LIFE IS STRANGE: BEFORE THE STORM REVIEW

It is a strange thing to me that I look back at the original Life of Strange by DontNod. While I enjoyed the game, I also remember feeling that there were some good moments. However, when I was asked to recall any details about the game, I found out that I played as a shy, introverted teenager girl who spoke in very sneering and said some really awful things. There were also some completely unimaginable phenomena that occurred in the game, which no one seemed to be terribly concerned about.

Deck Nine's prequel to the game Before The Storm has a lot of positive points.

It is also worth noting that Before the Storm is NOT a sequel to Life is Strange 2. (which I have put off until all episodes are available). BtS was created by a smaller company (Deck Nine), while the actual flagship title LiS2 is being developed separately by DontNod.

First, I believe it's important that this review is contextualized. You play Max Caulfield, who returns from Seattle to Arcadia Bay to attend Blackwell Academy. It is the place where she was born and raised. She left it when she was just a teenager with her parents. You play the role of Chloe Price, her best friend and main character in BtS. It takes place in the interim between Max's disappearing act at Arcadia Bay, and her return.

Interspersed throughout the game are Chloe’s summaries of events, which are about as cringey and pathetic as you would expect any emo teen to be.

This is an interesting place, given the knowledge of the first game. It is when Chloe is trying to cope with the loss of her father. Her best friend, Rachel Amber, disappears and no longer contacts her. She ends up falling in love with Rachel Amber, who is both enigmatic, but also amazing and intense. LiS: Rachel Amber vanishes and is later discovered to be dead. However, she was also a manipulative and callous individual. This series of revelations breaks Chloe's hearts in some very memorable moments.

As a prequel, which promises to establish all of these, it's easy to see why this is an exciting time for fans. There are many scenes to be set up and potential for emotional and interesting scenes.

ItAlsoDefinitely, there is one thing that you must do in order to have proper enjoymentBefore the StormYou will absolutely need to have playedLife is strange. It could be an acceptable stand-alone game, but it would lack the context of the original. This is why I am comfortable with spoiling the original for this review. I believe that only those who have played the original should be able to play the prequel.

Deck Nine did an amazing job recreating the atmosphere, and more importantly the characters, of LIS (almost perfect, which I'll get to). It's a wonderful job writing Chloe as well as her inner struggles and angst. Rhianna DeVries also did a fantastic job acting the part of Chloe's voice, taking over from Ashly Burch (voice actors strike).

Equally important to note is that I didn't like Chloe at first. The exact same reasons that I didn't like her in the first. I don't have the patience or the stomach for teenage rebellion and angst. I don't understand a lot of this stuff, and it never has. It could be hard for me to imagine myself in her shoes due to my struggle to empathise and connect with her. I found a lot of Chloe’s inner monologue and her writing in her diary to be completely absurd towards the end. It was coming from someone who needed some sense fully talked into them. Deck Nine has done a great job of making me feel good towards the end.WASIt was easy to relate with Chloe's struggles. It was a great feeling to feel for her, and it added an entirely new dimension of depth and complexity in her character. This is a story that is ultimately very tragic.

Chloe, don't cut your hair on the edge!

This theme is common to all the characters who return from the original game. These characters are well written and would easily be able to carry over canonically into main game. The game gives more context to Chloe’s relationship with Joyce, her mother, and David, her boyfriend, who are ex-soldiers whose attempts to bring discipline into Chloe’s life only drive her away. (which, incidentally, was another reason I got mad at Chloe because she was so bloody unreasonable).All the time). You will also encounter a few supporting characters along the way. It's not surprising that the majority of the supporting characters are given very little screen time due to the game's short duration (about 10 hours in three chapters).

This is to give Rachel Amber the majority of the attention. In a way she is also the one who continues Life Is Strange's use the supernatural. While Chloe does not possess any powers like Max, but she was able to reverse the time in the original game's first game, it slowly becomes clear that Rachel Amber has more to her than she thinks.

The best part of the game is the development of Rachel and Chloe’s relationship. It is amazing how two girls from completely different backgrounds and personalities can come together to form a slowly blossoming relationship.

Even though the "teenager" part is a bit harsh, there are some great things to be found here.

Fuck, yes, I used the phrase "tentatively blooming romance", because that was how real this stuff was. Although the dialogue between Rachel, Chloe and the board retains some cringey "this is how a board thinks teenagers talk like" quality, it is perfect. They do connect with each other a few times, but it is only a couple of scenes that they are truly able to (one involving a school play and one involving a walk home afterward are the best), which are extremely effective and provide some very touching and emotional moments. These scenes are in addition to some of the more sarcastic or funny parts of the game. The writing in the first two episodes was excellent.

While there are some decisions that you need to make throughout the game's course, they are mostly woven into the dialogue and do not really impact the overall game outcome. While there are some things you can change, the majority of the game feels like you're just along for the ride. This isn't necessarily bad, but I only say it with valuable hindsight. During the game, that all-important illusion of choice is maintained extremely well.

The "back talk" mechanic in conversations is the primary new mechanic. It replaces the rewinding time mechanic. You can have arguments with other characters, and you must choose the answers that directly relate to the words of the other person to win. This is a simple device that requires very little concentration and can be used sparingly. However, it is extremely engaging.

The backtalk mechanic's effectiveness is likely to be that you are forced to listen and participate in the dialogue to win. You can't just choose your responses randomly.

The game's main story is also surrounded by an underlying mystery that feels more like a B-plot. It revolves around Rachel Amber's encounter with a mysterious woman. She and Chloe try to identify her. Also, there is a vicious and threatening drug-lord living in the small town, who seems to be involved in both the business and Chloe’s lives. This, however, is a tool to propel Rachel and Chloe's relationship and, so, despite its importance, it isn’t the main focus.

Sometimes the mystery can be frustrating because Chloe will not always know what it is. However, that could be regarded as meta-knowledge.

You might have noticed that I stated in the previous episodes that the writing was excellent. Let me tell you, the ending of the game is not satisfying. It is not an unhappy ending. Although this is true in a lot of cases, it is just the end.NOTGood. As I have said, one should not go into.Before the StormWithout prior knowledge of the originalLife is strangeBut even without it, I don't think the ending would be very satisfying. It's so bad that I will spoil my review and say that I don't recommend it.Before the Storm. The ending was completely implausible for a game so story-focused. It took away from my enjoyment of the game. I will try to explain why, but with very few spoilers.

This is a tie-in to what I have said before. It feels as though the game faithfully recreates the original in the first two chapters. There are a lot of questions left unanswered towards the end. It almost feels like Deck Nine lost sight of the fact that the game was meant to be a setup for the original and not a standalone game.

The relationship between Rachel, Chloe and Frank is the most important issue. In the original game, Rachel was revealed to have cheated on Chloe with Frank. It is now unclear if she ever actually cared for Chloe. It is also revealed that she is a manipulative, selfish, and self-motivated individual. All this means that every "happy" scene in before the Storm has a touch of tragedy. Rachel and Chloe frolicking in the snow This is Rachel using Chloe’s loneliness to overwhelm her and make her fall for him. This girl is so horrible that Chloe will suffer the consequences.

But it's not. Although the canon of Life is Strange is established, it's easy to imagine that Before the Storm might have something entirely different. Rachel and Chloe seem to be happy together. There's no indication of manipulation, and they are actually happy together. The MAIN issue this prequel was supposed address is largely ignored.

But, hey, as long as they get fans to write fanfic, it's okay.

The truth is that theOnlyThis scene, which may have been the worst in the entire game, attempts to address the issue. I can't help but spoil it slightly. This scene shows a boy interested in Chloe breaking into her bedroom to warn her about Rachel Amber. This is meant to be evidence of Rachel's manipulations in the original, but it comes across instead as a jealous, young, jilted schoolboy whining about the girl he loves. He is creepy and frankly ridiculous and gives Chloepause in-game. As I stare at my screen, I wonder when the other shoe will fall.

As you approach the end, the feeling that the game isn't answering important questions or is skimming over important connections between games becomes more common. Nathan Prescott's interactions are another example. If you're familiar with the original, you'll know that Nathan Prescott is a troubled child who is involved in the kidnapping and killing of girls. Before The Storm, you almost have the option to save Nathan before this happens. It's a nice idea in a standalone sense but it doesn't make sense if you hold to the canon.

This lackadaisical attitude continues right up to the final confrontations, where all comes to an end and the story ends. Particularly, there's a point where everything seems to be going horribly wrong. Chloe falls asleep and wakes up to discover that all the bad stuff had been resolved while she was still unconscious. It is difficult to understand how certain aspects were solved and how they got to the point that Chloe is now awake and all is well.

Despite the insistence of the devs that the ending was not a hastily designed patch job, the unfortunate truth is that the whole final episode feels rushed and not just unsatisfying but downright wrong. This doesn't take into account the ending of the story about the mystery woman. Although frustrating, it is understandable in the context of this game. They felt like they ran out of money, and couldn't answer all their questions. Worse, it felt like they had lost sight on what the game was supposed do. I.e. The game that was supposed set up all the background and conflict of the original game actually does very little. It felt like the developers and writers ran out of resources to answer all the questions. By the end, they were practically done.

As it has been with Firewatch before, I believe that a bad ending doesn't necessarily mean a bad game. Sure, in a story-focused title, it will make the score drop dramatically, but it may not ruin everything. However, in the case of Before The Storm, I argue that the ending is so wrong and incomplete that it's just not worth the effort. You will be unable to enjoy the first few episodes without learning more about Rachel Amber or the history of the world. However, the whole game will leave you with a bad taste in the mouth.