Life is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis

 Xbox One
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 118 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 118
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 118
  3. Negative: 11 out of 118

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  1. Greedsin
    Jan 31, 2015
    9
    Life Is Strange takes notes from Telltales playbook and use's them properly while still coming out with something still worth while to play through. Everything from it's art style, story and gameplay blends together perfectly well leaving you wanting more by the time the episode ends.

    Life Is Strange fellows Max Caulfield, a photographer who learns that she has the ability to reverse    Life Is Strange takes notes from Telltales playbook and use's them properly while still coming out with something still worth while to play through. Everything from it's art style, story and gameplay blends together perfectly well leaving you wanting more by the time the episode ends.

    Life Is Strange fellows Max Caulfield, a photographer who learns that she has the ability to reverse time by simply raising her hand after witnessing someone being killed in front of her. I would go on about the story but it's far to nice for me to ruin it for you so i'll leave it to that.

    I hate talking about graphics in a game, specially in this generation of games, but I have to talk about how nice the game really looks. The art style of Life Is Strange is water painting style, flushed with rich color that makes everything look so good. There were times I wished I purchase the game on Steam so I could get see just how nice the game can look. You shows they truly put allot of love into the art style of the game and with each character as well, giving each and every person there own personality.

    Gameplay wise the game plays similar to many Telltale Games. You can move freely in the area's your in and read/look at everything the world has to offer. Being able to go from one area to another makes the game feel more open then it is which is a nice touch. Interacting with characters is pretty much the same as most Telltale Games, i'll be pointing out allot of stuff about Telltale games through out this review with a reason at the end so bare with me. With a open option of dialogue to select from it feels normal but mixed with the ability to reverse time you are given the ability to change things you say or interact with people. It's only briefly touched on n the first episode but mixing the ability to control time with conversations can completely change how things turn out like not knowing the answer to a question, learning it from someone else then reversing time to give them the correct answer. It's simple in the first episode and briefly touched on but it's great. The only part about the time ability was that at some talking sections of the game you are unable to reverse time at all. It was a little odd to see this come up more then I thought would happen but in some cases it made sense, but the time ability isn't just for conversations either.

    Time reversal can be used for three things, speech, puzzles, choices. With the speech section already explained the puzzle's are what will keep the game interesting depending on how far they go with them in future episodes since yet again there are not many with in the first episode and the ones that are there are not that hard to figure out. The puzzles they shown with in the first episode were basic stuff, most of the puzzles only take about two to three steps to finish which is a shame since it looks as if they could have done more with in the episode.

    The last is choice and it's the most simple of the three. In all Telltale Games they leave the players a big choice here and there with in a episode and depending on what choice you make can effect the story down the road. It is pretty much the same thing here except instead of sticking with your choice you can see what just happens in each choice before picking the one you wish to go with. It is nice to see what could happen but in a way it sort of gives away the surprise a little for future plays.

    The only real downfall for me with this Episode was the fact that it was not as long as I thought it would be. With the so many things to find, read and interact with it's still playable around two hours which isn't bad but it really does leave you wanting more in a single play through.

    At this point you can pretty much tell I've been comparing this game more to Telltale Games then anything else and let's be honest here, there really aren't that many developers out there that make these sorts of games until now. Other developers like Capcom with there upcoming Resident Evil Revelation 2 and Access Games with D4 are starting to try out new idea's for episodic games which is great if done correctly. As for now tho, Life Is Strange is heading in the right direction with it's amazing art style, story and gameplay. The only thing that held this game back from a higher score was the length of the episode it's self.

    With that said I will happily give this game a 9/10.

    Pro:
    -Amazing art style
    -Interesting Story
    -Well Used Time Abilities

    Cons:
    -Just A Little To Short    … Expand
  2. RAGE7788
    Feb 5, 2015
    9
    RAGE7788
    Feb 5, 2015
    9 This game features high school related drama from the perspective of a teenage girl. I HATE stories like this typically, however the writing, art design, and atmosphere is done so well it will win you over. It tells a very human story while exploring the supernatural. The characters you interact with are entertaining and the story has a lot of heart to it. You are    RAGE7788
    Feb 5, 2015
    9
    This game features high school related drama from the perspective of a teenage girl. I HATE stories like this typically, however the writing, art design, and atmosphere is done so well it will win you over. It tells a very human story while exploring the supernatural. The characters you interact with are entertaining and the story has a lot of heart to it. You are given the opportunity to make several decisions that will impact future episodes, which gives you significant input over the direction of the story. The time travel mechanic is used so well in this game as you try to solve puzzles, rewinding time to manipulate people and objects to your advantage. It is a great buy for $5, i am happily surprised and i am waiting for the next episode!!    … Expand
  3. haloboyscp
    Jan 31, 2015
    9
    It's amazing.
    Perhaps it just really looks too short.
    But anyways in this one you definitely feel you have to play it again one more time.
    Story telling is simply amazing.
  4. Jako6992
    Feb 23, 2015
    8
    Life is Strange Episode 1 has a great story and some interesting persons. The written is good for most of the times. Overall a great game that i would recommend. You can't go wrong with 4£/5$ game;)
  5. stooge95
    May 28, 2015
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A typical high school story of a girl who could rewind time.

    Impressive graphics, unique game play and interesting story line.

    Except, the characters in the game have no character (pun unintended). Are you having a blast and want to feel like a loser? pick up life is strange episode 1 on steam for less than $10! It'll make you miserable in a matter of minutes.    … Expand
  6. xThexEvilxLordx
    Jan 31, 2015
    8
    Ok Life is Strange =Awesome
    Story for now is very interesting
    Soundtrack is amassing
    Graphic are great
    Acting voice and characters are awesome
    In overall play the game
  7. Miguelxdz
    Feb 7, 2015
    5
    A friend recommended me this game a lot (he hasn't played a complete Telltale game) and i said well for 5 dollars i will give it a shot. The character are a little blank, the protagonist is a walking cliche of the antisocial high school girl i mean don't get me wrong some character were appealing (kinda) but the thing is that they are high school cliches that you would expect from a teenA friend recommended me this game a lot (he hasn't played a complete Telltale game) and i said well for 5 dollars i will give it a shot. The character are a little blank, the protagonist is a walking cliche of the antisocial high school girl i mean don't get me wrong some character were appealing (kinda) but the thing is that they are high school cliches that you would expect from a teen movie. Oh looks she is the rich blonde who is mean with the main character because he is different OMG the main character is different so cool but everyone think is lame. "sight". The store is nothing really incredible, Telltales games usually specialize in a thing for each game (Walking Dead-Drama, Borderlands-Comedy, WAU-Badass detective work, GoT-The family above all to a goal) and those usually hit the spot. But what is this, like high school drama and stuff i don't know. It is neither funny, or badass, or something actually dramatic is just a story without much personality. Lets see, the "puzzles" were terrible i mean they were mostly things that people could fix without needing to get back in time. The lip syncing of the characters was really mediocre even thou the models looked fine, but i don't know the main character model made me think in the "Beyond Two Souls" character, not in a bad way.

    In the end i think it would mostly appeal to other gamers, maybe i want its target and i understand that but i would probable choose any Telltale serie over this, in those you do a lot more than just choosing answers and watching useless junk in the environment (remember the awesome robot scene in Tales From Borderlands now thats something).
    Overview
    Pros
    -Cheap, i goes you could give it a shot without putting much money on the line.
    -Nice character models.
    -The story is decent...
    Cons
    -...not the way the show it to you.
    -Lip sync is bad.
    -Not much interaction except for answering things.
    -Cliche as hell characters
    -Voices are pretty bland
    -Why would you solve something in that way?
    -Why are you so clumsy?! God!
    -Too hipster, like im cool with hipster stuff but this is way over the top.

    5-I didn't like it, but maybe you could like it like my friend, worst case scenario you waste 5 bucks. Give it a shot if you are in need of an afternoon game or you are waiting for the next Telltale game.    … Expand
  8. osprey
    Feb 1, 2015
    3
    The game starts with a cut scene that really seems promising with good atmosphere and mood, Then the characters start to talk and it all goes south. The acting and writing are shockingly bad and no amount of clever rewind mechanics can remedy this. I was really looking forward to a Donnie Darko type experience but with this level of acting and writing I can't see this happening. NotThe game starts with a cut scene that really seems promising with good atmosphere and mood, Then the characters start to talk and it all goes south. The acting and writing are shockingly bad and no amount of clever rewind mechanics can remedy this. I was really looking forward to a Donnie Darko type experience but with this level of acting and writing I can't see this happening. Not sure I will finish the series if this continues. I might try the next episode but at this point I am not sure it will be enjoyable or even worth the time and effort. Very sad about this as I like new ideas in gaming but the writing at least has to be good if the acting is this bad and in this case they are both terrible. That's my two cents, it's only $5 for one episode so try it but I don't recommend you buy the whole season.… Expand
  9. TheQuietGamer
    Nov 24, 2017
    7
    Chrysalis is a solid introductory episode to developer DONTNOD's take on the Telltale formula. It's less concerned with setting up the overall plot right out of the gate, and is instead focused more on introducing players to the gameplay mechanics, world, and characters that inhabit. Much like other modern episodic adventure games, player choice in the main driving force behind theChrysalis is a solid introductory episode to developer DONTNOD's take on the Telltale formula. It's less concerned with setting up the overall plot right out of the gate, and is instead focused more on introducing players to the gameplay mechanics, world, and characters that inhabit. Much like other modern episodic adventure games, player choice in the main driving force behind the experience. Your actions have consequences, not all of which are obvious. Where Life Is Strange stands out from it's contemporaries is in it's time manipulation mechanics. Don't like the immediate consequences of a certain decision? The game gives you the opportunity to go back and change that while still leaving the long-term effects a mystery. You can even go back and alter seemingly minor dialog choices or random events in the world. It's a novel and exciting mechanic that allows for more freedom than, say, a Telltale game.

    There's ultimately not too much going on in this first episode. The bigger story at play here is only revealed right at the very end of this chapter's story, and it's not quite clear how everything else is going to tie in together, if at all. We still get to meet some cool characters, watch our lead go through a sort of coming of age tale complete with time-traveling powers, and it's all brought to life with a sort of indie-drama hipster vibe. It's compelling and I can already see this going to be an emotional ride.

    It might not be the most action-packed introduction, but the time travel mechanics provide a nice new spin on the concept and I'm curious to see how my choices will affect the story going forward. The amount of decisions to make here already give this episode a high-amount of replay value by itself. I can only imagine the number of possibilities with all of the episodes together in the full game. Some very minor glitches are present and while the stylish graphics do help cover up a lot, it's easy to see flaws in things like lip syncing and character animations. I also think the lead actress doesn't always show the appropriate level of emotion in certain scenes. I get she's a hipster, but come on. Most of this episodes issues go away in the face of some truly great decision making and the novel mechanics. So overall episode 1 is good and worth trying out to see if the story is for you. It's free so won't even have to put money down on it until you decide to branch out to the other episodes or not.

    7.8/10    … Expand
  10. busbfran
    May 21, 2015
    9
    Doesn't quite reach the heights of Telltale games crisis points, however it's very interesting and relate-able for the teen audience. Perfect sound track, stylist visuals can't wait to see what this game becomes.
  11. McGillotine
    Jul 2, 2015
    6
    Life is indeed strange in this choice based RPG as you take the role Maxine Caulfield a girl who moves back to her home town and around the same time develops her ability to change and traverse time, offer the player different ways to work around solving problems in the game allowing players to undo their actions yet however taking away from the immersion aspect in which your choices haveLife is indeed strange in this choice based RPG as you take the role Maxine Caulfield a girl who moves back to her home town and around the same time develops her ability to change and traverse time, offer the player different ways to work around solving problems in the game allowing players to undo their actions yet however taking away from the immersion aspect in which your choices have consequences which you can now redo to achieve the better outcome. Unfortunately when presented with the game, many of the games theme and ideas feel forced taking away from the reliability to the character who is filled with cliches to the point of which you believe the character was written by John Green in another one of his melodramatic, mediocre works. What is presented in the game however isn't bad as it most definitely shows passion and capability to create something remarkable, however that all lies in the roles of the developers now… Expand
  12. neomoonsevin
    Apr 10, 2023
    10
    Awesome game loved the story made me sad at one point during the game tragic turn of events really awesome

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
68
#68 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. DarkStation
    Apr 11, 2015
    100
    Life Is Strange takes Telltale’s formula of consequence driven storytelling to create something original and extremely compelling.
    Read full review
  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Mar 10, 2015
    80
    Clumsy dialogue aside, this first episode of Life is Strange is a brilliant introduction to a story we can't wait to see the rest of. [Issue#121, p.76]
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Mar 4, 2015
    70
    Its sledgehammer subtlety is balanced by a genuinely good heart. [March 2015, p.76]
See all critic reviews »