We've played hide and seek in waterfalls...
43. Life is Strange (Dontnod/Square-Enix, 2015)
Life is Strange is the first (also only) computer game that has made me cry. It's definitely art, and this one I do get. Unfortunately, to provide the critical evaluation it arguably deserves I would have to also discuss a large number of things which would be considered spoilers by the standard definitions of reviewing computer games, and which would definitely detract from your experience playing through the first time, so I'm going to split this across two posts; this one is spoiler-free and merely confined to the question of whether or not I would expect people to enjoy the game.
So, would you? Well, yes. Life is Strange is, technically, an adventure game, though there's no great mental gynmastics involved in the game's puzzle solving, and in many ways it's at least as much about exploration (particularly if you want to go hunting achievements). You play the role of Max Caulfield, a shy, lonely, final-year high school student who's just transferred to a pretentious arts school on a scholarship, primarily to study photography under one of her idols, Mark Jefferson, who has retired from top-line photography and now teaches. This has brought her back to her old hometown of Arcadia Bay, on the rural Oregon coast, after moving away to Seattle with her family for five years. Max is shockingly easy to identify with; I mean, that could be partly me, of course, since I'm also shy, sometimes feel lonely, and can understand the idea of being incredibly excited about a new chapter in your life/education for obvious enough reasons. On the other hand, it's made very easy; I think the over-the-shoulder camera probably helps, and you get to hear a lot of her voice as she voices the responses to all the "look" commands; and they're not bald descriptions of items but instead very much what Max thinks; you get to hear her geek out about photography gear, complain about school cliques (and her own self-image) and talk about photographing things and how to frame them - actually, on a day out with my parents relatively recently I found myself taking more care over my photography and thinking about Max while I did it...
Right, so, adventure game (or alternatively a really interactive visual novel) with a relatable protagonist. Good start. What else do we have? Well, the setting is fantastic; I mean, I've never actually been to Oregon, but it feels exactly like the small-town America that we had related to us by American television, and the general "high school drama" ambience is captured pretty well. The supporting cast is mostly good; I mean, the game consciously populates itself with stereotypes; that's part of how it creates the relevant atmosphere. But they're fleshed-out stereotypes; particularly your best friend/sidekick and the popular/mean girl who bosses the "cool" clique...as always, there's not really enough time to properly build out everyone - I prefer the approach done here where Chloe and Victoria are definitely real people to Mass Effect's large number of almost-people. The plot is a bit mixed; the first three episodes are fantastic but sections of the closing episodes seem more forced (though others hit the heights of the previous episodes, or even higher), in the sense that the plot has to drive to a particular conclusion and this was the only way to get there, and the twist is a bit telegraphed (you kind of know one character who's presented as a friend can't really be, basically by process of elimination - but then that's not all there is to the twist). Overall though, it's a very innovative story in a variety of ways and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What it also is, though, is very dark. Max is 18 (and various other people present are also implied to be) because the story goes to some bad places and it's obvious Square-Enix would have been uncomfortable having the primary ensemble be legally children; Max's character art makes her look 2-3 years younger (though that's in part to emphasise her vulnerability; at no point are you really supposed to feel safe). I'd almost say it's a game to play with a friend or partner in some respects, due to abandonment being one of the game's major themes; other content notes would be for, I guess, murder, suicide, firearms, drugs, sexual abuse, and I guess tornadoes, and it's really good at teaching empathy; I certainly feel like I have a slightly better understanding of what it means to be an abuse survivor now, for example. So yes, it's a game that comes highly recommended, but with the caveat that it's not a comfortable ride.
Life is Strange is the first (also only) computer game that has made me cry. It's definitely art, and this one I do get. Unfortunately, to provide the critical evaluation it arguably deserves I would have to also discuss a large number of things which would be considered spoilers by the standard definitions of reviewing computer games, and which would definitely detract from your experience playing through the first time, so I'm going to split this across two posts; this one is spoiler-free and merely confined to the question of whether or not I would expect people to enjoy the game.
So, would you? Well, yes. Life is Strange is, technically, an adventure game, though there's no great mental gynmastics involved in the game's puzzle solving, and in many ways it's at least as much about exploration (particularly if you want to go hunting achievements). You play the role of Max Caulfield, a shy, lonely, final-year high school student who's just transferred to a pretentious arts school on a scholarship, primarily to study photography under one of her idols, Mark Jefferson, who has retired from top-line photography and now teaches. This has brought her back to her old hometown of Arcadia Bay, on the rural Oregon coast, after moving away to Seattle with her family for five years. Max is shockingly easy to identify with; I mean, that could be partly me, of course, since I'm also shy, sometimes feel lonely, and can understand the idea of being incredibly excited about a new chapter in your life/education for obvious enough reasons. On the other hand, it's made very easy; I think the over-the-shoulder camera probably helps, and you get to hear a lot of her voice as she voices the responses to all the "look" commands; and they're not bald descriptions of items but instead very much what Max thinks; you get to hear her geek out about photography gear, complain about school cliques (and her own self-image) and talk about photographing things and how to frame them - actually, on a day out with my parents relatively recently I found myself taking more care over my photography and thinking about Max while I did it...
Right, so, adventure game (or alternatively a really interactive visual novel) with a relatable protagonist. Good start. What else do we have? Well, the setting is fantastic; I mean, I've never actually been to Oregon, but it feels exactly like the small-town America that we had related to us by American television, and the general "high school drama" ambience is captured pretty well. The supporting cast is mostly good; I mean, the game consciously populates itself with stereotypes; that's part of how it creates the relevant atmosphere. But they're fleshed-out stereotypes; particularly your best friend/sidekick and the popular/mean girl who bosses the "cool" clique...as always, there's not really enough time to properly build out everyone - I prefer the approach done here where Chloe and Victoria are definitely real people to Mass Effect's large number of almost-people. The plot is a bit mixed; the first three episodes are fantastic but sections of the closing episodes seem more forced (though others hit the heights of the previous episodes, or even higher), in the sense that the plot has to drive to a particular conclusion and this was the only way to get there, and the twist is a bit telegraphed (you kind of know one character who's presented as a friend can't really be, basically by process of elimination - but then that's not all there is to the twist). Overall though, it's a very innovative story in a variety of ways and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What it also is, though, is very dark. Max is 18 (and various other people present are also implied to be) because the story goes to some bad places and it's obvious Square-Enix would have been uncomfortable having the primary ensemble be legally children; Max's character art makes her look 2-3 years younger (though that's in part to emphasise her vulnerability; at no point are you really supposed to feel safe). I'd almost say it's a game to play with a friend or partner in some respects, due to abandonment being one of the game's major themes; other content notes would be for, I guess, murder, suicide, firearms, drugs, sexual abuse, and I guess tornadoes, and it's really good at teaching empathy; I certainly feel like I have a slightly better understanding of what it means to be an abuse survivor now, for example. So yes, it's a game that comes highly recommended, but with the caveat that it's not a comfortable ride.