Video Game : Life is Strange !

[Antho]

Life Is Strange is an episodic graphic adventure video game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The game was released in five episodic parts periodically throughout 2015. The game's plot focuses on Max Caulfield, an 18-year-old photography student who discovers that she has the ability to rewind time at any moment, leading her every choice to enact the butterfly effect. After having foreseen an approaching storm, Max must take on the responsibility to prevent it from destroying her town. The player's actions will adjust the narrative as it unfolds, and reshape it once allowed to travel back in time. Fetch quests and making environmental changes represent the forms of puzzle solving in addition to using branching choices for conversation.

Development of Life Is Strange began in April 2013. It was formed with an episodic format in mind, for reasons both financial and creative. The developers conducted field research on the setting by travelling to the Pacific Northwest, and subverted known archetypes to make the characters. Player feedback influenced the adjustments made to the episodes. Story and character arc serve as the central point in the game. During its release, Life Is Strange received generally favourable reviews commending the character development, rewind game mechanic and tackling of taboo subjects. It won the BAFTA Games Award for Best Story, the Peabody-Facebook Futures of Media Award and The Game Awards' Games for Impact Award. Common criticisms included the slang that was used, poor lip-syncing in earlier episodes, and tonal inconsistencies in the story. It has sold over three million copies as of May 2017. A prequel, Before the Storm, was released in 2017, while a sequel, Life Is Strange 2, is in development.


Do you know this game ?
Have you ever playing it ?
Do you like it ?

I'm playing theses day and I'm loving it so far. I like the concept, the adventures, the characters, the scenario, the graphics, everything !

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

I LOVE these games. They are heavily inspired by my two favourite shows - BtVS and Twin Peaks. There is a rich bully named Victoria Chase. The mother in the prequel is named Joyce. There is a bumper sticker that says something like BFFY VMPRSLR. The ending of the first game is a total rip off of a famous Buffy episode.

Spoiler: Famous Buffy episode

Becoming pt. 2. It was so satisfying to have the choice to not kill Angel.

Common criticisms included the slang that was used, poor lip-syncing in earlier episodes, and tonal inconsistencies in the story.

Two of these thing are true about BtVS, but is is such silly criticism. I love the rich and diverse style. Granted, there is some overly cringy dialogue in the prequel with too many odd references, but it doesn't ruin it for me.

a sequel, Life Is Strange 2, is in development.

I didn't know. I am so excited.

Prepare to have your heart ripped from your body and trampled over. There are some Joss-worthy trauma in these games.

 

[Antho]

Actually I'm on the episode 4. I believe there are five episode, so I'm soon at the end of the game. Interesting what you said about the comparison with Buffy, I honestly didn't notice but that's probably because I'm too focus on the game and my choices to think about something else lol. Have you specific example ?

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

Interesting what you said about the comparison with Buffy, I honestly didn't notice but that's probably because I'm too focus on the game to think about something else lol. Have you example ?

I already did, didn't I? There is a rich, beautiful, intelligent and hardworking bully named Chase, there is a mother named Joyce, there is a bumper sticker with Buffy's name on it, the teenage slang is heavily stylised and filled with high culture and pop culture references, there is a blending of styles from horror to comedy to teenage drama, psychological pain manifest as supernatural pronomena, a girl is gifted with a special power and SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER the last episode.

 

[Antho]

I already did, didn't I? There is a rich, beautiful, intelligent and hardworking bully named Chase, there is a mother named Joyce, there is a bumper sticker with Buffy's name on it, the teenage slang is heavily stylised and filled with high culture and pop culture references, there is a blending of styles from horror to comedy to teenage drama, psychological pain manifest as supernatural pronomena, a girl is gifted with a special power and SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER the last episode.

I'm so idiot. Now you said it.... Of course, it's obvious :

- Victoria chase : Cordelia chase
- Max's mother named Joyce : Buffy's mother
- The heroin Max : Buffy
How could I not see the link ?? Worst fan ever of BTVS !!

However concerning the bumper sticker and the reference, I had to google it to understand. I would have never find that reference.

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

- Max's mother named Joyce : Buffy's mother

Chloe's mother. She is kinda similar to Buffy's mum, isn't she? And Chloe's reaction to her new man is kinda like Buffy's reaction to Ted.

Also, Chloe is kinda like Faith.

Now go and play the final chapter and tell me how your ending turned out!

 

[Antho]

Also, Chloe is kinda like Faith.

Very true. add to that the subtext lesbian and we have our fuffy

Now go and play the final chapter and tell me how your ending turned out!

I promise you I will do. But I'm tormented with some choice I made. Some decisions were very difficult to take and I was very torn between the different options and even now I'm not sure I made good choice. But that's the point of the all game, isn't it ?

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

I promise you I will do. But I'm tormented with some choice I made. Some decisions were very difficult to take and I was very torn between the different options and even now I'm not sure I made good choice. But that's the point of the all game, isn't it ?

You're gonna cry either way.

 

[Antho]

That's it I finally finished the game.

Spoiler

First of all, Jefferson ****ing bastard !!! The next time I play the game I denounce him to the principal when we are questioned.

A lot of emotions in this last episode. I had a lot of chills when we were chased in different places by everyone. It was scary to see everyone blaming Max. On the other hand, it made me feel emotional when we saw the Max / Chloe relationship and all the emotions they have felt as they went through the trials side by side.

The final choice is horrible. I was hoping a happy end, and in a sense It was my choice so I could have had it but here is the thing : I'm a BTVS fan, I learnt from Buffy and I did the same choice than her. A heartbreaking but crucial choice. I sacrified Chloe for the world just like Buffy sacrified Angel. Not proud of it, but I think it's was the best thing to do. Hey maybe Chloe is like Angel and will come back to life later. Yeah, I'm comforting myself with that thought. My moral : love can be eternal but the world isn't, so I give it more time.
I had the funeral, the sad music even if I did not need it to cry, taking the decision was already enough painful.

What was your ending @WillowFromBuffy ?

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

Spoiler: What I did

I couldn't kill Chloe. The thing that stopped me was that Max would be the only one who knew what a great person Chloe was. To everybody else, Chloe was just a out of control delinquent. The idea of Chloe dying unmourned by everyone except Max was just too much to bear.

It was also terribly cathartic for me. After growing up watching heroes - like Buffy - make the right choice, I got to make the wrong choice.🙂

BtW, it is not Chloe vs the world, but Chloe vs most of Arcadia Bay.