Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Life Is Strange: Before the Storm is a prequel to episodic graphic adventure video game Life is Strange which was released to critical acclaim three years earlier. This prequel focuses on two side characters from the original video game and takes place about three and a half years before the sinister events of Life Is Strange. It tells the story of Max's childhood friend Chloe who is acting tough, hanging around with shady people and listening to loud music in order to hide her loneliness, her lack of self-confidence and her pain regarding her father's death two years earlier. The broken teenager meets Rachel who seems to be quite the opposite: everybody seems to like her, she comes from an intact and wealthy family and she succeeds particularly well at school. Rachel however feels attracted to Chloe's craziness, honesty and spontaneity. The game revolves around the fact that appearances are not what it seems as Rachel's father has more than one sinister thing to hide from his daughter.

If you liked the dream-like atmosphere of the original game with its unique characters, intense storytelling and floating soundtrack, you will also like this sequel. It's particularly interesting to explore some characters from the first game further and to understand how they became the way they are. The two lead characters are intriguing teenage girls with bright and dark sides. As someone who grew up with perfect parents, succeeded well at school and appreciated most of his teenage years, I have always been intrigued by people who have experienced life differently. The characters in this game are authentic, deep and unique and all these elements will make you care about them and their fates.

There is only two minor reasons why I preferred the original game over the sequel. First of all, the original game has five episode while this one only has three. Secondly, the first game revolved around a truly sinister secret involving murder while this sequel is rather a family drama. On the other side, it was the right choice to tell a different story here to distinguish this game from the first one.

To keep it short, if you like authentic characters, dramatic storytelling and ominous atmosphere, you will like this game as well as the original Life Is Strange.

This game's limited edition includes some truly nice gimmicks such as a beautiful art book as well as the game's creative soundtrack on CD.

Perhaps one of the most popular sleeper hits in recent memory was the 2015 video-game "Life is Strange." A sort-of interactive movie, that original game found an audience quickly and took hold of them with a beautiful tale of friendship and loss, topped off with a unique supernatural twist. And while the story seemed to be done and over with by the time its (multiple) endings rolled around, something about the game lingered in the hearts and minds of the fans. We wanted more. More of the characters we had grown to love and more of the world that Dontnod Entertainment so wonderfully crafted.

And that wish was granted with 2017's spin-off prequel "Life is Strange: Before the Storm." Developed by Deck Nine and distributed by Square-Enix, "Before the Storm" continues the tale began in the original in a unique and exciting way, while also wonderfully delving more into the backstory of characters deeply important to the series mythos. And though it's not without its faults, and though it lacks the inherent freshness that so defined its award-winning predecessor, the fact remains that it is a unique and engrossing new chapter in the growing saga of the "Life is Strange" universe.

Set a few years before the events of "Life is Strange," "Before the Storm" follows the whirlwind friendship between Chloe Price and Rachel Amber, as they experience the high and low-points of life in their adolescence, while also getting pulled into a complex and emotionally devastating personal journey.

Much like the original, a soft, sensitive and oft-startling relationship forms the backbone of "Before the Storm." In this case, the growing connection between Chloe Price and Rachel Amber. It's every bit as sweet as the companionship between Chloe and Max was in the first game, and it's a delight to see their blossoming feelings towards one-another, even if we know it won't end well. (Which is no spoiler, as we know just this from "Life is Strange.") It's a powerhouse of emotions, and really invests you as a player, especially if you're already familiar with the series. And if you're one to really put yourself into a story, definitely go in with tissues, because there are quite a few tear-jerker moments to be had throughout the three main chapters.

In terms of production, the game is equal to what came before in virtually every sense. While the graphics have been altered slightly, they still boast that same wonderfully stylish palate that fans will expect, and the controls feel like they've been tightened considerably- they're much more concise and responsive. In order to make up for the loss of the original's time-travel mechanic, we also get a new gameplay element here that's actually a lot of fun to tinker with, even if it is shallow... that being timed branching conversation options that allow Chloe to get into verbal sparring and insult matches with NPC's. Think of it like a "snotty teenage backtalk simulator," and you should know what I mean.

The vocal performances are also quite good, though you do definitely get a sense of bewilderment throughout the early chapters in the game with the new voice-over artists. Due to an actor's strike, many of the voice-actors from the first game could not take part in this follow-up, and it can be jarring at first. But once you get used to the new actors, all is quickly forgiven. Special props go to Rhianna DeVries, who does an excellent job taking over the role of Chloe. Although don't worry, as original Chloe actress Ashly Burch does make an appearance in the bonus fourth chapter available in the deluxe release of the game.

Speaking of, this is a game I'd highly recommend picking up in its deluxe format. Not only is there a bit of extra content in the three main chapters, but there's also an absolutely wonderful and incredibly emotional fourth bonus chapter that I will not spoil... but will surely bring a smile to the faces of fans.

Where this game loses a few points though is in its general structure. The pacing feels a bit off at times. Particularly early on. As tender and loving as the growing friendship of Chloe and Rachel is, it feels a bit rushed, and the general plot sort-of comes out of nowhere. And as I said, I also do think that the new gameplay mechanics are shallow, and aren't quite a perfect replacement for the time-travel elements of the original. You just... lose a little something without them there.

But that being said, I still cannot help but whole-heartedly recommend "Before the Storm" to all fans of the original. While it falters at times, it's still remarkable in many ways, and the poignant narrative and emotionally involved writing make it one of the more complex story-driven games to come out... well, since the first "Life is Strange."

And for that, I give "Before the Storm" a very good 8 out of 10. To quote Chloe Price... it's hella awesome.

LIS: Before The Storm is my favourite of the series. Chloe as a character is much more of a interesting character in my opinionover Max as she is a very flawed human being with a more intriguing personality though this is basically up to preference. In order to get the full experience from this game make sure to play the original life is strange first or the game won't have the same impact unless you know the backstory and relationships formed from the knowledge you gained in the first LIS. This game is the only game to really hit deep and genuinely make me very sad at the end. I ended up sympathizing these characters even though I knew in the back of my head they were not real I still sat there at the end of the game really sad. This is not a happy game and is very upsetting. On paper It might appear to be happy ride but you would know not all is what it seems if you've played the first. Really reccomend this masterpiece of a story.

I played it with friends who didn't play the original and they were amazed by the incredible story as a stand-alone. Its like a grow up novel amd i think they should be teaching that in school instead of the catcher in the rye

LIFE IS STRANGE: Before the Storm (2017) Chloe Price and Rachel Amber, once passing strangers to one another, become close friends under strange circumstances, their individual experiences drawing them together. Chloe is a young teen struggling from loss in Arcadia Bay, Oregon.

This was an interesting prequel to Life is Strange. I don't see why there has been so much hate. Sure, it wasn't quite the same, had less sci-fi, supernatural element, and delved deeper into psychological pain and trauma, but it was still a beautiful and moving game. I do wish they had kept the same actress as Chloe from the original but this actress was certainly not bad, just different enough to notice.

Behind the mask of the lovable, snarky, quirky and high-energy persona that Chloe wears, there is also a lot of depth there. Even though Chloe is rebellious, hot-headed, immature and somewhat selfish, she was probably everyones favorite character from the original LiS game. It was great to see her story, what experiences made her who she was later on. And regardless of her faults, she is very human character and highly relatable and lovable. Her character is tormented by loss, and memory and coping the pain and change as best as she can. This game offers a beautiful glimpse into that past and explores who Rachel Amber really was to her.

Developed by Deck Nine and published by Square Enix, Life is Strange: Before the Storm was a good installment and prequel to an intriguing series. This was a very memorable game. Can't wait to continue following the series and see where it leads.

STORY: 9/10 GAMEPLAY: 9/10 GRAPHICS: 9/10 ART DESIGN: 10/10 MUSIC: 8/10 OVERALL RATING: 8.5.