Life is Strange: Episode 5 - Polarized

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 276 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 209 out of 276
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 276
  3. Negative: 31 out of 276

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  1. TheDestroyer
    Oct 24, 2015
    9
    The ending feels rushed!!! Not gonna sugarcoat it. I love this series with all my heart, but the amount of endings you can get doesn't feel satisfying at all considering the amount of decisions and build-up before then. Don't let this stop you from purchasing it though - it is still worth every nickel and dime.

    Episode 5 - 9 out of 10
  2. jcarl663
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    When I first got episode 1 I didn't expect things to go this way. All of the things you did throughout the game come to a head in this episode, culminating in a choice I wouldn't wish on anyone. It went from weird hipster drama to something much, much more meaningful.
  3. Eslamoov
    Oct 23, 2015
    10
    The only sentence that describes this beautiful, emotional, breathtaking video game it would be a fu***** roller coaster of feels.
    An amazing ending to a surprisingly amazing game, the surprise of the year for me.
  4. makakz
    Oct 24, 2015
    10
    Good ending of a good game.The must-have if you like good and sad stories like this.And the only minus is your heart broken and your feelings crushed.
  5. Djurdjen
    Oct 20, 2015
    10
    Though your choices don't matter much in this episode (except for the last one), this was still a spectacular and intense finale. I think i've never been so emotionally attached to a video game protagonist. This is without doubt the best game I've played this year.
  6. keithjonjonson
    Oct 21, 2015
    10
    This was by no means a perfect finale, as it felt just a bit muddled, with similar hits and misses in the dialogue. BUT THIS EPISODE NEEDS TO BE STUDIED AND ABSORBED by future episodic gaming teams. It is still unquestionably a 9.9 in my view. Polarized was brilliantly inventive, and in all the chaos, still hammers home the point it's been making all along: Life is... f****'d up. But noThis was by no means a perfect finale, as it felt just a bit muddled, with similar hits and misses in the dialogue. BUT THIS EPISODE NEEDS TO BE STUDIED AND ABSORBED by future episodic gaming teams. It is still unquestionably a 9.9 in my view. Polarized was brilliantly inventive, and in all the chaos, still hammers home the point it's been making all along: Life is... f****'d up. But no one is alone.… Expand
  7. josh671
    Oct 20, 2015
    10
    Fantastic final episode that really does draw from the previous 4 episodes in a surprising way. Highly recommended, if you were waiting for the final episode to purchase the game you have a great 5 part series ahead.
  8. krimokrimo
    Oct 21, 2015
    10
    This game managed to do something, what a few months ago, when it all started, I never thought it would.
    It concludes the plot inhabiting a wide range of themes and emotions in one final crescendo that is so well done, that I was in tears when it ended.
    Definitely recommended!
  9. SerioosSam
    Oct 21, 2015
    10
    I have never once felt so emotionally attached to a game! This really is a masterpiece with no other games like it. I am interested and care for pretty much every character I have witnessed throughout the previous episodes. This last one is a complete emotional thunderstorm. *pun intended* Although I am now questioning my final choice I had to make in the game, I am still satisfied with itI have never once felt so emotionally attached to a game! This really is a masterpiece with no other games like it. I am interested and care for pretty much every character I have witnessed throughout the previous episodes. This last one is a complete emotional thunderstorm. *pun intended* Although I am now questioning my final choice I had to make in the game, I am still satisfied with it and will most likely be replaying the episodes and getting all the trophies. 10/10 this is genre defining at its greatest! I will still be thinking about this for days to come.… Expand
  10. Atreidesx
    Jan 8, 2016
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Episode 5 doesn't ruin the previous 4, but definitely does it's best. None of your choices up until this point matter. You make a choice in the end and everything you've done up until this point is invalidated. I've heard others discussing this game say "it's the journey, not the destination" that matters, but after the ending the journey never happened. SO many things do not make sense.

    -Why did Max get the powers? She got her first vision warning her about the storm, which only occurred because she got time travel powers? Not saving Chloe stopped the tornado. Why? Other things still changed. There is not way Max behaves and says EXACTLY the same things in the timeline where Chloe dies. Everything would be different and the time travel still resulted in a "new" timeline compared to Max being a normal student.

    -If you save Chloe, does every man, woman and child in the town die? This would have been a perfect place to show the people you befriended survive. Max's parents are still alive... so do Chloe and Max just drive to Seattle and live with them now? Did Max text them to let them know she's ok? The town looked beat up but the diner was still standing... did the dynamic duo check to see if her mom was fine?

    -Really, a stealth sequence? I didn't find it very difficult, but a stealth sequence?!? AND they had the nerve to wink at the camera and put some jokes in about how tedious the bottle collecting thing was in episode 2? During a stealth sequence that was much worse.    … Expand
  11. mac1275
    Oct 22, 2015
    5
    Where to start? First off, I just wanted to say that I've really enjoyed the series so far. I don't really connect with most of the characters at all, but the game had a really interesting story to tell. The first 4 episodes had some hiccups here and there, but overall really seemed to be building up to a HUGE finale...then episode 5 happened and I'm left feeling dissatisfied. TheWhere to start? First off, I just wanted to say that I've really enjoyed the series so far. I don't really connect with most of the characters at all, but the game had a really interesting story to tell. The first 4 episodes had some hiccups here and there, but overall really seemed to be building up to a HUGE finale...then episode 5 happened and I'm left feeling dissatisfied. The ending is there basically as a way to say well done, you've had zero impact on the game whatsoever, here's the story we wanted to throw in your face. To be fair, there were some satisfying moments of this episode and there was some payoff, but it's almost depressing how much filler was flung in to pad out the play time and again the ending just made me feel like a spectator rather than bring me into the world like the rest of the game had done such a great job of.

    Overall, it's worth playing if you've followed the series to this point, but don't expect anything special or you'll leave disappointed.    … Expand
  12. Zzgashi
    Nov 3, 2015
    7
    The ending is very predictable, safe, and devoid of any soul or creativity. A huge let down from a series that had many moments of potential. It felt rushed, and like they caved into fan theories, leaving them completely unable to tell their own story. Would only recommend if it was on sale.
  13. doboszsite
    Oct 24, 2015
    9
    I'm very happy to see story base game which do not feature deus ex machina at the end. Limiting player choice this time proved to be the right approach.
  14. roshi82
    Nov 23, 2015
    9
    I loved the entire series but the ending just didn't do it for me. But all together the game was AMAZING and I would highly recc to ANYONE! The ending which I wont spoil... I wanted it a bit darker. (maybe it was for some)
  15. kbm
    Nov 4, 2015
    9
    An enjoyable and intriguing story that pulled me in closer every single episode. A story about capturing the moment as well as helping those around you whilst not wasting a single second. This game emphasises player choice and consequences, reminding you about them throughout your playthrough.
    Some may say that the story is about love while others will say it's about moving on, that's the    An enjoyable and intriguing story that pulled me in closer every single episode. A story about capturing the moment as well as helping those around you whilst not wasting a single second. This game emphasises player choice and consequences, reminding you about them throughout your playthrough.
    Some may say that the story is about love while others will say it's about moving on, that's the beauty of it - it depends on you, the player and how you feel about the story and characters. Do ALL your choices matter in the end? No. Is that what the game was about? No. It's about the journey you had, and the two final options in the game which are unavoidable.
    Life is Strange is a heart-wrenching, beautiful story and I hope to see more from DONTNOD Entertainment in the future.    … Expand
  16. EnriqueUlloa
    Nov 25, 2015
    9
    Love the series but i was a bit disappointed by the last episode, it felt rush and clumsy. Even with the ending being really predictable it was still amazing, definitely one of favorite games of all time.
  17. greghll
    Dec 22, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. “Polarised” had the potential to close these mysteries, storylines and relationships with a thrilling climax and perhaps a promise of more to come in some way of form. Sadly, it fell short of these ideals and collapsed under the weight of the expectation LIS built up.

    In the vein of some TV shows such as “Lost”, “Life is Strange” created so much mystery and intrigue that the writers apparently shied away from the challenge of true closure. The game starts well enough, as Max makes a necessary escape from her captor and sets off in search of a friend as a deadl storm hits town. T

    This section of the game was designed well but from there, things fall apart. as the climax beckons, Max descends into a a set of psychological challenges, as friend and foe alike is represented in a dreamy or nightmarish set of tasks.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan this type of art and gameplay when it’s well done, but ‘Polarised’ doesn’t get the balance right. The game designed is so focused on the artistic side of things that the play itself as, at times, awful. In one challenge, imaginary versions of Max’s friends “patrol” an area she must pass, all the while taunting her with attacks at her confidence. It’s somewhat in the vein of games such as “Manhunt” or more recently “Far Cry”, but while those games got a great balance of setting, atmosphere and play, “Polarised” fails. The whole thing becomes little more than pot luck and Max’s “time rewind” power - used so well before now - makes things even more random and annoying.

    Sadly things only go downhill from there. Max encounters further challenges and a meeting with a doppelganger set in her own psyche that, while they are presented as profound and dark, are actually very simple. The lack of real challenge only swerves to dissuade the illusion of some kind of psychological warfare going on in Max’s mind. It’s a shame because it could have been a truly great gaming experience.

    The final disappointment was perhaps the most crucial. Throughout “Life is Strange”, Max and her friend Chloe have balanced their dialogue carefully. Max offers a precocious, critical if somewhat melodramatic look at life while Chloe offers the typical teenage dialogue balanced enough to expose her pained background, rebellious nature and affection for Max all in one. It would have been easy to swing too far in one direction but the writers kept a good balance: Chloe’s “hella” comment were not overdone and the cursing never felt gratuitous.

    In my view that all collapsed at the worst time: the final, climatic conversation. The final conversation between Chloe and Max becomes repetitive and unconvincing. Again, I sense this is due to the writers lacking faith int heir own ability to truly finalise the expectation they have built up throughout the episodes. It felt as though someone believed players would be unsure of the love between the characters or the emotional intensity of the moment, so felt the need to remind us of it several times over.

    It creates an anti-climax only exacerbated (for me at least) by the closing scenes. The ending felt forced, offering Max no chance to reflect, to speak to other characters or to drop hints - from the inside or outside the actual story itself - of anything else to come. The lack of actual playability in the closing sections of “Polarised” was yet another source of frustration for me and probably as symptom of the lack of satisfaction at the way everything played out.

    It all felt a huge let-down, but the ending of “Life is Strange” does not detract from its many positive points. The series as a whole remains innovative, refreshing, clever and highly enjoyable. The disappointing ending may yet serve as a learning curve for the studio and if their next work can build on this polished and impressive creation, there could be some classics in the pipeline.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Games Master UK
    Jan 3, 2016
    91
    Confident, strident, beautiful and different. [Christmas 2015, p.80]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 16, 2015
    60
    Fractured. [Christmas 2015, p.79]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Dec 15, 2015
    60
    While the episode does provide a conclusion to Max’s bittersweet story, its splintered things apart more than tied them all together. [January 2015, p75]
See all critic reviews »