In fact, the game is at its best when it just allows you to explore the world around you when it focuses on the small moments when Max can really make a difference in someone else's life, rather than the grand, sweeping cosmic changes that happen as a result of her messing with the space-time continuum. It's in these moments that Life is Strange shines brightest - when it's just a story about a girl trying to fit in and do her best. Every so often, the game will render your powers temporarily useless and force you to call upon everything you've learned about someone or something so far to prevent a disaster, without the safe fallback of a do-over. ![]() This social manipulation starts out small - can you get your teachers and fellow classmates to like you by bringing up stuff they're interested in before they do? - but eventually and inevitably becomes a matter of life and death, as you try and talk people out of running into the jaws of their certain demise. Quizzing subjects, you'll often be given contextual clues and additional information that you can then use to unlock further conversation options by rewinding time and approaching the interaction from a different angles. You'll control Max as she explores her surroundings, sometimes solving environmental puzzles and sometimes engaging characters in multiple-choice conversations. How you actually play Life is Strange varies from moment to moment, but it isn't dreadfully reductive to say that it's similar to the interactive drama format made popular by Telltale's The Walking Dead. Different players will interpret Max and Chloe's relationship in different ways, and that will alter how they approach the game's major choices. Over the course of the next week, the two are brought closer than ever as they investigate the disappearance of Chloe's friend Rachel Amber, Max comes to terms with her powers, and the threat of an apocalyptic storm looms over their sleepy Pacific Northwestern town of Arcadia Bay. After saving the girl, Max finds out that it's her childhood friend Chloe, whom she hasn't connected with in over five years. She finds out she can rewind time after a girl is fatally shot in her school bathroom. She keeps a diary, takes selfies, and without a doubt has 'free-thinker, tea-drinker' in her Tumblr or Instagram bio. You play as a shy, thoughtful, photography-obsessed 18-year-old who returns to her childhood hometown after a few years away in order to attend an elite academy known for turning out up and coming artists. It's hard to sum up the game's premise in a way that doesn't make it sound awful. ![]() It's safe to use, because even if you recommend it to someone and they don't like it, there are few who would say Life is Strange isn't interesting. It's interesting." That word, interesting, continues to follow any and all discussion of the game. "Life is Strange? Yeah, it's alright actually. That metamorphosis began slowly I remember, after playing the first episode, that bringing it up in conversation with others who had played it would always evoke the same, pleasantly surprised, wide-eyed head-nod. ![]() In less than a year and over the course of five episodes, Life is Strange has managed to transform itself from a little game nobody really cared about by a little French studio nobody really knew to one of the most talked-about releases of 2015. Availability: All five episodes are out now on PC, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360.Despite its many flaws, I can't help but think of it as one of the best interactive story games of this generation. But, for every reason I think someone might not get along with Life is Strange - it features piss-poor lip synching and its gameplay and story are sometimes straight-up not talking to one another - I still have to recommend it, more so than any other game I've played this year. Some episodes are fantastic - others are not. It has a gorgeous, unique art style, but the graphics are nothing special. It strikes at an audience other games rarely consider, but there's a lot of half-baked teen angst going on. It's an interactive drama, but the story isn't always well-written and the dialogue is frequently clumsy. It's difficult to think of a way to convincingly recommend Life is Strange without including a multitude of caveats. Over five episodes, Life is Strange has become more than another interactive drama - it's become one of the most interesting games in years.
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