Life Is Strange: Reunion Preview: Like Meeting Up With an Old Friend

It’s been astir 10 years since we past saw Max and Chloe unneurotic successful a Life is Strange game. While the different entries successful the bid that starred different characters person been beauteous bully – successful fact, its astir caller entry, Double Exposure, was fantabulous acknowledgment successful portion to its continuation of the halfway communicative of Max Caulfield’s analyzable beingness with her adjacent much analyzable champion person Chloe – Life is Strange has nevertheless been missing that 1 happening that made the archetypal episodic escapade truthful impactful. Now that the series’ co-protagonist (and sometimes antagonist if you truly deliberation astir it) is backmost successful the mix, Life is Strange: Reunion looks to not lone beryllium the crippled longtime fans person been waiting implicit a decennary for, it besides has the imaginable to beryllium the strongest introduction yet.

Taking spot instantly aft the events of Double Exposure, Life is Strange: Reunion looks to wrapper up Max Caulfield’s time-bending, dimension-hopping escapade by reintroducing the catalyst for the full series. Chloe is back, and without getting excessively heavy into spoiler territory, she's live and trying to enactment the pieces unneurotic portion Max is simultaneously dealing with the fallout from Double Exposure. While Reunion retains its signature indie sleaze aesthetic and astatine times eyebrow-raising dialog (in an endearing way), the storytelling frankincense acold is noticeably amended than what we’ve seen from Life is Strange previously. There was a consciousness of urgency successful the astir 2 hours I had with the preview version, and I couldn't assistance but announcement however everything had a melancholic vibe to it. The music, quality interactions, and wide vibe of Reunion makes it evident that this last section successful Max’s communicative is going to beryllium darker and much emotionally charged than thing we’ve seen successful a bid that explores immoderate beauteous grim subjects.

That being said, it's not each doom and gloom. The visuals are refined specified that, to my eyes, a Life is Strange crippled has ne'er looked better. The facial expressions and performances are excellent, the locations are afloat of clever biology storytelling and charm, and each quality is designed successful a mode that's brimming with property and uniqueness. In my demo I was capable to research Max’s house, the Snapping Turtle, and a caller determination that reminded maine of immoderate of the much grim environments from the archetypal Life is Strange. Conversations with characters felt much real, and portion immoderate of the dialog was cringeworthy, it ne'er took maine retired of the communicative similar past entries have, and I'm blessed to study that successful my clip with it, cipher said “hella”.

The satellite of Reunion feels much live than ever.“

Meanwhile, from immoderate exceptional cues and nostalgic needle drops, the music, which is ever a highpoint for the series, is decidedly looking to beryllium different item successful Reunion. There was 1 needle driblet successful peculiar that tugged astatine my bosom strings, and whether this was owed to nostalgia oregon truly bully opus placement (or both), it made maine excited to perceive what other Reunion has successful store for Max and Chloe's latest adventure. The music, visuals, and biology storytelling suggest that this is Life is Strange firing connected each cylinders truthful far, and the satellite of Reunion feels much live than ever.

Of course, presumption isn't everything successful Life is Strange, and Reunion takes the bid backmost to its roots with Max’s rewind abilities and Chloe's backtalk choices. While I appreciated the newer dimension-hopping powers successful Double Exposure, it was evident from the get-go with Reunion that bringing backmost Max’s rewind powerfulness is the close choice; it conscionable felt close for the benignant of narrative-driven gameplay Life is Strange is known for. The fewer puzzles I was capable to effort felt earthy and had much situation than I was expecting. In 1 lawsuit I had to defuse a country afloat of explosives earlier a abbreviated timer ran out. Admittedly, I died a fewer times portion trying to find an optimal way betwixt bombs, uncovering a brace of cutters, and avoiding falling objects. It was refreshing to person to lick a puzzle without it conscionable being different modular find the happening and prime the close dialog event. That being said, determination were inactive plentifulness of instances wherever I needed to speech to somebody, spectacularly embarrass myself, larn thing astir them, rewind, and effort again.

Chloe’s gameplay, connected the different hand, is little supernatural and much urgent. Unlike Max, she doesn't person immoderate peculiar powers and alternatively has to trust connected her wits and speedy thinking. Paying attraction to the surrounding situation and remembering details from Chloe’s observations and conversations is integral here. When Chloe’s backtalk was prompted, I had to rapidly marque a dialog prime and gain points implicit whoever I was being confronted by. If I made the close prime erstwhile confronted by a information defender past I would triumph the conversation, if I didn't, past things wouldn't spell my way. Adding this further furniture to Reunion’s dialog choices is simply a enactment of caller air, since playing arsenic Max tin sometimes beryllium a small excessively forgiving. I anticipation that we spot this mechanic utilized much passim Reunion, due to the fact that its imaginable to unit the subordinate to marque hard imperishable decisions without the enactment to magically rewind clip could pb to immoderate beauteous absorbing quality outcomes.

The series’ dialog is inactive a precocious constituent here, and I was fixed the prime to play with a circumstantial acceptable of outcomes from the archetypal Life is Strange. While determination is nary canon ending to the archetypal game, being capable to prime my result from 2015 was beauteous chill and has maine excited to spot what different outcomes and consequences the characters volition look from that azygous prime I made a decennary ago.

While I lone had astir 2 hours with Life is Strange: Reunion, it was wide to maine that developer Deck Nine is pulling retired each the stops for the long-awaited finale of Max and Chloe’s story. The expanded gameplay, presentation, and wide vibe stands a bully accidental to go a bid precocious constituent and hopefully pb to a fitting extremity to a communicative that's sat with fans for implicit a decade.