life is strange 2 is a game that i was always unsure i would even like and that i made a weirdo effort to avoid, i didn't care for the new direction it went, it felt weird and unfamiliar in a way that felt off-putting, as the years have went on this felt super silly of me, especially in an time where the series has more or less entirely started to fall back on the familiar and callback'y, to the detriment of it like with the case of the very recent and very divisive double exposure, a game i will one day play and make my own mind up on anyway, but when that is what the series has became, it made this game, which tried its best to take on a more anthology structure for the series with radically different characters, structure, tones and themes that it felt super exciting and refreshing jumping into it because it did feel like something wholly different, even during the times where it did call back to the original game, and to boot it's an amazing game on its own right.
the main thing the game focuses on is its story and in that way it kills it, it doesn't always land but when it hits it *hits* and has remained not only still relevant to how the world is now, but may honestly be more relevant than ever, as the harsher world of its game has only grown more harsh and hostile over time. it focuses around two brothers who, after one accidentally kills a cop and a racist during an unfair incident using his powers, have to go on a road trip to get to Mexico and evade the police on the way, it goes some dark places right away, like with the inciting incident and a later altercation with a racist gas station owner, it feels so real and it hurts every time to watch, seeing the setup at the start being much closer in tone to the first game, setting up characters and dynamics and events and dropping them all in an instant after the incident tears it all away, it really hurts and it's so well done. the places it goes are also much more interesting than if it was just a repeat of the first game, the road trip structure is so cool and varied and the game handles the issues it brings up (mainly bigotry in a post trump America and how the law can rip families apart and the injustices therein, plus a heavy focus on family ties and forgiveness) really well, it can be a heartbreaking game at times, you won't be leaving this without crying at least once. the story can get silly at times, like the cult stuff in episode 4 but i do think that even in these moments that it works really well, this episode is the games peak, with the end point of the stuff with the mother beginning and the cult in general being really interesting, the final scene here was *the* best moment in the whole game , though i think the romance stuff in episode 3, which can vary depending on if you pick Cassidy or finn (i picked finn, obviously) also being a serious highlight, sean and finn are the cutest couple, i swear, toxic yaoi :)
the characters are great too, more come and go compared to the first games recurring cast, you'll meet characters and they'll usually stay contained to the episode with a few exceptions like some of the humboldt crew and the mother, but it's a really interesting group of characters, showing the best and worst of humanity on their journey. sean and Daniel are the standouts here though, both are incredibly well developed and interesting and their bond feels so real, both of the voice actors kill it here, the side cast standouts would be the romance options and karen, both romance options with finn and Cassidy are really interesting and i love what they bring to the story and karen gives the game so much emotional weight during her chapters, her scenes are where the game hits the hardest i feel, i do also like the church leader in chapter 4 a lot as well, makes for a really interesting villain, even if i think she might be a little too silly for the games tone sometimes. it's for sure a game that wears how it feels on its sleeve though and i respect that, like the reddity blogger that does feel a liiiiitle like a mouthpiece for the writer (i do still like him though!) or with the cast at the commune in chapter 5, it has a very specific worldview, from what i know of Seattle the game is *very* Seattle to the point that it can feel a little annoying about it sometimes, like with how much the game talks about weed, but it feels so earnest and quaint about it that it's hard to get all that bothered by it, it's ultimately very harmless and I'm sure it speaks well to that audience, it's the audience the game is going for anyway, i don't think it's cringe like the net likes to label it so (though cringe is a dead concept that was really only ever used to excuse bullying, lets be honest here), LIS 1 is for tumblr kids and this game is for reddit or maybe more accurately twitter kids is how i think about it, and probably the main reason why 1 resonates with me so much more.
the game is a little lopsided at times though, while episode 1 is super well done and exciting and has a lot going on even with its setup, episode 2 is the opposite, it's kind of a slog, while the start in the cabin has some beautiful snow areas and some interesting beats, it's also really slow and the rest of the episode is a *very* slow chunk of time set mostly in a small house with some brief interludes in a garden and a market, it's mostly just set up, of the humboldt crew and the stuff with the mom, which granted, are two of the best bits of the game and setting them up is important, but it's more or less the only real purpose of this episode, there is Chris but most of his story is told in captain spirit, which is an issue itself because if you play captain spirit and jump right into this, you'll be *really* sick of this chunk of game, but i do promise it picks up after this, episode 3 is excellent and chapter 4 is the games peak in every way, even chapter 5 is great, though maybe a little too short and the way it dictates morals rubs me the wrong way. the games moral compass is strange, it treats murder, stealing from a racist man who imprisoned and beat you so you can *house your child brother* and dumping some snow on a grumpy guy as seemingly equal immoral actions, it seems hyperfixated on being really weirdly centrist that it feels wholly out of tone with the rest of the game and the games entire message, it does hurt the games landing a lot i think and really takes the impact out of things. i am glad it keeps callbacks to a minimum though, it could have so easily gotten marred down by this like some of the sequels do but here it's very tactfully done, you pick the choice you chose and then you get a few small extra scenes, a view of the town, a cameo by david that lets you know how things went and a few very small references like the DLC badges, i like that and it helps set it apart as more than just a sequel i think.
the game is absurdly beautiful, it takes advantage of its road trip structure perfectly, better than almost any other game I've ever played. each chapter has very distinct and amazing looking areas to explore, snowy wilderness, desert roads, small town markets, a huge redwood forest and even things like a drug farm and a really cool chapter set in a cult compound, there's so much variety and each area is so detailed and fun to explore, they're even full of little shenmue'y items to pick up and examine that are always really well detailed and accompanied by some fun commentary. character design's do lack a little though, but i like how sean's design changes throughout the game and you can even change his look a little like with his hairstyle and giving him a tattoo at points, it's really neat, but the rest of the cast can vary, Finn and Cassidy look great but the rest of the cast can be a little bland, but it's the point, really, so it works out. the music is nice too, it's got a nice main theme and they really upped their budget on the licenced tracks, even has a gorrilaz song in there, though i do think the original games score is a lot more emotional and iconic, outside of that main theme none of the ones here stuck out as much to me, outside of the licenced bands that i did know going in.
the gameplay is very much more of the usual telltaley LIS1 style, walk around, examine things, talk to people and make choices, it still works well and the game does give you a few things to help change it up at least a little, like being able to use Daniel's powers to solve puzzles and sketching the environment at points, it's very small things but i think the former does add a lot to the game, the bigger change at least for the first chunk of the game is a currency system that was added which you can use to occasionally buy a collectable or some food, it doesn't last throughout the whole game and it's very limited, but i find it is used very well the few times it is relevant, in chapter 1 especially it's used to amazing effect in the chapters big set piece chapter, having to choose between making Daniel happy and keeping him safe, it really hurts having to choose what to spend money on that you need and what little niceties you think you can afford, the game even gives you incentive to make good choices with this, like how being honest with the dad at the start will have him giving you some money, i love that and i really wish it followed through the whole game, i don't think it even comes up after chapter 2. it's also very easy with the puzzles like you would expect, but this is a good thing to me, it's pretty long though with it running you about 11-13 hours, though there's enough variety in choices that you could easily get a second run in if you wanted to.
the game is available on a few modern platforms, i played on ps4 but you can also get it on all modern platforms, though for some reason the physical copy is only available on xbox and playstation, not switch which is a real shame and the copies that are there don't have every episode on disc, the final one is a download code, which, is just so disappointing, though you do get captain spirit on disc at least (the prequel game focusing on chris that i talked about in a previous page), but it is there and it's still easily buyable sealed for £12 or so which is nice. the game was never really followed up on, sadly, the series didn't really go in the anthology direction that dontnod wanted it to, with true colours kind of being standalone but it leaned a lot more heavily on vibes and a recurring character from the prequel to the first game and the one after this, double exposure, would just go all in on nostalgia and bring max back. i won't judge the quality of this game at all and i'm sure it's good, though i'm just not that interested in it, it's not for me. dontnod themselves would step away from the games in favour of deck9 taking over, which is a shame though i do think it's probably for the best for dontnod since they went on to make some super interesting games on their own, like vampyr, tell me why, banishers and jusant, both of which i've really been wanting to check out, i'd love to see them return to remember me also, a game they did beforehand on PS3 that was a very cool cyberpunk action game with really amazing melee combat. i liked the game a lot overall, it's more relevant than it's ever been and it's such a beautiful game to boot, it's just a shame it's been left so much in the shadow of the original game when really it's so much more than just a followup, it has its own things to say and do that make it more than worth playing even if you aren't a fan of the original and even if you haven't played it, it works perfect as a standalone game, please give it a shot, the original too if you haven't!.
