Critical Play: Life is Strange
In this game, the player follows the story of Max Caulfield, a photography senior who discovers she can rewind time. In this way, every choice she (you) make enacts the butterfly effect where small changes can lead to huge ripple effects in the world. The game opens with the scene of a devastating storm, and Max must rewind time to make different decisions, investigate disappearances, and try to save her town.
For me, this game was immediately reminiscent of the movies Inception and The Eye. When Max kept trying to figure out what was a dream and what was real life, it felt like the dream within a dream concept from Inception where only a spinning top could denote ground truth. In The Eye, the blind protagonist has a cornea transplant and then begins to see terrifying visions but realizes she must use them to try to save the lives of many. Though neither of these plot lines are the replica of Life is Strange, both have the same mysterious, somewhat frightening tone and many similar elements.
In Life is Strange, the narrative is woven into the mystery in many distinct ways. Since you play as Max, you can always hear her internal dialogue which allows you to learn about the backstory and help process what is going on in the present. Additionally, you have mostly free range to walk around and explore in the game — you can meet new people, look at pictures on the wall, open books, have conversations, read your journal, investigate the contents of a flash drive, etc. Through the interactive, branching conversations you have with other characters, you are able to help develop the story, and your ability to turn back time to learn more and make different decisions allows you to try to move the plot in a direction that is more positive than the current outcome. According to the game’s website, though, “Max must quickly learn that changing the past can sometimes lead to a devastating future.”
If you haven’t played yet, you can download the first episode for free on the app store or watch a play through on YouTube!
