
  4. yourarse
    Feb 10, 2016
    9
    This is an amazing game and you can actually change the story with your choices. It has an original concept too. The color palette is pretty nice. You should probably buy this game.
  5. Toffenuff
    Feb 9, 2016
    9
    I don't usually play these types of games unless they're Telltale games (which are of similar theme), but this was on sale, I was looking to try something new and fresh, and it had gotten great reviews so I decided to give it a shot. Slice of life with a mysterious and interesting plot that leaves you wanting to find out what happens next, with enough hard choices to make that impact theI don't usually play these types of games unless they're Telltale games (which are of similar theme), but this was on sale, I was looking to try something new and fresh, and it had gotten great reviews so I decided to give it a shot. Slice of life with a mysterious and interesting plot that leaves you wanting to find out what happens next, with enough hard choices to make that impact the overall arc of the story.

    The graphics, overall art design, and music are excellent, the story is very interesting and "strange" as the title suggests, and the characters are real and compelling enough. Especially the main character, Max. She's great.    … Expand
  6. ishadow
    Feb 7, 2016
    8
    It's a unique story and an unique game. It's very good or even outstanding compared to modern games but it's just average compared to classic point&click adventure games.
    Life is Strange is all about story and characters. Puzzles are non-existent, just talk to everyone and find one or two items in a room. It's very easy most of the time. All the effort went into dialogs and you have to    It's a unique story and an unique game. It's very good or even outstanding compared to modern games but it's just average compared to classic point&click adventure games.
    Life is Strange is all about story and characters. Puzzles are non-existent, just talk to everyone and find one or two items in a room. It's very easy most of the time. All the effort went into dialogs and you have to often make a choice, rewind time and make another one if you upset someone.
    Life is Strange is even simpler than Telltale games and nowhere near as playable as Broken Sword, The Longest Journey or classic Lucas Arts adventures, but it's not a bad game.
    It all depends if you'll like the characters or not. It's like a TV Show, go ahead download demo or buy first episode. If you liked it, you will like whole game.

    The story is good and characters are likable. There are some great moments and the ending is good. The ending is actually the best part of the game. I would give 6/10 but ending is just a masterpiece. Can't tell anything about it, but it's not a typical ending and it's very emotional. It's like the game was preparing player to face the truth.
    You can summarize ending in 3 words: Life is Strange.    … Expand
  7. spumoni123
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    Life is Strange covers a lot of bases. It's an exciting point-and-click adventure game. It's a coming-of-age story about the power of friendship. It's a drama with horror elements. It's science fiction, complete with sci-fi's usual dose of everyday philosophy. It's pretty, funny, sad, and thought-provoking all at the same time.

    The music, visuals, characters, and dialogue work together    Life is Strange covers a lot of bases. It's an exciting point-and-click adventure game. It's a coming-of-age story about the power of friendship. It's a drama with horror elements. It's science fiction, complete with sci-fi's usual dose of everyday philosophy. It's pretty, funny, sad, and thought-provoking all at the same time.

    The music, visuals, characters, and dialogue work together to create a truly beautiful experience which weaves together the power of friendship, the frustration of human evil, and the mystery of fate.

    I think that I cried more times while playing Life is Strange than from all other video games I've played combined--it was that moving. I cried when it ended, too--in large part because of the sense of loss associated with the knowledge that I'd never get to experience playing it for the first time ever again.

    This is the kind of game that could have the power to change your life. It deals with so many common elements of the human condition, and really makes you think about how your decisions affect yourself and those around you.    … Expand
  8. JazzTheMan
    Feb 5, 2016
    10
    Graphics (Artistic Style), story, gameplay is all just excellent and well done. One of the best episodic games I have ever played. This game is definitely worth your money.
  9. renault757
    Feb 3, 2016
    10
    Gran juego, jugabilidad, historia, drama, personajes, gráficos, voces 10/10 SquireEnix gran calificacion, espero una segunda parte de este gran juego-
  10. maartendc
    Jan 31, 2016
    10
    A masterpiece of storytelling.

    II loved everything about this game: - The storytelling is beautiful and well done. It doesnt fall into the pitfalls that a lot of time-traveling stories fall into. It all feels logical, and the story is a beautiful melancholic tale. - The graphics are not "great graphics"in the traditional sense, but the cinematography and artstyle is just amazing. -    A masterpiece of storytelling.

    II loved everything about this game:
    - The storytelling is beautiful and well done. It doesnt fall into the pitfalls that a lot of time-traveling stories fall into. It all feels logical, and the story is a beautiful melancholic tale.
    - The graphics are not "great graphics"in the traditional sense, but the cinematography and artstyle is just amazing.
    - The soundtrack is beautiful, and captures and enhances the moments of the story very well.
    - The voice acting is superb. I love the emotion and character each voice actor put into his / her work.
    - The choices you make in the game actually feel compelling. Even though the general outcome of the story will always be very similar, as in most choice heavy games, at least in this story, the choices dont feel 'tacked on"but actually part of the story.

    If I have to find some negative points, they would be very minor.
    - The facial animation of the characters could have been done better. Their lips dont move well with the dialogue at all, which detracts from the strength of the scenes a bit.
    - The 'freedom' which you get to explore the world is zero. But this is always a choice of storytelling over player freedom. I cannot blame the devs for making this choice, I actually prefer it. Not every game has to be open world. But it would have been nice for at least some freedom in exploring the map or something.

    Overall, I truly recommend this game. One of the best games I have ever played. If you love story-driven games, please give this game a shot!    … Expand
  11. lolfactor100
    Jan 29, 2016
    10
    Life is strange is a beautiful narrative driven games that give the player the choice of how the story unfolds and ultimately ends. Out of every game I have played this is the only one to bring me to tears and truly struggle with what i should do. It taught me more about myself that i even realized and made me feel more emotions than any other movie, book, TV show, or song. This, to me, itLife is strange is a beautiful narrative driven games that give the player the choice of how the story unfolds and ultimately ends. Out of every game I have played this is the only one to bring me to tears and truly struggle with what i should do. It taught me more about myself that i even realized and made me feel more emotions than any other movie, book, TV show, or song. This, to me, it is epitome of entertainment from a narrative perspective and i strongly recommend anyone to play this game and experience a work or art.… Expand
  12. Marzera
    Jan 29, 2016
    9
    Very few times have I ever been choking back my emotions not once, not twice, but throughout a bulk of the game. The dialogue can be corny, though the acting is top notch, and things can hit you in the gut if you're invested. But then it'll turn around and get you happy all over again.

    At first I had many gripes with the game, but as I went further, episode by episode, suddenly I grew    Very few times have I ever been choking back my emotions not once, not twice, but throughout a bulk of the game. The dialogue can be corny, though the acting is top notch, and things can hit you in the gut if you're invested. But then it'll turn around and get you happy all over again.

    At first I had many gripes with the game, but as I went further, episode by episode, suddenly I grew attached to them. The sometimes unnatural slang grew to be my favorite parts of some of the characters. The narcissistic qualities of others were purely understandable and, in a way, something you could relate to one way or another.

    The music was easily one of my least favorite parts of the game, mostly because I was prejudicial and wrote it off as 'hipster trash,' but then it too grew to be one of the best parts of the game's atmosphere. It felt genuine, it felt real. In some crazy way, I felt less of an outsider looking in and more inserted into the world.

    As I explored the game, episode by episode, I quickly grew attached to the world involved. Soon I cared less and less about getting the right reaction, and instead I focused more on building a relationship (as pathetic as that may sound,) with everyone, no matter how superfluous it may ultimately end up.

    Maybe it was the lack of sleep I had the previous night, but something really clicked for me. If it wasn't for the fact I wasn't alone in the house when I finished up episode 5, I more than likely would've cried my eyes out. This would fall under the category of "Things I would never do, under any circumstance" clause of my personality, but somehow Life is Strange broke down that wall and I'm still feeling the effects of the game's ending over 24 hours later.

    I doubt I would ever, ever play this game again. But not because I thought it was boring, or lackluster. Instead, it's because of the emotional anguish it brought to me. A bittersweet type of agony, I never want to experience again, but am glad I did. Now excuse me, I have more self loathing to catch up on, because.. reasons.

    TL;DR This game emotionally destroyed me, I entirely do not regret playing the game, regardless of my soul being crushed through the myriad ways delivered throughout.    … Expand
  13. oz4n
    Jan 27, 2016
    4
    This game shouldn't get any higher than 5. After playing the fourth season for a while, I realized that my choices somehow were connected to a very few final decisions. So within the game, you don't actually "tailoring" anything, but just fooling yourself like "Oh I just saved an ass" and eventually realize that it was for nothing.
  14. Saltank
    Jan 27, 2016
    9
    Incredible from start and even more incredible 'till finish.
    You wouldn't assume to form any sort of attachment to so many characters in a game at the start, but throughout each episode, you get more and more enthralled by the story and everything that's going on around you.
  15. sashaCZ1
    Jan 25, 2016
    9
    So I've recently finished Life is Strange. The first two episodes of the game feel way too slow and boring, to me at least. But you can feel the powerful story this game has since the third episode. This game's unique mechanic is time rewinding. The protagonist is able to manipulate time and change it whenever you want to. First, I thought it's a big mistake that they implemented thisSo I've recently finished Life is Strange. The first two episodes of the game feel way too slow and boring, to me at least. But you can feel the powerful story this game has since the third episode. This game's unique mechanic is time rewinding. The protagonist is able to manipulate time and change it whenever you want to. First, I thought it's a big mistake that they implemented this feature, but closer to the end, I understood that it was the right choice. It's the main mechanic of the game. Life is Strange wouldn't be so great without this ability. Gameplay-wise, I prefer Quantic Dream's and Telltale Games' way. I also loved the soundtrack for this game. I vote this game 9 out of 10.… Expand
  16. queka
    Jan 25, 2016
    9
    Life is strange is an exercise of amazing narrative with an indulgent gameplay. Dontnod has created a piece of art that exceeds expectations thanks to an enveloping story that makes us forget its faults. Truly exceeds the frontier of a videogame to become an interactive movie, the characters are memorable and feel like real people with worries, virtues and fears, but above all, it uses allLife is strange is an exercise of amazing narrative with an indulgent gameplay. Dontnod has created a piece of art that exceeds expectations thanks to an enveloping story that makes us forget its faults. Truly exceeds the frontier of a videogame to become an interactive movie, the characters are memorable and feel like real people with worries, virtues and fears, but above all, it uses all the tools available to create an intimate experience that is able to touch the heartstrings of the player.… Expand
  17. DearReview
    Jan 23, 2016
    6
    Un juego con una idea interesante al principio, que va perdiendo fuelle por culpa de los excesivos cliches que tiene. Life is Strange es la remodelación de la formula usada por Telltale Games a la hora de contar historia y creo que Square Enix lo ha echo francamente bien. No solo le ha plasmado su propio estilo a su obra, si no que además, ha mejorado la formula. La historia no es que seaUn juego con una idea interesante al principio, que va perdiendo fuelle por culpa de los excesivos cliches que tiene. Life is Strange es la remodelación de la formula usada por Telltale Games a la hora de contar historia y creo que Square Enix lo ha echo francamente bien. No solo le ha plasmado su propio estilo a su obra, si no que además, ha mejorado la formula. La historia no es que sea muy grandilocuente (aunque el juego se esfuerce en hacer que creamos que si) Es historia que intenta darnos ha hablar sobre las decisiones que tomamos a lo largo de la vida y todo eso, pero es que lo hacen tan mal que no sientes que tus actos tengan realmente una consecuencia real, si, hay cambios en la historia, vale; pero cuando llegas al final te das cuenta de que solo tienes dos finales para elegir y que todas tus otras decisiones no han importado nada, me parece tan estúpido este sistema que no le veo mucho sentido al juego.
    Los personajes son algo carismáticos y esta bien, no son nada del otro mundo.
    Un juego que si te gustaron las obras de Telltale Games y eres un adolescente o un adulto que busca ideas filosóficas baratas, este este juego. Si en cambio buscas un aventura gráfica más adulta y sobre todo más entretenida y menos pedante que esta, Grim Fandango es tu juego.    … Expand
  18. ZoDiAc_EnIgMa
    Jan 22, 2016
    8
    Good game but it has set Square Enix in a the episodic genre, and they are now doing it with the soon to be released Hitman. Square Enix does not have the experience, nor the skill to make every game franchise episodic. They should leave that to a more veteran company in the genre such as Telltale Games.
  19. Aladgar
    Jan 21, 2016
    7
    Nice game! I just feel something magical during the game so I just can't stop until the end. :) What I don't like are two things. First it's not long enough (minus 2 points) and second the choices are not good enough. The game has a good story but there are choices where I can choose for the big nothing so nothing change if I choose this or that. Fortunately there are just some but it'sNice game! I just feel something magical during the game so I just can't stop until the end. :) What I don't like are two things. First it's not long enough (minus 2 points) and second the choices are not good enough. The game has a good story but there are choices where I can choose for the big nothing so nothing change if I choose this or that. Fortunately there are just some but it's enough for me to give 1 less points. So the game is 7/10 for me.… Expand
  20. Darkly_Tranquil
    Jan 19, 2016
    8
    Life is Strange is easily the most unique game I have played in quite some time. It oozes style, thoughtfulness, and humanity, and tackles issues that aren't typical videogame fodder, eschewing alien invasions and zombie apocalypses in favour of exploring more grounded themes like growing up, belonging, friendship, and self discovery.

    The game's graphics are generally decent, with the    Life is Strange is easily the most unique game I have played in quite some time. It oozes style, thoughtfulness, and humanity, and tackles issues that aren't typical videogame fodder, eschewing alien invasions and zombie apocalypses in favour of exploring more grounded themes like growing up, belonging, friendship, and self discovery.

    The game's graphics are generally decent, with the devs having made the wise decision to go with slightly stylised character designs that don't strive to be photorealistic, but rather look more like watercolour portraits. Combined with a colour palette using lots of pastels and washed out colours, the visual design is striking and pleasing to the eye despite its relative simplicity. In terms of sound, the game is on point, with solid to excellent voice acting across the board, appropriate well mixed sound effects, and a soundtrack that, while not my style of music (indie guitar and vocals mostly), perfectly evokes the dreamy, melancholic mood that flows through the game.

    In terms of gameplay, Life is Strange is a point-and-click adventure, very much in the style of the Telltale games, with a strong focus on story, dialogue, and choices made through character interactions. There is nothing in the way of combat, and there are some light puzzles (nothing taxing), which is good because those would interfere with the core of the game, which is it's story and characters.

    Life is Strange's story centres around the protagonist Max Caulfield, a teenage girl with a passion for photography who returns to her childhood hometown for her final year of high school, and explores her relationships with friends and rivals as she unravels a series of suspicious goings on around the town that seem somehow connected. All the major characters are wonderfully realised and believable, and the supporting characters have also been thoughtfully written, even if some of them get limited screen tim. But it is Max and her best friend, Chloe, that are the stand outs, two very different personalities that complement each other perfectly. It's a testament to how well realised the characters in Life is Strange are that they made me pause and consider how utterly absurd and unbelievable the overwhelming majority of videogame characters are. Life is Strange's characters feel like people I could meet in real life. Hell, some of them feel like people I have met!

    That is not to say that the game is perfect. The environmental graphics are decidedly basic at times, even allowing for the artistic license of the visual style, there are some moments of decidedly clunky dialogue writing, the PC mouse controls were bad enough for me to just give up and use a controller instead, and the way the ending is handled may well prove unsatisfying for some. But in spite of these shortcomings, the game succeeds far more often than it fails, and remains a wonderful journey well worth taking.

    Overall, while Life is Strange is not necessarily one of the very best games I've ever played, it's without doubt one of the most thoughtful and genuinely unique, and I can't recommend it highly enough if you're looking for a bit of a different gaming experience.    … Expand
  21. BSim500
    Jan 19, 2016
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This review is marked spoiler because the plot is primarily what's wrong with the game (and it's impossible to discuss otherwise). By now you've probably read other negative reviews and figured out the problem - Episodes 1-4 build up a plot which Episode 5 literally makes zero sense of, leaving gaping plot holes in its wake and rendering the primary "gimmick" of the game pointless. You basically save the life of a friend in Episode 1 by rewinding time, then use that power from then on to help your friends. By series 5, you are "told" that use of that power has caused a storm that'll destroy the town. Your "choices":-

    Ending 1 - You "rewind your rewinds" back to the beginning to undo everything saving the town but causing your best friend to die. Great except it makes zero sense for two reasons as laid out in Ep1 : 1. You already saw the storm coming BEFORE you used your power for the first time (the storm is the opening scene in Ep1), so it wasn't using your power that caused it. 2: The "rewind time" is actually creating "alternative reality loops", in which each time you rewind, you spin another loop. So even if "rewinding" did 'cause' the storm, doing a "big rewind" won't undo anything, it'll just create another parallel loop that'll make the storm even worse... The storm itself makes zero sense and trying to "rewind the rewinds" is openly contradicted by some comments in Episode 1. This ending actually eliminates every reason to play (and replay) the game in the first place!

    Ending 2 - You don't "rewind time" and the town is destroyed but your best friend lives. After spending early episodes talking about dating boys, you then ride off into the sunset shacked up with her after magically turning lesbian... Given the developer is the same one who created "Gone Home", this "twist" really isn't a surprise. But ignoring that, "the storm" itself still makes zero sense as a "consequence" of your power given it was already brewing before you initially used your power (which is never explained HOW or WHY you got it)...

    There are a lot of other "issues" as well : Adults writing as "with-it teenagers" is never easy, but every 18-21 year old in the game seems to still act like the worst Hollywood stereotypes of the 12-16 age group. Writing was cringe-worthy in many lines and the whole "high school drama queen" theme felt more annoying than immersive. Likewise, hardly any of the characters were actually likeable. Two or three of your "friends" (including the girl you 'save' Chloe) were unfriendly, petty and annoying enough to want to not save. What on the surface of some interactions appears as an initial "air of intellectualism", later gets shown to be cheap attempts at emotional manipulation followed by screwing up the plot after a bloated script collapses under its own weight. By that I don't mean it's "difficult to understand" but rather they introduced so much "stuff" regarding other characters on top of the main plot, by the time the end came they either forgot or lacked time / money to wrap everything up they introduced.

    In short "Life Is Strange" is another of those "your choices really really matter this time" point and click adventure games where not only do most of your choices not matter in the slightest, the only important choice you do make 5 mins before the end of Episode 5 wipes out all of your choices anyway yet still makes no sense either way...    … Expand
  22. Zer0TheHer0
    Jan 10, 2016
    0
    could be a good game,too bad is plagued by a terrible shoulder camera that makes exploring and moving around extremely annoying and awkward.what a terrible trend.leave the character in the center of the screen,devs.
  23. TitaniumDragon
    Jan 9, 2016
    8
    Life is Strange is about Max Caufield, a girl who goes to the prestigious Blackwell Academy, a private high school on the Oregon Coast. Or at least, the game claims to be set on the Oregon coast – in many respects, the game feels like it is on the opposite coast. The architecture of the academy and its racial demographics both feel much more northeastern than northwestern, and one of theLife is Strange is about Max Caufield, a girl who goes to the prestigious Blackwell Academy, a private high school on the Oregon Coast. Or at least, the game claims to be set on the Oregon coast – in many respects, the game feels like it is on the opposite coast. The architecture of the academy and its racial demographics both feel much more northeastern than northwestern, and one of the first characters you are introduced to is a sassy black lady, the likes of which is rather rare in a state where the coastal counties have 0.4-0.8% black people, and even the black people who live here generally don’t speak with an AAVE-type accent. But I digress.

    The game is about Max Caufield, a would-be photographer who, one day after her photography class ends, goes to the bathroom and takes a picture of a blue butterfly off in the corner. Moments later, a girl and a boy get in an argument in the bathroom over money, with the girl apparently trying to extort money from the boy. We quickly learn that the boy is psychotic, drugged-out classmate, rich kid Nathan Prescott, whose family also feels much like an East Coast establishment… and he has a gun, and, in a freakout, shoots the girl.

    At which point, Max wakes up back in class, and realizes that everything is playing out exactly the same. Realizing she can save the girl, she tries to excuse herself from class, but is stopped by her professor. At this point, she realizes she can rewind time, and does so, using it to her advantage to play out conversations perfectly to suit herself after exhausting all the possibilities. She then goes to the bathroom and desperately scrambles for a way to stop the shooting, eventually using her ability to carry objects back with her through time in order to prevent it from happening.

    As the game goes on, it quickly becomes a mystery – both about what happened to Rachel Amber, a friend of a friend who went missing six months before the story begins, and before Max came to the Blackwell Academy, as well as the mystery of why a bunch of freak meteorological phenomena are happening around town, including snowfall on a warm October day and large numbers of animals dying in the vicinity of the town.

    The central game mechanic is Max’s ability to mess with time. This manifests itself in two ways. In the first way, she can rewind events which just happened. The most common gameplay scenario, this allows you to play out every possible branch of conversation trees, change important decisions you just made to make them play out differently, give yourself more time to solve time-intensive problems, and even steal things by taking them, then rewinding backwards in time, keeping the item on Max. The way that conversations can be manipulated by carrying back favorable information through time is very interesting, as it allows you to gain information and ask questions without having to actually deal with the consequences of actually doing so, and to make things play out in your favor by being able to talk about personal things that the other person threw in your face to show how poorly you knew them.

    This is a lot of fun, and it also means that, unlike a lot of other adventure games, you can easily play out multiple variations on a scene and see which resolution you like the best. The game further plays with this by making most of the choices very morally ambiguous – is it better to keep quiet about Nathan Prescott having a gun in the bathroom, thus avoiding his ire and looking like a liar, or accusing him without evidence, thus potentially making him hate you but potentially setting up for other accusations to pile up against him later on? Do you take the blame for your friend’s pot, or let them take the blame for it themselves? Do you take a picture of a girl being bullied so as to have evidence to present later, or intervene and break up the argument?

    These decisions are frequently called back to, and a number of the scenes actually make you feel bad for the characters. A lot of the decisions also come back to haunt you more as you realize that the characters that you saw as one-dimensional jerks at the start of the game actually have a more human side, and you come to feel sorry for them while recognizing their flaws.

    If you like visual novel type works, this is probably closer to that than it is to a traditional video game. The plotline does not branch heavily, but your decisions are frequently referenced and mostly feel like they matter emotionally. If you don’t mind reading what amounts to a 20-hour long novel, and if the central time rewinding mechanic sounds interesting, it might be worth checking out the first episode, and then seeing if you want to buy the rest of it from there.

    If, however, games like the Walking Dead bore you, you should avoid this.    … Expand
  24. Theorycrafter
    Jan 7, 2016
    0
    It was described as a game about choices and consequences with "multiple endings".

    They were dealing with the consequences of choices well in the first 4 episodes.

    Until they give you just 2 obvious choices in the last minute, making you wonder what was the point of playing because both of them make all your decisions irrelevant.
  25. 0serg
    Jan 7, 2016
    10
    This is a masterpiece, it's as simple as that. It does not just makes you think and gives a lot of emotions during play, but makes you think and feel for long time after a game is over.

    It's a brilliant, smart and completed story that progresses from a nice, but simple and even sometimes boring Episode one towards a better Episode 2, excellent Episode 3, amazing Episode 4 and a good    This is a masterpiece, it's as simple as that. It does not just makes you think and gives a lot of emotions during play, but makes you think and feel for long time after a game is over.

    It's a brilliant, smart and completed story that progresses from a nice, but simple and even sometimes boring Episode one towards a better Episode 2, excellent Episode 3, amazing Episode 4 and a good ending in Episode 5. It's like a brilliant film, but with a deeper immersion. Square Enix found a great way to make you feel exactly what Max feels and it's a huge emotional experience

    And yes, there's plenty of drawbacks. In a game that is all about choices the story is very linear and hence number of choices is actually quite limited (and most of them do not change much). I guess it was simply far too difficult to fit such an amazing story into a non-linear world. The game does it's best to hide this problem and does it really, really well, but the problem is still there and it's visible sometimes. The visuals are nice, but character's faces in a game that is all about humans aren't visualized perfectly. The game deep immersion method means that when Max will be in trouble or frustrated, you'll be in trouble or frustrated as well (face a difficult or frustrating puzzles). But it all doesn't really matter. There's so much good in the game that all these problems are barely affecting gameplay after the few first hours. 11/10, it is sad that it'll be too difficult to expect another game that is that good anytime soon.    … Expand
  26. atown16667
    Jan 6, 2016
    10
    Donnie Darko+Girl With The Dragon Tattoo+Breakfast Club=Life Is Strange. It also equals amazing.

    You can nitpick all you want over any game you desire but if you stop coming from a biased angle (reference intended) and come at this game objectively you'll find it to be a masterpiece. Yes, cell shaded like graphics isn't for everyone and yes, it isn't your typical run of the mill game    Donnie Darko+Girl With The Dragon Tattoo+Breakfast Club=Life Is Strange. It also equals amazing.

    You can nitpick all you want over any game you desire but if you stop coming from a biased angle (reference intended) and come at this game objectively you'll find it to be a masterpiece. Yes, cell shaded like graphics isn't for everyone and yes, it isn't your typical run of the mill game (*cough cough COD players cough cough*), but rating this game based off of those criteria is like rating a painting by tasting it, it just doesn't make sense. The story is amazing no matter how you look at it. It's meticulously designed and lets the inner completionist indulge in every little convo that is available for Maximus to have. All the game mechanics have been done before (Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Walking Dead, etc..). Its NOT original just for those out there that praise its ingenuity, its just the way the game mechanics work with one another that makes it feel original. That being said, it does in no way take away from the game. It's like how everyone hates on quick time events. It only sucks if it ISN'T DONE RIGHT. Just look at Dragon's Lair for an proper example of quick time events done right. The characters were so developed it felt like you were participating in a movie which in some cases made this game a turn off for some gamers. I understand that everyone has their own idea of what makes a good game and what genre's each individual likes will be different. THAT DOESN"T MEAN THE GAME IS BAD! It just means you are not partial to the game style, so please don't come into a popular rating website and spam 0's across the board because you didnt like the style. Once again that's like rating art by tasting it....... it doesn't make sense. Enjoy this game for what it is: an expression of art, and I'll bet some of you hardcore COD players will begrudgingly admit that the game's developers really hit the mark on this one. Once again, be objective, not biased wehn playing games. Especially if you are going to rate them.    … Expand
  27. tomchee
    Jan 5, 2016
    9
    It was perfect, if it didn't have "typical american story" smell. But still, i loved it. So its a "typical american story", mastered :) Besides, it was only £9, so totally worth it.

    I never liked Telltale's stuff, so at the start i was suspicious. Great job DONTNOD Team, u changed my mind about this genre! :)
  28. Impirus
    Jan 5, 2016
    10
    One of the most beautiful experiences i have ever had, the soundtrack and the story are so beautiful, truly i am blessed to be a gamer and have games such as this one and you can't find an engaging story in books or movies since the books has no sound or enviroment and the movies end quick but not this one and i hope for anyone to buy it to be touched right in the feels
  29. chowkaideng
    Jan 2, 2016
    9
    One of the most amazing adventure story choice-based games I've ever played. It doesn't matter if you are not too much into this kind of teenagers story background plots, you'll start loving the characters after just a few minutes and it will absolutely capture your imagination with its impressive atmospheric graphics and music. Truly, an interactive experience to enjoy. All thumbs up.
  30. nathaniel_b
    Jan 2, 2016
    9
    Dontnod Entertainment has developed a fantastic, hand-drawn video-game with many unique twists that can be relatable to almost everybody. The game allows you to choose your decisions, making it impossible to resist playing it again to see the other outcomes of the game. My favourite sections of the game are at the end of each episode, because there is always something different from theDontnod Entertainment has developed a fantastic, hand-drawn video-game with many unique twists that can be relatable to almost everybody. The game allows you to choose your decisions, making it impossible to resist playing it again to see the other outcomes of the game. My favourite sections of the game are at the end of each episode, because there is always something different from the previous episode and the next episode, although everything seems to make sense as you watch the last two episodes.

    I think only let down of the game would be at the end of the last episode, because it didn't really summarise the game or show why some things happened.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best PC Game of 2015
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
19
#19 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Softpedia
    Jan 28, 2016
    85
    Life Is Strange is an imperfect video game and the actual mechanics of playing it, including the time rewind, can become annoying of frustrating, especially when the development team tries to borrow from another genre. But the game makes it easy to create a connection with Max and to care about her choices and trials, a rare feat, and that means any fan of narrative-driven experiences should try it out to see how he deals with the feelings of the protagonist and the impact they have on Arcadia Bay.
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  2. PCWorld
    Jan 19, 2016
    80
    Life is Strange is flawed, but this paranormal coming-of-age story is nevertheless refreshing proof that small stakes can still feel important, given strong characters.
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  3. IGN Spain
    Jan 18, 2016
    86
    Life is Strange is a brilliant concept that you will love if you forget prejudices.
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