![]() Which, now that I think about it, is how I feel about Before the Storm in general. There are little glitches and problems here and there which do detract from the experience as a whole, and that’s a shame, because “experience” is the best way to sum up this series. There are some animation issues, particularly when it comes to sudden camera changes (a possible side-effect of this running at 300FPS on my computer). A fair few lines of dialogue are either weakly written or delivered in a rather stilted manner, although Rhianna DeVries does a largely stellar job of stepping into Ashly Burch’s gargantuan clown shoes as the replacement voice for Chloe. ![]() ![]() These are unlikely to bother anyone other than the most ardent fans, though, and a fair few of them can be plausibly hand-waved away.Īnd then… well, the other bits. As a minor example, Life is Strange shows Chloe meeting numerous characters for what is heavily implied to be the first time, while Before the Storm establishes that she already knew them beforehand. (Both games also share a seemingly supernatural disaster that ties into the game’s events, although in Before the Storm it’s more a background event than a portent of impending doom.)Īlas, having certain things set in stone because of Life is Strange leads to a few continuity snarls, especially when it comes to returning characters. But Rachel’s seemingly perfect family – wealthy, affluent, upper-class – also has its share of dark secrets, and the way the two bond is entirely believable. Chloe is poor, has a deceased father, and loathes her mother’s boyfriend. Where Life is Strange lays its focus on a missing person and Max’s supernatural powers, Before the Storm focuses more on families from different ends of the spectrum. I’m skirting around a lot of issues simply because I don’t want to spoil the game, but there are a few specifics I really should give. And while it never gets as dark or as powerful Life is Strange, it has some moments of truly staggering emotional sway nonetheless. I was smiling with it, because it’s an experience that – even in its darkest moments – makes you feel like a part of it. I wasn’t smiling at it, as with so many games I wasn’t smiling at the jokes or the snark or the little continuity nods. Chloe is still reeling from the death of her father and the absence of Max while dealing with life at Blackwell Academy… and then the popular, vibrant Rachel Amber steps into her life.īefore the Storm made me smile. Where Life is Strange focused on Max Caulfield’s return to Arcadia Bay, the rekindling of her friendship with school dropout Chloe Price, and their investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Rachel Amber, Before the Storm takes a look at a period several years before this. It also probably says that this’ll be a confused mishmash of thoughts and emotions, because that’s what Life is Strange does to me. ![]() I finished it over the weekend, finished Farewell yesterday, and I’m still internalising a lot of it. It’s not a prequel series that really needed to exist, nor is it one that adds a great deal to the world or the original game, but it’s so well done that I’m still glad it was made. Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a love letter to the original Life is Strange, and Farewell is the developers signing it with a flourish.
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