Life is Strange: Double Exposure review: Max Caulfield triumphantly returns

Sometimes, a video crippled tin consciousness for illustration it was made conscionable for you. Even though that’s evidently not nan lawsuit pinch Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which is portion of a well-known franchise and spent years successful development, I still can’t thief but consciousness for illustration that way.

As an anxious precocious schooler, I played nan original Life is Strange and identified a batch pinch Max Caulfield’s travel then. Now, I’m playing this very self-reflective follow-up group connected a field arsenic I’m returning to assemblage myself to get a Master’s Degree and reasoning astir wherever my life has gone since my undergrad days.

I was worried different Life is Strange crippled starring Max Caulfield would consciousness for illustration an unnecessary retread of worn ground. Instead, it’s a lukewarm broad that reminds maine of why I fell successful emotion pinch nan bid successful nan first place. Double Exposure’s gameplay isn’t thing special, but Max’s affectional travel is thing I tin profoundly subordinate to and affirms that developer Deck Nine understands why nan original resonated pinch group for illustration myself a decade ago.

Max is back

Life is Strange: Double Exposure takes spot astir a decade aft nan events of nan first Life is Strange. That crippled ended pinch players making a choice; they either had to termination Chloe to extremity Arcadia Bay from being destroyed by a large wind aliases fto Chloe unrecorded astatine nan costs of that town. A decade aft nan fact, Max is still surviving pinch nan consequences of whichever prime she’s picked aft spending tons of clip connected nan road. She’s now a coach astatine nan prestigious Caledon University and has made plentifulness of caller friends, but she still harbors resentment toward her powers and past choices.

Continuing Max Caulfield’s communicative offers maine a lukewarm broad that I didn’t cognize I needed …

There has been immoderate contention wrong nan organization complete nan truth that this crippled implies that Max and Chloe collapsed up if she lived aliases that she was conscionable a precocious schoolhouse sweetheart if she died. I don’t mind this prime because Max’s nonaccomplishment to process and grip what happened successful a patient measurement is simply a halfway portion of her affectional arc successful Double Exposure. After her friend, Safi, is murdered, Max discovers she has nan powerfulness to recreation betwixt timelines wherever she’s live and dead.

This gives Max a pathway to forestall Safi’s execution arsenic she could person for Chloe, but it besides digs up aged trauma and forces Max to go much secretive and removed from nan group who attraction astir her most. Double Exposure is each astir really group are forced to unrecorded pinch nan consequences of their actions, past trauma, and moreover nan decease of loved ones that they person nary power over. That whitethorn each sound very dire, but Double Exposure still leaves room for wit and optimism.

Square Enix

Its penning tin still beryllium cheesy, but that now comes disconnected arsenic little Tumblr-coded and much for illustration adults speaking without worrying what different group will deliberation of them. Toss successful an fantabulous soundtrack, and Double Exposure creates a vibe that feels not dissimilar from my ain big life. Continuing Max Caulfield’s communicative offers maine a lukewarm broad that I didn’t cognize I needed, but won’t opportunity nary to.

A refined production

Other cardinal reasons Double Exposure useful truthful good are its fantabulous sound formed and beautiful creation style. Hannah Telle still feels profoundly successful tune pinch Max’s characteristic and delivers 1 of nan year’s champion performances. The supporting formed is arsenic strong, pinch Safi’s actress, Olivia AbiAssi, opinionated toe-to-toe pinch Telle and creating different Life is Strange characteristic that will astir apt go arsenic iconic arsenic Chloe aliases Alex Chen.

It’s a communicative escapade crippled you only play for nan story.

Double Exposure sports a vibrant, painterly creation style that feels for illustration a much elaborate type of nan look nan original Life is Strange tried to achieve. It’s akin to nan visuals of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, oddly enough, but Double Exposure executes it amended because it’s a batch much intentional successful really it frames and lights definite scenes. It besides has less characters and locations, truthful it sports awesome mobility seizure and facial animation contempt a much cartoonish creation style.

The 1 beforehand wherever Double Exposure underwhelms is gameplay, arsenic it’s arsenic straightforward arsenic a communicative escapade crippled tin get. When players aren’t making speech choices successful cutscenes to power nan result of nan story, they tin locomotion astir a mates of different areas located astir Caledon University. Sometimes, to lick a ray puzzle aliases summation discourse for a conversation, Max will person to usage her caller powers to displacement betwixt nan 2 timelines aliases activate a beat to spot what’s going connected successful nan aforesaid spot successful different timelines.

Square Enix

While these 2 mechanics are caller nan first clip you propulsion them off, Double Exposure doesn’t spell anyplace pinch either of them. Deck Nine’s erstwhile communicative escapade games, specified arsenic Life is Strange: True Colors and The Expanse: A Telltale Series, sewage much imaginative pinch their gameplay ideas. I still fondly retrieve nan True Colors section that concisely turned nan crippled into a turn-based RPG and The Expanse’s zero-gravity moments. Double Exposure’s displacement and beat mechanics neglect to deed that aforesaid bar, making this a communicative escapade crippled you only play for nan story.

Reflection and regret

Thankfully, I afloat bought into Max’s latest affectional journey. I haven’t had to woody pinch astir nan aforesaid magnitude of trauma arsenic Max. Still, I’ve precocious gotten much self-reflective and thought astir really different my life would beryllium had I made different choices. For example, had I not reached retired to DualShockers connected a whim 1 time connected Twitter successful precocious school, I would not beryllium penning this reappraisal for you correct now.

Then, location are nan regrets.

If I had known my canine would’ve passed distant erstwhile he did past year, would I person recovered ways to walk much clip pinch him aliases recovered amended ways to thief him? Why did I hold 4 years for a Master’s Degree alternatively of entering that programme aft graduating successful 2020? Thinking astir these what-ifs tin thief maine process past mistakes and consciousness well-informed for early decisions, but it tin besides go self-destructive erstwhile near unchecked.

Square Enix

Max now has powers that exemplify each of that, and Double Exposure is not acrophobic to thin into nan truth that superpowers successful this beingness are much of a curse than a blessing. Max tin make amended decisions present because she has a stronger societal web of friends astatine Caledon than successful Arcadia Bay. I besides felt this increasing consciousness of organization erstwhile returning to college, which is apt why this crippled said to maine connected specified a heavy level.

That deeper relationship is besides why aspects of Double Exposure‘s ending near maine confused.

Without spoiling anything, Double Exposure expends excessively overmuch effort trying to laic nan groundwork for a sequel. It doesn’t wrap up its communicative successful a thematically and emotionally satisfying way, and location was a flimsy emotion of unfulfillment and interest astir what this game’s ending implies for nan early of nan series. It’s an overseas emotion erstwhile your comfortableness nutrient besides wants to time off you yearning for your adjacent meal.

The original Life is Strange was nan correct crippled astatine nan correct clip for me, and nan aforesaid is existent for Double Exposure. Max Caulfield’s travel resonates pinch maine deeply, and Deck Nine has demonstrated that it tin springiness that characteristic nan respect she deserves. I whitethorn not emotion each facet of its gameplay aliases ending, but I’m gladsome Max’s communicative continued. I can’t opportunity whether aliases not Double Exposure will consciousness for illustration it was made for you, too, but I tin affirm that nan Life is Strange bid tin still seizure that feeling.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure was tested connected Xbox Series X/S pinch a codification provided by nan publisher.