So, on impulse I just kind of bought Life is Strange. Read the little blurb, saw it was an episodic adventure game in the vein of Telltale and, to be honest, I have a thing for indie music and culture. Call me a hipster if you want, there’s something sort of neat about a culture that revolves around art and simpler things like nature, timelessness and nostalgia. Sure that’s the romanticized aspect of the culture and in reality it’s a bunch of elitist snobs who reject anything that more than ten people know about. But nothing’s wrong with the idea of it. Sort of like the Native American, not quite as noble and loving when you get into the history of it and realize, they weren't exactly peaceful people either. So yeah, I was sold when part of the game’s description said it uses an indie influenced soundtrack with some legit indie bands to boot. Then seeing the screenshots with some indie college students aiming guns, smoking pot and looking thoughtful, with backdrops of a beautiful rural town in the fall.
Visually it’s Wes Anderson the video game basically. Lots of oranges and warm inviting color temperatures. It’s a stunning game visually, and if anything else, I’m sure its visuals would be its most appreciated aspect to those who may be put off by the story, characters and soundtrack.
The soundtrack, is just splendid. We’ve got alt-J, Bright Eyes, Syd Matters, Jose Gonzales and (a band I was only recently made aware of) Mogwai. It’s just a damn good soundtrack with mostly acoustic little bits that, like the visuals, recall childhood and adolescence. And being that it’s a game about an adolescent college girl, with a story taking place during fall, it’s a very fitting soundtrack indeed. But visuals and soundtrack, good as they are, are not why we’re here. We’re here for the story, the gameplay.
Being the first part in a five part episodic series, the whole thing isn’t given to us quite yet. The main gist is this: a young, unsure, college girl, (Max) majoring in photography has a strange dream about a massive fuck you tornado hitting her town and learns she has the ability to manipulate time. After saving fellow student from being shot and killed in the restroom, Max, is understandably a little uneasy about her newfound abilities. Come to find out the girl she saved happens to be her childhood friend Chloe, with whom she’s long since lost contact with. There’s more to it than that, but for the most part, the first episode is the set-up. Introducing us to the leads, the world, Max’s powers and the main focus of the plot.
I’ve heard some complaints about the writing, particularly Chloe’s use of the word “hella”, but honestly, given their established personalities and the indie characteristics, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine these kids (Chloe especially) talking in this pseudo-cool way. It’s clear that, with her, it’s more of a front than anything else. The tough act basically, to cover up the vulnerable person underneath. While there is maybe a couple points where the dialogue is a little questionable, for the most of the game it’s pretty solid. Not quite natural, but not quite unbelievable either. Kind of like no one really talks or acts all that “normal” in Twin Peaks, but it’s still got that charm to it. That’s not to say this is as strong as Twin Peaks in the writing department, rather, that like Twin Peaks, it works within its world even though it may be far from reality.
As for gameplay, it’s similar to Telltale and Quantic Dreams’ modern take on the point and click adventure. A great deal of dialogue and item hunting here. But, and this is where Life is Strange makes itself interesting, you have the option of rewinding time to change your choices. Thus far, the outcomes are pretty A or B, but it’s still the first part of a larger series, so we’ll see how different things turn out down the line, based on our choices. It also plays a part in puzzle solving, allowing you to notice certain things that you may not have noticed until after you attempted the puzzle. And it plays a part in dialogue as well. For instance, a character refuses to talk to you because you don’t know that her name is Juliet Watson. Since you retain memories after reversing time, you can now reverse time to that point in the conversation and give her the right answer when she asks. It’s a tad gimmicky at this point, but there’s definitely a boatload of potential with this mechanic. Regardless, it definitely helps Life is Strange stand out among the other episodic titles attempting to follow Telltale’s success.
If you dig indie culture and music, enjoy picturesque fall imagery or if you’re on the lookout for a good adventure title and like a good premise and some fresh characters, Life is Good is definitely worth a look.
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