Dec 24, 2024
Nov 22,2024
Choice is a powerful thing in video games. In my view, it's one of the advantages of the medium over books, film, and television.
In games, a player can forge your own unique story in a familiar world. Developers trust you can take the reins of the adventure yourself and live by your triumphs and by your mistakes.
Released in 2015, the original Life is Strange was a revolutionary game that made choice its core mechanic. Dark, gripping and supernatural, it's a story that has become a rightful cult classic in adventure games.
Playing as a young Max Caulfield, your supernatural ability to rewind time meant that the town of Arcadia Bay was a blank canvas to explore. With every choice, a 'branch' effect occurred, the outcome of which you never know until much later. But over time, you realise Max's powers came at an immense cost.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure sees the rightful return of Max Caulfield to our screens. With the tragic events of Arcadia Bay behind her and some time spent road-tripping across America, the now 28-year-old acclaimed photographer finds herself at the prestigious Caledon University as an artist-in-residence.
She's all but lost her ability to rewind time. But that seems to be OK. She's in a new place. There are new friends. The burden of her powers isn't derailing her life like before. And no one is asking her difficult questions. As it turns out, life doesn't seem so strange anymore.
That is until she finds her friend Safi, mysteriously murdered in the game's opening. This trauma causes Max to manifest brand new powers, granting her the ability to shift between timelines into a world where Safi remains dead and another where she's very much alive.
While one world focuses on mourning the loss of a colleague and friend, the other is rampant with scandal – and Safi is still in danger from those around her. And so begins your quest in this supernatural murder mystery, where you'll not only investigate the death of someone in one timeline but try to prevent it from happening again in another.
All the while, you'll try to deduce who on Earth has the motive to pull off such an attack - and when.
Dead or alive? Double the story
Caledon is a creative hotspot with wall-to-wall literary professors, artists, and more. On the outside, it looks like a haven of culture. But within your first few conversations, you'll realise dark secrets are scattered throughout.
This is brought to the forefront when you visit each timeline, something you can do at any stage of the game through rift portals. In the 'Dead World', the college is in a state of mourning. Safi's absence is obvious. Christmas is cancelled. Everyone is riddled with sadness. And guilt.
Max herself also needs to deal with the sudden events of losing her close friend, all while trying to keep control of the powers she's just discovering. But it's only when you cross over to the 'Living World' that the tension and drama reveal itself.
You realise that Safi's death is a smoke-screen for everyone else's life dramas. With no funeral to act as a distraction, you realise your cast of potential suspects are all on the cusp of their own scandals.
Someone's facing a disciplinary hearing. There's talk of restraining orders. A coup among an academic club. A book deal falls through. Tensions between characters are at an all-time high. All the while, a very-much-alive Safi is walking around wondering what on Earth has Max so spooked.
Love them or hate them: the cast of Double Exposure
On a narrative level, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is ambitious. You know that someone on both timelines is guilty. As you navigate between the two, your line of suspicion is constantly evolving. The suspect is ever-changing. This is helped by its diverse cast of characters, polished voice acting, and a near-constant supply of snappy dialogue.
Max will have to use her powers to fact-find between worlds, using information gathered in one timeline to expose or exonerate characters. Through this, you'll figure out when people are telling the truth or lying to your face.
From your other best friend Moses to shady professors Gwen and Lucas, to admin assistant playboy Vinh, to the loveable Amanda and more, each one will be in constant competition for your admiration or disdain. Each have their own redeeming qualities (besides maybe Lucas) that you can consider or ignore as you hunt for new leads on the culprit's identity.
And then, of course, there's Safi to consider. In the Dead World, she's nowhere to be found. And yet, phasing to the other parallel timeline, you're hanging out with her at your local bar as if nothing happened. But Max knows differently. This duality of living with and without Safi is the game's driving force, and she is a mesmerising character when on-screen.
The choice is yours to make
As a choice-based game set across two timelines, players can have two different kinds of relationships with characters. And yes, sometimes it can get confusing. But no one said solving a supernatural murder would be easy.
For example, I had a somewhat amicable relationship with a suspect in one timeline. But hopping into the other, they slammed their office door in my face - such was the level of hatred they had for me. You, of course, are responsible for this hostility. But you can't help but think about what chain of events set this in motion and what you could do differently to set the game in a different direction.
This kind of branch creates a genius narrative where each playthrough promises something unique. And at the close of each chapter, you'll see statistics on what choices you made versus what other players did, just to toy with your curiosity even more.
As the game progresses, Max's powers begin to evolve, or you learn to use them in interesting ways. She can 'merge' timelines in real-time to overhear conversations she wouldn't usually be able to. She can also begin to shift items between timelines. This allows her to tamper with and take evidence and snoop to her heart's content.
It's a unique way to investigate a crime, hampered only by the limited number of locations you can explore. Granted, there are two versions of Caledon you can wander through, both with their own striking designs, but there are only so many scenes around the college and the local bar. At some point, the only choice you would like to make is to go off-campus, even for a brief moment in time.
An evolving story – but where should you jump in?
Besides Caledon, another constant in the game is Max's feelings towards her power and her determination not to repeat the disasters of Arcadia Bay again. This brings us to an important question newcomers to the series might have – do you have to play the original to enjoy this?
The short answer – no. This is a standalone game with a new cast of characters and a new problem that can be enjoyed without prior experience. However, playing the series can help you understand Max's character better.
And then there's Chloe, Max's best friend. The original game ended on a cliffhanger for her, the outcome of which depended on the player. She's mentioned quite a bit in the game, and while I won't spoil the circumstances, Double Exposure somehow manages to respect your version of events without dwelling on it for too long. In this way, there's a degree of fan service for dedicated players but no pressure on newcomers to know too much about Max's former escapades.
A terrific time warp filled with intrigue
Life is Strange: Double Exposure elevates the franchise to new heights. A brand new timeline mechanic set to the same butterfly effect gameplay means you've doubled the world to explore, doubled the cast to befriend, and doubled the trouble in keeping the worlds together.
This murder mystery will evolve on a constant basis right until the closing credits. Explosive revelations keep the supernatural element alive throughout, and by the end of the game, you'll realise Max's ascent into a gaming legend is only just beginning.
Needless to say, your semester spent at Caledon will be one of immense intrigue. In the end, this game and its outcome will be of your own making. Let's hope you make good decisions.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
