Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 1: Awake

 Xbox One
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 48 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 48
  3. Negative: 9 out of 48

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  1. BananaLuiz
    Aug 31, 2017
    10
    Incredible and magical as it should be, charismatic characters, interesting and varied, a wonderful soundtrack and an impressive art direction, the game touches on delicate and controversial subjects with a lot of respect and makes the experience very immersive and magical, looking forward to the next episode
  2. SuperkenGaming
    Aug 31, 2017
    6
    Life is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 1: Awake
    No confidence in whats to come
    Before the storm is a prequel to life is strange where you play as maxs blue haired friend chloe.. though at least in episode 1, that blue hair is nowhere to be seen… This time the story focuses on her friendship with rachael amber.. the missing girl from life is strange… She saves you from a party and    Life is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 1: Awake
    No confidence in whats to come
    Before the storm is a prequel to life is strange where you play as maxs blue haired friend chloe..
    though at least in episode 1, that blue hair is nowhere to be seen…
    This time the story focuses on her friendship with rachael amber.. the missing girl from life is strange…
    She saves you from a party and the rest is history..
    episode 1 is reminding you about chloes fathers death, how much she hates school and her step dad.. and how much teen angst she has, while setting up her and rachels relationship and care for eachother..
    but by this 2 hrs long episodes end… my care was nowhere to be found…
    There is no special rewind ability here.. this is all interacting with the environment and dialog choices.. turning this into a telltale games sort of adventure..
    Appreciated though is that chloe talks to herself reminding you where items are or where you should be looking for a certain item to progress the story.. it doesn’t waste your time which is refreshing for an adventure game…
    There is also a battle system where you trade insults or come up with clever replies based on when your opponent says to get your way in a situation..
    and you have to do so quickly as youre being timed…
    this system is really the only noticeable gameplay here…
    Again there is no rewind puzzles or really any puzzles in this first episode
    aside from a few fetch questy moments finding your moms phone or an item to pry open a coinslot… the game was dialog choices with characters and a situation I just didn’t care about…
    the game gives me no reason to care about chloe and rachaels relationship…
    I asked myself while playing multiple times what is even the point of this
    There was one cool moment here where I was playing a table top game with these 2 nerds at a picnic table and had to make choices, it was fun and immersed me into the world…
    but afterwards I was just out of it, again wondering why…why does this game even exist…
    Im not sure if this is just fan service or if this game is going to actually go somewhere..
    The story so far is just not compelling
    nothing from episode 1 has hooked or intrigued me, nothing has me excited for the next episode…
    this isn’t a good sign when this game is set to take place across only 3 episodes total…
    I give
    Life is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 1: Awake
    a 5.5/10    … Expand
  3. kvnd
    Jun 17, 2020
    7
    If you were a fan of 2015's Life Is Strange you'll definitely be into Before the Storm, which may have different developers and voice actors but still manages to capture the same ambience and vibe of the original game. Although this prequel is lacking the time rewinding mechanic, it improves in graphics, facial animation and lip syncing compared to season 1. There's a lot less gameplay inIf you were a fan of 2015's Life Is Strange you'll definitely be into Before the Storm, which may have different developers and voice actors but still manages to capture the same ambience and vibe of the original game. Although this prequel is lacking the time rewinding mechanic, it improves in graphics, facial animation and lip syncing compared to season 1. There's a lot less gameplay in this game and more exploring and talking/making decisions. It's a slower pace but that's not a bad thing. Aside from a few awkward scenes and lines, the plot seems to be decent in this first episode and will hopefully get more interesting in part 2. I had no real issues with the new voice actors and the music by Daughter worked really well. Lookin forward to the next one… Expand
  4. pipergeber
    Sep 6, 2017
    9
    If you enjoyed Life is Strange, you will almost certainly enjoy this prequel, and the exploration of the events that led to the original story. The game wastes no time getting into the story and the complicated lives of young people dealing with personal tragedies and struggles of different calibers. Even with the new developer, the game series seems to masterfully examine the socialIf you enjoyed Life is Strange, you will almost certainly enjoy this prequel, and the exploration of the events that led to the original story. The game wastes no time getting into the story and the complicated lives of young people dealing with personal tragedies and struggles of different calibers. Even with the new developer, the game series seems to masterfully examine the social intricacies, confusion, and angst of teenage life.

    Even without Max and her otherworldly abilities, the story is compelling and emotional, but the mechanics and objectives of the "talk back" mini-game system seem clunky and even a little cringe-worthy at times, taking you out of the story momentarily.

    For $16.99, the three episode prequel is a steal, and I predict it will be worth every penny to spend a little more time in Arcadia Bay.    … Expand
  5. XReviews
    Jul 10, 2018
    9
    So here is it. Life is Strange: Before the Storm delivers an awesome history, varied, awesome soundtrack, great characters, but lacking of many things the original game has, it's worth it.
  6. Ray6701
    Feb 6, 2022
    10
    Awesome game dude I love it so much more its just incredible bro I love it so much its absolutely amazing
  7. Daniel2009
    Feb 23, 2022
    10
    Awesome game dude I love it so much more its just incredible bro I love it so much more
  8. neomoonsevin
    Apr 9, 2023
    10
    Love this game awesome story and makes you want to see it through to the end

Awards & Rankings

54
#54 Best Xbox One Game of 2017
75
#75 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Oct 21, 2017
    70
    It suffers from a slow and repetitive first act, but once Chloe and Rachel meet, sparks fly. [Nov 2017, p.74]
  2. ZTGD
    Sep 20, 2017
    85
    This is just the first episode in a 3 part arc and it left me wanting more. While there is no time element here to mess with, the backtalk is interesting enough. Though story wise, there might be something going on, more than meets the eye if the end moments are any indication. Deck Nine has taken the franchise and totally captured what fans of the first game loved about it. The dialog, story, and drama that comes with it all. While there were a few moments of framerate stutter on the Xbox One, it was very few and far between. Otherwise, this was a solid first episode and if the quality keeps up, the entire prequel will be a nice companion pieces to the original game. Hopefully not taken anything away from it, but only adding more.
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  3. TrueAchievements
    Sep 15, 2017
    80
    Life Is Strange: Before The Storm may well take place before the literal storm but that doesn't mean that events run smoothly. Chloe is struggling to come to terms with the events of the last couple of years, but her burgeoning relationship with Rachel Amber looks set to change all that. When it comes to moral decisions, the options may not always make sense with Chloe and some awkwardness can ensue, but this is a minor issue in an otherwise solid episode, especially when the new BackTalk mechanic is very fitting and adds some realism to conversations. Depending on how much you like surprises, familiarity and prior knowledge from Life Is Strange can be either a blessing or a boon, but regardless of this, Chloe's new (old?) adventure looks to be a fascinating storyline to follow into the remaining two episodes.
    Read full review
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