Life is Strange

Hey Charlie! 

Today, I’m going to talk to you about a video game… seems unusual from me, doesn’t it ? 

But you will understand why, it’s not a usual video game either. Not about war. Not a platform game too. It’s about being a teenager, with a bit of science fiction. It is called Life is Strange.

Life is Strange immerses you in Max Caulfield’s world, a photography student who has just returned to her old hometown, Arcadia Bay, to attend an art school. 

"I take photos. Of me, the world, everything. It may sound sad, but I have a blast."— Max Caulfield

Max is rather shy, she likes retro cameras and being alone, even if other students see her as a nerd, which is not, for her, something mean, she kind of likes it.

She discovers roughly that she possesses the power to rewind time when she sees after a long time her best friend Chloe Price shot right in front of her. Fortunately, after saving her, they reconnect and Max starts helping her friend finding Rachel, Chloe’s friend who mysteriously disappeared, exposing at the same time the darker side of Arcadia Bay.

« Life is Strange is a story based game that features player choice, the consequence of all your in game actions and decisions will impact the past, present and future. Choose wisely… » 

Basically, through her powers and following her story, we will have to make choices which will have different consequences in the game. Max’s powers can change every decision, and even rewrite the past, but also can have disastrous consequences in the future. 

Another side of the game is the fact that Max has also to face teenage hood, with all of its responsibilities and struggles, for instance, reputation and friends, drugs, bullying and cyber-bullying, her studies and her parents, which is something we can relate to and it makes this game all the more realistic, serious and powerful too. 

But there is still a light atmosphere that makes this game appealing and touching, firstly the game looks beautiful, the images seem like paintings in a surreal style and nothing is forgotten, every little detail counts, and make even the smallest pieces of the environment feel real. Additionally, the soundtrack is amazing, matches perfectly the atmosphere with its calmness and adds dimension to the game, it feels more poignant and vulnerable.

Don’t get me wrong, this not an action game, in this game you will essentially watch Max's story going on as if it was a movie in an original way that is not boring at all. It is a real intense emotional story. I like the fact that it highlights the beauty of everyday life, of the ordinary by giving it a lot of importance. Max likes observing the world that surrounds her, and we share that feeling too.

So, I hope my article made you want to know more about this game. Here are some trailers if you’re interested, and you can click here to go the official website.