Board 8 > Episode Two of Life is Strange: Before the Storm is out now!

(+) Yeah! (+)

Figured I'd make a topic while waiting for it to install on Steam. I'm also going to use this time to ramble about my opinions on Life is Strange!

I recently finished my yearly replay of the hella best game ever, Life is Strange, and I also replayed Ep1 of BtS a few days ago so it's all fresh in my head. In my opinion, BtS still hasn't managed to reach the same heights as LiS did but it was impressive how much more even it was in quality. Every episode of LiS has some sort of flaw I can point to. Meanwhile, the worst thing about BtS was that the backtalk tutorial was a bit awkward, and that's kind of inevitable because it was a forced tutorial. I noticed so many more things on my second run through the first episode, plus it still amazes me how well these new writers understood all the characters. Before the Storm is filled with so much love and so many details to appreciate.

I'm hoping Episode Two: Brave New World is just as good as the first, if not better! I'm also hoping a few other people play it. I'll post non-spoiler impressions once I finish
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Yesssss
Will play it soon
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Ugh I just got South Park Fractured but Whole last night

I don't have time for both!
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Nanis23 posted...

Yesssss
Will play it soon

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Oh man that was amazing. Definitely better than BtS Ep1. I'd still rank LiS Ep4 ahead of it but I think Ep4 is beyond perfect so I guess that isn't surprising. Honestly once Life is Strange ended I never thought anything would live up to it again so all of Before the Storm has been an amazing gift so far

I'll have more substantive thoughts once other people have played it to hear them!
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Download still says 4 hours left!

It said that like 2 hours ago!
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Huh, the download only took me half an hour and I don't have especially fast internet. Can you restart the download?
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Hmmmm liked the first episode a lot more, this one was kinda boring tbh?

I dunno it felt like the first episode was much crazier and this one was pretty tame
Plus while I guess people love the "moving around and interacting with stuff" gameplay I feel like this episode had much more of that than other LiS episodes

Anyway ending spoilers-
Was fine, that twist about Rachel mother was interesting, and Sera having a butterfly tattoo and stuff
I kind of expected her to get mad and make the candles light their own house on fire and say she caused the forest fire, I know it's kinda unlikely to burn a house down so fast from just candles but hey she got super powers
The play was nice, the kiss was about damn time, the rest was whatever

Three episodes are just not enough
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I apologize for the rambling post, feel free to skip to my spoiler-tagged comments in the next post if you want actual plot discussion! This first bit is just me wondering aloud why I liked Ep2 so much. I won't directly spoil anything from the episode until the tagged bit near the end but I still wouldn't recommend that people read it until they've played Ep2, just in case. I don't want a big block of spoiler tags.

Nanis23 posted...

Hmmmm liked the first episode a lot more, this one was kinda boring tbh?

I actually spent most of my day at work yesterday thinking about the episode and browsing the internet to see what other people thought about it. There were the usual complaints (anyone who hated Chloe in LiS will likely not change their mind after playing BtS, for example) but thinking it was kind of boring was a relatively common sentiment even among those who liked the first BtS episode. There were also a lot of people who loved it just as much as I did, though, and that got me wondering. My theory is that it might come down to what people enjoy most about these games. I loved every moment of BtS Ep2, but when I thought back on it there was no big moment I could point to in order to justify why I loved it.

Life is Strange had a lot of mystery (what's up with the tornado/time powers, where's Rachel, what happened to Kate, etc) and those were what hooked me initially. However, the aspect that makes it my favorite story ever is the characterization. I think that might be why I hate Episode Five so much, sections like the Gallery add literally nothing to anyone's character and they're so unrelentingly boring on replays. Meanwhile, the section in Ep3 where Max and Chloe chat in the pool feels magical every time because there's so much going on in everything they say and even the subtle ways that Chloe glances at Max...

Anyway, my point is that BtS doesn't have as much mystery as LiS did, largely because it's a prequel so it kind of can't, we know where these characters are going to end up. The only thing it seeks to answer is what kind of person Rachel is and the friendship between her and Chloe, both heavy characterization aspects, which I love. Ep1 ended with a potential big reveal and it had other 'big' moments scattered throughout, but Ep2 didn't delve too much into any of them. I guess I'm the kind of person who appreciates stuff from Ep2 like the play, or walking down the street afterwards with Rachel.

I might just be overthinking this and I'm completely wrong, but it was interesting to consider.
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Nanis23 posted...

Anyway ending spoilers-
Was fine, that twist about Rachel mother was interesting, and Sera having a butterfly tattoo and stuff
I kind of expected her to get mad and make the candles light their own house on fire and say she caused the forest fire, I know it's kinda unlikely to burn a house down so fast from just candles but hey she got super powers
The play was nice, the kiss was about damn time, the rest was whatever

I was expecting Rachel to scream and impact the candles too from the way they framed it, but now I'm starting to think the scream at the end of Ep1 was either just dramatic license or, if she does have a power, that she's entirely unaware of it and it might not show up again.

Not sure how I feel about the mother reveal yet. I can't think of a good explanation for why Rachel wouldn't know about her yet she's still close enough to the dad to make out with him, but I'm sure Episode Three will clear this up.

I fanboyed out hard at the kiss, then felt bad afterwards knowing how it all ends. Still, it was a sweet moment. That, plus the play, plus the therapy section in the truck, is what Life is Strange is all about for me

My other comments are that the conversation with Samuel might actually be one of the worst moments in the series. He was so bad. Original Samuel was weird but harmless, this guy was legitimately frightening and at times his dialogue verged into Yoda territory. The new writers wrote every other returning character so faithfully, Samuel was awful and jarring. I was glad that conversation was short

The graffiti on the boat in the junkyard was also super dark. I chose 'Buried treasure' and seeing where she put the X made me cringe. I loved it.

Nanis23 posted...

Three episodes are just not enough

I'm thinking this too. I can't imagine that one episode will be enough to clear everything up with Merrick and Rachel's mother but I guess I'll wait and see. Hopefully they don't drop the ball as hard as Episode Five did.
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Robazoid posted...

My other comments are that the conversation with Samuel might actually be one of the worst moments in the series. He was so bad. Original Samuel was weird but harmless, this guy was legitimately frightening and at times his dialogue verged into Yoda territory. The new writers wrote every other returning character so faithfully, Samuel was awful and jarring. I was glad that conversation was short

Yeah I must say..this left quite an impact
And since I don't really remember him from the original LiS, I believe you when you say he is different now..no way I would forget someone this weird

Surprised at the low playrate in this board (and in general)
I know this is how spin-offs usually are, but I think anyone that enjoyed Life Is Strange really should play Before the Storm
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Nanis23 posted...

Surprised at the low playrate in this board (and in general)
I know this is how spin-offs usually are, but I think anyone that enjoyed Life Is Strange really should play Before the Storm

I'm hoping this is just because people are waiting for every episode to be out, but I don't think BtS will be as big as LiS and that makes me sad. For someone to be willing to give BtS a try they have to like Chloe and a lot of people who played LiS didn't. I think BtS justifies a lot of her poor behaviour in LiS too so it's extra sad that a lot of people seem unwilling to give it a chance
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Tag, I'll play next week.
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I liked ep2, not as much as ep1 but it did have its moments.
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HaRRicH posted...

Tag, I'll play next week.

Hella yes, I'll try to keep the topic alive for you until then

Anyway, here's my random LiS thought of the day:

I liked Ep2 so much that I've been thinking about what might happen in Ep3 a lot... but then I remember that this is a prequel and I already know exactly where Chloe and Rachel end up. It's like Chloe said in Ep2, everything has been magical since they met, but by LiS it all ends in meaningless tragedy and that makes me sad. I love these characters and they deserved better.

Still, I guess that's the mark of a good prequel since it's clearly enhancing the original story. Next time I replay LiS, Rachel is going to mean exactly as much to me as she does to Chloe.
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Just turned it on.
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Did Chloe really just give a seagull-gesture during this moment she could be expelled?
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I appreciate the camera zooming in when David says he's moving in.
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I have a new account! I've never been much of a shipper before but, hey.

HaRRicH posted...

Did Chloe really just give a seagull-gesture during this moment she could be expelled?

I've never heard it called that before, but assuming I'm thinking about the same gesture as you are then yes, yes she did
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Life is bump
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Changing clothes in a junkyard doesn't seem ideal, but at least she knows it.
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"Go Bigfoots." Pretty funny response Frank!
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Okay, quitting at the dorm. I'll say this though: if people texted like Life is Strange people texted, I would passionately hate texting. "You there?" like one or two minutes after your last text? It's happened more than once so I'm led to believe they're not at all worth texting,
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For those following my progress, how much do I have left time-wise? I gotta go out of town and won't return until Sunday, didn't know if I could beat it tonight quickly before I leave or if I have to wait.
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HaRRicH posted...

For those following my progress, how much do I have left time-wise? I gotta go out of town and won't return until Sunday, didn't know if I could beat it tonight quickly before I leave or if I have to wait.

It depends on how thorough you are (and you should always be thorough in LiS!) but I'd say you're only about halfway through the episode.
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Yeah, trying to be thorough...I better not rush it then. I might play today but Sunday'll be when I really pick it back up.
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Eliot'a got some effed up poetry if that's about me.
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Solid scenario about Mikey and Drew, good tough choices.

Okay, will play again Sunday or maybe Monday.
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HaRRicH posted...

Solid scenario about Mikey and Drew, good tough choices.

Yeah, I liked that choice a lot. It isn't often that a choice leaves me stumped and weighing the consequences but that one did. Both sides felt valid, yet could've potentially spiralled out of control in different ways
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Life is hella

Gotta keep this bumped until Monday for HaRRicH!
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Wowser
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Release the krack-can.
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Hooooope to get home in time to play tonight. If not, tomorrow for hella sure.
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Then it sounds like today is going to be HELLA
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Yeah, got home early then a weird call took the rest of my night. Looking forward to finishing it!
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Weird 'ish is piling up today but I'm still gonna play!
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Finally.

FINALLY
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Dana's tongue-twisters bit is great.
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I appreciate the theatre-jokes and that Chloe's having to wear the mask she hated earlier.

Teacher's way of speaking is super annoying though.

Fuck outta here, Victoria.
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Oh, I think that's an original whogivesashit.
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Man, I'm really feeling tense about this dinner. All these talking bubbles being stored while I complete each step and try to avoid talking about the cheating? Oh boy...smelling a talkback session, one I might have to do.
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I predicted "That was your mother" right at the moment it happened...that was alright with me.

Neat chapter. I liked the first one better, even though this one felt longer. Time to read the other spoilers.....

Forgot to mention earlier: cheated like a madman in the theatre scene. The actor inside me wasn't ready to let Chloe have a bad time!
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Took the blame
Emptied my pockets
Stayed with Mickey
Asked for Rachel's bracelet (they're so young -- didn't feel right to have that as a player's choice like it did for Max and Chloe years later)

Didn't talk to Eliot about the play
Started over with David
Had the singing man
Didn't pay Frank
Didn't tell Steph Rachel was single
Returned Drew's money
Samantha was advised to help (should have thought ahead and said avoid)
Confronted Victoria
Told Rachel NYC (think LiS has them talking about LA?)
Rachel James at dinner (really tried to avoid this)
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HaRRicH posted...

Asked for Rachel's bracelet (they're so young -- didn't feel right to have that as a player's choice like it did for Max and Chloe years later)

Boooo, taking the kiss tied with kissing Chloe in LiS for the quickest I ever made a decision.

HaRRicH posted...

Forgot to mention earlier: cheated like a madman in the theatre scene. The actor inside me wasn't ready to let Chloe have a bad time!

Yeah, given your theater topic I'd been wondering what you'd think of that. I cheated too, I took notes on Chloe's part of the script in order to ace it. It led to a beautiful scene

Man I need to replay Ep2 sometime, it was great. Still a bit sad more people here haven't played it!
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HaRRicH posted...

Took the blame
Emptied my pockets
Stayed with Mickey
Asked for Rachel's bracelet (they're so young -- didn't feel right to have that as a player's choice like it did for Max and Chloe years later)

Didn't talk to Eliot about the play
Started over with David
Had the singing man
Didn't pay Frank
Didn't tell Steph Rachel was single
Returned Drew's money
Samantha was advised to help (should have thought ahead and said avoid)
Confronted Victoria
Told Rachel NYC (think LiS has them talking about LA?)
Rachel James at dinner (really tried to avoid this)

I really don't understand how you can play Life is Strange as Chloe and be an apologist instead of being a rebel
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I think it works either way depending on how you want to characterize her. Rebel Chloe would reflect that this is one of the darkest parts of her life so she's lashing out. Apologist Chloe, meanwhile, could show that she hasn't become totally jaded yet so she's willing to listen to her mother sometimes or whatever. They're both valid for this point of her life imho
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But I feel as if the "canon" version of Chloe IS a rebel
Yes she acts differently in the choice scenes, but between them the "Canon Chloe" is a rebel
She will hate David no matter what, she will want to escape with Rachel no matter what, she will hate Blackwell no matter what, etc
So no I don't really feel like with how much she hates David is that she is willing to empty her pockets and start a new page with him because we all know it wouldn't happen (and in fact didn't happen) no matter what we choose
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I guess that's the problem with trying to have a choice-based game around such a pre-defined character like Chloe. They have to have options, but it's hard not to have one work better than the other. I know I went full rebel almost every time I could just because it felt more natural.

Still, I don't think it's completely out of character for her to try and meet David halfway, especially considering she just got suspended/expelled and her disappointed mom is right there begging her to. Since David always does the absolute wrong thing, both routes also lead to the same end of Chloe hating him in LiS. Either she hated David right from the start or she hates him after giving him numerous chances, which he failed every time. I certainly prefer the rebel side but they both work
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For David, I didn't have drugs anyway so it was a way to shut him down on his suspicions. Chloe was in a compromised position, but I got a bit of power out of proving him wrong in front of her mom so I thought that was pretty pro-rebel side of her.

I think the issue we're talking about though is...like, pre-defined characters is it, but they are a symptom of the bigger issue: it's a prequel. Square Enix was bold to make a choice-heavy game like this into a prequel and its challenges are readily apparent. There is a side of me that's all gung-ho with Chloe -- I took every talk-back session I could in Episode 1 and I think the game does want me to continue following those impulses. I'm still worried about the other characters though, even though their futures are pretty well chiseled in stone too...didn't think Rachel wanted that fight at the end though, whoops.

I also think it was a bold move to make a trilogy instead of a five-parter in this kind of genre, though in a way that's one way to hedge a bet too.

Whatever happens in Episode 3 and this Max bonus episode, I want the story to move forward with future games. It's hard with LiS's endings being so different, but I'd be super into seeing them try to handle both storylines as two seperate trilogies...maybe with alternating chapters, maybe one timeline at a time. This is fine and enjoyable, but my choices don't feel as important and Max > Rachel.
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I'm curious about something. Is it really set in stone that ALL outcomes of Before the Storm lead into LiS1? What if there is an outcome where Rachel and Chloe depart from Arcadia Bay, and escape Rachel's gruesome end?

Now, note that it doesn't mean a complete, guaranteed happy ending. Sure, this would spare Rachel's life, but at what cost?
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