Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure has been developed by Deck Nine and published by Square Enix on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S in autumn 2024. This episodic fantasy drama game is the fourth installment of the Life Is Strange video game series that has been existing for nine years as I'm writing this review. This new game easily outclasses its two immediate predecessors but doesn't match the original Life Is Strange released nine years ago.

The element fans have been most excited about is the return of the protagonist of the first game: Maxine Caulfield. In this game, she has moved to Lakeport, Vermont where she is working as a photographer-in-residence at Caledon University. She has left her family, her hometown and most memories of her past behind to start a new life. However, her life takes yet again a sinister turn when she finds her friend and the university president's daughter Safi Llewellyn-Fayyad shot to death on an observation deck. Maxine Caulfield will travel between a reality in which her new friend is dead and another one in which she is still alive to figure out what happened and how she can possibly save Safi Llewellyn-Fayyad.

This is the first game I have ever been playing on Playstation 5 and I have overall been enjoying Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. First and foremost, I have certainly appreciated the game's characters from brave, calm and intelligent Maxine Caulfield over arrogant, influential and secretive administrative assistant Vinh Lang to dishonest, narcissistic and popular head of the literature department Lucas Colmenero. Secondly, I have dug the video game's mysterious atmosphere thanks to numerous scenes taking place at night and the entire game set during a snowy winter. Thirdly, the video game's story has been intriguing enough to inspire me to finish this game in about one week and a half despite numerous other commitments. The game's length of about seventeen hours in my personal case represents exactly what I have been looking for. The challenge level is decent but not frustratingly difficult as it makes the entire game coherent and fluid from start to finish. Another noteworthy highlight has once again been the laid-back indie pop soundtrack that blends in splendidly, even for someone like me who usually prefers gothic rock and heavy metal.

However, this game hasn't been without a few flaws. The characters, plot lines and settings are a little bit too similar to the original Life Is Strange video game in my opinion. This is more than just a nod as this new game at times struggles to stand on its own two legs. Those elements also make the new game somewhat predictable and might not inspire fans to play this release multiple times. Since I value atmosphere over creativity, those downsides however don't ruin the game for me. While many other reviewers have expressed their different degrees of disappointment, my overall evaluation of Life Is Strange: Double Exposure remains very positive and I'm glad to have remained faithful to this video game series and would play another installment in a heartbeat.

To keep it short and simple, I would strongly recommend Life Is Strange: Double Exposure to fans of fantasy dramas who like to take their time exploring the game's atmosphere, characters and settings while those constantly comparing this game to the first installment in the series or those expecting a most creative reinvention of the franchise might both feel quite disappointed. As for potential new fans, I would obviously suggest discovering this franchise in chronological order but you can also play Life Is Strange: Double Exposure without any prior knowledge as the few noteworthy elements are briefly described in this new game to provide some valuable background information without spoiling the original game in my humble opinion.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a mixed bag of emotions. Some of that plays into its strongsuits. Others leave you wondering why small changes weren't considered.

The game takes place a decade after the events of the first Life is Strange game. We're once again in the shoes of Max Caulfield, and once again, we're snooping around. The first game revolved around a mystery hidden in plain sight, hidden by issues of sexism, money, and power. At its core, the disappearance of a girl. I won't spoil Life is Strange 1 here, but it is the best in the series, and should be played before Double Exposure. Can you jump in without playing the first game? Yes. But it's not as fulfilling without experiencing the backstory firsthand.

We get to see just how far Max Caulfield has come. She's more expressive, more assure of herself than ever, and still a snoop. That comes in handy when her friend Safi is murdered. A case that grows stranger the longer Max looks at it, and her proximity to the case draws the unwanted attention of a detective.

More than even the first game, you'll do some more traditional detective work. Interviewing suspects and people close to the case, without letting them know you're on to them. Press too hard and you may lose a source, don't ask enough, and you may not get the full picture. I really like how this game felt more like a detective story than past mysteries in the series.

Max's new power presents some fun puzzles, but is largely underutilized. Even at times when jumping between realities could provide a challenging puzzle, we're practically handed the solution with hints from objectives and Max's inner monologue. This game could have used a difficulty slider, including an option that turns off all non-essential objectives and lets us fail a little more.

And perhaps that brings me to Double Exposure's greatest flaw: the developers just like us too much. It's clear they didn't want any emotional blow to land like a gut punch and instead feel like a glancing blow. Every chance they had to really deliver a strong, gut-wrenching emotional impact, they found a way to soften it. Whether it's panning away during intense moments, time skips, or only seeing people's first reactions through text messages.

The other drawback is an awkward eavesdropping feature. There are many interesting side stories in this game, from a student facing bias, an art student looking to upset the status quo, a student-ran game, and cryptid enthusiasts on the hunt. However, they're mostly told through standing still near a conversation to overhear it, including waiting multiple seconds between beats in the conversation. It's awkward, and would have been better handled with a few more direct interactions. It's clearly a cost-saving measure to keep mocap and development time down, but I feel like it hurt the exploratory angle when we only can talk to the core suspects and friend group of Max.

Overall, the story opens up more than it wraps up, still giving us both satisfying conclusions and a lot to look forward to in this series. The focus on Max's past, her grief and trauma over previous choices, and her attitude with dealing with these problems changing and growing is well-done and satisfying. Max's previous relationships and history aren't given the attention they deserve, for sure, but as a middle sequel, with Max finding her own footing, it works. Music is incredible and immersive, lending itself to each situation. The voice acting and motion capture brings these characters to life like never before. This is the best we've seen Max Caulfield, not only in her life, but in the performance as well. It's a must-play for fans of the series, and the kind of game that raises the bar for the rest of the industry. Games should have feeling, they should have impact, they should feature diverse voices. Life is Strange continues to push the industry towards better games with Double Exposure.

A Monotonous and Exhausting Experience that Turns Positively Upside Down after the First Three Episodes, and Exciting and Stunning in the Last Three Episodes!

I'm full of mixed and completely reversed emotions, but that's exactly why I'm so happy and satisfied. Halfway through the third part of the game was a very different experience and the other half was a completely different experience, and unlike some people, I loved parts 4, 5 and 6. However, I am still critical of the fact that two thirds of the game (the first 5 hours of the 8 hours of gameplay, according to the Gameplay video) is significantly monotonous and tiring. Because for many people, especially if it's their first time playing the game, it can be a lot harder to endure. Interestingly, all the exciting and moving scenes of the game are saved for episodes 4, 5 and 6, which led me to have negative thoughts about the game in the first three episodes. But for me, it wasn't, as some people said, "the last episodes are much worse, pointless and confusing and a farce and a superhero show and an attempt to turn Marvel into the Avengers!". On the contrary, it was a very coherent, largely comprehensible, relevant, fast-paced, exciting, satisfying, enjoyable and truly unforgettable and very striking, wonderful experience.

I'm going to save my negative reviews for the first three hours, which are below, because they still apply to a significant part of the game. I will admit that the depth of the characters is too superficial to connect with as much as in the first game. But for an overall gaming experience, this is still exceptional and above average. It could be said that these first three chapters were necessary in order to fully experience the exciting and fantastic events of the second half of the game. I partly agree with that, but I still find it unfortunate that it is so long and monotonous, which is a strain on patience and unpleasant. I disagree with the criticism that the events of the last three chapters are incomprehensible and complicated and that they are being turned into a Marvel series, because it is a very good thing for a production to develop, expand and evolve its successful storyline and concept to offer better, new and different experiences. And what don't you understand? Did you not play the first game? Or are you unfamiliar with parallel universes, time travel, etc., which are the subject of so many TV series and movies that are popping up like mushrooms everywhere! I thought the last three episodes were very, very good and impressive. Even though there were a few brief moments in a few of them where it was unclear why, in terms of overall presentation, editing and story, it was more striking and exciting than most movies and TV series dealing with similar topics. Of course, experiences are personal. Some people liked the first two episodes more. This is an interesting situation for me.

What I wrote for the first part of the game is below and I'm not changing it because it still applies to the first three parts, but what I wrote above applies to the last three parts of the game. You have to evaluate it accordingly. It's important to show what kind of a negative experience the imbalance in editing and content between the first three chapters and the last three chapters can lead to.

As a fan of the first game, I would like to identify and reveal with all sincerity and sadness: This "Feel everything!" trailer is a fake and a complete deception, this game is not capable of evoking that kind of emotion. (Although my feelings about the last three episodes have changed, I continue to agree with these statements about the lack of poignant emotionality and the characters and relationships being somewhat superficial and lacking the depth of the first game. In terms of excitement and immersion, this statement no longer applies. The last three episodes more than made up for it). It's not a bad game, it shouldn't be overdone, but the touching emotionality and gripping excitement that made the first game special, in short, the basic elements that made us love the first game, are sadly absent in this game. (At least not as far as I've come, I'm close to the fourth episode, I'm more than halfway through.) Now, I don't think it's a bad thing that Chloe is missing, in fact, I wish they had left out Max and given us her for whatever reason we connected with "True Colors", but that didn't happen. It's not a bad thing to have a new and interesting concept and a different scenario, and it's not a bad thing to look at the game as a detective game, but is this a characteristic Life is Strange game, that's a question I can't answer in the affirmative. (After the last three episodes, I can now say that from a holistic point of view, despite some shortcomings and presentation mistakes, it's a significantly successful and good Life is Strange game).

This game is something different and I wish you hadn't marketed it using the name of the Life is Strange series of games and the character Max, as some people rightly criticized you for doing, that would have been much more honest. (I realize now that I was unfair and premature for thinking that way). The original elements of the first game are a very special concept and it is unrealistic and not everyone will be able to replicate them in every game. What is wrong here is that it is being presented as if it contains the original touching and immersive structure of the first game and even more, and that game lovers are being openly deceived. (I withdraw my objection for the last three episodes!) This game has elements that I think detract from the experience (both as a Life is Strange game and as a general gaming experience) because of the monotonous and tiresome flow. It is not, as claimed and marketed, a very exciting and immersive experience that will leave a deep impression and make you want to play more than once. I can say this for myself with certainty. (These statements only apply to the first three chapters now, I don't feel this way about the game as a whole after the last three chapters. But I deliberately didn't remove these negative feedbacks so that it would be clear what kind of negative experience was caused by the mistake in presentation and presentation). Happy for those who found it good and beautiful! But of course our experience was not all bad, don't get me wrong. It was great to see Max and I think the new Max is very realistic and impressive. The visual quality and overall game and location design, the soundtrack, and the new addition of rich accessibility and gameplay options in the game's settings menu are all great.

Criticism: It's very, very tiring and monotonous, mundane and monotonous, constantly trying to figure things out and learn things. Okay, it was interesting at first, but they've upped the dose so much and I got so tired and overwhelmed after a while from the constant switching back and forth between the dead world, the living world, the pulse world, the plot that keeps getting more and more bogged down and can't be solved. And really, my head and eyes get tired so much and so quickly in this game that even in an hour I feel so tired and headachey because there's not a very comfortable flow. (None of this happened in the last three episodes, which was a great surprise and reward for me. So was it worth the trouble and the inconvenience? Yes, many times over.)

And even though it's so tiring, it doesn't lead to a conclusion that makes it worth it. Woe to me if it's even worse than that! (Fortunately, it wasn't, and I'm very glad of that.) I mean, you would expect touching and emotional events, exciting and gripping moments in the midst of such mind-numbing research, wouldn't you? But no! Well, this game starts and continues as a monotonous detective investigation, and it's really excruciating how long and monotonous and exhausting it is. I can't help but write how unnecessary and ridiculous the Crosstalk messages next to the cell phone messages are, at inappropriate moments, three of them pop up at once, distracting and occupying the screen, I open and read them so that the warning disappears from the screen, but there is nothing important, 90-95% of them are like this. Most of them are useless, harmful messages because they distract and disrupt the flow of the game and my focus, it's very annoying. I wish they didn't exist at all. Also, a lot of the other content that will be reviewed in the game is unnecessary busywork that was adapted in a similar way to the first game, but seems to have been put in as a game filler that doesn't contribute anything meaningful to the game in general. These things were there in the first game, but there is a much higher percentage of them that don't make sense in this game. (This applies to the game as a whole. What is it with three Crosstalk message notifications popping up even during the most critical and exciting game scenes? And they're not even important).

I can't imagine the situation of first-timers, I pity them (maybe they find it beautiful because they don't know the wonder and uniqueness of the first game, who knows!) At least we somehow managed not to get too bored, consoled by the nostalgia of the first game, but at this point, my chest physically constricts even after less than an hour of gameplay. I get tired and bored, and that's a very bad experience that I've never experienced in a Life is Strange game. I must say that while it's still not a bad game, it's a game that lacks the key features that made the first game special, and it's definitely a game that doesn't deliver what was promised to us in its marketing and promotion. (Yes, I mentioned at the beginning that my experience turned positive after the last three chapters, so I don't need to repeat it. But really, the first three chapters were hard to get through and hard to endure. For those who are new to the game series, I think it is not appropriate that such.

This game was absolutely amazing and truly doesn't deserve the hate it's received. Deck Nine did an outstanding job, crafting the story in the best way possible given their creative choices. Many players seem upset that Chloe isn't in the game, but Deck Nine does a fantastic job of exploring Max's emotions about everything that happened. Max is in deep pain and feels stuck in her past, and the way Deck Nine portrays her struggles is beautiful and authentic. It's a genuine and emotional depiction of grief and loss. Don't listen to the negativity-try the game yourself and experience the story's depth and impact. This game has so much to offer if you approach it with an open mind and a willingness to connect with Max's journey.

Not what I expected from the game, but I have to say that it felt cozy, I liked the writing, the feling that it gave me, I reallly liked that the action takes place only in a few places, it feels so cozy, and the winter atmosphere, it amazong.

It not even close to the first Life Is Strange with Max, and it's a bit of a shame of that. But it was a kindfull reminder of the masterpice that we witnessed 10 years ago.

The graphics are great, and the characters are well made and they feel alive. But on the flow of the game there are a few things that do not make sense, like strange loading screens, or something the scene ends where you do not expected.

But I really enjoyed the whole experience, I get the hate, but it's one of the best games of 2024, and I am so glad that I got played it.