Set in the Arcadia Bay, Oregon. Life Is Strange: Before the Storm is about Chloe Price a 16 year who forms an unlikely friendship with Rachel Amber. Discovering a secret that will destroy Rachel’s family, it is her new friendship with Chloe that helps her gather the strength to carry on. Unsure how I would feel about Life Is Strange: Before the Storm from developers Deck Nine and publishers Square Enix. I had heard of Chloe from others and have friends whose eyes light up at the mere mention of the game but I was shy about it. The fact a game can make me feel shy is also why I needed to play it and this is our review.
From The Beginning
Right from the start, you are catapulted into uncomfortable awkwardness, trepidation. Nurturing instincts get a jolt in the first 2 minutes as you click your way into finding out how to see Firewalk. Would I really get away with any of this, the way I was talking to this bouncer? Of course not! Chloe brings out the antagonist in us all.
So the adventure begins but is it really an adventure or just a well-told story? It would take me a while to get used to the fact that I wouldn’t be engaging in any scenes, Life is Strange is about the consequences of your actions and words. However, it didn’t take me long to understand that choosing the most insulting retort is where the magic happens. Chloe is this familiar yet foreign mix of insecurity and rebelliousness trying her best to talk her way out of anything but I discovered over and over that this often jarred me out of the story.
In all three chapters you can’t help but wonder “what if,” every time you decide something. From small decisions to large there is continual curiosity, compelling you to want to get to know Chloe. Maybe its when you meet her mother and you’re taken aback by the way they talk to each other? Or maybe its how degrading her mother’s boyfriend is what makes you want to protect her? One interaction after another, you wonder what’s next. Then you get the playful side, the little games, the attitudes. Pleasantly surprised by the DND game I played and enjoyed for the first time. Then there is Rachel.
Without dropping any spoilers. The connection between Rachel and Chloe is precious. The corny humor they share – plus Chloe’s ever racing mind, adorable. There is vulnerability among the brashness reminding you when you just forgot, that this is how it is being a teenager.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm had me running from each episode frustrated, ready to climb into the next hoping for the best because the decisions I made bought Chloe here and now I know why my friends became attached to her smiling both fondly and regretfully.
In The End
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm has been a smorgasbord of different reactions that I am so pleased to have experienced. The Collectors Edition of Life is Strange: Before The Storm is also perfectly matched to the whimsical side of this game with “Chloe and Rachel” figurines that are worth every penny for any gamers collection.
Overall, Deck Nine has created a prequel series that’s not only worthy of being part of the Life Is Strange’s series but is done in such an enjoyable way you can start playing this version right now with as much enjoyment then go back and play it again changing all your choices – which is what I look forward to doing next, before I go play the original.
Note: A code was provided by the developer for our review.
Final Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Review Score – 7.9/10
PROS:
- Captivating music
- Writings on the wall always worth a look
- The atmosphere keeps you intrigued
CONS:
- Often agonizingly cheesy
- Too many irrelevant things to click on trying to find what you need
- Seemed to often spend too much time on things that were irrelevant and not enough time on things that seemed relevant
- No rewind option which seems odd in a game about rewinding time
