![]() This is evidenced best in the small moments, like when Sean is deflecting the reality of the situation with his imagination to calm his young brother, turning a worrying woodland exploration for food and shelter into a Lord of The Rings LARP session. It feels like the team has found their feet with Sean and Daniel, even at this early stage. The writing is absolutely stellar and the best in the history of Life is Strange. Filling up water bottles, finding public toilets and making hard choices about camping gear are all part and parcel of the narrative as you go on the lam. During quiet moments Sean can use his art skills to sit and draw the environment around him, a fun mini-game that actively creates a memory, showing DONTNOD’s affinity to tie play to the narrative.Ĭurrency also factors into the game this time around, and you can purchase (or steal) items that can help you survive in the American wilderness. Sean’s notebook is another key piece of paraphernalia. It holds everything that the brothers have left from their former life. Most importantly, the items in your backpack actually mean something. You can also hang souvenirs and attach patches to it, these acting as the optional collectables you can find during the events of the game. The menu and inventory system has been fleshed out in a meaningful way, and your backpack is filled with sentimental items from your home and will continue to bustle with objects as you progress through the story. If the brother’s journey is the heart of Life is Strange 2, the backpack is the physical representation of that. Crucially, you pick up your backpack before becoming accidental fugitives and fleeing the scene. The trauma unleashes some kind of supernatural element within Daniel which causes even more chaos, and you are left to pick up the pieces. This is helped by a wave of new camera techniques, from soaring birds-eye-view shots of the brothers to clever close-ups and wide angles that provide room for the player to reflect and ponder on what unfolds before them.Ī series of unfortunate events occur soon after the prologue which results in the accidental death of their racially provocative neighbour, which consequentially leads to their father becoming a victim of police brutality, shot dead in cold blood. This means that the game doesn’t just lock you out when you choose to interact with something, and there’s not much dead air when you’re exploring.Ĭonversations continue throughout physical actions, which makes the experience far more flowing and cinematic. Sean can now react to ambient conversations during gameplay, much like the system seen in Night School’s Oxenfree. The devil is truly in the details, and this is carried over to the dialogue. It’s a living environment, more so than any seen in the first game. Sean sings along wistfully to The Streets in his room, and Daniel opens his door slightly after slamming it shut to make sure his brother won’t see his Halloween costume. The series has had a serious graphical upgrade thanks to Unreal Engine 4, which means swathes of gorgeously textured storytelling objects, detailed journal doodles, and fluid, human animations that bring a new level of nuance to the narrative.Ī messy whiteboard indicates a chaotic chore schedule… Invoices and tools reveal that Esteban is a workaholic. The playful dynamic of the Diaz family is quickly understood as you explore Sean’s home, collecting supplies for a late-night party. The two brothers live with their father Esteban, a mechanic and the emotional rock of the family which the brothers revolve around. Sean is a relatable track star teenager who is trying to find his way in the world, experimenting with art, drugs, and girls and worrying about whether friendships will last as his education comes to a close. Starting out in Seattle, we say goodbye to Max Caulfield and Chloe Bishop, welcoming 16-year-old protagonist Sean Diaz and his younger, 9-year-old brother Daniel, your companion in this new journey. That juxtaposition is, at its core, what makes this opening chapter to Life is Strange 2 so very special. It’s a challenging, bittersweet cinematic adventure about growing up and facing the responsibilities that come along with that, framed through the story of two brothers who are far too young to be equipped to deal with their harrowing situation. ‘‘Roads’, the first episode in Life Is Strange 2, is about two main things naivety and sentimentality. This throwaway line is uttered by a picnicking mother that you come across during the events of Life Is Strange 2’s first episode, but I feel like it encapsulates a lot of what the game is attempting to convey. “Kids always want to be adults… if only they knew!”
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