Life is Strange: Before the Storm
Writer: Zak Garriss
Producer: David Hein
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date: August 31st, 2017
Platforms: PS4, XBONE, PC
Many of us remember the episodic graphic adventure game, Life is Strange, which was released in 2015 on PC, Playstation, and XBOX. The game featured Max Caulfield, a high school senior who discovers that she can rewind time to fix past mistakes (such as the triggering event which killed her old friend, Chloe Price).
Before the Storm focuses on a time period three years before this event, in the life of Chloe, during a time shortly after the loss of her father, and well before Rachel goes missing. Unlike its predecessor, Before the Storm will have a sense of weight to your decisions. Chloe lacks the ability to change the outcome of her choices, and the outcome of these choices will follow her throughout the gameplay.
I had the privilege of playing through a scene in this game where Chloe talks her way into an illegal concert in an old mill, where her favorite band is playing. In this section, Chloe gets to explore the haphazard bar of patrons, where you can wreak havoc on some of the patrons. A t-shirt vendor selling out of his trunk is rude to you, so you have the option to pull the parking brake, which sends his car down some stairs. You can then choose to steal the shirt and also steal his earnings for the night. If you steal his money, you can afford to buy pot from Frank Bowers, who we remember in the first game as Chloe’s dealer.
Heading into the mosh pit, Chloe gets pushed backward into a “sketchy dude,” who picks a fight with her later. Rachel pops in just in time to save Chloe by giving the opportunity to either attack the assailant or run away. They then go on to enjoy the concert.
During an interview with the writer, Zak Garriss, and Producer, David Hein, I discovered that a lot of this game fleshes out the parts of the relationship between Rachel and Chloe that were left unsaid. Parts that the player filled in for themselves in the previous game. You get to make the choices and develop that relationship in whichever way you want, growing it and giving it meaning. At the same time, Max is mostly alluded to in Before the Storm, and you get to see Chloe’s side of why they were in such a bad place in their relationship back then.
This stand alone game will be set far enough back where the end won’t intersect with the beginning of the first game, so those who aren’t new to the franchise won’t be spoiled going in, and those who haven’t played before will have a great place to start for context.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm Episode One will have its digital release on August 31st, with Episodes Two and Three following shortly after. Available on PS4, XBONE, and PC.
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