"Life Is Strange Episode 2 is near perfect and leaves me with a strong feeling of choice and consequence"
Life Is Strange Episode 2: Out of Time REVIEW
Written By: Tyler Pederson
I have seen a number of attempts at making the Episodic approach truly meaningful. While there have been a choice here and there in other series that eventually come to mean something, Life Is Strange is quickly putting any other attempts at that style of storytelling to shame. Not only do I feel like every choice I made in episode 1 was a meaningful one with direct and indirect results to show for it, I can safely say they listened to feedback on the low points, honing this second episode into something unbelievably special.
I will continue to refrain from plot summaries in these reviews, as I don’t see the point in spoiling anything. I will only say that some of the choices you made will already see you sprinting toward one outcome or another, and unless you want to replay the episode entirely it really is too late to change anything. The weight of one particular series of choices is brought home to a breathtaking result, and really leaves you feeling like you were responsible, for better or worse.
The world of Life Is Strange is as beautiful as it was the first time, but expanded upon in some unique ways. I still struggle to map out just where a couple key areas are to imagine it as a real town, but the setting is nailed so perfectly that it’s once again incredibly easy to wander around far longer than you’re actually playing. The optional photos are back, and feel more like organic discoveries made on your journey rather than relying on more game like tropes. The photos tied to story points will also come into play, and in deeply rooted ways I didn’t see coming so soon.
The episode introduces a few new ideas to make use of your power over time, but I would be overlooking a minor annoyance to not explain that relying on intense memorization in the way the episode does comes off a bit more as padding and a bit less like organic ways of moving forward. It does however manage to have as much meaning in regard to the big picture as any of the more major plot points, so it can easily be forgiven. The gameplay itself feels more varied and better paced, ensuring you are constantly intrigued at what you may find.
With most of the base character building out of the way, the second episode gives the definite feeling of knowing the path it wants to take, and does it’s best to get you there. The minor padding aside, “Out of Time” is without a doubt in my mind the best example of how to make episodic content right, and truly make use of the feedback given on Episode 1 to make it a more consistently enjoyable experience. There may be a line or two or dialogue yet out of place, but overall it all feels well thought out.
Life Is Strange has really managed to surprise me. I play most video games to enter a world so unlike anything I have experienced that It’s hard to ever relate on a personal level. The team at Dontnod deserve an extra bit of recognition for not only looking at the real world from a real world perspective, but going into topics other games would rarely if ever be bold enough to touch. I don’t think it’s perfect, but I think that’s what makes it so true to life. Nothing is perfect, but Life Is Strange Episode 2 comes damn close, and leaves me with the most powerful feeling of choice and consequence of any episodic game to date.
Life Is Strange Episode 2 “Out of Time” gets a 9/10
(NOTE: Due to GB not listing Episode 2, this is listed as a review of Episode 1. I will edit this upon the option becoming available. Thanks for understanding!)