Life is Strange, whether you’ve played it or not, is a game that sparks visions of warm Tumblr-esque visuals, indie music, and adorkable cringey one-liners in the mind of the average gamer. For many fans, it is a reminder of simpler times in gaming when all you needed to hook an audience was two teenage hipster girls, a sprinkled-in missing person, and a dash of time travel powers.
The first Life is Strange game, in all its unrefined yet endearing glory, is undeniably iconic. Its successors, Before the Storm, Life is Strange 2, and True Colours, are remembered with similar fondness overall. The appeal of Life is Strange, to me, is that it really feels like you’re playing an indie game – in the absolute best way. And the developers never forgot this appeal, with each game endowed with that same loveable indie magic.
The newest installment of the cherished series, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, is a long-awaited continuation of the first game, returning to the beloved original protagonist: Max Caulfield. Fans have long been begging for a continuation of Max’s story, and their desperate pleas have finally been answered by developers Deck Nine in the form of a totally revamped new game coming out… Today!
DOUBLE EXPOSURE: A WHOLE NEW MAX CAULFIELD
Double Exposure will pick up a while after the events of the first game, following Max Caulfield who is now a photographer-in-residence at Caledon University. Max, as shown in trailers, seems to have grown significantly in the last 10 years since the events of the first Life is Strange, having new friends and peers.
While many fans seem to wonder if a new game could ever live up to the nostalgia of the first one, especially with such a different set of characters, I believe these changes are necessary to create an engaging game without retracing the exact same plot. An older and wiser Max Caulfield with new powers in a new place will keep things fresh and unpredictable, which is exactly what a new game should be.
Whether you chose to save or sacrifice Max’s best friend turned love interest, Chloe Price, in the first game, there’s seemingly no sign of the blue-haired punk by Max’s side despite fans catching a few pictures of Chloe in the trailer and Max referring to her in revealed dialogue. This has left fans hopefully wondering whether Chloe will actually make an appearance in the game, and if she’ll be a significant character at all.
A SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE MURDER AND EVEN MORE IMPOSSIBLE POWERS
The crux of Double Exposure is based around Max discovering that her close friend, Safi, has been murdered under seemingly impossible circumstances that police can’t solve themselves. With no leads on how her friend has been killed, Max has to rely on her powers once again to try and find Safi’s killer. But instead of the usual familiar swirling rewind powers found in the first game, Max discovers she can now open two alternate timelines which she can move through using her abilities.
In one timeline, Safi has been murdered. In the other, she is still alive. Max now has to solve this case before the killer strikes again, and she has the unique advantage of actually being able to speak to the victim herself. We can see through glimpses of the gameplay that Max can seemingly switch and peer through these two timelines as her main ability, creating a whole new function to her powers never seen before.
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Double Exposure seems to borrow some familiar aspects of the first Life is Strange, with a murder and time-related superpowers still at the center of its plot. However, Deck Nine developers have done more than simply repackage the same content. We’re optimistic that new characters, abilities, and the new setting will provide fans with much more to love.
What’s more exciting is seeing Max and the Life is Strange artistic style in a modern gaming engine, with much smoother graphics and facial movements. Seeing characters from a game originally released in 2015 up to modern standards is one of the most anticipated parts of this new release. The Life is Strange series is renowned for its beautiful natural American landscapes, and Double Exposure leans into this with its setting at Caledon University, full of frosty landscapes and the same cozy warmth synonymous with previous games.
READY FOR THE MOSH PIT, SHAKA BRAH?
So if you’re interested in the kind of game you can binge all in one sitting, enjoying the cozy comforts of an indie RPG while also playing with time-traveling super-powers and solving a murder; Double Exposure will feed every one of those niche needs. Whether you’ve played and adored the previous games or are only just getting into Life is Strange, you can enjoy the newest installment of a much-loved series.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is out now, and available on Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC
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