The original Life is Strange captivated players for nearly an entire year thanks to its episodic structure. The community grew organically as they theorized what could happen and bonded with the characters, particularly lead Max Caulfield. Now, nearly a decade later, Max is back in Life is Strange: Double Exposure. While it doesn’t totally recapture the magic of the first game, it is an interesting sequel that proves Max is still a fitting protagonist.
Life is Strange revolved around Max’s ability to rewind time, a skill that has largely diminished as she hasn’t used it in the decade since. After Max’s new best friend, Safi, is murdered (she has very bad luck with friends), Max finds herself with a mysterious new time ability as she can slip back and forth between alternate realities where Safi is dead and alive. It’s a solid twist that makes sure this isn’t a retread of the first game and allows for some fresh puzzles that involve you swapping back and forth between the two realms (although the solutions are often laid out a bit too obviously, so there’s not much fulfillment).
Despite being released all at once, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is still broken up into five episodes. Developer Deck Nine Games does a good job of structuring the core mystery, as the end-of-episode cliffhangers are quite effective, but there’s never a real sense of shock or a reason to brainstorm theories since you’re just barreling through to the next episode anyhow. I never felt nearly as invested as to what was happening in the first game, largely since I never was given any reason to care about Safi as much as Chloe in the original, and there’s never a sense of true danger that pops up. The plot also starts to go off the rails in the final act, as the climax pales in comparison to the original and fails to capture your emotions in the same way.
The main issue is that nearly none of the supporting cast is very entertaining to be around or interact with. Besides the nerdy friend Moses, there was nobody in Lakeport that I found fun to be around, let alone engage in optional conversations with. This goes for the two romanceable options as well: the male character is written so obnoxiously that I can’t imagine anyone finding him charming, while the female romance option is fun but so immature that it feels like Max should be past that. Both of these characters were facing an uphill value as most fans already ship Max with Chloe from the first game, so it would’ve been better off just not having a shoehorned romance during a murder investigation.
It’s unfair, if really hard to avoid, constantly comparing Double Exposure to the series’ first game, but that’s what is bound to happen when you bring Max back. Thankfully, she is by and far the best part of the experience, thanks to her fun observations and awkward personality. While I didn’t love the overall story, the dialogue is still well-written and has some charm (even if nothing reaches the “Go f— your selfie” category of so-bad-its-good gaming dialogue). I cared far more about the few times that Arcadia Bay was mentioned and got a kick out of reading Max and Joyce’s text exchanges than most of the new story beats. It was great seeing Max again, especially seeing her growth as a person in the interim, but I just wish it was under better circumstances as she’s wound up working at a university filled with insufferable people.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure Review: Final Verdict
Life is Strange: Double Exposure isn’t as nearly as charming as Max Caulfield’s first adventure, nor is it as well-written as Deck Nine’s prior game, True Colors. Instead, it’s in an awkward middle ground of being a charming yet ultimately disappointing experience. It’s great spending more time with Max and seeing who she’s become, but the core mystery and supporting cast aren’t nearly as memorable as what happened at Blackwell Academy.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to “Good.” A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital PS5 copy for our Life is Strange: Double Exposure review. Reviewed on version 1.002.000.
