Overview
Life is Strange is an episodic narrative adventure game developed by the French studio Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix, released in 2015 in five episodes. I played it on PC.
You play as Max Caulfield, a photography student at Blackwell Academy, in Arcadia Bay, who discovers she can rewind time. Along the way she reunites with Chloe, her childhood friend.
Story and world
The dialogue writing has aged badly in places, but the themes it tackles and the central relationship between Max and Chloe remain moving.
The last episode is very divisive, and rightly so.
Gameplay
It is a narrative game: you explore places, talk to characters and make choices that affect how the story continues. What sets it apart is Max's ability to rewind time: after a choice or a conversation, you can go back to take your decision back and see what changes. This mechanic is also used to solve certain situations.
Above all, the game is carried by its atmosphere.
Verdict
An episodic narrative game carried by its atmosphere and its time-rewind mechanic. The dialogue writing has aged badly in places and the last episode is very divisive, and rightly so, but the themes and the central relationship remain moving.