Life is Strange gained a passionate fanbase following one of the most memorable stories in video games upon its release in 2015. Max and Chloe are synonymous with the medium’s most emotional, effective narratives since its inception. Since then, we’ve experienced relatively good entries in the spin-offs and prequels that repackage the experience of the original. Storywise, however, we know that capturing lightning in a bottle is hard enough once, let alone repeating that feat. Life is Strange: Double Exposure presents a new journey for Max that some fans might not be able to commit to from the start, and by the end, few may be willing to swallow.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure drops us in on Max as a graduate student. We’re sticking with no spoilers for this review, but it’s fair to say the events of the first game certainly still weigh on her in unique ways. Early dialogue choices even allow you to mirror her feelings about the first game’s events and what ending you chose. In many ways, this should allow for fans to pursue another Max adventure that feels natural to their sentiments and decisions in the first entry. That said, the writing around Max and Chloe’s journey for both options feels like either way you go, the life you find Max living might not feel totally natural to the memories we have of her from the original game.

Gameplay for Life is Strange: Double Exposure mimics the other titles. You’re talking to people, making choices, and seeing how they play out. The new feature that mixes things up is that early-game events create two alternate timelines. Max has the ability to travel between both and collect information and gain further insight into the game’s main conflict. Each timeline’s events and consequences differ greatly, allowing the player to use both universes to their advantage. This mechanic worked for me, and I think a lot of the creativity in the game’s writing comes from this willingness to allow Max to essentially traverse time in an even bigger and more impactful way.

In Double Exposure, the friends, classmates, professors, and townies of Lakeport, Vermont, and the school Max attends, Caledon University, are introduced really well. You feel familiar with them quickly, and by the second of the game’s five chapters, you have a feeling for them as if we’ve been in this environment longer than we truly have. I’d argue the game’s first two chapters, their use of intrigue, mystery, and deceit, as well as the main set-up to the central conflict would be a 9/10 experience if isolated to themselves. There’s a quaintness to the college town setting that really works for me, particularly in a game where you’re exploring a web of secrets.

The game’s animations and voice actors also meet its setup’s effectiveness and quality. The performances in Life is Strange: Double Exposure are wonderful. Hannah Telle as Max truly might be my favorite performance of 2024. Thanks to gorgeous animation, the entire cast can excel in their portrayals of these flawed, deeply conflicted characters. Deck Nine, which is getting its first shot at a Max Caufield story after taking over from Don’t Nod Entertainment and developing Life is Strange: True Colors, nails the presentation of Double Exposure from a visual and visceral perspective. The story direction, development of characters, and overall comprehension of the game’s uniqueness are less effective.

Because of the college campus and minimal surrounding locations’ confinedness, this feels like the smallest Life is Strange game to date. Coupled with the story and its supernatural elements feeling larger than ever, the game feels bloated by stakes that do not match the place in which it plays out. The story could have been incredibly impactful if it took place on a more human level. Instead, I found myself distracted by the story’s scope as it moved meaning away from the people I was getting to know. The developer’s decision to lean so heavily on the supernatural elements forces the story to narrow its diverting paths in a way that harms Double Exposure greatly.

Without spoilers, this last point is my most harsh criticism of the game. Decisions feel like they mean less in Life is Strange: Double Exposure because they do so for the sake of what Deck Nine is setting out to achieve. In many ways, my reaction after the credits was that this was meant to reboot what we understood Life is Strange to be moving forward. I think a lot of fans of the series, and in particular, the first game will feel like the team does not understand why so many feel strongly about the franchise and Max’s journey specifically. It’s so good to be with Max again, but it did leave me sad that this is the way in which we were further exploring her story.

I want to contextualize my own fandom of the series quickly before wrapping up, which I wouldn’t always do, but feel better explains my score. The story of Life is Strange is unmatched in most games for me, but I thought that the True Colors experience was where I wanted the franchise to go. Emotion and human connection played the leading role and great characters helped drive these two key themes to a satisfying ending. While the moments of magic aren’t completely missing from Double Exposure, I do think that an inability to hone in the game’s use of supernatural powers force it to be less human, arguably tainting the very element on which Life is Strange is built.

All in all, Double Exposure‘s expansion of the forces in the Life is Strange universe leaves player choice with a smaller part to play in favor of spectacle. This is a fine game, and certainly not one that will deserve the intense negativity some fans might send it and its development team. However, it’s far from the reason I feel a deep care for the franchise. While elements of Life is Strange: Double Exposure‘s use of human connection are there to keep it afloat, we’re on rocky waters that, should Deck Nine continue down this course, may strand most of the passionate fanbase who has been on board for nearly a decade. I think slight alterations in the future could ensure nobody is left behind, but we’ll see.

An Xbox Series X|S review copy of Life is Strange: Double Exposure was provided by Square Enix for the purposes of this review.

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Life is Strange: Double Exposure

$49.99

6.5

Score

6.5/10

Pros

• Max is back!
• Gorgeous visuals and wonderful setting
• Great performances from the cast

Cons

• Abandons key components that make LiS special
• Expands the game's universe out too greatly for its story to continue to play a central role
• Player choice is limited in its impact on the story due to stiffer plot elements
• Not the return to form diehard fans will be looking for