Ah,Life is Strange.We’ve been together for nearly a decade now and I can remember the very first time I sat down and enjoyed Max Caulfield’s first story as we got to see her make use of her new time powers. It was a bumpy road at times, but it was still an enjoyable, memorable journey. Since then, though, the series has struggled when it came to making entries that were as memorable as the first, though this writer would argue thatLife is Strange 2andTrue Colorswere good games as well. But now the next entry in the series,Life is Strange: Double Exposuresees the return of Max, as if Square Enix and Deck Nine really want to recapture their glory days. But do they end up succeeding?
Same as it Ever Was
Life is Strange: Double Exposurekicks off a decade after what went down in Arcadia Bay, with Max having moved on, now having accepted a gig as an arist-in-residence at the Caledon University in Vermont. So while at another prestigious university, Max befriends another female friend with a bit of a wild side, Safi, and history repeats itself one evening as Safi ends up getting shot and dying, though this time under much more mysterious circumstances. But now Max develops a new power, this time being able to hop between two alternate timelines at will – one where Safi died and one where she’s alive – and is determined to use this new skill to find out what happened, all while learning some of Caledon’s secrets…
When we last leftLife is Strange: Double Exposure,at the end of the second chapterin our preview,things were looking up. Sure, some of the plot elements felt awkward, but there appeared to be an emphasis on exploration and puzzles that hinted at something greater to come, and the mystery was about to hit some fascinating parts that seemed like they would be making great use of the dual timeline mechanics. Coincidentally, Square Enix also offered up these chapters early as pre-order bonus for certain versions of the game.
As it turns out, almost immediately after the second chapter, things start to head downhill fast. The emphasis on exploration? Things are noticeably more linear now. The emphasis on puzzles? Pretty much entirely gone. Remember the part mentioned last time about Max learning that she could swap items between timelines and the potential it had? This power never gets used again in gameplay and overall only gets used again onlyoncein a cutscene, where it then proceeds to never get mentioned again. And the mystery? This writer is still trying to comprehend how it all makes sense, even when it should seem straightforward.
Review: Life is Strange: True Colors
Life is Strange: True Colors is still a sweet, heartfelt journey to a quaint neck of the woods that’s worth taking.
The Ingredients For a Perfect Shot…
That being said, there are several positives in the experience. Max and all the new characters are all cool, have great personalities, and have good voice acting. Caledon University looks gorgeous as well, and is backed by the now-traditional indie soundtrack for the series. Some of the side conversations the other NPCs have are also amusing, if a bit distracting. And while the puzzles become more simplistic and don’t take full effect of it, the effect of Max heading between the two timelines looks incredible, as does her “pulse” power, not to mention thatLife is Strange: Double Exposuredoes go out of its way to make these two timelines feel and look distinct.
…Ruined By its Negatives
Unfortunately, to put it bluntly, the story inLife is Strange: Double Expsoureis a muddled mess that feels like it never made it past the first draft. The one thing that immediately stood out was several plot points that never get followed up on, and while some of them may feel relatively minor, there is a blatant example at one point near the middle that felt like it should have major repercussions and developments…and then just gets completely forgotten about and never mentioned again.
Speaking of things not paying off, the series' emphasis on difficult choices to make and their repercussions is almost non-existent here. The linearity from the gameplay bleeds into your choices as well, as the vast majority of choices Max makes – be they essential to the plot or optional – not only don’t have any real impact on the story, but it’s clear even from the start that they won’t, moreso than usual. No matter how much the game says “This action will have consequences,” I highly doubt that something like max picking a different novelty mug will alter anything. There just doesn’t seem to be any actual effort into crafting these story choices and making the player work for the best outcome. Heck, it even feels like one character has motivations that suddenly come out of nowhere just to vainly try and force a big, important choice.
Even your choice of Max’s past feels pointless.Double Exposuregives players the option of selecting which of Max’s endings the original game the player wants, those being “Sacrifice Chloe” or “Sacrifice Arcadia Bay.” But as many early players have already noticed, the game seems to blatantly favor “Sacrifice Chloe” as being canon, since certain bits seem to flow a lot better. In fact, one part with a detective questioning Max’s past and her connection between what happened then and now sounds more logical with that option, as their reasoning with “Sacrifice Arcadia Bay” in my playthrough went straight into troll logic.
Speaking of Arcadia Bay, I had previously called outLife is Strange: Double Exposurefor several of its plot elements feeling like they were merely copied from the original game. Thankfully, after the second chapter, the comparisons started to die down…and then came screaming back, as the game decided to basically double down on the callbacks and recycled story bits. It honestly seems hypocritical that one of the big messages in the game is how Max finally needs to let go of the past, even though the game itself refuses to do so as well, wallowing in it quite a bit to the point where it somewhat reaches “broken aesop” status. In fact, if anything, by the end, certain developments almost felt insulting to the first game’s story.
A Photo Finish, This is Not
Without spoiling, the majority of this happens in the final chapter, and it also becomes clear at this point that the developers clearly didn’t have enough material for five whole chapters. In fact,Double Exposureends up having the exact same problem I had withTrue Colorsand how its final chapter felt padded, and here it even ends up being padded in almost theexactsame way.
What I wanted an explanation for, as hinted at prior, was for the game to finally just explain what the heck went on with Safi’s death. And again, I can’t go into spoilers, but by the end of the second chapter, you may think you have an idea as to what’s going on, as I did. The game throws a curveball afterwards, which is actually something you look forward to in a murder mystery. But thenDouble Exposurestarts to overdo it with its curveballs until it starts to seem like its forgetting the rules established by this game and the original, leading to what felt like an unsatisfying conclusion that no one could have fairly guessed.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure Features Polaroid and Dr. Martens In-Game
Now famed photographer Max Caufield is using a Polaroid camera in Life is Strange: Double Exposure.
I leftLife is Strange: Double Exposurewith more questions than answers and ends on a sequel hook. And that just makes me wonder how much of this was just an attempt to try and set up stuff for future games, because if so, it was done in a sloppy manner.
I love Max. I love the setting of Caledon University. I love characters like Gwen and Reggie, I love being able to help them out, I love the dual timeline idea when it comes to gameplay, and I even love some of the ideas that the story brings to the table. But all of it deserves a better, more expertly-told story (it says a lot that the optional Polaroid collectibles have peeks into more interesting tales), and in a game that has more to its actual gameplay as well. Or at the very least, maybe check in on Sean or Alex again, and find subtler ways to expand this universe…
Closing Comments:
Whatever promiseLife is Strange: Double Exposurehas, be it in its beautiful setting, fun and likable characters, or its intriguing setup, ends up being undermined by a scattershot narrative that never comes together. And unfortunately, with a lack of any substantial gameplay or meaningful choices, that leaves this as just a so-so adventure game at best, and what is arguably the lowest-ranking game in the series. HopefullyLife is Strangecan rebound back, but for now, it’s not a pretty picture.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure
Version Reviewed: Xbox Series X
Life is Strange: Double Exposure sees the return of Max Caulfield, the first game’s protagonist, now attending Caledon University. When her friend Safi ends up murdered, though, Max ends up discovering that her powers now open alternate timelines at will, and now has to use this power to solve the mystery at hand…and maybe prevent a murder.
