Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Farewell

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Metro GameCentral
    Mar 5, 2018
    We’re not giving this bonus episode a score because it’s only an hour long, and it will mean nothing to anyone that hasn’t played all the other episodes. But we strongly recommend both series to anyone that enjoys slow-burning interactive storytelling. We just warn you that, emotionally speaking, it’s going to be a rough ride – for you and the characters.

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best PS4 Game of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 106 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 106
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 106
  3. Negative: 15 out of 106
  1. DuffySteffanni
    Mar 7, 2018
    10
    Remains one of my favorite series to date. You can actually start here before the original cause its a prequel beginning to end. But I LovedRemains one of my favorite series to date. You can actually start here before the original cause its a prequel beginning to end. But I Loved the first just a bit more, so probably start there. I feel like this was almost as great. I got the same emotional rollercoaster which I loved in the first. I just missed Max from the other game. You get emotionally attached to all the characters. Max was just so relatable to myself so she was my favorite. You will relate to one character at least because their attitudes are very realistic. This series is a beautiful experience. Every gamer should atleast try both but this game definitely gets a bit lifted up if you play the previous original first. Still great tho. And if you get the deluxe you will get an episode with Max! So go deluxe.… Full Review »
  2. Below_Average
    Mar 6, 2018
    5
    See bottom for tl;dr and positivity!

    Life is Strange has, unfortunately, not gone out with the bang alluded to in the opening scene of the    See bottom for tl;dr and positivity!

    Life is Strange has, unfortunately, not gone out with the bang alluded to in the opening scene of the episode. Rather, it was more akin to the sad, slow sputtering let out by a slightly underfilled balloon when released. Being a bonus episode, it is short and very bare-boned. I assume the team working on it did put in effort, but it simply didn't have the manpower or budget put behind a normal, full-release episode. It was nice to have Ashly Burch and Hannah Telle back, though both seemed a bit unsure exactly how to voice their younger selves, with several takes having them slip fully back into their adult Max and Chloe voices. It was almost as if no two lines sounded quite the same, especially early in the episode. On top of that, these two make up two thirds of the voice acting ensemble for the entire episode, and account for about 90% of the dialogue, with the rest coming from a tape recorder. I am quite impressed with Burch's writing, however. Given the limited budget and scope of the episode, she did a commendable job.

    That said, this episode is short and has minimal payoff for fans of the series, and if you're just a casual fan then I'd give this one a skip, as to really get anything out of it you will need to have played the original Life is Strange. (Though if you haven't, what are you doing here?! Go play it right this instant!) I explored every nook and cranny of each scene and got through it in about an hour and a half. If you did a casual playthrough you might get 45 minutes to an hour out of it. The plot is worth a few laughs if you are a fan of Max and Chloe's (Pricefield) relationship, and it does have some heartwarming moments, but there are no real stakes, the entire episode is just two teenagers reminiscing about the past and Max worrying about her move to Seattle. The "twist" will be spoiled for any fans of the series at about the midway point, and also poses some continuity issues, which I won't get into so I don't spoil the ending for anyone who somehow doesn't see it coming.

    One thing that I myself didn't see coming is that the music is extremely sparse. There are perhaps 4-5 tracks in the entire episode, including ambiental music. Given that Life is Strange has always been centered around its music, walking around in complete silence for half of its swan song was a bit off-putting. However, I do have to mention that the overly-dramatic attic music did get a chuckle out of me. Another not so pleasant surprise is that some of the voice lines were not very well edited. I usually don't notice these things, but there was a very distinct echo on some lines, as well as others having odd muffling effects that seemed very out of place.

    The one saving grace for this episode is the characters. Burch gave a strong showing under difficult circumstances with a tiny budget here. I believe she was the sole credited writer, and she did a great job with what she had. While the story itself was honestly not interesting, she did a wonderful job expressing Max and Chloe's characters in the writing. I was a bit befuddled that the episode ended when it did, but I would assume it was a budgetary issue. It would have been very interesting to have a real conversation in the epilogue. Though perhaps this is Deck Nine's plot calling card, as the ending to Before the Storm was the same, there was no dialogue.

    All in all, as a bonus episode, it is passable. However, I'm reviewing this while putting a mirror up to the series (plural) that came before it, and it just doesn't quite live up. While I respect the love that the cast and crew obviously have for the series, the budgetary constraints clearly caused some problems here. Between the sparse audio, middle of the road graphics, and meandering plot, I can only recommend this episode to superfans who need one last shot of Pricefield in their veins, because it will fulfill that need. To everyone else, you won't be missing anything by not playing this. It was obviously designed with longtime superfans in mind, and it does a decent job catering to them, but it won't offer anything to newer fans, or even those who have only played Before the Storm.

    P.S.- Life is Strange honestly felt like a once in a generation game. It had its issues of course, but between the developers' community relations and willingness to go where no developer has before in terms of subject matter, it was great to experience. These have been the best narrative based games I have played, and while I may always seem critical, I simply want to give constructive criticism to see the series improve. I wish the DONTNOD and Deck Nine teams all the best going forward, and I look forward to reviewing Season 2.

    P.P.S.- Dear DONTNOD, If this was a tryout to bring Burch on as a writer for Season 2, I would definitely say she passed.

    Ratings:
    Story: 3/5
    Audio: 2/5
    Graphics: 3/5
    Replayability: 1/5
    Pirate induced smiles: 5/5
    Overall: 5/10    … Full Review »
  3. nanansgxz2
    Jan 18, 2023
    10
    《奇异人生：暴风雨之前》的告别奖励剧集很短，但应该需要为该系列的粉丝播放。在麦克斯和克洛伊变得如此奇怪之前，对麦克斯和克洛伊的生活进行了深思熟虑的一瞥。《奇异人生：暴风雨之前》的告别奖励剧集很短，但应该需要为该系列的粉丝播放。在麦克斯和克洛伊变得如此奇怪之前，对麦克斯和克洛伊的生活进行了深思熟虑的一瞥。
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