Life is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room

By: Robert Murphy

Have you ever found yourself reading a novel with a great beginning and a phenomenal ending to it but the middle bits were just dragging along? Well sadly this is the case for the fourth episode of Dotnod’s Life is Strange as things take a turn for the worse after transporting us to an entire new world at the end of the last episode. There had been such promise and a unique growth to Max Caulfield’s time manipulation powers where she was able to alter events from deep in the past. As I said though the follow through just wasn’t quite up to snuff until the dramatic conclusion.

I had high hopes for the follow up episode in the wake of all that is revealed from your decision to change time all together. This in turn created a whole new time line and without revealing too much it gives a delightful yet exceedingly dark insight into what would have happened if Max and Chloe had remained close when she moved away. While you wouldn’t expect such a drastic outcome from such a small choice it was nonetheless interesting to briefly explore an alternate reality. The disappointing part about all of this though proves to be the fact that this decision is entirely wiped clean from the story. Perhaps the developers were too scarred to explore this change or worried that it wouldn’t be received all too well but whatever the case it made for a weak cop out once you go back to your reality. What this whole experience means for Max’s powers remains unseen but it was an interesting move while it lasted.

What the Dark Room aimed to finally do for the story was to get things rolling in terms of the shady dealings going on in Arcadia Bay and all around Blackwell Academy. All the pieces were there and now all Max and her best friend Chloe had to do was put them together in order to find Chloe’s former best friend Rachel Amber and how it connects to drugs as well as Arcadia Bay’s wealthiest family. While this may sound all well and good, you will literally find yourself putting these pieces together one at a time on a gigantic board that Max and Chloe put together in her room. On it are all the clues you gather throughout the episode in pointless and one off fetch this and grab that quests that add to the monotony of the episode. Then you will spend the rest of your time putting the clues together that match up to other related bits and pieces of information you gathered around town.

While it’s good to get all of the intrigue out in the open, the episode presents things in far too of a rushed fashion. Most of the previous episodes Max and Chloe have found themselves hopelessly stumbling along trying to figure out the big picture but with no such luck to be found. This wasn’t a bad thing in any way but it didn’t lead you too far into the story that lied ahead of you and now in this penultimate chapter you have to see it all crammed right in front of you.

The payoff for all of this proved to be worth the anguish however as the final moments to the darkest episode of the series came to a close. Big questions were finally revealed as well as a huge underground story behind the supposed main bad guy, Nathan Prescott. The Prescott family has more than a few skeletons in their closet that need explaining but there is far more to the story than just a wealthy father neglecting the needs of his son. But, the biggest reveal has yet to come as the shocking ending for the chapter will leave players with all new questions to ponder on while they wait for the upcoming storm in Life is Strange’s final chapter.

Dark Room proved to a be a bit of a mess as it attempts to bring all the forces of Arcadia Bay crashing down on top of you. There is definitely are dark shift to the story this time around that I deeply enjoyed exploring, things finally started to focus on the overall goal for Max and Chloe and while it was presented poorly, a great conclusion came out of it in the end. However, I will approach things causally the next time around and hope that Dotnod can deliver a fantastic overall story and not just a beginning and an end.

Good:

- The secrets of Arcadia Bay finally begin to unravel

- A darker overall tone that was harsh but compelling

- Strong beginning and compelling conclusion

Bad:

- All the mystery is crammed down your throat in one episode

- Dull fetch quests and mystery solving tools

- A long and inconsistent story through the middle portion

Scully Rating: 6.0 out of 10

Life is Strange: Episode 3 - Chaos Theory

By: Robert Murphy

I knew that one day Max Caulfield’s rewind ability would fall short but never in a million years would I have expected it to be in such a tragic way. Episode 3 of Life is Strange begins on a very somber note after the events of the last and luckily the game has a wonderful way of immersing you into the world and letting you know that things have not only affected you but everyone around you. People show their support and positivity with you in a game like this whether it is a kind gesture or a simple text message you feel that people have your back. Much of the beginning of episode 3 gives you plenty of time to breathe and some much needed time with your friends to sort out all that is going on in your life. Whether that involves your new found powers, the possible incoming storm that threatens all of Arcadia Bay or just your regular day to day life, things definitely start to feel less stressful. Right up until the end that is.

One of the most enjoyable aspects to “Chaos Theory” is Max finally feels more at peace with her abilities this time around. In previous episodes Max has struggled to understand her gifts and what the extent of her powers might be and even spent a good portion of episode two testing them out to see what she can do. Now though she appears to be a seasoned pro with the abilities that she currently knows about. The puzzles and problems that you’re presented with this time around appear to less stressful for Max and you to deal with because you now know what exactly you can pull off. Having a conversation with a character you need to get information from and learning a piece of information about them to rewind and use against them is basically child’s play at this point. That isn’t to say that it is any less fun or interesting. Characters in Life is Strange are proving to become more compelling as time goes on and I find myself wanting to talk to just about everyone I see just because the world has become so rich. Some of the unfortunate slang still gets in the way of it from time to time but I’ve come to embrace that it’s not going away any time soon.

Your relationship with Chloe is honestly what shines the most for episode 3. Max and Chloe have gradually begun to get closer again with one another despite Chloe’s attitude about you leaving and her nasty habit of going off on people. There is more tender moment between the two though as you both decide to break into Blackwell Academy after dark to get information on what exactly the principal is hiding about the goings on at the school. This is a fun endeavor for a number of reasons besides the obvious joy I had in making my very own pipe bomb with the help of Warren, but there was also the time you get to spend reconnecting with Chloe in the schools pool. The two finally feel like good friends again and their relationship is one that I deeply enjoy experiencing as I play.

By the end of things though it felt fitting that all this should happen once Max finally starts to feel some relief and get a handle on her powers which unknown to her are about to take a huge leap forward.

The big reveal for “Chaos Theory” comes at the end of the episode once again as Max reverses time further than she ever has before and in affect goes backwards in time to a point she never thought possible. There had already been quite a phenomenal bombshell at the end of the last episode and yet somehow the developers have managed to outdo themselves once again. Max goes back with the intent of effectively changing things for the better as so many people have often done before but I’ve learned anything from time travel show and movies it’s that you have to constantly worry about the ripple effect that your actions will create. Max awakes from this experience in an entirely different world which was shaped by what she had done and now she is more lost than ever before. The whole experience of a new world to explore and whether or not my abilities can have any effect anymore in the world I’ve created has me insanely enthralled for the beginning of the next episode.

Episode 3 of Life is Strange starts out with a relaxed sense to it after the events of the previous episode but it does not falter in its ability to create new and interesting aspects for the story. Max’s new power was a big step forward and makes me wonder what exactly she will be able to do with this new ability and what issues they’ve already created for her next time. The characters we see are also becoming deeply engaging as things progressed this time around, I learned new facts about people I never thought I’d like and things about those I did like that I was better off not ever knowing. One thing is certain though and that’s that I am exceedingly excited for what lies around the corner for our main heroine Max. I certainly hope she is prepared.

Good:

- New time travel ability

- The bond between Max and Chloe

- Enjoyable puzzles and problems for the episode

- The big story altering decision

Bad:

- Usual dialogue issues

Scully Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Life is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time

By: Robert Murphy

The series continues to live up to it's title as I entered into the second episode "Out of Time." Max returns to her life at Blackwell Academy and begins to feel a wave of care free nature in the wake of her new abilities. Things will not be as light and breezy as the opening to the episode would suggests though and I start to feel the first real signs of tension and drama that I was missing out on in the first episode. 

Almost immediately this chapter starts off with an overwhelming level of peace to it that drastically changes in an instant. Max starts her day and relishes in her new found power and how she really can go about her day with ease because of it. This was the issue I pointed out with episode one as your rewind powers seem to almost be too over powered to generate any real problems. This issue would soon become irrelevant as Max begins to learn of the torment that her fellow classmate is going through. Bullying, sexual abuse and drug use all begin to weave their way into the story and Max will end up being mixed into all of it due to her inherently good nature. Max remains a character that deserves the gift she is given, she may joke about using her power for little things like not being late to class but she mainly ends up reversing time for a greater good. 

That greater good though is quite hard to find in this episode. The decisions you are faced with are extremely difficult ones in this episode and I felt like I was right back in Telltale's Game of Thrones adaptation where no choice I could possibly make is the right one. This is due to the fact that your relationships with the ones around you get more involved. The main out cry for this episode came from a character that I barely paid any attention to the first time around but quickly became invested in once I learned what was happening to her and that was Kate Marsh. She it seems got into some trouble and you will need to decide whether or not you have what it takes to help her but depending on the decisions you've made up until this point her fate and yours may be intertwined and you could help one another out. This brings me to the fact that many of the decisions you made in the first episode begin to start showing some meaning. Here and there I found information and issues arising from the choices I made, whether it was receiving texts from an unknown number or stopping a certain security guard from picking on my friend, the effects began to show. This was interesting because often times I don't feel any sort of effect in these decision making games from the choices I've made and here I've found myself confronted with issues that would have gone differently had I gone another route.

From here players will see that your relationship with Chloe which also begins to get stronger too as last episode you revealed to her your gift and you two begin to bond like the good old days again. Chloe does became one of this episodes problems however as she felt the need to put your powers to the test for herself just to make sure you aren't crazy and who can really blame her. This leads to a mind numbing rewind and retry sequence in the first few scenes of the game. You have to correctly guess the items in her pocket at one point and notice the most insignificant details about the items it would seem. Then you must predict the future to Chloe and call out the actions of what happens in the diner you are in. Following this you have to play a find the bottle game at Chloe's secret hideout. It was all nitty gritty objectives that I was glad were done within the first portion of the episode and not spread throughout. However, the pace does pick up considerably once you get all of this out of the way and your relationship with Chloe will lead you to two of the most tense moments of the episode as her past comes back to haunt her and you must decide what you must do to help Chloe out. Constantly exposing your powers to this strain of everything that you two do will also have a big effect on the finale for the game too which took my breath away.

The only thing that did not show signs of improvement and probably will not change any time in the future for Life is Strange would be the dialogue. I'm not exactly sure what teen drama or crummy TV show that the developers got their teen slang from but it is certainly a dated and annoying one. Max and her friends walk around spouting out typical teenage jargon but at the same time they also use lines that feel completely out of character and out of place in every day conversation. At one point Max asks to "rap" about what happened the other day to Chloe and I cringed. People do not talk like this in the real world and it makes me shutter every time one of these cliche line comes pouring out of someones mouth which is quite often. 

That being said, "Out of Time" takes some very positive steps forward from it's first episode. The overarching story starts to take shape as the decisions I've made in the previous episode start to carry some weight and make it seem that far bigger problems may lie in store for Max because of it. Players will also see a big ramp up in the tension in the story and I finally begin to feel real concern for the characters in the game and also more invested in interacting with everyone I see. I certainly hope the tension can continue forward as more and more is revealed about Max and her abilities, along with the mysterious goings on at Blackwell Academy. 

Good:

- The ramifications of my decisions in episode one already start to show

- Exceedingly hard to make choice

- Characters start to gain more appeal especially the one with Chloe

- An ending you won't forget

Bad:

- Horrible and cliche dialogue that doesn't appear to be going away any time soon

- The mind numbing sequences with Chloe testing your powers

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10