Date played: June 26th
Platform: PS4
I finished Life Is Strange!
I had left off as Max was being honored for her photograph at a famous art gallery in San Francisco. After a few discussions with the attendees and a heartfelt talk with the principal, Max noticed she had a bunch of missed calls from Chloe. When she called her back, she learned that the storm was real and that Chloe was in grave danger, so she used her prize winning picture to go back in time.
Things got really screwy here though. The different alternate realities were all confused and it was difficult to make sense of things. In fact, when she woke up, Max was sitting in the Dark Room, tied up and at the mercy of Mr. Jefferson. After a brief conversation, it became evident that he was about to kill Max by overdose. That's when the door opened and David showed up to save the day!
Unfortunately, Mr. Jefferson heard him and knocked him out. I used my rewind power to try to save David. The winning formula had me begging my captor to take a last picture of me. I then warned David as he came in, which was enough for him to overpower Mr. Jefferson and knock him out. I then had a long conversation with David, apologized to him and thanked him profusely for saving my life. He's a genuinely good person, he's just really rude and shitty about how he talks to others.
When he asked about Chloe, I decided to tell him the truth. That she had been killed in the junkyard by Mr. Jefferson. He was fucking devastated, and didn't hesitate to pull his gun and shoot the murderer in the head, killing him instantly. Max, intent on saving Chloe from her death, knew of only one photo that could help her, a photo Warren took the night of the party.
The problem is that the storm was real, and highly dangerous. Arcadia Bay is in danger, people are locking themselves in their homes as the city is being destroyed by the storm. Max hopped into Mr. Jefferson's car and headed for the Whales Diner to find Warren and the picture. When I reached town, it became clear that just getting to the diner would be difficult, as debris and fire were blocking the way.
I spent some time helping some people here, using my rewind power when possible. Some were trapped, others were in immediate physical danger, and I managed to save most of them. When I finally reached the diner, I found Warren, Joyce and Frank holed up in there, trying to survive the storm. I had a conversation with both Joyce and Frank, then went to see Warren about the picture.
This was one of my favorite scenes in the game. Max decided to confide in Warren and explain everything that happened. He was very receptive and supportive. His scientific mind worked quickly, and he came to the conclusion that the storm was all a result of Max using her power that first time in the school's bathroom. After a heartfelt hug, she took the photo and went back to the night of the party.
Max and Chloe had a very difficult conversation here. I had to pick all the right dialog choices to convince her that she shouldn't attack Nathan, or Mr. Jefferson. This required that I reveal what happened when I saved her father, including the wheelchair incident. Chloe was very understanding, and backed off.
The game then jumped back to the present, with Max and Chloe near the lighthouse in the heart of the storm. As they were discussing their recent experiences, Max zoned out and found herself back in the classroom on that first day. This was easily the weirdest sequence in the game, as Max was hallucinating and reliving some of the more significant events of the game. Shit looked weird, doors led to areas that make no sense and everything was just fucking crazy.
At one point, I had to unlock a bathroom door with a code. In another area, I had to sneak through a maze, avoiding people who were searching for me. Hell, there was even a confrontation with myself in the diner! People close to Max were insulting her, treating her like shit and blaming her for everything, including Chloe. After many of these crazy hallucinations, Max woke up with Chloe near the lighthouse again.
Chloe realized that she had been cheating death for a while, and that thanks to Max, she was still alive, but the entire city was about to be destroyed. She pulled out a photo from her pocket, the blue butterfly picture that Max had taken in the bathroom on that first day. I had to make a choice. I had to choose to either go back in time and let Chloe die in the bathroom, shot by Nathan, or to continue saving Chloe, sacrificing the town in the process. They kissed, admitted their love to each other, and said their goodbyes.
For me, it wasn't a hard decision. I knew Chloe was defying fate, and the greater good had to prevail. I decided to let Chloe die in the bathroom. While my choice was clear, going through that scene was incredibly difficult. Chloe's lifeless body lay on the floor of the bathroom as Max wept... It was a very emotional scene.
From this point, I was pretty much crying the entire time. The city was saved, but Chloe is dead, and in this timeline, she never even saw Max. She never learns what happened to Rachel. She believes that she is alone, that no one loves her and that she is worthless. It was heart breaking. The funeral scene was accompanied by a wonderful song, with every major character present at the scene. Even Frank was there, hiding in the bushes.
After the credits rolled, the stats showed me that about half of players chose to save Chloe, and the other half chose to save Arcadia Bay. I know I made the right choice, but it doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Just like in life, sometimes, the hardest decisions are the ones that force you to think of the greater good, rather than emotional safety.
Life Is Strange was a wonderful video game. It tackled topics that are very rare in this medium such as death, drug abuse, rape, torture, bullying and suicide. It dealt with these topics in a mature way, propelled by the deep, well developed characters. I wish more video games were as emotionally demanding. This game was hard to play, but very much worth my time.
Platform: PS4
I finished Life Is Strange!
I had left off as Max was being honored for her photograph at a famous art gallery in San Francisco. After a few discussions with the attendees and a heartfelt talk with the principal, Max noticed she had a bunch of missed calls from Chloe. When she called her back, she learned that the storm was real and that Chloe was in grave danger, so she used her prize winning picture to go back in time.
Things got really screwy here though. The different alternate realities were all confused and it was difficult to make sense of things. In fact, when she woke up, Max was sitting in the Dark Room, tied up and at the mercy of Mr. Jefferson. After a brief conversation, it became evident that he was about to kill Max by overdose. That's when the door opened and David showed up to save the day!
Unfortunately, Mr. Jefferson heard him and knocked him out. I used my rewind power to try to save David. The winning formula had me begging my captor to take a last picture of me. I then warned David as he came in, which was enough for him to overpower Mr. Jefferson and knock him out. I then had a long conversation with David, apologized to him and thanked him profusely for saving my life. He's a genuinely good person, he's just really rude and shitty about how he talks to others.
When he asked about Chloe, I decided to tell him the truth. That she had been killed in the junkyard by Mr. Jefferson. He was fucking devastated, and didn't hesitate to pull his gun and shoot the murderer in the head, killing him instantly. Max, intent on saving Chloe from her death, knew of only one photo that could help her, a photo Warren took the night of the party.
The problem is that the storm was real, and highly dangerous. Arcadia Bay is in danger, people are locking themselves in their homes as the city is being destroyed by the storm. Max hopped into Mr. Jefferson's car and headed for the Whales Diner to find Warren and the picture. When I reached town, it became clear that just getting to the diner would be difficult, as debris and fire were blocking the way.
I spent some time helping some people here, using my rewind power when possible. Some were trapped, others were in immediate physical danger, and I managed to save most of them. When I finally reached the diner, I found Warren, Joyce and Frank holed up in there, trying to survive the storm. I had a conversation with both Joyce and Frank, then went to see Warren about the picture.
This was one of my favorite scenes in the game. Max decided to confide in Warren and explain everything that happened. He was very receptive and supportive. His scientific mind worked quickly, and he came to the conclusion that the storm was all a result of Max using her power that first time in the school's bathroom. After a heartfelt hug, she took the photo and went back to the night of the party.
Max and Chloe had a very difficult conversation here. I had to pick all the right dialog choices to convince her that she shouldn't attack Nathan, or Mr. Jefferson. This required that I reveal what happened when I saved her father, including the wheelchair incident. Chloe was very understanding, and backed off.
The game then jumped back to the present, with Max and Chloe near the lighthouse in the heart of the storm. As they were discussing their recent experiences, Max zoned out and found herself back in the classroom on that first day. This was easily the weirdest sequence in the game, as Max was hallucinating and reliving some of the more significant events of the game. Shit looked weird, doors led to areas that make no sense and everything was just fucking crazy.
At one point, I had to unlock a bathroom door with a code. In another area, I had to sneak through a maze, avoiding people who were searching for me. Hell, there was even a confrontation with myself in the diner! People close to Max were insulting her, treating her like shit and blaming her for everything, including Chloe. After many of these crazy hallucinations, Max woke up with Chloe near the lighthouse again.
Chloe realized that she had been cheating death for a while, and that thanks to Max, she was still alive, but the entire city was about to be destroyed. She pulled out a photo from her pocket, the blue butterfly picture that Max had taken in the bathroom on that first day. I had to make a choice. I had to choose to either go back in time and let Chloe die in the bathroom, shot by Nathan, or to continue saving Chloe, sacrificing the town in the process. They kissed, admitted their love to each other, and said their goodbyes.
 |
| Max and Chloe finally admit their love for each other |
From this point, I was pretty much crying the entire time. The city was saved, but Chloe is dead, and in this timeline, she never even saw Max. She never learns what happened to Rachel. She believes that she is alone, that no one loves her and that she is worthless. It was heart breaking. The funeral scene was accompanied by a wonderful song, with every major character present at the scene. Even Frank was there, hiding in the bushes.
After the credits rolled, the stats showed me that about half of players chose to save Chloe, and the other half chose to save Arcadia Bay. I know I made the right choice, but it doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Just like in life, sometimes, the hardest decisions are the ones that force you to think of the greater good, rather than emotional safety.
Life Is Strange was a wonderful video game. It tackled topics that are very rare in this medium such as death, drug abuse, rape, torture, bullying and suicide. It dealt with these topics in a mature way, propelled by the deep, well developed characters. I wish more video games were as emotionally demanding. This game was hard to play, but very much worth my time.
