After nine years, “Life is Strange: Double Exposure” uniquely continues its original story. (Photo via Square Enix)
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
Those first words from protagonist Max Caulfield couldn’t be more true.
“Life is Strange: Double Exposure” is a continuation of the original hit drama video game “Life is Strange.” The original game follows Max, a photography protege, as she reunites with her old best friend and uses her newfound ability to rewind time to uncover the secrets of her fine arts academy. The game was ahead of its time for its concept of actions and word choice affecting the present, future and past.
Since its debut in 2015, the “Life is Strange” series has produced several games with new characters, including a prequel. However, fans have been waiting for a continuation of the main story for nine years. The ultimate edition released Oct 15.
In “Life is Strange: Double Exposure,” Max uncovers the murder of her new friend, Safi, using her newfound ability to travel between an alternate reality where Safi wasn’t murdered. This mechanic seems messy in hindsight, but the layout of puzzles that utilize it are well thought out and exciting.
The game has just as much depth and the same exploration mechanics as the first game, and the incoming objectives of characters needed to inquire or argue kept me on my feet the whole time. One thing this game does to keep the player constantly grounded is apply a system of consequences.
Throughout the game, players experience several choices that are incredibly well written. In true “Life is Strange” fashion, these choices make the player stop and think because they know they influence the rest of the game. The immersive world makes them keep track of the people they meet in both worlds, as every action has long-term consequences.
The game’s art style has improved greatly and the use of motion capture is beyond amazing. The crystal-clear quality makes cutscenes feel like movies, and the characters seem life-like as if it were a movie. The original soundtrack for the game was also a perfect continuation, as it was able to match the first game with its original and creative music choices.
The tough decisions made at the end of the first game are irrelevant to this story, which shocked me, because I was expecting to see the old characters from the first game. The lack of ties to the original were a little upsetting to the players who cared about it. However, throughout the game, I noticed that the new places and people are just as loveable, and new moments made with Max are just as goofy. It’s also too early to call, as there might be late game appearances we are yet to see.
I can tell with the amount of prompts given, there must be so many more exciting dialogues and scenarios to discover in the remaining chapters. The ending to the second chapter was a perfect cliffhanger that has me counting down the days to its full release.