Jason Hidalgo|jhidalgo@rgj.com
Technobubble covers games, gadgets and technology. Follow reporter Jason Hidalgo on Twitter @jasonhidalgo
Just a few minutes into playing the first episode of "Life is Strange," I was reminded of many of the same things that I went through as part of my school life.
The awkwardness, the sense of newness and discovery around me, the ability to rewind time whenever I want. Yep, that's exactly how my life as a student played out. Well, OK, maybe controlling time wasn't part of my repertoire as a student. You can bet, though, that I would've used that power to undo all sorts of stuff — like the one time I tried to impress a girl and ended up falling in a fishpond instead. Apparently, life is embarrassing, too.
The same can be said for Max Caulfied, the protagonist for Life is Strange. In "Chrysalis," the first chapter in the episodic series from developer Dontnod Entertainment, Caulfield finds herself experiencing a surreal sequence prior to finding herself in class with her favorite photography professor. What follows is a scenario that has been played in countless classes, including the embarrassment of being called out in class when you don't know the answer to a question. Hey, we've all been there before. Just when Max's miserable day seems headed nowhere, however, something strange happens. She realizes that she can rewind time. Maybe this horrible day wouldn't be so bad after all.
A story-based game that' reminiscent of the stuff that Telltale games has been dishing out in recent years, Life is Strange is like the modern rendition of those old point-and-click titles from days yore. Even with the obvious lack of constant action, however, the game makes up for it through storytelling and setting a mood. Part of this is achieved via its distinctive art style, which uses an interesting dichotomy of smooth textures and rough outlines painted with a colorful palette. It pretty much straddles the line between a realistic and cartoony presentation, which normally leads to some weird uncanny valley as a result but actually works quite well here. The game also adopts a TV-like presentation for key segments, particularly in its use of camera angles.
The game also burdens players with a huge responsibility in the form of choice. Some of the choices seem harmless enough, allowing you to undo mistakes and answer people correctly to get in their good graces. Eventually, however, the consequences of the choices you make take a more serious tone, with even seemingly harmless decisions you make in the beginning having unexpected outcomes later in the game. The fact that you can't undo these decisions past a certain point makes every choice you make even more pressing. Max may be able to rewind time to a certain point but she's no time traveler. Eventually, I found myself thinking thinking long and hard as I turned back time over and over to check out various options. Even with the advantage of foresight from rewinding time, there will be times when you will feel like you're picking between the lesser of two evils. I also found it interesting how icky I felt when I would rewind time to give the "correct" answer to a person after I initially flubbed it and found out what the person I talked to wanted to hear. It's almost like I'm using a cheat code or something and it just made me uncomfortable. Perhaps that's more of a reflection on the the kind of person I am but I liked how Life is Good made me ponder the ethical dilemmas surrounding the choices I make.
Meanwhile, the characters of the game represent a diverse crop of personalities that aren't quite as fleshed out yet but also show promise for later episodes as they get more realized. The voice acting might be a bit polarizing, however, as they don't have the polish of more professional-sounding voice work. Personally, I didn't have as big a problem with it as it actually enhanced the natural awkwardness of some characters. I also prefer it over the more over-the-top voice work you see in some cartoons (case in point, the English voice for Uzumaki Naruto). If you prefer more natural-sounding voice work, however, the awkward voice acting might be an issue for. Also, some aspects of the storytelling can make you scratch your head because they just don't make sense or seem implausible, and I'm not talking about the ability to rewind time.
Overall, though, Life is Good is a good first attempt — pun so totally intended — that sets up the series for what could shape up to be a solid multi-episode run. Certain aspects of the game certainly could use a bit of polish. At the same time, it builds a nice foundation for its upcoming chapters, and I'm already nervously anxious about how the choices I've made will impact the next episode. Let's just say I'm now looking forward to the ways the series will delight or break my heart. Life is strange, indeed.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Cost: $4.99 per episode, $20 for all five; PS3, PS4, X360, XB1 and PC
— Review based on Xbox One copy
