Life is Strange Turns Six

On the heels of the success of several Telltale Games’ narrative titles, Square Enix tasked Remember Me developer DONTNOD to craft a game in the same style. What ensued was a franchise that shocked, captivated, and perplexed many gamers in the second half of the 2010s.

The entirety of the game released in five chapters across 2015. As such, each episode was priced at $5 and provided a few hours of entertainment. Your choices mattered more than in any other game, from conversational cues down to watering a plant too much. The “This choice will have consequences,” message meant the weight of your actions were monumental in ways you didn’t quite understand yet, including an intense moment in Chapter 2. It has been six years since we initially delved into the first episode of Life is Strange, “Chrysalis.” Let’s reflect on the first episode that was the start of it all.

Placed in the shoes of Max Caulfield, you’re a newbie at a prestigious photography school in Arcadia Bay, a fictional town in Oregon. You are faced with a traumatic event after seeing visions of an apocalypse and realize you truly have the ability to rewind time at will. You’ll then meet up with your childhood best friend, Chloe Price, who isn’t happy to know you came back to town without letting her know. The Chloe character perfectly encapsulates teenage angst and was abrasive to some players, but I think it’s a succinct example of what it is to be a moody teen, flaws and all.

Further episodes showed that your actions truly influenced the course of the game. As a result, you really had to consider what was best for you and the good of everyone around you. Players would come to adore and loathe certain characters, as there was plenty of deception and redemption across all five episodes. The game got a stellar sequel in 2019, a strong spinoff in Before the Storm, and DONTNOD is doing great things with Twin Mirror and Tell Me Why. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Life is Strange, though!