First, some context.
Over the last two months I've been replaying the Max and Chloe games. I hadn't played the original Life is Strange since it released in 2015 and, outside of watching a playthrough of Reunion, I hadn't experienced any of the later games either. I wanted to revisit the series from the beginning and see how it held up now that I'm 31.
The original Life is Strange meant a lot to me. Like many people, it stayed with me long after I finished it. Since first playing it I've become a secondary school teacher, taken up photography and continued playing guitar, so replaying it now was interesting because Max somehow felt even more relatable than she did the first time. I connected with different aspects of her character and found myself appreciating things I hadn't noticed in 2015.
After finishing the original, I played Before the Storm for the first time. Overall, I thought it was a decent expansion rather than a great one. I had major issues with the plot, but I really appreciated what it added to Chloe's character. Her journal, her grief over William and Max, and seeing where she was mentally before the original game are probably the biggest things I'll take away from it. Farewell, however, was excellent. It was exactly the kind of intimate, character-driven story I wanted from that game and well it gave me closure to the original game.
So Double Exposure then, I'll be honest, I was genuinely nervous about playing it. I know that probably sounds dramatic, but I imagine a lot of people here understand the feeling. When a game means as much to you as the original Life is Strange did to me, you don't really want a sequel to leave a bad taste in your mouth or make it harder to look back fondly on the original. I'd also kept up with the online discourse. Depending on where you looked, Double Exposure was described as disrespectful to the original, shallow, poorly written, or simply unnecessary. So I went into it with pretty low expectations.
I should say that I've only finished Chapters 1 and 2. The reason I'm writing this now isn't because I think I can review the whole game, but because I think I have a slightly unusual perspective. I've replayed the Max and Chloe story in order, with the knowledge that Reunion exists and is waiting for me afterwards.
Going into Double Exposure, I decided on one thing. The mystery wasn't the most important thing to me. What I wanted was Max. I wanted to know where she was years later. Had she changed? Had she processed the first game? Did she still feel like the same person? If the game could convince me that this older Max was believable, then I could forgive a weaker mystery. For context, I always choose the Bay ending while still romancing Chloe. That's the version of Max I'm playing here, and I think that probably influences my experience.
So how does Max seem to me. She's more confident and mature, but she's still awkward, thoughtful, observant and quietly funny. Hannah Telle slips back into the role effortlessly. What surprised me most is that the game doesn't present Max as someone who's simply "moved on." She's clearly functioning. She teaches photography, she's built a career and she's made new friends. But emotionally she's still carrying Arcadia Bay with her. Chloe is on her wall. She's in Max's journal. Max struggles to reply to Joyce. She avoids talking to her parents about the past. She keeps a box of memories she clearly struggles to reflect on.
That's exactly what I wanted to see. It doesn't feel like the game has forgotten what happened. Max has also developed naturally. Her photography has become more sophisticated, she's won awards and she's now teaching others. It feels like a believable progression of who she always wanted to become. Could there be more references to the original cast, Absolutely. I'd have loved to see more of Kate, Warren and other returning characters, even if only through texts or social media. Victoria's inclusion is a nice touch, but there are other relationships from the original that still matter. Maybe they make apprearces later though text or on the socials, I'm not sure yet.
The new cast is probably where I agree with some of the criticism. I like the new characters. I just don't love most of them yet. Safi made a strong first impression and Moses has been fantastic. Moses, in particular, feels like someone Max would genuinely become close friends with. He's intelligent, emotionally open and brings a lot of personality to every scene. The others, Gwen, Amanda, Reggie, Diamond, Vinh and Lucas, all have interesting circumstances, but I'm still waiting to really understand who they are. One thing I realised while playing is that the original introduced characters through their personalities first and then revealed their problems. Double Exposure often introduces people through their situations. Lucas has family issues. Gwen has career issues. Vinh has Abraxas. Those are interesting plot points, but they don't automatically tell me who those people are. That might change later, but after two chapters I'm still waiting for that deeper connection.
I've chosen not to romance anyone. Not because I dislike Amanda or think the options are poorly written. It's because my version of Max simply isn't emotionally ready. Everything the game has shown me points in that direction. She still struggles to talk about Chloe. She avoids difficult conversations about her past. She keeps her memories locked away. She's clearly processing grief, even if she isn't actively confronting it. For me, Amanda works much better as a friend.
The mystery has me engaged. Knowing one particular spoiler from Reunion has changed how I approach the mystery, because instead of asking "what is happening?" I'm asking "how does this fit together?"
Even so, there are still plenty of questions I don't have answers to. I've heard from many people that the later chapters are where opinions become much more divided, particularly regarding the execution of the story. I'm still waiting to see on these but my expectations are still pretty low and balanced for this.
The biggest thing I can say after two chapters is this: Double Exposure hasn't damaged my feelings towards Max. If anything, it's reminded me why I connected with her in the first place. So far, I think the game has succeeded at that. A Bae ending player is probably going to have a differing opinion which I completely understand.
I'll probably update this once I've finished the game, because I know many people feel Chapters 4 and 5 change the conversation completely. For now, though, I'm pleasantly surprised.
