Each time I top up my PSN account, I always do a courtesy browse around the virtual store to see what titles I missed out on, and this February I came across, Life is Strange. I’m not sure how this captured my attention, but i’m glad it did.
Life is strange is an interactive novel title, allowing users to write their own story line, by taking decisions which have repercussions on the what’s to come. The main protagonist, Maxine Caulfield, is a young photography student, who is still adapting to her adolescent life. The story line takes on a Butterfly Effect approach, allowing Maxine to travel slightly back in time, and manipulate events that just occurred. I stand by Dontnod’s decision to revolve the storyline around a female character, something which is frowned upon by publishers in the gaming industry, not only does it give a different perspective to a game, but it breaks away from mainstreamistic themes.
The narration is written fantastically well, and the level of character interaction and bonding, in unparalleled. You’ll get immersed in this story line extremely quickly, and have a hard time taking decisions, since most of them have varied types of consequences, not only effecting the character’s immediate situation, but also putting her future in jeopardy. Visually this game is stunning. Everything from the textures, to lighting, and colouring, perfectly match the theme of the game, and bring this title and the point and click genre to a whole new level. Mechanics are straight forward, and controls are intuitive in design, giving this game a smooth and enjoyable playability.
This game is brilliant in its execution, and given that I have only played the first episode of five, it really says a lot. I really couldn’t get enough of the game, and i’m extremely looking forward to the continuation of the story.
Dontnod have slapped mainstream gaming in the face, with what is shaping up to be an amazing journey through the adventures of Maxine Caulfield. Just like Remember Me, Dontnod don’t shy away from leaving me speechless and putting a huge smile on my face.
Overall Rating: 9/10