Life Is Strange: Episode 1- Chrysalis REVIEW
(PS4, XBO, PS3, X360, PC)
Written By Tyler Pederson
When sitting down to play Life Is Strange, I had little idea what I was getting into. Seemingly a cross between Telltales style of adventure game and a more serious narrative, I was intrigued to say the least. The game opens boldly, setting itself apart and continuing to do so. Not many games today have the courage to let you slowly grow into your role, and insist on a crash course from the moment you enter the game. Life Is Strange, much like the incredibly emotionally riveting Brothers, ops to slowly introduce you to the games mechanics at a slow, careful pace. At first seemingly dragging on a bit long, the whole thing eventually comes around to set up an intriguing little story, simply begging to be explored to the finish.
The art style is breathtaking. At once simplistic and yet wondrous, the color palette is awash with greens and blues that give the soft textured world a real vibrancy. This is accentuated at points throughout the game where the main player can stop to take in the scenery. These pop up rarely, and I wholly encourage you to take a moment to check out each one. The soundtrack is also pretty amazing, favoring some indie hits over the usual video game style of music. It all brings the more personal moments to a really nice place, and allows me to relate more directly to the events unfolding.
Dialogue becomes a bit of a sore spot, often insisting on trying to be hip or sound cool, instead resulting in making the exchange come off as unrealistic. So many times, I wanted to edit a word or two out of a line of dialogue because they felt unnecessary. There are however, a serious number of adult topics being tackled here, and the game knows when to tone down it’s silliness to focus on the harsh reality of these situations. This isn’t to say it won’t be enjoyed by a younger crowd, but those mature enough to understand what these things do to people emotionally will most certainly get another level of appreciation out of it all.
Mechanically, it’s a mixed bag. In Life Is Strange you can rewind time. This allows you to change decisions already made in favor of another outcome. First sounding a little tedious, it’s quickly made clear that neither option is 100% ideal, and more often than not, as with real life, there is no real middle ground, and you have to see through the consequences of your actions. This may be immediate, or it may not be clear as to how it plays into the big picture at all. This too, lends to a feeling of immersion, as I’m left considering the long term repercussions of what I’ve done. While the ideas are intriguing and seem to work alright, the act of reversing time can be confusing to say the least, and can sometimes rewind you further than intended.
At the end of the day however, this is only episode 1 of 5, leading to a feeling of longing for more. With the next episode slated for release in March, it’s hard to tell if this is the sort of experience who’s plot will stick with me till then, or if it’d been better explored as a whole, but my own experiences have left me with a strong desire for more, and in many ways, it reminds the player that it’s not just their major actions that affect others - but in fact everything we do can change someones life for the better, or for the worse. The stage is certainly set for a spectacular show, it’s up to them to ensure the ride remains this impactful.
Life Is Strange: Episode 1 - Crystalis gets a 7/10