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| Safi is Max's new bestie in Life is Strange: Double Exposure |
| Quick Info | |
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| Reviewed by: | Mark Goninon |
| Developer: | Deck Nine |
| Publisher: | Square Enix |
| Release Date: | 29 Oct 2024 |
| Time played: | 11 hours |
With news of a new Life is Strange title on its way, it seemed only appropriate to finally review Life is Strange: Double Exposure, the most recent Life is Strange game in the franchise. While the French studio Don't Nod were responsible for the first game and its sequel, Life is Strange 2, every other Life is Strange game has been developed by American studio Deck Nine and Double Exposure is no exception. What is special about Double Exposure though is that it's the first sequel to the original game. Despite Life is Strange 2 having the number 2 in the name, it was more of a spin-off set in the same world (as you play different characters in it) and every other game has been a spin-off or a prequel. In Double Exposure, you finally get a chance to discover what happened to Max Caulfield, a decade after the events in the first game. Max is now a photographer-in-residence at Caledon University and her new bestie is a woman named Safi but it doesn't take long before we're in familiar territory again as Safi ends up being murdered and Max will have to use her powers to figure out what happened.
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| She used to rewind time, but not anymore |
It's Max, Jim, But Now as We Know Her
You'll soon discover that despite Max trying to use her original powers of rewinding time, this time her powers are different. This time, Max can switch between parallel universes and the game plays around with this concept quite well, with the puzzles becoming more intricate as the game progresses requiring you to switch between universes to even traverse through a single room. Just like every Life is Strange game, there is a twist towards the end and it has an ending that feels very much like a Marvel or X-Men movie, with an ominous message stating that Max Caulfield will return in a sequel (which we now know is Life is Strange: Reunion, coming out next month) and the final choice feeling akin to an argument between Professor X and Magneto, but I won't say anymore than that since I don't want to spoil the ending completely!
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| Having parallel universes as a plot device is smart since it means re-use of locations! |
Decent Graphics when There Are No Glitches
Overall, the game has some pretty good graphics (which you'd expect from one running on Unreal Engine 5) but you'll need to tinker with the settings at the beginning because the default graphics look terrible. I did encounter some visual bugs, like cases being open when they shouldn't have or items appearing in the wrong spot, but thankfully they were infrequent, despite becoming more commonplace towards the end of the game. Facial animations are also a mixed bag: sometimes when the characters smile, it can look a little creepy but other times (such as when Max is crying) it looks fairly realistic.
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| There are several callbacks to the original game |
Heartwarming But Not Hella Funny
The game is at its best when it delves into the personal stories of its main characters, which I might add has a lot of LGBTQI+ representation. Most of the characters are flawed but likeable, and I found myself wanting to know more about their background, and how similar or different their alternate universe versions were. I found the dynamic between Safi and her mother interesting and how it portrays a narcissistic parent and its consequences. The main overarching story itself by comparison is rather predictable once all is revealed but often in these kinds of games, the superpower stuff just serves as a trigger for the drama (just like The Walking Dead isn't really about the zombies, but how people face that kind of adversity). The game does have plenty of callbacks to the first game though, which fans will appreciate, and they differ depending on which fate you chose for Arcadia Bay.
Also while the game does make attempts at humour, I found the jokes often fell flat but then again, humour was never a forte for the series (keep your eyes peeled for the Monkey Island easter egg though, it's the second biggest I've ever seen)!
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8
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Another competent Life is Strange adventure where you finally get to see what Max has been up to all these years. While the overarching story isn't terribly interesting and it ends on a disappointing cliffhanger (which will require the purchase of Reunion coming out next month), the personal stories for each of the characters are what holds this game together and traversing alternate universes is a great way of learning more about them as well as laying the groundwork for memorable puzzles. |
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Special thanks to my wife for gifting this game as a 2024 Christmas present!
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