LogFAQs > #886539487

So, life is strange and so is this game.

Really liked it! The game showed me early it was a different type in Episode 1 when Max first put on her headphones in the hallway, and it never really let go after that...but it especially found its groove from Episode 3 onward.

This genre needs a name, which I will now refer to as guilt-simulators...and this guilt-simulator's formula beats the Telltale formula, big time. Timed dialogue choices suck to regularly have...looking at you, Walking Dead: Season 1 and Tales from the Borderlands (only ones I've played). "Your choice will be remembered" warnings feel more sincere with Life is Strange, too -- that's really the game's big success. They allow you to see the immediate repeatable fallouts of your choices instead of gambling on one and then wondering how differently it would have gone the other way (not always that differently in TWDS1 and TftB). Changing certain choices afterward by rewinding is a welcome bonus worth mentioning too, but the weight of each issue and better believing the path will truly split is where this game excels. What Telltale discovered for modern gaming, Square Enix has refined and mastered -- they even had a great story that was built well around these mechanics. Outstanding job.

Speaking of story, I guess the main question I have is how Max saw the tornado at the beginning of Episode 1 before she learned about her ability to rewind time. I thought her messing with time was what brought the storm, so why was the vision what we were introduced to first?

I've heard before Max's dialogue is annoying and I disagree. It's often good, in character, and well acted...and even when it's bad it's still endearing and believable. Release the kra-can! Characters played off each other well through very fluid scenarios, so good job there.

Loved what they did with the music. For a genre I wouldn't normally look for, they picked some fine songs and incorporated them in some simple but exciting ways. Again, the headphones-moment impressed me so much...and that's not fancy, it was just so well-placed that it set the tone for much of the rest of the game.

I bragged on sitting earlier for setting the tone of reflecting and the character of Max. I'll also mention that you can tell people with real eyes for photographic detail made this game; you get some cool angles during these moments in a game about photography school.

So this doesn't need any answers from the peanut gallery, but my concern about Before The Storm now is a mechanical one: how do you justify rewinding for previous choices? Can Chloe even get a second chance like this for her choices? It'll be great to see her friendship with Rachel while sad to see how she misses Max in this prequel. Can't wait to find out when I play soon.

Best guilt-simulator to date. Now, why do we play these things that make us feel real tense and bad about imaginary choices? That's another essay.....
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