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Life is Stupidly Strange

Everyone wishes they could have super powers, but I believe people never think about the potential consequences of having such power. In Life is Strange, Max has the ability to turn back time, which leads to an intense dynamic created for the player because you can redo your decisions. Sometimes guilt may settle in, or perhaps the annoying commentary from Max saying she feels horrible for the decision will make you go back and change what you did. Throughout the first three episodes, the realization that her power has consequences, finally sets in for Max.

This game is something else. An experience you would not traditionally expect with a video game, where all the action is created by personal choice and tension created by those choices. Every decision has a direct consequence, but while playing, you are not sure what that consequence will be, all you are given is a little butterfly in the top left corner; this little hint keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know why that decision matters. One thing that Alisha Karbinus talked about that I agree with, is that when playing the game, I learned that "the subtext felt very clear ...: there's no winning."(Karabinus) In addition to unknown consequences, Life is Strange utilizes a plethora of relatable high school drama, and social issues to give the game a nostalgic, realistic tone. The game touches on bullying, rich-kid drama, a neglectful principal, mental illness, sexuality, and countless other issues that can be found in many real-life high schools. The drama had me wanting to make certain decisions because I disliked certain characters, or simply because I was curious what the other out come would be; but, like Karbinus explains, with every episode I have "been kicking myself over certain decisions that seemed right, in the sense of trying to do good and help others."(Karabinus)

There are certain aspects of the game that have me a bit underwhelmed and even annoyed. One thing that stands out in particular is the fact that the game is so big on interacting with as much as possible, but for whatever reason limits you to the location you can be in. I feel that if I want to leave the building and go talk to someone, I should be able to with a focus like this game has. Unfortunately, Life is Strange is not a true open-world game like it could have been, which would have created an entirely new dimension of game play and interaction.

Another aspect of the game that bothered me at points was Max's internal commentary. No matter which decision you make, Max always has something negative to say. In some instances, like when you get information out of Prescott in the diner, Max should be happy she got some good information, but instead she is super worried about how much she pissed him off and insists on going back to change the situation. To me, there is just too much negativity surrounding Max's mindset. A final thing that irks me about this game is how messed up the game is with certain choices. The fact that you have to save Chloe's dad in the picture time-travel pisses me off completely because of what the outcome is. I would much rather have had a choice to either save him or not. I felt awesome saving him in the moment, but the fact that Chloe is now paralyzed is not worth saving her dad. Maybe for her having her dad and being this way is worth it, but as the player, I am selfish and feel awful for being responsible for putting her in that wheelchair.

Life is strange takes a unique approach to an apocalyptic scenario where one individual is given a great power and a god complex. The theme of the apocalypse has become abundantly clear and is foreshadowed throughout the first three episodes. While the implementation of the theme is good, the importance of it is rather lacking. The fact that Max keeps seeing the destruction of Arcadia Bay does not seem to matter all the much in comparison to what's going on at Blackwell. There has not been enough correlation between the two for me to really think the Blackwell drama is more important than a potential natural disaster. I hope moving forward with the last two episodes that there is more importance bestowed upon the tornado and the reason Max has this power. 

I have been left perplexed and dumbfounded by the ending of the first three episodes, so I surely hope for some clarity in the ending. Till next time, when I discuss the conclusion of Life is Strange. Talk soon.

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