Butterfly Effects & Broken Hearts: Why I Love Life Is Strange
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| Chloe Price & Max Caulfield from Life Is Strange (2015) |
I usually don't play video games in my spare time, but lately, there is a video game series that profoundly changed my life and has become the ultimate comfort game to play. If you enjoy choice-based and decision-making story games that utilize logic and thought, I highly recommend the Life Is Strange series. Here's a brief breakdown and my thoughts on this 2015 masterpiece.
The first Life Is Strange (2015) introduces Max Caulfield, an 18-year-old high school girl, who discovers that she can rewind time. With the help of her childhood best friend, Chloe Price, Max and Chloe are on a mission to solve the disappearance of Rachel Amber, a fellow Blackwell Academy student. With multiple choice selections and fetch quests, the player’s decisions have specific consequences. As the beginning title card of the gameplay states, "Choose wisely..." LIS fans, iykyk.
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| You have been warned, so choose wisely... đ |
I can personally say that I relate to Max in terms of character and personality. We're both introverts, awkward, introspective, empathetic, emotional, and a bit adventurous and cynical at times. This first installment of the series highlights adolescent issues and topics such as peer pressure, trauma, drug use, social / high school cliques, and rebellion. In addition, there is this concept of a power struggle within the city of Arcadia Bay and Blackwell Academy. For one, the affluent but corrupt Prescott family is focused on taking control of the Bay and second, the authority figures at Blackwell (Principal Wells, Mr. Jefferson, David Madsen, etc.) who oversee the campus and student life. In contrast, residents and students in Arcadia Bay are aware of the Prescott family's negative but powerful reputation while there are a few who display hive mentality to get on the latter's exclusive side. As Pricefield (fan name for the canon bond between Chloe and Max) team up together to uncover the disappearance of Rachel, they discover dark secrets of their hometown and school that could jeopardize their investigation and lives.
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| Our heroine is looking spiffy in red flannel, if I do say so myself. |
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| Max's signature dance move. Iconic ~ ✨ |
One of the other reasons why I love the Life Is Strange series is its introduction of female protagonists, except for The Adventures of Captain Spirit and Life Is Strange 2. I think it’s awesome how the series showcases character development and strength from a female perspective. It demonstrates individual fortitude and their abilities to overcome challenging obstacles and feats through unique powers, sheer grit, and intellect. Oh, and you can't deny the ambient score / soundtrack as well as the scenic backdrops of each game. I love how the developers incorporated the beauty of nature and serenity into each installment, with my personal favorite being Life Is Strange: True Colors, which is set in the fictional mountainous town of Haven Springs, Colorado.
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| Haven Springs, CO in Life Is Strange: True Colors. Can you spot Alex Chen? |
In addition, the gameplay is so simple and straightforward to follow with narrative-driven dialogue choices that impact the decisions you make while playing. I would consider all the games here as "cozy / chill" games. These are great options for gamers who don't want to focus too much on various control schemes, button mappings, and mechanics, but would rather focus more on the story development and dialogue choices. It's a psychologically stimulating game that makes you question and wonder if the choice you've selected is logical, moral, and ethical.
As this masterpiece of a game concluded, Life Is Strange (2015) was followed by:
- Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (2017) – A prequel to the first Life Is Strange, featuring a 16-year-old Chloe Price who navigates adolescent life without Max and confides in a new and mysterious friend who catches her eye. This is the first Life Is Strange installment that is picked up by a different developer, Deck Nine.
- The Adventures of Captain Spirit (2018) – I haven’t played this installment, but I really want to.
- Life Is Strange 2 (2018) – An emotional journey of two young brothers escaping a traumatic experience from their hometown as they doggedly set out for their deceased father’s birthplace in Mexico.
- Life Is Strange: True Colors (2021) – This is a personal favorite of mine because it is the first time that the series introduces an Asian American protagonist, Alex Chen, as she starts fresh in a new state after experiencing personal hardships in foster care.
- Life Is Strange: Wavelengths (2021) – A narrative bonus episode featuring a fan-favorite character, Steph Gingrich, as she explores her past, grief, and future while working as a local radio DJ in Haven Springs. Note: This episode is only available in the Deluxe and Ultimate editions of True Colors, and as the Deluxe Upgrade if you own the Standard edition.
- Life Is Strange: Double Exposure (2024) – Featuring the return of a now older Max Caulfield, this installment focuses on Max’s new life as an artist-in-residence at Caledon University while discovering a new power to jump between alternate realities.
- Life Is Strange: Reunion (2026) – Now an up-and-coming and established photographer, Max regains her rewind powers as she uncovers the surrounding mystery of Caledon’s Abraxas Club, a secret society organized and run by its students. This is where we also see the return of Chloe, who reunites with Max to decipher recurring visions that have been troubling her. The story concludes Max and Chloe’s journey, which is bittersweet and emotional. (I didn’t want their story to end!)
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