Life is Strange

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2178 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,832 out of 2178
  2. Mixed: 217 out of 2178
  3. Negative: 129 out of 2178
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  1. PsychoShane123
    Feb 15, 2017
    7
    An enjoyable teen drama. With its likable characters, intriguing plot and a surprising amount of depth, Life is Strange only falls short in its sometimes cringe dialogue.
  2. anand5059
    Feb 11, 2018
    6
    Okay game, Story and music is good but gameplay never feels interesting and can feel repetitive at times though the story demands it. Not much of thrilling choice consequences is felt in the game like Heavy Rain or Until Dawn.
  3. Drake_Gunjin
    Apr 12, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Juego idie emotivo y con foco en la historia.

    Cuando comienzas la aventura llamada Life is Strange, lo primero que notas es su aspecto visual que sin ser de la calidad de un AAA destaca por su aspecto artístico. La banda sonora es un elemento que te envuelve y a diferencia de muchos juegos no esta para acompañar a la obra, pero cabe destacar que no se trata de un soundtrack creado para el juego, es un recopilatorio de temas licenciados de otros artistas que calzan con la obra.

    Nuestra protagonista es Max es un personaje con el que muchos podrán fácilmente sentirse identificado y gracias al sistema de decisiones podemos interpretarla acorde a dos formas claves. Las que dicten nuestro corazón que no siempre serán las mejores o las que tomemos de forma más calculadora pero que nos dejaran con la sensación de traición a nuestros sentimientos como jugador.

    La historia es contada en formato de capítulos que la separan como si se tratase de una serie de televisión. El problema no es la división por episodios sino que esta obra fue tratada como un producto y vendida por partes, este es un elemento que en lo personal no apoyo y siento que se basa en una estrategia económica y no aporta en el resultado final del vídeo juego.

    El aspecto jugable es sin duda el talón de Aquiles de este título, debido a que por muy emotivo que sea un titulo nunca se debe olvidar que es un vídeo juego y por ende la jugabilidad "debe" y lo repito "debe" ser satisfactorio para el jugador. Nosotros no somos espectadores o usuarios de una obra, somos jugadores y tenemos la necesidad de tener el control total de nuestro protagonista. En este importantisimo aspecto Life is Strange es terriblemente débil, impidiéndonos en momentos poder comportarnos como nos gustaría, realizar las ya típicas costumbres incoherentes de todo jugador, correr dentro de una habitación, romper cosas, golpear personajes, etc. Lo que intento decir es que entiendo que nadie espera que Max la protagonista vaya por la vida golpeando gente, pero no sería genial que pudiese hacerlo y que eso conlleve consecuencias en la historia.

    Finalmente es una gran obra con grandes aciertos pero con fallas terribles en el núcleo de si mismo. Lo recomendaría para quienes busquen un titulo centrado en la historia y con una durabilidad media. La re-jugabilidad es baja pero todos estos puntos no opacan el sentimiento que tendremos al finalizar este viaje. Es un buen título dependiendo del jugador que lo consuma, no recomendable para todo el mundo pero sin duda es un aire fresco que hoy en día difícilmente puede encontrarse en la industria.    … Expand
  4. nuzzlex
    Dec 26, 2016
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Life is Strange is a story that starts off strong, but ends so messed up it can't explain itself.

    The positives of Life is Strange is that it brings storytelling to a new level for the video game medium and it's world provides a lot of things to discover. You walk around the city as a photography student how gains the powers to manipulate time. There are chances to see an event and change it's outcome in different ways. Mostly to save your friend from death. Part narrative, part "I spy", part teenage drama this game does have a lot of enjoyment to provide.

    The downside of this game is that it does not make a lot of sense about what is going on. How Max, the main character, got her powers or why. With all the options and time-changing you'll be doing, you really only have 2 options that matter at all - which ruins that whole "your choices really matter" disclaimer dontnod provides.

    The next section has spoilers to the ending:

    Basically, after all the investigation and bonding in the previous chapters, Max gets two options: Let her friend die, or save the world. The game does not provide any reason to really care about friend (who's also a girl.) The game is obviously geared toward picking the romance options to make the player care about the friend. This is fine, but in a game that's all about choice its ruined when the player does not pick those choices. I didn't end up caring at all about the friend dying, the cost of the whole town's population well out weighed one persons life. Now this choice is much harder if you choose the romance route since they're lovers, but I'd like a game to not let me chose options that's against the intended emotion of the story. No one can have this opinion without being labeled "homophobic" apparently, but I generally didn't feel any romance between the two. A game should not punish you for making a choice it provides you with. The punishment being a real shoe-horned ending with emotions that came out of nowhere - which do feel very much in place if you pick the romance options.

    Beyond that the source and reasons for Max's powers are never explained in the slightest. One can infer that the meddling of time is causing a time paradox in which two timelines or universes are crashing, but like most of this game the "answers" are just theories.

    The ride and the situations are pretty fun, for a small studio this really is a gem. However, this is not the masterpiece its claiming to be.    … Expand
  5. seyiDALegend
    Jul 22, 2017
    6
    Story and Characters: 8/10
    For a teen drama, this turned into a surprisingly deep storyline as it dapples with time travel theory, mental illness and the perils of being a high school kid. Unfortunately the juicy parts don't come until the second half (from episode 3 onwards) with a huge plot twist that kickstarted a roller coaster set of events. The main characters each represented    Story and Characters: 8/10
    For a teen drama, this turned into a surprisingly deep storyline as it dapples with time travel theory, mental illness and the perils of being a high school kid. Unfortunately the juicy parts don't come until the second half (from episode 3 onwards) with a huge plot twist that kickstarted a roller coaster set of events. The main characters each represented individual pieces of a well-fitted jigsaw puzzle that was the day-to-day experience of going to Blackwell Art School in Arcadia Bay. Although I had issue with one character. I didn't feel that emotionally invested in Chloe which is pretty vital if you are to make the right choices as you play Max. I was conflicted with the fact, she had no more redeeming personality traits than say Victoria or Nathan besides the simple fact that she's Max's best friend.

    Gameplay 3/10:
    Probably the worst part of this game. And remember this is a "game" so I cannot really be lenient even if this not your run of the mill type. I nearly gave up by episode 2 simply because I couldn't stomach the shallow, filler-esque interaction with objects/obstacles that make up the majority of the gameplay. I wish I could just watch cut scenes and make decisions for the first 3 episodes because everything else was a grind.
    The dialogue choices are a big part of the game so I expected this to be done exceptionally well but they weren't. There were too many times where you were given only 1-3 words to hint at each major choice option that left you choosing blindly. This didn't happen enough at key moments to ruin the experience but it was a minor inconvenience.
    Even with my initial criticism, the gameplay actually gets better in the second half of the game as if the developers were learning of new, cool ways to utilise the time travel elements after episodes of primitive interactions.

    Sound & Graphics 8/10:
    The soundtrack was extremely fitting and provided an authentic atmospheric experience of an American adolescent in a rural town trying to find herself in a messed up reality. The graphics are obviously below-par for this generation but kudos to the artistic direction taken to not attempt to look "current-gen". This made the graphical presentation suitable and actually enhanced the experience. But the animation and lip sync were unforgivably poor throughout that made even some of the more important cut scenes an eye sore.

    Dialogue & Writing 4/10:
    Maybe I have rated this low due to my British upbringing but the dialogue for huge parts of the episodes were poorly thought out. It's amazing how the voice actors made every line sound authentic but couldn't mask the repetitive routes of conversations Max had with side characters. It tended to follow a pattern of: side character succinctly pouring their heart out and Max providing as little depth in reassurance as a 8-year-old with English as their second language. Aka "You're awesome, don't worry, everything will be okay". If someone told me Max was 14 years old and not actually 18, I would say that made sense. On top of this, at one point she was literally having the same conversation with everyone when searching for "that person" at "the party".
    In addition to rewinding time and making dialogue choices, you spent a lot of time investigating your surroundings and Max providing verbal commentary of her thoughts. These short expressions of thought were bland, predictable and didn't add anything to the storytelling. It reached a point where I stopped exploring my surroundings as hearing Max say the obvious drove me insane.

    Overall:
    I was satisfied by the end of it but couldn't overlook what a drag the first 3 episodes were. The writing should have been better even taking into consideration the maturity levels of the students. The game got better with the final 2 episodes being fantastic and actually utilising the potential of time-travel as a gameplay mechanic but with each gameplay element I've seen better.

    I would recommend this to:
    Any American who had a hard time in high school, there's a lot of themes you can relate
    Lovers of time travel theory. Make it to the Episode 4 and you're in for a ride. (Or just watch Stein Gate if you're into Anime, it does time travel a lot better.)
    Fans of Punk Rock, early 2000s, acoustic guitar music. The soundtrack is phenomenal in that regard.
    Gamers who want their decisions to matter.    … Expand
  6. archaim
    Jul 10, 2020
    5
    От других игр в жанре интерактивного кино эту игру отличает интересная механика перемотки времени. Занятно иметь возможность отмотать время назад и попробовать другие варианты развития диалогов.
    К сожалению, сюжет игры довольно посредственный, а концовка... ну это совсем плохо. Концовка предоставляет выбор из 2 вариантов, один из которых этически неприемлем, а другой — полностью обнуляет    От других игр в жанре интерактивного кино эту игру отличает интересная механика перемотки времени. Занятно иметь возможность отмотать время назад и попробовать другие варианты развития диалогов.
    К сожалению, сюжет игры довольно посредственный, а концовка... ну это совсем плохо. Концовка предоставляет выбор из 2 вариантов, один из которых этически неприемлем, а другой — полностью обнуляет сюжет, скатывая прогресс в ничто. Очень фрустрирует и полностью рушит впечатление от неплохой, в прочем, игры.    … Expand
  7. RaFfr0
    Aug 30, 2017
    5
    I know people will disagree with me but honestly, i didn't find the great story that everyone told me or the likeable characters, by the end i was annoyed but almost everyone. I do recognize that there were some good moments and enjoyable passages but i was bored almost all the game.
  8. Globox_ARG
    Jun 18, 2017
    5
    La idea de la historia y del juego esta bien, pero el final se siente como si todo lo que has jugado no tiene importancia alguna, porque solo hay dos finales posibles. La jugabilidad es aburrida, los puzles sin dificultad alguna y hay muchas cosas sin dentido que no se explican en la historia. El final del juego es muy denso, lento y aburrido. EN mi opinión, es una buena idea, malLa idea de la historia y del juego esta bien, pero el final se siente como si todo lo que has jugado no tiene importancia alguna, porque solo hay dos finales posibles. La jugabilidad es aburrida, los puzles sin dificultad alguna y hay muchas cosas sin dentido que no se explican en la historia. El final del juego es muy denso, lento y aburrido. EN mi opinión, es una buena idea, mal ejecutada, una historia que parece impresionante y desilusiona muchísimo al final. Jugabilidad mediocre y lenta… Expand
  9. sityoazzdown
    Jul 30, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I thought this was a very meh entry into the interactive game genre. First thing first, yes I did think the story was good, but the whole rewind mechanics totally destroys the whole point of the story game. Yes, its cool to see different outcomes until you get your preferred choice; but for me the magic of these type of games, is you live with your choice and face the consequences, sure you can cheat in other games, but I enjoy facing my consequences in these games. There is no risk and reward in this game for me, and there are a couple of times where the game screws you, and completely takes away your powers. Those two things break the immersion for me, I went through the whole game thinking, ok if I mess up, there is the rewind. Apart from gameplay-wise, I also never liked Chloe, anyone who probably liked this game made a connection with chloe, but not me. She's just a spoiled troublemaker with a big mouth, it's funny I actually liked her the most when she was disabled, she actually seemed like a caring person then. Basically, you can imagine the eye rolling for me during the last part of the game with that descision. While I did enjoy the "Dark Room" storyline, episode 1 was a horrible chick flick, 4 and 5 were big meh's that I wanted to end; but I did enjoyed the majority of episode 2 and 3. I also thought the whole time changing twist in the story was an eye roll or me, the moral of the story was basically "you cant change destiny, or there will be consequences". And also, If you chose 1 of the 2 endings, none of your choices in the whole game mattered, literally. All in all, I'll reccmmend a rent if you like interactive games, but that's pretty much about it. Pros: Good story revolving about the murders, Epsidoes 2 and 3. Cons: Chloe, rewind is unique but non-immersive, episodes 1 and 5.… Expand
  10. DrFriendless
    Aug 9, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wanted to like this game, and I wanted to appreciate what the designers were trying to do, but in the end it fell flat for me. That's a shame, because there were some really great things in there.

    My first complaint was with inconsistent behaviour of the rewind power. Sometimes when you rewind, things go back to where they came from. However Max does not, and things Max is carrying do not. This led to some situations where I had no idea what to do, and then the rewind power happened to operate in a way that solved the problem. I didn't feel like I'd figured anything out, it was just a case of "oh, I was supposed to know to do that".

    Then there were the choices. The game warns you that your actions have consequences. However they are not consequences that apparently affect the story, as Kate always dies and the storm always comes. So they're pretty meaningless choices.

    I don't want to ramble on forever, so I'll skip to the end. Which sorta what the game did. After a long pointless episode where Max visits William, the game rushed through so many twists that I lost track and stopped caring, to a super-dramatic conclusion where you're forced to sit through the same dull sequences over and over until you finally convince the right butterfly to flap its wings to create the right tornado. And the long "dream" sequence at the end was one of the most boring game sequences I have ever encountered.

    I felt like the pacing of the game was very disjointed and the writing was kinda random. At the beginning I wondered what the significance of the storm was, but by the end I decided I would never understand and I stopped caring. I just wanted it to be over.

    I don't mind walking games, but "Life Is Strange" was more like a sitting game where I was forced through long sequences of schmaltzy dialogue, and then I was dragged through sequences where I was forced to make some actions which were ultimately meaningless. Nevertheless, I have bought the prequel. Life is indeed strange.    … Expand
  11. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    7
    What Kind of Adventure?

    Graphic-Adventure Was it fun? My friends and I have decided that every Sunday, we would get together and play graphic adventure game. So we played 1 episode a week of Life is Strange and we finally finished it up last night. Every week, I looked forward to this game and it was a very enjoyable story. So yes, I had a lot of fun playing this game. Are    What Kind of Adventure?

    Graphic-Adventure

    Was it fun?

    My friends and I have decided that every Sunday, we would get together and play graphic adventure game. So we played 1 episode a week of Life is Strange and we finally finished it up last night. Every week, I looked forward to this game and it was a very enjoyable story. So yes, I had a lot of fun playing this game.

    Are there any similar games?

    Its a point and click/graphic adventure game, the style is very similar to Game of Thrones.

    Favorite Character?

    With games like this (and even TV shows), the way I judge whether I like a character is I ask myself, “Could I see myself hanging out and being friends with any of these people?” The only character that I found remotely relatable to me was Warren. Max the main character seemed like a nice person but she wasn’t very relatable for me and pretty much everyone else in the game was pretentious and unlikable.

    Would you play it again?

    I probably wouldn’t play this game again but I would be willing to watch someone else play the game and see the decisions that they make.

    Any Complaints?

    I didn’t care for the last episode. The first 4 episodes were full of character development and a great story line but the final episode felt like it was just going in circles and full of unnecessary fillers.    … Expand
  12. ourtimehascome
    Jul 2, 2017
    7
    Looking at the entirety of Life is Strange (and all of its episodes), I would have to argue it is overrated. As a story based game, it falls short by mimicking other more successful time travel stories like The Butterfly Effect and Donnie Darko, while lacing it with a sickeningly sweet, obnoxious young-adult tone, which although allowing the genre to be viewed through a new perspective,Looking at the entirety of Life is Strange (and all of its episodes), I would have to argue it is overrated. As a story based game, it falls short by mimicking other more successful time travel stories like The Butterfly Effect and Donnie Darko, while lacing it with a sickeningly sweet, obnoxious young-adult tone, which although allowing the genre to be viewed through a new perspective, ultimately falls short of doing anything actually innovative in the genre.

    What the game does is successfully give the player the illusion of making a choice - an admittedly difficult task in videogames which encourage player choice. Hence the overblown reviews and boated praise for the stereotypically emotive story. You may feel as though you are changing some aspect of this game, when in fact you couldn't be any more wrong.    … Expand
  13. painava
    Apr 10, 2022
    7
    I liked the soundtrack, some characters (Max, Chloe, Jefferson) and of course the final chapter. There were some game-breaking bugs, inconsistent voice actors and visual glitches in cutscenes. Not a fan of the edgy characters or the unrealistic melodrama. Overall it's a good game if maybe a little over-hyped.
  14. Kostas_Spirou
    Jan 28, 2022
    5
    I really like the concept of High School and Murder Mystery, and I think this game mixes both settings pretty well.

    The story is interesting and there are some good moments in it, but there's one point in the story where the game takes a turn that changes everything and it gets very messy, unexplained plot holes, a very boring antagonist, time travel powers that do not make sense and an    I really like the concept of High School and Murder Mystery, and I think this game mixes both settings pretty well.

    The story is interesting and there are some good moments in it, but there's one point in the story where the game takes a turn that changes everything and it gets very messy, unexplained plot holes, a very boring antagonist, time travel powers that do not make sense and an ending that makes all of your choices throughout the game completely pointless.

    I did enjoy the first half of the game, because everything felt fresh, and the story was easy to follow, but the gameplay got more and more repetitive, and in the end I was left with more questions than answers.

    Final Rating: "Average" ~ 5/10.    … Expand
  15. firstevil87
    Jul 12, 2019
    7
    Are videogames art?
    In Life in strange, the "video" part definetly is, the "game" part takes out points from becoming a masterpiece.
    Rarely in this generation, had a game resonated with me after I saw the end credits. But what is it about? It is hard to tell without going into spoiler territory, but let's try: You are Max, a young girl interested in photography, trying to live a    Are videogames art?
    In Life in strange, the "video" part definetly is, the "game" part takes out points from becoming a masterpiece.
    Rarely in this generation, had a game resonated with me after I saw the end credits.
    But what is it about? It is hard to tell without going into spoiler territory, but let's try:
    You are Max, a young girl interested in photography, trying to live a normal life juggling between social life and good grades.
    Things change when "something happens", forcing Max to question her decisions in life, her moral code, herself.
    The game plays like a barebones Point and Click adventure, where, the interactions with People is the main feature: what you do and say can affect the outcome of the story.
    There is a twist: your actions can be "rewinded" thanks to a mysterious power that Max discovers.
    The power is linked to the relationship with the co-protagonist Chloe, a moral counterpart to Max.

    Going forward the "story" part will keep the player engaged and hooked up to the screen, unfortunately the gameplay is not always on par with the writing.

    Despite this, if you follow the story till the end, you will find a gem that will keep you invested in the story of Max and the citizens of Arcadia Bay.    … Expand
  16. Sofatayra
    Nov 14, 2016
    7
    Kids nowadays needs to differentiate between a hard core Game and a point a lick story to follow based on choices . Life is strange is a great game and has an epic story however graphically its very acceptable , dialogue is very well done , the story is epic , worth playing just for the sake of the story. however i can`t compare this to the hard work put on the Witcher 3 or any other gamesKids nowadays needs to differentiate between a hard core Game and a point a lick story to follow based on choices . Life is strange is a great game and has an epic story however graphically its very acceptable , dialogue is very well done , the story is epic , worth playing just for the sake of the story. however i can`t compare this to the hard work put on the Witcher 3 or any other games that not only provide great stories and interaction which games are supposed to be . i would give life is strange a 8 but i dont want to encourage tell story games. The game overall remains very well done its gonna be a 7.5/10 for me… Expand
  17. p1menta
    Jun 7, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One more time I play a game too long after it's release, therefore my view upon the game is biased.
    LiS feels a bit dated to me. There has been too many games on this genre in my life already, so some things here didn't age all that well. Even the 'way too hipster indie' feels kinda old. If I've played this in 2015 it would hit right in the feels.
    Another thing i can't help but feel a little mad about is the exact same thing I've felt when I first watched The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher. I know this kind of plot is almost always trying to send a message, like, every action causes an unexpected reaction, and stuff like that. But it's weird to me, that the one character who has the power to reverse time and try different things, are always the one who can't change a thing. It makes it feel like the one using the power is just dumb and can't make things right.
    Either that or it makes the plot feels like "destiny" or "meant to be" wich I can only see as incoherente when someone can literally change events by going back in time. Like, how come Chloe is always dying or getting serious injured when you go back in time? I know it's fantasy and all, but how can there be a power to rewind time, and also a pre destyined event? It just doesnt make sense to me.
    That's why I thought like screw it, I'm saving my best friend, in the end. Whatever. But then I though, well, if saving her on the first time, around the butterfly, literally caused the cyclone, me "allowing" the whole town to be crushed is pointless because this "Final Destination vibes", this destiny thing is catching up with Chloe in the next few days once again.
    Alright, I made it feel like the game is not good, wich is not the case. I loved playing it, I've even cried here and there with story. My rating just cannot be that high, at least playing it 5 years after it's release. Maybe if I rewind time?    … Expand
  18. pongkrit03
    Apr 28, 2017
    7
    Life Strange is a good story-based game. It keeps me entertained for a while but the level of excitement is not consistent through all chapters.

    Ch 1 is good opening Ch 2 is boring, only exciting at the end but with the unfair of choices, you may get frustrated instead. Ch 3 and 4 are the best parts of the game, They are awesomely great, I couldn't stop playing Ch 5 is great multiple    Life Strange is a good story-based game. It keeps me entertained for a while but the level of excitement is not consistent through all chapters.

    Ch 1 is good opening
    Ch 2 is boring, only exciting at the end but with the unfair of choices, you may get frustrated instead.
    Ch 3 and 4 are the best parts of the game, They are awesomely great, I couldn't stop playing
    Ch 5 is great multiple twisted, but it adds nightmare part which is not related to the series at all. That part are boring and insignificant. It should be cut off.

    The Ending is very disappointing one. After you have been through 12-15 hours, you will left with 2 choices which are unrelated to what you have done before. You can select the ending you wanting. This is terribly wrong for the game that is story-based. They should have more than 5 endings at least and those endings should be able to select based on what you did from ch1-ch5. Yet, there is no best ending whatever.

    Puzzling solvign is ok, not the game strong point but not bad. Voice acting and character designs are superb. The main story apart from ending is very good overall (love Chloe so much). However, I also felt that many things were not reasonable.

    Overall, it is a good game for chilling out when you have free time and don't have thing to do.    … Expand
  19. Kaprawiec
    Mar 8, 2018
    7
    Life is Strange, and so is this game. I enjoyed it quite a bit but its not better than telltale games titles, especially because I dont dig main characters - one of them (Max) is ugly nerdy girl, whose story wouldnt be interesting to me even if she could manipulate time, and the other rebel girl is just dumb and also quite ugly teenager for me. Also - who the f*#ck is interested inLife is Strange, and so is this game. I enjoyed it quite a bit but its not better than telltale games titles, especially because I dont dig main characters - one of them (Max) is ugly nerdy girl, whose story wouldnt be interesting to me even if she could manipulate time, and the other rebel girl is just dumb and also quite ugly teenager for me. Also - who the f*#ck is interested in artistic photography. Yeah you make a picture with your camera, woohoo amazing.… Expand
  20. kiwikelly
    Mar 20, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'll give it a 7 instead of my initial 8 because of how it gave me a headache, it's practically impossible to understand. On the other hand, I guess that is the negative side of science-fiction..

    Putting that aside, the game has a lot of beautiful environments and, compared to most 'own-choice-making games' you get to do a lot of playing, instead of only picking answers to dialogues and moving now & then.

    You really get to play the game as it's supposed to be and I'm pretty sure that's what we buy it for.

    As for the graphics, nothing bothered me except Max' hair. It looked like a Minecraft cube when she showered.
    The game makers put a lot of thought in the rest though and I loved the little park in front of the school.

    SPOILER: I'm so happy they added the possibility to kiss Warren. It was very satisfying.    … Expand
  21. homer4president
    Jun 14, 2017
    7
    The theme of the game is all about cause and effect, and the game beats you over the head with it every chance it gets. The first two chapters will have you wondering why the game is so slow, and the last two will have you begging to slow down. Around 75% of your time is spent talking to other characters. Talking about feelings or what happened in the past or how they feel about whatThe theme of the game is all about cause and effect, and the game beats you over the head with it every chance it gets. The first two chapters will have you wondering why the game is so slow, and the last two will have you begging to slow down. Around 75% of your time is spent talking to other characters. Talking about feelings or what happened in the past or how they feel about what happened in the past. There is a LOT of dialogue here, and if you prefer more to explore or take action, you may find yourself bored while playing. The main character Max is supposed to be quirky and nerdy, and she can come off as cringe worthy.… Expand
  22. Nel
    Apr 21, 2017
    7
    Life is strange is sure a strange tale where you control a character, and during your journey it will feel very new and exciting for the first few episodes, but towards the end it gets old. As you can rewind any decision you make it make it not as intense as it could have been. The game is great if you love the hippie culture
  23. mackenzie129
    Nov 21, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Is it terrible? No not really. Was this game intended for me? probably not. I bought this thinking it would be like TTG. It kind of is? I found this game fun except for the finding the F***ing bottles and the ending stealth bs. I did enjoy it but near the end I was just thinking can this damn game just be over?? It would be honestly higher if it fixed two issues in my opinion
    -Graphics-
    -The ending seriously 2 choices all that **** and 2 choices, either kill Chloe or kill the city...I chose killing the city so none of my choices mattered...

    ACTUALLY wtf was up with the M. Night Shyamalan style twist? man screw that it wasn't necessary    … Expand
  24. Lewis-Angelo
    Nov 15, 2018
    5
    en resumen: al final del juego te dejan tomar la decisión que no te han dejado tomar en todo el juego

    los flashbacks le hacen un flaco favor al juego, porque no consiguen que las decisiones tengan el peso que realmente deberían de tener, y porque proponen puzles muy sosos la sensación de que no se puede cambiar mucho la historia hagas lo que hagas, y que si se ahorrasen un par de    en resumen: al final del juego te dejan tomar la decisión que no te han dejado tomar en todo el juego

    los flashbacks le hacen un flaco favor al juego, porque no consiguen que las decisiones tengan el peso que realmente deberían de tener, y porque proponen puzles muy sosos

    la sensación de que no se puede cambiar mucho la historia hagas lo que hagas, y que si se ahorrasen un par de horas de relleno quedaría mejor juego
    una pena, porque los personajes y los detalles están bastante bien trabajados a pesar de los fallos que hay con los viajes en el tiempo    … Expand
  25. jmlzhd
    Dec 14, 2016
    7
    I don't know why people are praising this game so much, I mean it is a good game that will make you engage in the story and make you feel for the characters but its not a 10 out of 10 content. Its an episodic game just like Telltale but Telltale is really good at it. I believe Square Enix is trying to bring more episodic games like this one and the Hitman but personally I don't like theI don't know why people are praising this game so much, I mean it is a good game that will make you engage in the story and make you feel for the characters but its not a 10 out of 10 content. Its an episodic game just like Telltale but Telltale is really good at it. I believe Square Enix is trying to bring more episodic games like this one and the Hitman but personally I don't like the idea of an episodic game, I mean its good to have these games episodically but what I'm against is the time frame between the episodes. If they want to give a gap between the episode, the maximum time limit should be 1 week but instead they are using 1 month of time period and that is really annoying.
    Now again about this game, it has a well driven story with really good characters but the voice and the mouth movement didn't match at all, and everyone had the same expression. If people are happy then facial expression of everyone looks exactly the same, its not like that someone is more or less happy but its the same.
    There are moments that will make you think afterwards but its not that kind of moments that will make you wanna play again. There is one thing that i really liked is that every choice you make in this game has a consequence.
    So the final verdict is that it would be preferable that you rent this game instead of buying it because there is a chance that after completing you will never play again.    … Expand
  26. VirgonoShaka
    Apr 22, 2018
    7
    Life is strange is a narrative base video game that tells a story that is full of good-great characters, emotional moments and decision based gameplay. On the whole, it is a solid entry in this genre and I felt invested in the story and the characters all the way. But I have to say that compared to others in this style, apart from the cool time travel mechanic and some neat visuals,Life is strange is a narrative base video game that tells a story that is full of good-great characters, emotional moments and decision based gameplay. On the whole, it is a solid entry in this genre and I felt invested in the story and the characters all the way. But I have to say that compared to others in this style, apart from the cool time travel mechanic and some neat visuals, nothing that ground breaking or new is here, and while your decision do affect the game, the end-game has a case of "Mass Effect 3- itis" that i wasn't amused by. Nevertheless, the game is good and I'm glad to have played it and own it. If you like narrative based games, it is recommended.… Expand
  27. zidfrit
    Sep 7, 2017
    7
    Un juego con su toque original, una historia que te va envolviendo y metiéndote en la personalidad de la protagonista Max, aunque el debes de tomar decisiones que afectan directamente en el juego, o eso es lo que se dice, ya que al terminar el juego solo tendremos 2 posibles finales, el juego va muy bien los 3 primeros capítulos en el 4 se me empezó hacer muy repetido, pero no deja de serUn juego con su toque original, una historia que te va envolviendo y metiéndote en la personalidad de la protagonista Max, aunque el debes de tomar decisiones que afectan directamente en el juego, o eso es lo que se dice, ya que al terminar el juego solo tendremos 2 posibles finales, el juego va muy bien los 3 primeros capítulos en el 4 se me empezó hacer muy repetido, pero no deja de ser un BUEN juego.… Expand
  28. Uco
    Apr 5, 2017
    7
    'Life is Strange' is a great game, full of great ideas and which shows all the care that was put into it.

    in my opinion, its strengths are an very emotional, deep, moving, beautiful story about friendship and forgiveness, and the difficulties and consequences of day to day choices; and how it touches topics as photography or environmental concern to drive the story, and gives its    'Life is Strange' is a great game, full of great ideas and which shows all the care that was put into it.

    in my opinion, its strengths are an very emotional, deep, moving, beautiful story about friendship and forgiveness, and the difficulties and consequences of day to day choices; and how it touches topics as photography or environmental concern to drive the story, and gives its importance to issues like domestic violence, harassing and bullying, dependence, surveillance vs freedom...

    Unfortunately, there are some aspects of the game that I couldn't totally agree, first of them being the graphics. I do understand the challenge of hand drawn graphics and the personality it gives to the game, but I still think that characters with a bit more of detail than Wii-looking models would have been a nice option for communicating emotions, which the game could have taken benefit from.

    Also, I did not totally like some game design decisions. Pointing out just one of them, I would have loved that the player would have had more freedom to solve problems using Max's rewinding power, instead of almost finding the way the puzzle was meant to be solved.

    At last, I was not pleased by the ending. At least the one I chose. And this is because, after going through the other one, I got the feeling that only one was meant to be the right for the developers, showing much more work behind it, while the other works kind of a quick way of getting through the ending without giving much explanation about some things.

    Overall, I think this is a game anyone willing to experience it will enjoy, and that will be loved specially for those who like story driven games and nice, fresh stories to be told. Unless you are completely sure you'll hate it, you should give it a try.    … Expand
  29. abekdd
    Mar 4, 2019
    7
    Esta aventura gráfica de Dontnod resulta un soplo de aire fresco para todo un género que llevaba varios años con algún que otro despunte eventual (las grandes obras de Telltale Games). Sus puntos fuertes son su impoluta banda sonora, con muchos toques indies, y una historia cimentada en el efecto mariposa, si bien es cierto que otros títulos como Until Dawn pulen mejor esta característica.Esta aventura gráfica de Dontnod resulta un soplo de aire fresco para todo un género que llevaba varios años con algún que otro despunte eventual (las grandes obras de Telltale Games). Sus puntos fuertes son su impoluta banda sonora, con muchos toques indies, y una historia cimentada en el efecto mariposa, si bien es cierto que otros títulos como Until Dawn pulen mejor esta característica. Así, tenemos en Life is Strange un divertido juego con el que pasarás un rato ameno y vivirás uno de los mayores giros de guión de la industria, aunque el hecho de ir perdiendo fuerza según avanza es algo que termina restándole en exceso.… Expand
  30. Ajbras
    Feb 20, 2019
    7
    I really enjoyed my time with Life Is Strange. The story was compelling enough to keep me engaged throughout the five episodes. There were enough twists to keep it from being completely predictable and the plot takes a pretty dark turn toward the end that wasnt really expected. The choices made you really think about your decision and at first I put a lot of thought into decisions untilI really enjoyed my time with Life Is Strange. The story was compelling enough to keep me engaged throughout the five episodes. There were enough twists to keep it from being completely predictable and the plot takes a pretty dark turn toward the end that wasnt really expected. The choices made you really think about your decision and at first I put a lot of thought into decisions until i realized that it really didnt matter to the story arc at all. The rewind puzzle solving was a nice feature that kept things fresh. I would have scored this an 8 - but the last chapter, in my opinion, really fell apart and was all over the place. I think the addition of some out of place stealth scenarios and a very jarring story line left a me wishing they wouldnt have tried to change the formula up too much. In the end - for a game i spend $3.00 on i was not expecting much. It was a nice filler between action games. Would recommend.… Expand
  31. GODonyaONFiRE
    Jul 12, 2020
    7
    Esli vy odinokaya devocka, pochemu vy eche ne poigrali v etu igru? Slezki polit - imeetsya. Lubov' - toze imeetsya. No ya kak-to igroi ne proniksya Anal. otdel stavit 7 kolobkov iz 10.
  32. Maarten95
    Nov 22, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I did enjoy it but there arent really many story options. Everything kinda moves in the same direction. Gotta say the story finale kinda suprised me but the whole end lf the world thing was uncalled for.… Expand
  33. Q_C
    Oct 8, 2018
    7
    Life is Strange was, for lack of a better word, a strange experience. Made by Dontnod Entertainment and Published by Square Enix This game was a new adventure similar to the classic Telltale Games. In this game, you play as Max a teenage girl who has a run in with the fantastic. The story is woven perfectly and told a great pace throughout the first four episodes in the game. There wereLife is Strange was, for lack of a better word, a strange experience. Made by Dontnod Entertainment and Published by Square Enix This game was a new adventure similar to the classic Telltale Games. In this game, you play as Max a teenage girl who has a run in with the fantastic. The story is woven perfectly and told a great pace throughout the first four episodes in the game. There were many moments in this game that I didn’t think they would let happen, or let me play out. Things I’ve never seen another dev team in the same genre go to think lengths Life is Strange did. But with that praise, I was incredibly underwhelmed by the climax of the game where your final choice seemed obvious to me. The game was incredibly drawing; the atmosphere would just captivate me, and I loved walking through arcadia bay. The Development of all the main characters was deep and you really felt like the world around you was growing with you. And that only drug in the immersion in harder. It was breathtaking. My biggest gripe with the game was the graphics. I say all the time how graphics grated to me. Everything felt bad, Max’s expressions were flat, and the art design wasn’t great, and the lip syncing was abysmally bad. There’s a scene late in episode 4 where you’re at a pool party and the characters in the pool look like crowds in Smackdown Vs Raw. All in all, I loved the story and the experience made me want to see it to the end. It’s unfortunate that the end of the game was a mess of new mechanics out of nowhere and a lackluster ending to the cliffhanger left at the end of Episode 4. Also the Promotional Picture is hella misleading.

    Life is Strange gets a 7 Out of 10
    -Das_Dood    … Expand
  34. TheRaggedFlygon
    Mar 8, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Life is Strange was extremely close to becoming not only my favorite narrative based video game of all time, but also one of my favorite games of all time — until I played its ending. It is a game that should be one of the greatest of all time but instead falls short of its ambitious goal by the time the game is done. Elements of the game design appear to be a paradox while many others are just meant for show. The problem with Life is Strange is that the first 70% of the game is phenomenal while the remaining 30% is mediocre.

    A big complaint many have regarding the game is that it starts off slow. I find this to be an advantage. The game follows Max, a high school student at a boarding school, and the game starts off like your standard run of the mill coming of age story. Of course the twist with LiS that Max has the ability to time travel. Time travel is what makes this game so compelling. It allows you to see the immediate consequences of your actions, but not the long run consequences. You take a gamble with most actions as you consider how it could affect you in the future. The first chapter of the game, while it is slow, lets you get a feel for the game mechanics and characters — it serves as world building.

    Episode 2 is when the game really starts to hit hard. The stakes start to raise of Max and her best friend Chloe and obviously the chapter culminates with Kate’s attempt at suicide. It was at this moment that I knew LiS was going to be a different game. Dontnod decided to tackle a complicated issue and at the same time punished the player for not paying attention to Kate and investing in the game world earlier in the Chapter.

    Episodes 3 and 4 are both more or less filler. You begin to uncover the mystery of what the hell is going on in Arcadia Bay all while continuing to experience the excellent characters of the game. Episode 3 ends with the introduction of long range time travel via photographs and Episode 4’s start allows you to go down an alternate timeline. The beginning of Episode 4 when Max is given with the choice to euthanize Chloe makes the player care for Chloe as a character. Leading up to this moment, Chloe has been a bit of a jerk to Max and this is the first time that I finally appreciated Chloe.

    Now we get to the end of Episode 4 and Episode 5. It is revealed that one of the teachers at Blackwell Academy, Mark Jefferson, has been kidnapping and killing teenage girls. And here is the first sign that LiS was starting to fall off the tracks. I enjoyed that LiS had thus far been addressing topics that were previously considered taboo by video games. That was something that made me enjoy game more was its willingness to actual address real problems that modern society faces. I was confident that this whole Mark Jefferson reveal was going to directly tackle the extremely prevalent issue of sexual assault in the modern world. I was wrong. Instead it turns out that all he does is take photographs of them tied up and then kill them. His crimes are still atrocious, but it feels like Dontnod pulled a punch here to avoid addressing too controversial topics.

    The ending of the game is the biggest let down for me. The rest of chapter 5 plays out more like a puzzle/stealth game as you jump through time and try to figure out how to save Arcadia Bay. Then, rather than taking all of the choices that you have made during the past 10-15 hours and creating multiple endings for players to experience, Dontnod gives players a binary ending choice and the credits roll. One choice feels right and the other feels shoehorned in at the last second. My disappointment with Chapter 5 cannot be overstated. LiS had the potential to enter my top 5 games of all time, but fell short due to the terrible ending.

    The dialogue in this game is also atrocious. I played the game in English while the game was written by people who mostly speak French and as a result, a lot of slang is very outdated. Nevertheless, the characters themselves are like able enough to make up for it.

    Overall the game captivates the player with its fantastic world, interesting characters, novel mechanics, and promising narrative, but ultimately the game fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion to live up to the hype.    … Expand
  35. mikemormai
    May 7, 2019
    7
    cara jogo legal, mais na minha opniao nao é aquiloo tudoo, jogo achei q poderia ser melhor
  36. ToshLichev
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    A pretty good TellTale game...that wasn't made by TellTale. The mystery and storytelling are fairly good, laughably bad dialogue at times aside, and the time-rewind feature is a pretty neat addition to the "choose your own adventure" genre. The game never manages to do anything truly impressive or noteworthy but it's definitely a fun ride.
  37. Kostas101
    Oct 6, 2021
    6
    I really like the concept of High School and Murder Mystery, and I think that this game mixes both settings pretty well, the story is interesting, and there are some good moments in it, but there's one point in the story where the game takes a turn that changes everything and the story gets messy, with some plot holes here & there, a very boring & dumb antagonist, time travel powers thatI really like the concept of High School and Murder Mystery, and I think that this game mixes both settings pretty well, the story is interesting, and there are some good moments in it, but there's one point in the story where the game takes a turn that changes everything and the story gets messy, with some plot holes here & there, a very boring & dumb antagonist, time travel powers that do not make sense and an ending that makes all of your choices throughout the game completely pointless. I enjoyed my time with the game to be honest, Max was a surprisingly likeable protagonist, and there were some few other nice characters too, but in the end, I left with more questions than answers.… Expand
  38. ThePSButton
    May 6, 2020
    6
    Al principio estaba fascinado; los primeros episodios son muy buenos y la mecánica de regresar en el tiempo es fantástica para un juego del tipo… pero luego llegan los problemas: cuando a la narrativa le acomoda tus poderes no funcionan. Mientras que el planteamiento del misterio que propone la obra es interesante, entre más avanza la trama más se le van saliendo los cliché que arruinan laAl principio estaba fascinado; los primeros episodios son muy buenos y la mecánica de regresar en el tiempo es fantástica para un juego del tipo… pero luego llegan los problemas: cuando a la narrativa le acomoda tus poderes no funcionan. Mientras que el planteamiento del misterio que propone la obra es interesante, entre más avanza la trama más se le van saliendo los cliché que arruinan la propuesta y los supuestos giros inesperados. Me da mucho gusto que existan juego con los personajes y las temáticas que trata de abordar Life is Strange, pero al final de cuentas, lo que el título ofrece es una experiencia bastante promedio.… Expand
  39. Gamepro3093
    Oct 13, 2020
    7
    One and done to say the least. Great for the first play through but after that, there’s practically no reason to replay it. If it had higher replay value I’d give it a solid 8 but alas I can’t. Still beats Before The Storm. Pass on that one.
  40. MissDove
    May 17, 2020
    7
    Nice story. Game feels very immerse in some environments, especially when crowds are involved. Lip syncing almost non-existent. Limited freedom is allowed. Choices don't seem to have to long term consequences. Characters speak in a non-realistic, almost parodic "teen-swearing" style.
  41. piuscorvus
    Jun 25, 2020
    7
    If you are a fan of story driven games such as works of Telltale Games you might consider playing this one. I do not think Life Is Strange is as good as for example The Walking Dead by Telltale Games is but it is fairly good. This game is about a teenage girl with a supernatural power that allows her to rewind time and alter events of her life and lives of people around her. I have seenIf you are a fan of story driven games such as works of Telltale Games you might consider playing this one. I do not think Life Is Strange is as good as for example The Walking Dead by Telltale Games is but it is fairly good. This game is about a teenage girl with a supernatural power that allows her to rewind time and alter events of her life and lives of people around her. I have seen this topic many times in video games, Shadow of Destiny for PS2 is an excellent example but Life Is Strange offers a fine story too that was interesting enough to keep keme going.… Expand
  42. BjarniboyNR2
    Jul 9, 2020
    7
    The gameplay was often quite dull and really frustrating at times, although the time travel component of the game was a welcomed addition. Furthermore, the dialogue was seldom as serious or engaging as it should have been and truly deserved to be. The game, with its several cringeworthy moments and overuse of outdated slang, ruined what could perhaps have been its best feature. The voiceThe gameplay was often quite dull and really frustrating at times, although the time travel component of the game was a welcomed addition. Furthermore, the dialogue was seldom as serious or engaging as it should have been and truly deserved to be. The game, with its several cringeworthy moments and overuse of outdated slang, ruined what could perhaps have been its best feature. The voice acting was good enough, and the in-game art was charming, but the animation could have been much better, in particular, the lip-syncing. In fairness though, I must acknowledge that the game was released in 2015, and judge it accordingly. In other areas than gameplay and animation, however, the game did well enough; the plot was interesting and its exploration into sensitive and serious themes, such as cyberbullying and suicide, was well executed. The fine storytelling, complemented with some beautiful music, made me emotionally engaged, despite the poorly written dialogue, and made my playthrough a decent experience overall. Taking into account how old the game is, it probably deserves a 7/10, but otherwise, if newly released, it would have gotten a 6/10. When compared to other, even older, interactive story games like Heavy Rain or The Walking Dead, this game is a bit of a disappointment.… Expand
  43. ElCaptain
    Jul 19, 2020
    7
    Really strong moments in this game with awesome story telling. I loved this era of gaming
  44. Sherbert
    Jan 3, 2021
    5
    As far as story games go, this is pretty average. My biggest problem with the game is how unlikeable the characters are. Luckily Max is tolerable, but pretty much everyone else is obnoxious af. There is virtually no branching story. The reverse time mechanic is kind of interesting, but obviously generic. The story is quite boring most of the time. It starts to get weird and meta towardsAs far as story games go, this is pretty average. My biggest problem with the game is how unlikeable the characters are. Luckily Max is tolerable, but pretty much everyone else is obnoxious af. There is virtually no branching story. The reverse time mechanic is kind of interesting, but obviously generic. The story is quite boring most of the time. It starts to get weird and meta towards the end, which is honestly the best part about it. I wouldn't recommend this game to most.… Expand
  45. gedail
    Sep 28, 2021
    6
    Globalement on s'ennuie, l'histoire met 3 plombes à démarrer et on commence à avoir un peu envie d'en savoir plus que lors des deux derniers chapitres. On se déplace lentement, les dialogues sont lents, tout est lent, ennuyeux et dépressif dans ce jeu. Du même acabit qu'un Detroit mais avec la dépression qui va avec. Si vous aimez ce genre de jeu préférez What Remains of Edith Finch,Globalement on s'ennuie, l'histoire met 3 plombes à démarrer et on commence à avoir un peu envie d'en savoir plus que lors des deux derniers chapitres. On se déplace lentement, les dialogues sont lents, tout est lent, ennuyeux et dépressif dans ce jeu. Du même acabit qu'un Detroit mais avec la dépression qui va avec. Si vous aimez ce genre de jeu préférez What Remains of Edith Finch, beaucoup plus court et avec un gameplay encore plus inexistant mais avec une histoire qui tient en haleine au moins.… Expand
  46. l1lj4
    Apr 10, 2022
    6
    story was ok and i liked it when i played it, but now i realize it was not as good as i expected it to be. chloe was a great character. too little action for me tho.
  47. m3ny0
    Oct 28, 2022
    7
    Eu comecei Life is Strange meio descrente que ia ser um bom uso do meu tempo, e até que gostei do que vi. O jogo se apresenta com mecânicas bem simples, a lógica aqui é seguir a história através dos puzzles e tentar fazer as escolhas que te encaminhem para o melhor final possível (ou um dos). Por conta disso várias seções são lentas e desnecessariamente repetitivas. Já nos últimosEu comecei Life is Strange meio descrente que ia ser um bom uso do meu tempo, e até que gostei do que vi. O jogo se apresenta com mecânicas bem simples, a lógica aqui é seguir a história através dos puzzles e tentar fazer as escolhas que te encaminhem para o melhor final possível (ou um dos). Por conta disso várias seções são lentas e desnecessariamente repetitivas. Já nos últimos episódios o jogo entra em uma espiral de tensão que realmente te deixa entusiasmado e animado para terminar a história, ao menos pode se dizer que a escrita é muito bem feita aqui. Aliás, nunca gostei desse esquema de episódios. Não a questão de ter episódios no jogo, mas de serem vendidos separadamente. E se eu não quiser jogar o primeiro? E se eu quiser pular o terceiro? Ninguém vai fazer isso, então qual o motivo de vender pedaços do jogo além de querer ganhar mais dinheiro?… Expand
  48. JesseDillinger
    Feb 1, 2023
    7
    It was a pretty compelling story. Sure it's just a teen drama with a little bit of sci-fi (?) mixed in, but it does it well. The gameplay is your regular choose your path game, so nothing special there. The characters are what makes or break a game like this. Chloe is a **** but I can understand why. Good game. Another platinum trophy that was fun to get. Easy, but fun.
  49. Harthik69
    Jul 9, 2023
    6
    okok kind of game and visuals but something is lacking thats why i dont want to play this agian
  50. M1sfiT
    Sep 3, 2023
    5
    Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!!

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best PS4 Game of 2015
16
#16 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
25
#25 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Feb 5, 2016
    85
    An honest, sometimes even painful, story about friendship and finding yourself. Life is Strange is played with a lump in the throat and its ability to make a grown man tear up is its true "power".
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Feb 1, 2016
    90
    The Limited Edition of Life is Strange doesn’t introduce anything new. The graphics are the same, as well as individual episodes that form this wonderful adventure. The art book and soundtrack are still a nice plus that could push some collectors to purchase this edition.
    Read full review
  3. Metro GameCentral
    Jan 21, 2016
    80
    Despite its obvious flaws the reactive story and compelling characters make this one of the best storytelling experiences of the current generation.
    Read full review
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