Still don't get the title...
Story:
Previously on Lis, Max went to college (NOT university) and met her friend Chloe, who might or might not be a Schrödinger's cat after 5 years of ignoring her.
I don't think chapter 2 was about much in particular, but chapter 3 is where things get interesting. However, one cannot ignore the red herring in the room, namely how much of a loathsome Christian straight-edged CUNT Kate Marsh (more like Kate Darsh, am I right?) is. That despicable worm of a character single-handedly overshadows and ruins the middle part of the game (and the whining about her death doesn't stop til the end in fact). Face the facts, writers of this game: SHE IS NOT MAX' FRIEND!!! MAX GOT NO REASON WHATSOEVER TO CARE ABOUT HER. All she ever did for her was lend her a book! If there is anything else, we don't see it in the game AND neither is it ever stated anywhere. As for the negative side: Kate whines ALL THE TIME. "Max, do that for me! Max, answer my text! Max, do this. Max, do that." FUCK OFF KATE!!!!!
And as I hoped we can (indirectly) drive her into suicide. However, that triumph is all but ruined by the yammering and whining that follows. Everyone was Kate's friend all along, or so they say. Like, I don't give a shit! This should not have been part of the story whatsoever. The story is SOLELY about Max and Chloe's relationship. But more on that later.
So natural disasters happen (quite effective in building up atmosphere), Max and Chloe get closer again, Chloe's stepfather is annoying, Max' photography teacher turns out to be evil (another thing that should definitely not have been in the story as it cheapens everything with its mundaneness), some shit with timelines (the highlight being the trip to the universe with Alternative Chloe in it, which is definitely kinda touching but cheaply executed. Facing a LIFETIME of being a head is infinitely more scary than being already almost dead due to respiratory failure. Death would've been a blessing to her, so what is the big deal with speeding it up a lil? That's not a meaningful choice there. Would've been a hugely meaningful choice without the last-minute tacked-on "Oh I'm already almost dead" BULLSHIT.), and in the end a tornado destroys Arcadia Bay (really not surprising an end but nevertheless effective). Or you can choose the bad ending and let Chloe be shot by Nathan, but since the entire game (!) is about rescuing Chloe dropping her like a hot potato at the very end is completely retarded. Who the fuck would do that?! But apparently, 52% of players chose the Sacrifice Chloe ending - LOL
So what did and didn't I like about this game?
Con
-) Kate Marsh ALL OF MY HATE
-) some other characters are also extremely stupid and/or confused/confusing (Victoria, Nathan, Frank (what the fuck is that character about?!?!? what is his purpose in the game?!)
-) all the bullshit and whining about Rachel Amber and then we get told in chapter 4 - "Oh, she's been dead all along, sorry about that." - FUCK YOU, WRITERS. Rachel should've appeared out of nowhere and turned the game on its head! Her appearance would've totally changed the dynamics of the Max-Chloe relationship! And to add insult to injury, she has been killed by fucking Nathan, the useless secondary villain character that adds nothing to the story. Major bullshit moment there.
-) Another huge stinker: this game is completely sexless! When I saw the penis of Michelangelo's David censored (!) in chapter 2, I knew we wouldn't get to see tits or anything more than a kiss in this fucking game! I have no clue what they were thinking. Fucking Americans and their hateful prudance.
-) We only get to see Max kiss Chloe in the bad ending. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU! I almost wouldn't have watched it at all before uninstalling after being done with the achievements, and that is their ONLY kiss in the entire game (the one in Chloe's room doesn't count, their lips barely even touch).
-) The writers let Nathan to use loaded right-wing insults (feminazi, libtard). And both of those don't apply to Max at all! This game is completely politics-free (unless you go up a meta level and question concepts like integration. And even the token blacks in Lis are barely even there and don't play a role in the story), so those terms were only shoehorned in in order to appeal to left-wingers, which is fucking disgusting. Apparently they go full retard in Lis 2 with major bitching about Trump - well I can't see myself playing that one anyway since, well, it doesn't have Max or Chloe in it, so how the fuck is it a Life is strange game then!
-) Ending is too inconclusive. This could have been prevented easily by: letting Max snap a picture of the tornado destroying the town (and therefore letting her win the contest and jumpstart her career as a photographer), and by letting us see the corpses of Chloe's mother, Warren and Frank at the destroyed Two Whales diner in the penultimate shot of the game. What we get is Max and Chloe driving off into the sunset and that is really not fucking much! Fanfic writers to the rescue! In fact, I can imagine entire fan games that refine the entire storyline by cutting out all the unnecessary bullshit and instead deconstructing the mechanics and tropes of the game (this is what chapter 5 and maybe even everything after seeing Alternative Chloe for the first time should have been about! Imagine if the remainder of the story would've taken place in that alternative universe! Now THAT would've been groundbreaking!) And the elephant in the room: does Max keep her rewind power?! WTF were they thinking not answering any of those gaping holes (Kate Marsh spreads for Jesus) when there is no sequel!
-) There is an attempt at deconstruction that also serves to make the "Kill Chloe" choice palatable to the players at all - but since all we see is repeats of the key moments in conversations with Chloe it is an utter waste of time. Writers were missing imagination there and clearly have never seen Evangelion.
-) In many cases, your choices don't matter much, don't matter at all or you aren't even given a choice in the first place! This is especially painfully obvious in the Kate Marsh situation.
-) No exploration. The scope of the entire game is waaaayyy too small. I wanted to be able to move around town freely and explore many different locations and talk to all kinds of people! This would've infinitely superior to the entire "rewind" gimmick - hey I already knew of that concept, but under the name QUICKLOAD! Oh my Satan. Yeah yeah I know full voice acting is expensive, but this is a triple A title and I'm sure episode 1 alone already made the money the entire thing cost back. This game could've been sooo much more than a (mostly linear) visual novel. What a shame.
-) Max is waaay too convinced the tornado is her fault. The very first scene of the game takes place at the lighthouse, during the tornado. And that is BEFORE Max gains her powers. Do the math.
-) Unskippable dialogue in 2015!?!
-) That puzzle with the doorways in chapter 5. Had to look up the solution and still have no clue what that shit is about. Once you even turn into Victoria? WTF
-) This game certainly doesn't reward you for sticking to your choices, and
often you are even forced to rewind to be able to complete it at all.
Pro
-) Max. Maxine is great! I love her, I'd love to be her! Can't believe American guys could create such a likeable character in 2015! She is never obnoxious (unless she is being a do-gooder, which mostly happens in the Marsh situation), she actually cares about people; obviously very charismatic as for the people who actually care about her (or want something from her) she is always the centre of attention. Teacher's pet too. Most importantly she never ever mentions feminism, social justice warrior-ing or any other political bullshit. It's unfortunate she uses make-up at all, but one can easily pretend she just didn't get any sleep (seriously that make-up just makes her look very tired or sad all the time. Plus it's unrealistic it's even on her after showering, swimming etc.) She never wears anything but pants other than in the bad ending, where the choice of a dress can be forgiven. There's some similarity with Shiina from Narutaru but Max isn't *that* charismatic so she still gets shit from bullies like Nathan and Victoria, but other than that I really don't know any similar characters! To sum things up, she is a girl every normal person would like to be friends with, or more. Quite good-looking too, as I said in the chapter 1 review.
-) Chloe. The desire to see Max and Chloe end up together as lesbians kept me going ever since chapter 2 and made a lot of the bullshit elements mentioned above a lot more palatable to me. Chloe really isn't perfect, she's rough around the edges, whimsical to the max (PUN), doesn't really have any purpose in life, gets involved with stupid and banal people like Frank and she really (as the game suggests in chapter 5) takes advantage of Max (and her supernatural ability) all the fucking time (to the point of inevitably being killed unless Max rescues her). Plus that stupid dyed hair. (Is she actually a vegan? I swear I saw her eat the same thing as Max at the diner in like chapter 2, which is ham and eggs or something.) But Chloe is also the perfect counterpoint to Max! When Max is careful, cautious and introverted, Chloe is a guns-blazing risk taker who's always fun to be around with. The flashbacks we get to childhood Max 'n' Chloe are really touching. They are such great friends. I tried my damned best to save Chloe's father to make her happy. And they always played pirates, not princesses. What's not to love about those characters...
What we get to see in the true ending (as opposed to the things mentioned above that are painfully missing) is directed perfectly: Max and Chloe holding hands while watching the destruction of their home and certain death of all their friends and Chloe's mother and stepfather. Chloe accepting the terrible choice Max had to make and how highly her friend values her: "I'll always be with you. - Forever." Chloe touching Max' shoulder in the car while driving past the carnage. All of that was hitting very close to home. Great stuff there. I would trade my life with either of theirs in a second.
Warren deserves a honorary mention. Though he isn't any special in any regard, I wouldn't have minded Max ending up with him. They certainly have a lot in common. But in their final conversation in the diner during the storm, you can very tangibly see he's miles and miles away from hooking up with her. If the writers intended that scene to display that, kudos to them. He's just a nerd, and she is quite literally a supernatural being. But Warren deserved that hug, I liked him.
Graphics and sound:
Very good, high production values. Only the music is lacking and sometimes really really bad.
Setting:
Nice, believable world full of life. Shame the boundaries are so small. Big corporations causing the decline of the small-scale fishing industry is a nice backdrop. I loved talking to all the townsfolk, which also means the writers did something right. Quite a high degree of realism, other than the supernatual stuff of course. With each day you come closer to apocalypse, the perfect storm, the end of the world (Max Payne 1 also used that element very effectively) - really a very well built scenario.
Summary:
So while riddled with many flaws this obviously is a standout title and proves even Americans of the 2010s can still create great stories once in a while (sadly, the other 99.99% are disgusting propaganda nowadays, which is why I stopped watching new Hollywood movies altogether some years ago). There's a prequel I will get when it's on sale (not paying 16 Euros when I can also get it for 4). Lis 2, as I said above, doesn't look like something I'd touch but maybe I play through episode 1 when they make it free of charge (after all, this is also how I was sold on this game).
Btw, I didn't replay the game from the start or at least parts of it to make different choices to hear new dialogue pieces. I'm quite content with the choices I made. Only in a few select places I rewound to hear alternative bits.
3/5
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