Life Is Strange

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About

Life is Strange is a series of episodic adventure games initially developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix.

History

Life is Strange was developed by French video game company Dontnod Entertainment following the release of their first game Remember Me in 2013. Released in the form of five episodes spread throughout 2015, the game centers around photography student Maxine "Max" Caulfield who, following the discovery of her ability to reverse time, investigates the disappearance of fellow student Rachel Amber with her childhood best friend Chloe Price. In 2017, a standalone prequel developed by Deck Nine titled Life is Strange: Before the Storm was released. Focused mainly on Chloe and set three years prior to the first game, it spanned three main episodes and a bonus fourth episode.

On June 25th, 2018, Dontnod released the game The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit as a free download. Following 8-year old Chris Eriksen as he creates the superhero identity Captain Spirit to cope with familial loss, it would serve as an introduction to the next mainline game in the series, Life is Strange 2. The sequel was also released in five episodes spanning throughout late 2018 and 2019, and follows two brothers, Sean and Daniel Diaz, as they travel across the US while on the run from police following a traumatic incident.

True Colors

On March 18th, 2021, Square Enix unveiled the next main game in the series, Life is Strange: True Colors. Developed by Deck Nine, it was released on September 10th, 2021 as a full game, in contrast to the episodic release format of the previous main installments, and follows Alex Chen as she investigates the circumstances of her brother's death using her own empathic superpowers. Alongside the reveal was the announcement of a remaster of the first game and Before the Storm, also developed by Deck Nine, which was released on February 1st, 2022.

Reception

The series has been received generally positively, with episodes' Metacritic scores in the range of 70-80. The series has been noted for its attempts at tackling serious subject matter such as suicide, LGBTQ+ relationships, and, in the case of the second game, racism and bigotry, all of which have been met with a mixture of opinions in terms of their execution.

The series has also been a nominee and recipient of several awards and accolades, such as the BAFTA Game Awards, the Golden Joystick awards, and the Game Awards.