Played Life is Strange.
Not sure if I liked it. Really liked parts of it. Definitely wanted to like it.
I shall now blurt out semi-coherent and generally critical thoughts on the game. Behold.
I feel the school setting was a mistake. You can feel the game's gears grinding practically every time Max sets foot on campus and then everything livens up again as soon as she goes somewhere else.
The dialogue isn't quite there. The initial attempts to affect teenager idioms were a bit painful albeit consistently amusing. Luckily the writer(s) managed to get that in order after the first episode. However a less obvious but longer lasting problem is that many characters, Max in particular, are a bit too earnest and open, even in situations where no real person would be. This is fine in conversations between Max and Chloe since it's believable that two teenage best friends would be like that with one another, and might well be why those exchanges are often the best in the game, but it makes many other conversations feel just a bit forced and unreal.
I really like the little thoughts and responses Max has when you look at random crap. Might just be the best part of her character actually. Takes her from vanilla do-gooder protagonist to a sweet, likable and relatable kid.
The Jefferson twist needed more foreshadowing. Maybe it was there and I missed it, but it felt like a twist for the sake of having a twist rather than a clever reveal.
Speaking of which... really? That's what we're going with? Crazed artist? I mean... okay, it could be worse, but really? Not to mention I'm pretty damn sure he could have found models daring enough to willingly let him photograph them while drugged. Put some ads out man. Organize a chaperone and have a medic on standby. Seems like a lot less trouble than conning a rich kid into building you a bunker and resorting to kidnapping. And you'd be able to display the photos afterward.
There's no explanation for how or why Max gets the ability to manipulate time. None at all. Not even a vague hint. She just... does. I suppose no explanation is better than it turning out to be fucking Indian spirit magic or whatnot, but come on, give us something!
Whenever Max rewinds the world rewinds around her while she stays put. It's even a game mechanic since she can use it to kind of "teleport". (Nobody ever noticed her blinking around apparently.) So why when she does it the very first time does it return her to the classroom? Shouldn't she still be standing in the bathroom? Plot hooole!
There's also no explanation for how mucking around with time would cause a giant fricken hurricane to show up. (Or cause snow out of season. Or cause birds to die. Or whales to beach themselves. Or make a second moon appear.) I get that it's a reference to that chaos theory thing about a butterfly's flapping causing a hurricane, but that isn't enough to support a major bloody plot point. No connection is ever made. Max just kinda up and decides that her shenanigans are responsible for the hurricane.
Then there was the ending. Or rather then endings. Oh, the endings.
I chose to save Chloe. Because save the ones you love and the greater good can go fuck itself. Except she wanted Max to let her die in exchange for everyone else, it was her idea. Poignant as fuck. Awesome. I've wanted to see a choice like this in a game since the pre-release buzz of ME3. Except then when I chose to let the town get blown away she's suddenly fine with it. Not a word of protest. Then they just drive away. Straight past the diner where Chloe's mother was. Don't you want to stop Chloe, check if she's okay? No? Your mum could be injured in there. Her dead body could be in there. You don't want to check? No? Just drive past? Okay. That makes total sense.
There's no epilogue or anything. Is everybody dead? Did some people survive? Nope, no idea. Will the universe keep trying to kill Chloe, as is kind of implied to be happening? Will Max cause more poorly explained disasters if she keeps hitting the rewind button? Who knows. Cut to credits. Fuck closure.
So I Youtube'd the other ending. It certainly felt more complete. Felt like this is the one the writer(s) intended and then they just tacked on the other one for the sake of having a final choice. It did a good job of really nailing home a sense of loss. However, it also rendered the entire story basically non-existent. Now it's all just memories in Max's head. It might as well have all been a dream. Kinda unfulfilling. Plus it means Chloe died alone, angry and miserable without ever seeing her friend again or learning what happened to Rachel.
Would have worked better if the Sacrifice Chloe ending was the only ending. Just have her insist and Max eventally agree. Still wouldn't have been that great of an ending.
The journey undeniably had its moments, but the destination was something of a disappointment.
Not sure if I liked it. Really liked parts of it. Definitely wanted to like it.
I shall now blurt out semi-coherent and generally critical thoughts on the game. Behold.
I feel the school setting was a mistake. You can feel the game's gears grinding practically every time Max sets foot on campus and then everything livens up again as soon as she goes somewhere else.
The dialogue isn't quite there. The initial attempts to affect teenager idioms were a bit painful albeit consistently amusing. Luckily the writer(s) managed to get that in order after the first episode. However a less obvious but longer lasting problem is that many characters, Max in particular, are a bit too earnest and open, even in situations where no real person would be. This is fine in conversations between Max and Chloe since it's believable that two teenage best friends would be like that with one another, and might well be why those exchanges are often the best in the game, but it makes many other conversations feel just a bit forced and unreal.
I really like the little thoughts and responses Max has when you look at random crap. Might just be the best part of her character actually. Takes her from vanilla do-gooder protagonist to a sweet, likable and relatable kid.
The Jefferson twist needed more foreshadowing. Maybe it was there and I missed it, but it felt like a twist for the sake of having a twist rather than a clever reveal.
Speaking of which... really? That's what we're going with? Crazed artist? I mean... okay, it could be worse, but really? Not to mention I'm pretty damn sure he could have found models daring enough to willingly let him photograph them while drugged. Put some ads out man. Organize a chaperone and have a medic on standby. Seems like a lot less trouble than conning a rich kid into building you a bunker and resorting to kidnapping. And you'd be able to display the photos afterward.
There's no explanation for how or why Max gets the ability to manipulate time. None at all. Not even a vague hint. She just... does. I suppose no explanation is better than it turning out to be fucking Indian spirit magic or whatnot, but come on, give us something!
Whenever Max rewinds the world rewinds around her while she stays put. It's even a game mechanic since she can use it to kind of "teleport". (Nobody ever noticed her blinking around apparently.) So why when she does it the very first time does it return her to the classroom? Shouldn't she still be standing in the bathroom? Plot hooole!
There's also no explanation for how mucking around with time would cause a giant fricken hurricane to show up. (Or cause snow out of season. Or cause birds to die. Or whales to beach themselves. Or make a second moon appear.) I get that it's a reference to that chaos theory thing about a butterfly's flapping causing a hurricane, but that isn't enough to support a major bloody plot point. No connection is ever made. Max just kinda up and decides that her shenanigans are responsible for the hurricane.
Then there was the ending. Or rather then endings. Oh, the endings.
I chose to save Chloe. Because save the ones you love and the greater good can go fuck itself. Except she wanted Max to let her die in exchange for everyone else, it was her idea. Poignant as fuck. Awesome. I've wanted to see a choice like this in a game since the pre-release buzz of ME3. Except then when I chose to let the town get blown away she's suddenly fine with it. Not a word of protest. Then they just drive away. Straight past the diner where Chloe's mother was. Don't you want to stop Chloe, check if she's okay? No? Your mum could be injured in there. Her dead body could be in there. You don't want to check? No? Just drive past? Okay. That makes total sense.
There's no epilogue or anything. Is everybody dead? Did some people survive? Nope, no idea. Will the universe keep trying to kill Chloe, as is kind of implied to be happening? Will Max cause more poorly explained disasters if she keeps hitting the rewind button? Who knows. Cut to credits. Fuck closure.
So I Youtube'd the other ending. It certainly felt more complete. Felt like this is the one the writer(s) intended and then they just tacked on the other one for the sake of having a final choice. It did a good job of really nailing home a sense of loss. However, it also rendered the entire story basically non-existent. Now it's all just memories in Max's head. It might as well have all been a dream. Kinda unfulfilling. Plus it means Chloe died alone, angry and miserable without ever seeing her friend again or learning what happened to Rachel.
Would have worked better if the Sacrifice Chloe ending was the only ending. Just have her insist and Max eventally agree. Still wouldn't have been that great of an ending.
The journey undeniably had its moments, but the destination was something of a disappointment.
