Life is Strange is a game maintained in the nature of interactive fiction. The series has already lived to see five parts – the first saw the light of day in 2015. It’s time for another episode of the unique story.
The game was produced by the French studio Dontnod Entertainment, which also has on its account games such as Remember Me, Vampyr or The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. Although the producer originally struggled with financial problems connected with poor sales results, the success of Life is Strange made the studio currently listed among the best indie game companies.
Japanese company Square Enix is responsible for the distribution of the game. Square Enix has in its catalog many highly appreciated productions, including Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. The main character of Life is Strange is Maxine Caulfield – an 18-year-old photography enthusiast gifted with the power to turn back time.
The new part of the cult adventure game is to be released in the second half of 2021. Two titles will join the five episodes that have been released so far:
In the new story – True Colors – the player will be able to take on the role of Alex Chen, who has the power to feel, manipulate and absorb other people’s emotions. The main character faces a huge challenge: solving the mystery of her brother’s death. Such an outline of the plot promises an exciting gameplay, which will refer to the best moments from the previous parts of Life is Strange. The form in which the game will be released is also a big novelty. Unlike the previous versions, the new parts will not be made available for sale in episodes, but as a whole.
View this post on Instagram.
Although the previous games produced by the publishing house Dontnod were not received too warmly, the Life is Strange series is currently rated as one of the best adventure games ever. Players from all over the world have spent hours playing and immersing themselves in the compelling story of the game’s characters.
The plot of Life is Strange is based on the story of Maxine Caulfield and her childhood friend Chloe Price getting to know each other. After a time where they have not been in close contact with each other, Maxine comes across Chloe dead in the toilet. It is then that she uses the power of turning back time for the first time and saves her friend from danger, again building a strong relationship with her.
Another significant event is a vision that haunts Maxine while she sleeps. It is a huge, dangerous tornado destroying the main character’s town. Soon Chloe learns that this is no ordinary dream, but a prophecy that is about to come true in the near future.
Throughout the course of the game, Maxine is faced with a number of choices that will determine, among other things, the fate of one of her classmates, the verdict for a killer prowling the town, and the end of the tornado threat
With its interwoven stories and the importance of choices, Life is Strange is no ordinary adventure game. It’s an engaging story that allows you to identify with the characters and feel strong emotions as you relive the events together with them. This is the reason why Life is Strange is described as one of the games that are permanent classics of the genre.
View this post on Instagram.
The game also features a specific style of release that feels more like a movie, series or book. The tension and interest of the players was fueled by the release of subsequent parts of the game. The individual episodes were released between January 30 and October 20, 2015. The names of the five episodes are Chrysalis, Out of Time, Chaos Theory, Dark Room , and Polarized, respectively. Each one represents a certain stage of character development. Players grow to make specific choices, and subsequent decisions have increasingly significant consequences for the character’s future fate.
The gameplay itself is conducted from a third-person perspective. The player can use Maxine’s superpower of time reversal – this allows the player to go back to particular dialogues and make different decisions. Navigation in the game is natural, and the graphical interface is very polished. The production is also rich in so-called easter eggs, i.e. various interesting surprises, not necessarily related to the plot itself – this additionally encourages to explore the virtual world.