Life Is Strange: Double Exposure on PS5
It has been nearly a decade since Max Caulfield and Chloe Price took the video game world by storm in Life Is Strange, introducing fans to a unique relationship and one hell of an adventure. And while there have been other instalments in the series since the original, there’s also been an Arcadia Bay-sized void that has yet to be filled. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure manages to fill that hole by capitalizing on nostalgia while improving upon what makes the first game so memorable.
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure takes place 10 years after the events of the original, with Max Caulfield once again taking the starting role. The direct sequel takes place at Caledon University, a premier Arts and Science college where she now teaches.
Her time-travel powers are seemingly gone, but that doesn’t stop Max from cementing her role as the true protagonist of the Life Is Strange series. Hannah Telle does an excellent job in her return to the role, as her quirky personality, terrible puns, and artistic input always shine through. I could listen to her spit bad pick-up any day of the week.
The game starts with an adventure Chloe Price would be proud of. Max and her friend Safi break into an abandoned bowling alley to take portraits for a new photo series while also giving a bit of exposition on what has been happening in her life for the last 10 years. After taking a few Polaroid shots and exploring, the choice that has been on everyone’s mind is asked: bae or bay?
For my first playthrough, I went with choosing Chloe, as I was interested to see what their dynamic would end up being. Unfortunately, this is where a lot of Pricefield fans are going to be upset with Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. After playing through again, I confirmed that, regardless of your choice, Chloe does not appear as a character in this entry. At most, you can only hear Max lament how they fell out – mostly via some text messages and social media posts on her phone – or her voice in flashbacks.
The illusion of choice that comes with this decision can be seen throughout many aspects of the adventure. Even if you make a decision favouring helping a specific character, all roads lead to a very similar conclusion, so choosing who to make happy is mostly window dressing.
That said, the choices still do have merit and value in Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. They are presented in a weighty and important manner while altering the journey, making for unique character growth and experiences. It also helps that the journey is intense and mysterious throughout the story.
Similar to the events that activate her powers in the original, Max experiences another traumatic event in Chapter 1 that awakens new powers. This time, instead of time travel, she can travel between two parallel timelines: alive and dead world.
Like in games like Dishonored 2 – specifically the Crack in the Slab level – or Titanfall 2, Max is able to travel between these two worlds by using access points. Not only does this result in certain characters being alive and different stories and interactions, but it also makes for some interesting puzzle mechanics.
First, Max can take items from the living world to the dead world with her and vice versa. This means that the missing bathroom key held hostage by undergrads in one world can be found and taken from the spot where it would be otherwise in the other. As long as there is a tear to travel through, doors and locations that are locked or inaccessible can also be accessed, making for some fun problem-solving situations.
Max can also view what is happening in the opposite world. This allows her to solve puzzles, such as avoiding Alderman while in Moses’ office in the dead world by tracking his movements in the alive world. As the story progresses in Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, the ever-present theme of trying to change what has already happened rears its head again. Seeing Max’s internal struggle with using these powers for good while also trying not to abuse them always makes for a fascinating story amidst the already thrilling murder mystery that the main plot revolves around.
The whodunnit mystery had me at the edge of my seat the entire time and is right up there with the twists and turns that made me love the original.
Sure, the characters and writing can certainly still come off as a bit “how do you do, fellow kids” here and there. You can’t go a few sentences without a curse word, but it doesn’t feel nearly as heavy-handed as Life Is Strange 2 or Life Is Strange: True Colors.
It’s also nice to see that other series trademarks aren’t abandoned in the new game and that exploration is rewarded, albeit in minor ways. I’ll never get tired of seeing the chapter breakdown of the community’s choices and seeing if there were any small interactions I may have missed to go back and find for myself later.
The music and ambience are also two franchise staples that Life Is Strange: Double Exposure nails. There are so many points where I just put my controller down and enjoyed the music in the game. Whether it is Lucky – Mood Bored setting the sad stage of the dead world in the Snapping Turtle or even Someone Was Listening by dodie in the main menu, the soundtrack is simply too good to be ignored.
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is the ultimate comfort food for fans of the 2015 title. It focuses on all the exciting and enjoyable things about the first game in the series while also adding a unique twist on gameplay that improves an already enticing storyline. Even if it is devoid of a certain foul-mouthed, blue-haired rocker girl, fans will certainly still find plenty to love in this sequel.
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is available now on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
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