I wouldn’t have had the same reaction to small details in the final chapter had I binged the entire games season, it simply wouldn’t be the same. Life is Strange 2 is a road-movie with each chapter picking up after a long period which always made me feel like the characters were just living their lives as I waited for each new release. When I played the final episode I appreciated the time I’d had between each chapter that made some of the smaller things hidden within a welcome surprise. The nature of this season also worked in favour of the months between each episode. Every chapter gave me something to think about, character choices to break down and moral quandaries to ponder. I’ve been playing the release of each chapter of Life is Strange 2 and discussing them on ‘Beyond The Strange’, a podcast here at the Explosion Network. It’s also a very American story and one that unfortunately feels truly relevant right now. It’s a sad game, I’ve watched all the endings, mine and the six others which range from crushingly defeating to bittersweet. It's heavy-handed at times, but its thematic focusing, when compared to the first game, leads to more consistently better writing and storytelling. The dichotomy of America today is what Life Is Strange 2 presents as the unequivocal driving for its story. But instead the two hit the ground running, afraid, and the two of them, over the course of five chapters, meet some truly wonderful people alongside some truely cruel people. It's immediately obvious how if this was the first game and Daniel could rewind time it would prove a much more helpful ability. It's when their racist neighbour begins harassing Daniel that things turn hairy very fast and the arrival of a Police Officer elevates the situation in devastating ways. Daniel is messing with his stuff, they have a brotherly fight and their father intervenes. In Life Is Strange 2's first chapter you're introduced to Sean as a very normal teenager who's about to go party with some friends. Life Is Strange 2 has one episode that plays with romance, but the story is focused on being about the story of two brothers, with the youngest being often, as ten-year-olds are, annoying at times. The first game has romance and easily shippable leads with one being performed by Ashly Burch in a loud, instantly memorable and likeable character with Chloe Price. Yes, it does deal with horrific and mature things, some more successfully than others, but the High School setting is simply an easier point-of-entry compared to Life Is Strange 2 and it's cast of characters. It could simply be that the audience for episodic games is gone and burnt out with the structure, but I think that for most, a game starring two Hispanic boys on the run in an American that’s presented as very much MAGA ground isn’t as appealing as teen girls, high school drama and the romance that all included.Ĭhloe and Max’s story in the first game is at times very much like watching a CW Network drama. It worked for the first game and it worked time and time over for many of Telltales Games releases. It’s easy to blame the several months between the release of each chapter, but fans have proven they'll stick around months for episodic releases when they care for it enough. The fifth and final chapter in the game was released last week without the massive applause and rousing online discussion that came for the first game. When the original Life Is Strange released in 2015 it seemed to be a massive hit with everyone I talked to and quickly become a well-loved series that people are still drawing fan art of today.
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