Multi Life Is Strange (2015)

[Noodles]

Released: January 29th, 2015
Purchase:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Zavvi.com

Spoiler: Info

DontNod Entertainment and Square Enix are to release a new episodic title named Life is Strange for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Dontnod Entertainment is best known as the developer of Remember Me and it's learned from this title to bring, Life is Strange, which it describes as a compelling, story-driven experience where choice and consequence play a key role in how the narrative unfolds. The main twist is that the protagonist has the ability to rewind time, which will not only allow the player to affect the game’s narrative, but also change the course of history itself.

Dontnod Entertainment creative director Jean-Max Moris said of today’s announcement:

“Everybody at Dontnod is excited to be working on such a refreshing title. We’re not only crafting the best game we possibly can, we also feel we’re providing the type of experience that perfectly fits today’s renewed taste for originality and diversity”.

“When we first saw Life is Strange we immediately realised that Dontnod have created a unique experience, something special," added Square Enix’s Jon Brooke. "Everyone who’s seen the game has instantly fallen in love with its distinctive style and mood."

 

[Noodles]

Life is Strange is a five part episodic game that sets out to revolutionize story based choice and consequence games by allowing the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future. As Max you must uncover the disturbing truth behind your premonitions and learn that changing the past can sometimes lead to a devastating future.

The first episode that you’ll play is titled Chrysalis and it’s an introduction to the world of Life is Strange. Here, Max and Chloe reunite and you will make important choices that will influence their destiny. You will see some of the short-term consequences of those choices but bear in mind that there are also mid and long-term repercussions that will pan out over the course of the later episodes, in a butterfly effect manner.

​

 

[djprodikis]

Anyone grab this? Thoughts?

 

[AnubisNefer]

Anyone grab this? Thoughts?

Episode 1, there is also a free trial for grabs.

Try it out. It's an interactive film/game kinda like Heavy Rain, with an emphasis on style, feel and emotions.

 

[herpderp]

Anyone grab this? Thoughts?

I did really enjoy the first episode and im really looking forward for the next episode!

 

[Noodles]

I tried the trial and thought it was prety decent, so will definitely buy the full game at some point (more than likely if/once it's out on disc).

 

[dboy99]

Just played the demo and this game is kinda different then i thought it would be.There is some Elements of The Walking Dead and I guess you can say Quantum break.

 

[Noodles]

I picked up the limited edition of this recently and slowly made my way through episode 1 and 2. Whilst I did like it, it wasn't exactly blowing me away at this point... but then episode 3 happened! The ending to that totally changed the game, and now I can't wait to start episode 4.

I know @tridon has played through it all and rated it as his favourite game of 2015, but has anyone else here completed it? Would love to hear your thoughts (without spoilers - well, unless you use spoiler tags, of course).

 

[Last Lizard]

I picked up the limited edition of this recently and slowly made my way through episode 1 and 2. Whilst I did like it, it wasn't exactly blowing me away at this point... but then episode 3 happened! The ending to that totally changed the game, and now I can't wait to start episode 4.

I know @tridon has played through it all and rated it as his favourite game of 2015, but has anyone else here completed it? Would love to hear your thoughts (without spoilers - well, unless you use spoiler tags, of course).

For me the game really falls apart in the last two episodes so hold onto your ass! And while I'm aware Dontnod ran into financial issues near the finishing line, my complaints aren't aimed in the direction of where the money went unless time = money was a legitimate factor in the writing process; that is to say if they didn't have a fully formed idea of how to conclude the story and were put under pressure to simply finish it fast. But if that's the case then honestly... why wasn't the full script pretty well polished when the game is all story.

I had fun with the first three episodes... however I feel like way too much of the game hinges on the player liking Chloe. For much of the game (the latter half especially) I just didn't. You might guess with its alternative teenage hipster kick just how far the threads of friendship can be pulled and my own choice as a player, which I felt sort of confronted with, felt forced and unnatural to the way I personally 'played' Max. This element of choice is another point that soured me near the end when you find out that those you've made throughout the adventure don't hold any real weight towards the outcome. I can cut the creators a break I suppose since it's their first outing in this style of game. I can only say Telltale's choice system feels far more natural where Life is Strange felt more heavily signposted in terms of trying to guide me towards feeling a particular way even as I tried to resist.

Still many people really like itand you might come away thinking it's hella cool. I also had alot of trouble with Remember Me in terms of narrative but stylistically, I do like the studios' output and look forward to see what they do next. Remember Me may have not been able to hit out as a fullblown AAA scifi action game, but even in its linearity it had a kind of Luc Besson design quality that made it worth playing. I personally don't need anymore LiS but I wouldn't be surprised to see another season. I may try the game again down the line because I do believe in giving these things a second chance when over half the thing tickles me in the right way.

 

[Noodles]

For me the game really falls apart in the last two episodes so hold onto your ass! And while I'm aware Dontnod ran into financial issues near the finishing line, my complaints aren't aimed in the direction of where the money went unless time = money was a legitimate factor in the writing process; that is to say if they didn't have a fully formed idea of how to conclude the story and were put under pressure to simply finish it fast. But if that's the case then honestly... why wasn't the full script pretty well polished when the game is all story.

I had fun with the first three episodes... however I feel like way too much of the game hinges on the player liking Chloe. For much of the game (the latter half especially) I just didn't. You might guess with its alternative teenage hipster kick just how far the threads of friendship can be pulled and my own choice as a player, which I felt sort of confronted with, felt forced and unnatural to the way I personally 'played' Max. This element of choice is another point that soured me near the end when you find out that those you've made throughout the adventure don't hold any real weight towards the outcome. I can cut the creators a break I suppose since it's their first outing in this style of game. I can only say Telltale's choice system feels far more natural where Life is Strange felt more heavily signposted in terms of trying to guide me towards feeling a particular way even as I tried to resist.

Still many people really like itand you might come away thinking it's hella cool. I also had alot of trouble with Remember Me in terms of narrative but stylistically, I do like the studios' output and look forward to see what they do next. Remember Me may have not been able to hit out as a fullblown AAA scifi action game, but even in its linearity it had a kind of Luc Besson design quality that made it worth playing. I personally don't need anymore LiS but I wouldn't be surprised to see another season. I may try the game again down the line because I do believe in giving these things a second chance when over half the thing tickles me in the right way.

Thanks for sharing.

I can kind of see where you're coming from... although, I connected with Max and took a real liking to her pretty quickly. Obviously I can't really comment on most of the other points you made just yet, as I've still a long way to go with the game... but I'll be sure to let you know whether I fully agree or not once I've completed it.

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with season 1 and was in no rush to start season 2, so a week passed by before I continued playing. Personally, I feel the real story has only just begun... or at least the part that really interests me lol. Hopefully the last few episodes won't disappoint like they did with yourself.

 

[Noodles]

@Last Lizard I just completed the game a few minutes ago, and now I see exactly what you meant about the element of choice in the last two episodes... some of the decisions they gave you felt like a big deal at the time, and I literally spent about 5 minutes trying to make up my mind on a few of them, thinking they would have a huge impact. But in the end, they made no real difference to the outcome... it still boiled down to just two final options. I can kind of understand why though... they had a story to tell, and wanted it to end one of two ways, so if those earlier decisions did drastically change things, then the finale may not have been so good.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game... I connected with Max straight away and loved her character throughout. The story felt a bit rocky in places, but then very strong in many others. By the end of it I realised how great it was... for me, the story is up there with Heavy Rain (I think they did the interactive thing better FYI) and The Last of Us. And I'm 100% with @tridon on this now... game of 2015!

Oh, and as for the twist...

Spoiler

I genuinely said it was Jefferson not too far into Episode 1... I was half joking when I first said it, but it only begun to make more sense the further I got. One thing I've learned from games/films like this is that the killer is pretty much always someone you meet very early on, and it's usually the one you least expect. Plus it would've been too obvious had it been anyone else IMO, and wouldn't have had that "shock factor". I'm still glad it turned out to be him, even if it was pretty obvious to me lol.

 

[Last Lizard]

@Noodles

Glad you enjoyed it more than I did. 2015 seemed pretty sparse to me when it came to story-driven games - that is of the type that really pushes the narrative as hard as the gameplay or even moreso, on that level this would still be one of the best efforts of the year to me as well. Ultimately I blame Chloe for me not getting along with it more.

And yeah, I feel like I was schooled by Murder She Wrote when I was young on what to look for in a villain: show up early, drop a few subtle hints and then vanish for a large chunk of the story so as to try and surprise you when it turns out not to be any of the other jerks. Now and again you get a story with a genuine suprise in that respect but doesn't happen often if you watch/read/play enough stuff.

 

[tridon]

@Last Lizard I just completed the game a few minutes ago, and now I see exactly what you meant about the element of choice in the last two episodes... some of the decisions they gave you felt like a big deal at the time, and I literally spent about 5 minutes trying to make up my mind on a few of them, thinking they would have a huge impact. But in the end, they made no real difference to the outcome... it still boiled down to just two final options. I can kind of understand why though... they had a story to tell, and wanted it to end one of two ways, so if those earlier decisions did drastically change things, then the finale may not have been so good.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game... I connected with Max straight away and loved her character throughout. The story felt a bit rocky in places, but then very strong in many others. By the end of it I realised how great it was... for me, the story is up there with Heavy Rain (I think they did the interactive thing better FYI) and The Last of Us. And I'm 100% with @tridon on this now... game of 2015!

Oh, and as for the twist...

Spoiler

I genuinely said it was Jefferson not too far into Episode 1... I was half joking when I first said it, but it only begun to make more sense the further I got. One thing I've learned from games/films like this is that the killer is pretty much always someone you meet very early on, and it's usually the one you least expect. Plus it would've been too obvious had it been anyone else IMO, and wouldn't have had that "shock factor". I'm still glad it turned out to be him, even if it was pretty obvious to me lol.

I knew you'd dig it, man. We usually agree on a lot of the same games when there's crazy amounts of narrative involved.

 

[Noodles]

@Noodles

Glad you enjoyed it more than I did. 2015 seemed pretty sparse to me when it came to story-driven games - that is of the type that really pushes the narrative as hard as the gameplay or even moreso, on that level this would still be one of the best efforts of the year to me as well. Ultimately I blame Chloe for me not getting along with it more.

And yeah, I feel like I was schooled by Murder She Wrote when I was young on what to look for in a villain: show up early, drop a few subtle hints and then vanish for a large chunk of the story so as to try and surprise you when it turns out not to be any of the other jerks. Now and again you get a story with a genuine suprise in that respect but doesn't happen often if you watch/read/play enough stuff.

I got Chloe confused with Max in your previous post for some reason lol. It's a shame you didn't take a liking to Chloe, but I can understand why... she wasn't exactly the most likeable character at times. At least that probably made some of the decisions a lot easier for you though, unlike me... I found those to be the toughest ones.

Haha same here mate... Murder She Wrote and Scooby Doo taught me well lol. You wouldn't believe how many times I've guessed the twist for films just from the trailers... although, I do go into detective mode on them to be fair.

I knew you'd dig it, man. We usually agree on a lot of the same games when there's crazy amounts of narrative involved.

We certainly do dude! I know I can always trust you when you suggest a game.

 

[jitstark]

@Noodles @tridon after reading about you love for this game I've decided to buy it from PSN. I'll let you know what I think once I've played it but I'm already expecting good things.

 

[Noodles]

@Noodles @tridon after reading about you love for this game I've decided to buy it from PSN. I'll let you know what I think once I've played it but I'm already expecting good things.

Enjoy dude! I look forward to hearing what you think... whether you like it or not, of course.

 

[adrenaline78]

I just started this today. Good so far. Really enjoying the art style and story/ dialogue so far.

 

[tridon]

Want to win the LIFE IS STRANGE Limited Edition for PS4? Click here and follow the directions! #NinjaWeek

 

[jitstark]

@tridon @Noodles I've just finished Episode 3. The ending was mad. Quite exciting as to where this goes next.

So far I've really enjoyed the game. The story seems solid and I think the characters are well developed. I'll let you know when I've finished the last two episodes.

 

[tridon]

@tridon @Noodles I've just finished Episode 3. The ending was mad. Quite exciting as to where this goes next.

So far I've really enjoyed the game. The story seems solid and I think the characters are well developed. I'll let you know when I've finished the last two episodes.

If you're liking it after Episode 3, you'll love it after the last two episodes. Prepare for a rollercoaster ride of emotions and choices!