LIFE IS STRANGE 2 REVIEW

I have a strange relationship with Life is Strange. Overall, I have positive memories of the first game. This is evident in my review. While I did have my quirks, I felt that the game was largely good at its storytelling. Lamios is also enthusiastic about the game and we have had many discussions about it. It was enjoyable for me, but not as amazing as his.

Although I was excited about LiS2, I had my doubts from Before the Storm. Before The Storm was a spinoff by a spinoff studio. This was back to DontNod and had all the same benefits as the original. Naturally, I was going to wait for the episodes to be released before I played it. These episodic, story-driven Telltale games have been my favorite for many years. They are my favorite games.

The negative feedback started to make me put it off a little longer. The criticisms seemed to be directed at the writing, which, y'know is a central component of a story-based video game, and that it was saturated with propaganda and politics. While the former can be enough to end a game, it is not enough.

It was with some anxiety that I finally sat down to the episode at the start of the year. Now, I can confidently say that both complaints are valid.

Life Is Strange 2 is only superficially similar to the original. You can have a conversation with characters from the original, but it's a separate story. As a teenager, Sean Diaz is forced to run from authorities with Daniel, his 10-year-old brother. You plan to flee the USA to visit your father in Peurto Lobos, Mexico. In the meantime Daniel suddenly has supernatural powers. The game centers around Sean's efforts to care for Daniel and get them to Mexico. Also, to guide Daniel in the right direction as a person.

As is my custom, I will attempt to make a separate section about the politics of the game. This will allow me to both separate my opinion and the politics. The best way to approach these issues is to see the game first as entertainment and then take politics into consideration separately. I think that one should be able to appreciate art regardless of its message. It is so obvious and integral to the story, it's hard not to comment here.

It's preachy. While I will discuss the politics at the end, I think it is just a base viewpoint that I don't like when games preach about anything. I think of games as entertainment/art first. That is how creators should view it. Your story can be political, which is fine. But going out of your way just to make a point , it's not. If the story feels like it's just a soapbox to me, it's difficult to take it seriously.

It's not only about taking jabs at Trump, the wall, Evangelical Christians and anti-immigration Americans, but also guns (I.e. The full range of woes that the left complains about in the USA. It affects the story.

I'm sorry to jump into the spoilers , but this set contains spoilers from the first chapter. These spoilers aren't that bad, as they occur relatively early on. However, you may want to avoid them.

The reason Sean and Daniel need to flee the USA is because Daniel's powers were activated during a confrontation with Esteban, their father. Daniel and Sean get into trouble with a neighbor (who must be racist, of course). The cops arrive. As Sean is about to be arrested, Sean's father walks out of their home and starts approaching the officer. Esteban continues to approach the clearly twitchy, ARMED police officer despite repeated warnings at GUNPOINT. Esteban is shot by the cop, and Daniel's powers manifest as he kills him in retaliation. Sean sends them on the run to escape wrongful imprisonment, and to protect Daniel against Government investigation into his extraordinary power.

The problem with this entire scenario is the sheer number of contrivances. The point that the writers wanted to make was about systematic racism in America by police officers (which is very current right now). The way they approach it is so forced and ham-handed that it could be said to be inconsistent with the entire stance they were trying to take.

This is one of those situations where you're expected to think immediately "cops bad, boo!" but there's absolutely no nuance and it doesn't make any sense. This is the definition of an idiot plot. Nobody uses their brain when the plot requires it. Any problems that could be solved in thirty seconds are never solved this way.

The game's start is so unsatisfactory that it poisons many hours of gameplay and the story. It continues to poison each episode because it was used to propel the plot forward. Every chapter has a point in which the boys must be moved on. This is where the cops come in. They refuse to let the story be told, despite having been able to process the shock. They have to run for some not so great reasons.Again.

Spoilers are over.

It is a shame, because some of the characterisations, especially of Sean and Daniel are great. The voice acting is excellent and there are many memorable and decent moments throughout the game. You can also see the great decision-making in this game. Small decisions add up to big ones, and it shapes Daniel as a person. Is he lying, or does he use his powers to his advantage? Is he more moral or more secretive about his actions? There are many other characters you meet with interesting subplots that add to the story.

Actually, I think the best part of the game was the branching-decisions. Although 95% of the decisions were not difficult for me, it is a good sign. However, I liked how small choices added up to what would happen. It offered the ever-essential illusion of choice that is vital to these games. I also liked the fact that it was easy to change the outcome of the game.

It is just too bad that writers feel compelled to make points rather than tell stories. Another example is the shopkeeper who assumes Sean stole things because of his race. This was immediately after the racist cop, just to nail that home.

Worse, you might encounter homeless people and their dog. The town's man approaches the homeless and demands that their dog be on a leash. He then gets angry with the two men when they refuse to do so (because it is free spirits maaan). You are, as you were at the beginning, clearly supposedto be a "boooo white man making rules!" But in reality, anyone who doesn't put their dog on a leash where it's supposed to is failing at Dog-ownership 101. It's also failing to be a good person! It's... So, so, so dumb!

Although the game may be trying to make "liberal" points, it sometimes appears to have very strange stances or not know what it is trying to communicate. When you meet a man who knows that you are fugitives, but encourages your persistence on the road, despite the fact that you are children. Or when you are taken in by a hippie commune and made to work illegally on a weed farm. The game is about criminals exploiting desperate people for their freedom and escape from the system. I didn't get it...

It's possible to see that there is a lot of "escaping from the system" happening in LiS2. It could even be that libertarianism or disapproval of Government was the point ...? It's a mixed message, however.

It's a mess story-wise. It is too political and preachy. Sometimes events are caused by massive contrivances, and sometimes strange shifts in characters. Drama just for the sake plot. There were some moments that felt good between episodes 3 and 5, when it seemed like the game was dialing down the politics or becoming more nuanced, but overall the writing was terrible. It was odd that the game had a section where you could sit around a campfire to share your most sad story. That's a pathetic idea. It's so melodramatic... The occasional high is just too much.

Although it's a strange thing, I was actually disappointed that there wasn't more teenage drama. Despite my dislike for this type of thing in the original, it was still exciting to see a party being set up in the first fifteen minutes. As with many other games, it is at its best when you interact with characters. It's a shame that there aren't any consistent characters between episodes.

It is also a mistake that the supernatural components were given to Daniel. Although they still play a role in "gameplay", it feels more separate than the time travel element did in LIS1. However, it isn't something you can do much with. The supernatural stuff was handled better this time, people were less critical of it, but it also didn't spend too much time trying to explain how it happened. As the game progressed, I began to understand Sean’s desire to keep the Government from knowing. Although it felt like they didn't wrap up the plot properly, I was able to enjoy the game for the most part.

Although the game retained the same hallmarks of the original, Sean's internal monologue might be a little too cringey for my taste. It was filled with the same kind of breathless, on-the-edge-of-tears, feeling that Max's had in the original. This made it even more irritating to my nerves. He also punctuated his lines in a strange way.

"He would speak...

Then, pause at the middle of each sentence...

..." All the time

It was a strange experience. I began to wonder if sound editing was the culprit.

There aren't many positives. The game's visuals are very nice, a simple upgrade to the original. I really enjoyed the aesthetics in many places. It won't win any prizes, even though it is beautiful. It was great... If you love that kind of sad, hipster twangy music. It was at the very minimum atmospheric.

The game's pathetic story is the only thing that can save it. No matter how much dialogue was fluid and how great the branching decisions were, the game cannot be saved from the endless barrage of horrible decisions made at every point.