There is probably someone in your life like life is strangeMax Caulfield: A talented and sensitive artist who is charmingly clumsy and apparently prefers to observe life from afar. It's easy to root for Max because he's someone we already know. But since the events of the first game, she's understandably more world-weary and reluctant, having experienced trauma and pain in the most monumental sense, one that did, in fact, explode into a massive calamity. That's also why life is strange It's so deep. The disaster is not just a plot device but an apocalyptic event that represents the heartaches of adolescence in all their raw and brazen glory.
And after nine years of exploring other stories (as well as a change of developers), the series finally returns with Max, the protagonist who became life is strange into the phenomenon it is today.
Max is still Max in double exposureand the new game is very familiar. So far, I've played the game's opening two chapters (there will be four in total), and the first begins with Max breaking into an abandoned bowling alley with his new friend Safi, a colleague he met when he started playing. position as artist in residence at Caledon University. She's still looking for great photos to take and exchanging friendly banter with Safi, whose gregariousness mirrors that of Max's close friend (or high school lover), Chloe Price.
Between examining objects and reflecting on them, a life is strange basic at this point: Max is also taking pictures of everything that catches his eye. A stain on the wall that looks eerily like a face? Racks of old bowling shoes left behind? The tall, dead-eyed statue of the bowling alley mascot? These are all places you can take photos of as Max, who then uploads them to the game's social platform, Crosstalk. Moments later, Max and Safi run out of the bowling alley, full of adrenaline after a close call with one of the bowling alley's collapsing displays.
Such small and slow scenes between Max, Safi and other characters of the double exposure The cast makes up a good half of the first chapter. If you're familiar with the series' cadence, you'll see that these quieter moments underpin the game's melodrama, fleshing out the more poignant moments that inevitably arise later. The distinct and quickly likable cast (except those you love to hate) points to developer Deck Nine's forte at writing endearing personalities. Focusing the game on the cast is a decision with a lot at stake given the character-based story of double exposurebut it's worth it, at least from the beginning. Professor Lucas Colmenero, for example, is delightfully unpleasant, which makes humiliating him at every turn particularly delightful.
Then there is the murder mystery aspect. Of course, things are never quiet for long in life is strangemuch less for the hapless Max, who would eventually suffer another loss, one she cannot reverse with her time manipulation powers from the original. That's because Max no longer has that power. Instead, it has evolved into another twisted form: the ability to tear a cosmic hole between alternate realities. In one, a new friend has been killed, but in the other, they are still alive. The events of the two parallel realities are markedly different, and Max will traverse between them to get to the bottom of this mystery. Then there is another ability that Max has called “Pulse”. This allows Max a glimpse of what is happening in the parallel reality, without having to physically travel there. Both abilities allow Max to snoop around or spy on secrets.
The way supernatural abilities serve as an allegory for the growth of its cast has always defined the series, and this is a fascinating development for Max. We are no longer constantly going back in time and examining the details of conversations like we did in the first life is strange. After all, she no longer believes in the invincibility of teenage exuberance to transform the very face of reality (although you can always load a previous save). But at the same time, things can get a little confusing as you mentally keep track of matters between the two universes, as events diverge into two very different paths. In the “Living World”, that is, the reality in which your friend is still alive, the Christmas spirit may be in full swing, but the characters are still involved in internal disputes and turmoil that do not surface in the “Dead World” . Fortunately, Max takes careful notes of everything in his notebook, but I still forgot a few details while flying between these planes.
That said, Deck Nine's decision to introduce Max's new powers only at the end of the first chapter, rather than quickly addressing the supernatural issue, points to the game's emphasis on relationships rather than detective work. And the latter isn't difficult to understand as long as Max stares and monologues about every object in the area. But with chapter two concluding on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, there's a chance that double exposureThe mystery narrative will soon take priority over the quieter, more reflective moments of the upcoming chapters.
However, prepare yourself for the inevitable heartbreak. While double exposure It may no longer focus on the problems of adolescence, the world-shattering despair is a timeless emotion. After all, human pain transcends age.
Life is strange: double exposure launches October 29 on Switch, Xbox, PS5, and PC.
