So, like many other games that GB has played through to completion (Persona 4, Deadly Premonition, etc.) I purchased Life if Strange after enjoying watching the first couple of episodes. I have put off actually playing it myself until now. One thing I have been wondering: is there really a noticeable effect from the choices the player takes? I have played several games where it seemed like a game changed dynamically from choices made, but the story was still funneled along a set storyline. Is that the case with this game? Yes, I understand there's a lot of different dialogue options and a few minor differences that change with decisions made. But if the game always ends in the same basic ending (despite the path it got there) I am considering putting it off a bit longer and focusing on a different game for a while.

It's gonna have moments it has to hit and a story it's trying to tell you. Several things will be personalized to your choices but it's still telling you a story like every other game. You shouldn't really let that deter you in this type of game though because there is really no getting around it.

It looks like the ultimate ending is pretty binary, so there's not much to be said there.

That said, it does look like the path has some variance. I don't have the link, but there is one "encounter" that is so complicated, and so dependent on previous decisions, that the developers released a flowchart describing all the different factors.

It's gonna be a "play it for the journey, not the end" experiences, essentially.

There's really not that much variance. Some side character development may differ but it's insubstantial.

About as much as a Telltale game. So to answer your question: no.

here's the basic gist of it: the ultimate choice will always be presented the same way if that's all you care about. The game has a story to tell. However, there are sequences, one in particular, that drastically change the progression of the story. GBeasts game plyed out much differently than mine.

The impact the sequences have in the game is mostly how the story gets presented to you and how you end up experiencing the story. It's also less about the game changing with your choices and action than it is more about the impact playing through those sequences has on you. Watching somebody else do it is one thing, but going through it yourself in YOUR games universe is a whole nother thing. I can't see the sequences being presented to you having as big of an impact on you if you know their coming in contrast to being put on the spot.

The game is whatever you make of it.

Without getting into spoilers, that's a really tough question to answer. You should just play the game whenever you want to and experience it for yourself rather than rushing into it worrying about how it's going to finish. If that means waiting a bit, then wait.

There is definitely a main story thread throughout the game that doesn't change and will always be the same, and it always ends up at the same final decision (though the choice the Beastcrew made can still play out slightly different, depending on how you played). But I think it's not just a few but a whole lot of details along the way that are vastly different depending on your choices, and those details (for me anyway) are what makes the game, its world and characters, relatable and interesting.

Don't expect every little choice to necessarily be acknowledged later, or affect the outcome of anything in particular. But consider the choices more as roleplaying opportunities, so pick the thing that either you personally would do, or the thing that you feel your version of Max would do. The devs don't have billions of dollars, so each choice doesn't wildly diverge the story of the game into hundreds of possible endings; still, some choices, especially when dealing with other people, will affect Max's relationship with those people in a fairly overt way.

You can only customize your experience a little. There aren't different routes or paths, and the ending choice is always the same.

Nope, choices mean absolutely nothing.

Only if you don't understand the game.

This. You can do whatever you want, the game barely changes and the endings are still the same.