It took me less than an hour to cry in the new Life is Strange game. Being a fan from day one for almost a decade now, everything weighs on Life is Strange: Double Exposure as a gigantic and devoted lover of Max Caulfield and her original journey with Chloe Price. Having experienced the first two chapters of this follow-up adventure, I’m all in with one with only one or two small exceptions.
Double Exposure is set a decade after the original Life is Strange and follows Max at her photography residency at Caledon University in Midwest America. We’ve seen many a trailer and even got to try the game for ourselves since its official unveiling back in June, but the story goes that Max Caulfield is thrust back into another mystery and time-bending universe when her new best friend and fellow student Safi is murdered in cold blood. Attempting to turn back time like she once did to save friend-turned-lover Chloe, she incidentally splits the world into two timelines: one where Safi is alive and one where she is dead.
Back in that earlier preview, I got specific hands-on with how these new dual timeline powers work, especially when it comes to puzzle-solving. Now having played the first two out of five chapters, I’ve got even more of a hands of things in Life is Strange: Double Exposure, including its world, characters and the quiet melancholy that comes with grief.
One recurring theme of the entire series that’s returning here in Double Exposure is the idea of community. Once more, this is a game by and for queers. Early on, even before Safi’s death, Max is getting coached by her best friend to approach and ask out the cute girl who runs the local bar. In this scene, Safi notes how Max still keeps a photo in her wallet of the blue-haired punk who was once in her life. As advertised, Double Exposure isn’t exactly considering either ending of the original Life is Strange canon and therefore you can choose to note whether you and Chloe broke up or if she died at Arcadia Bay.
After reminiscing on this past relationship (something that broke my heart and I am eager to see reflected more in subsequent chapters), Max gets a little courage and, dorkishly, asks the cute bartender out. While doing so she’s painted in the highest fidelity and beauty she’s ever had. Toothy grin and all. Even in the dead of winter and with a feeling of ennui settling in on the snow-drenched campus, Double Exposure manages to beautifully capture the sweetness and light that can come from life.
Of course, that can’t be the whole game. The experience is just as much about unravelling the mystery surrounding Safi’s death. These initial two chapters introduce and point the finger at several new characters including her mentor Gwen who looks to be harbouring some secrets as other members of the campus security start having undisclosed issues with her. She’s the thread I’m excited to explore the most; she’s the most prominent trans character that Life is Strange has had so far and she’s frankly a dreamy and punkish middle-aged poet with many tattoos and stories to tell. Safi’s mother Yasmin, who is the president of Caledon seemingly also had a troubled relationship with her daughter while Yasmin’s P.A. Vinh, a cocky head of a fraternity isn’t even remotely shy about his grudges against Safi. Suddenly it’s hard to make heads or tails of who profited from Safi’s death the most. A question I can’t wait to see answered.
Environments and the general mood are better than ever thus far. It’s a compelling narrative mechanic to see simultaneous timelines where someone is both dead and alive and able to be visited within an instant. Max struggles to keep her composure in these moments and emotional stakes are at an all-time high. A bar, one of your regular jaunts in the game is bright and lively with Christmas decorations in one timeline and dull, miserable and quiet in the other. The staff haven’t gotten around to those decorations yet in that one. The idea of a campus in mourning is depicted palpably. In more lighter and reflective moments where Max is walking across the campus in the sunshine with snow drying up on the grass, the trademark vibe of twee indie pop songs you’ve heard in other Life is Strange songs plays. This is ok with me frankly, as someone who was a hipster girl teen scrolling Tumblr herself at the time of the first game. AKA, this franchise’s very demographic.
“…It’s a compelling narrative mechanic to see simultaneous timelines where someone is both dead and alive and able to be visited within an instant.”
Where I worry about Life is Strange: Double Exposure is that character fidelity and design look to be a step back from the prior entry True Colors, at least for some of the more minor members and NPCs you see wandering about Caledon University. They don’t entirely ruin the experience but they’re a little distracting when you add the fact that the game also had some graphical issues for me where environment assets and art would take a little to fully load or settle when changing shots in a scene. It’s not disastrous unsightly launch Cyberpunk 2077 levels of graphical flickering of course, but it’s a little factor that holds Double Exposure back from truly feeling like the future of the franchise thus far. This evened out a little and was more stable the more I played, so I hope this only continues come full release.
A big concern for many a Life is Strange fan is the very return of Max when her narrative ends in the original game (and even subsequent graphic novel run) ended so final. While I’m certainly there with those worries, I’ll reiterate what I said earlier. I’m usually someone avidly against sequels and revivals of IP just for the sake of it. Still, I found myself fully invested and crying deeply during the first hour of Double Exposure. I’m there for the ride. I don’t yet know if it will be worth it in the end. Still, I’m there, potential warts and all. I just hope they stick the landing.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure releases fully on October 29 for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on October 29 with a Nintendo Switch release to come at a later point. Owners of the Ultimate Edition can check out the first two chapters of the game like I did as of October 15. I’ll see you there on the emotional rollercoaster that awaits us.
About the Author
Charlie Kelly
She/Her, They/Them
Charlie loves her video games as much as she loves dumb, charming JRPG protagonists: probably way too much. You can often catch her spending too much time being emotional over LGBT stories in games. She also thinks Yakuza 6 is the best one.
