a90skid.com
  • Shop
  • Reviews
  • Shop
  • Reviews
0
A 90s Kid
  • Shop
  • Reviews
Life is Strange 2 Wilderness
  • Review

Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 Review – A Grim Tale of Brothers

  • October 4, 2018
  • Matthew Owen

Life is Strange 2 kicks off the second season of the supernatural, narrative driven adventure series. It has no overtly direct ties the characters and events of the original Life is Strange, although it is firmly set within the universe. Long gone are the days of Max, Chloe, and time traveling super powers. Instead, we are treated to a coming of age story about two brothers who are thrust into a world of uncertainty. The original Life is Strange was a cult hit, and one of the only episodic games to truly take off in the industry. Life is Strange 2 has a lot of expectations around it, and while it maintains a similar tone as the first, it struggles to draw you in.

Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 Review

Life is STrange 2 Title
The Brothers’ Grim Story

Life is Strange 2 focuses on the relationship of two brothers, Sean and Daniel Diaz. Living in Seattle, Washington, Sean deals with the standard gripes of high school while living with his nine year old brother and father. With Sean wrapping up his senior year and his family fairing well, he wonders about his future. Unfortunately, a tragedy strikes early on, causing Sean and Daniel to flee from their home.

Life is Strange 2 Roads

The central themes in Life is Strange 2 are important and topical, and deal with some heavy issues. Things like racism, politics, and xenophobia are brought up often. Coming from a Mexican heritage, both boys are often subject to harsh interactions from less than savory folks. Their story is all about loss, and how a brotherly bond can triumph against the worst of odds. However, these more intimate themes are pushed aside in favor of controversial sequences.

Life is Strange 2 Living RoomThere are some emotional and interesting scenes in this episode, but the most climactic ones often deal with dramatic fluff to exacerbate the brother’s situation. The foundation of the story is rocky enough; we barely get enough time to care for any characters or get settled before the story takes a predictable turn. In fact, a good majority of Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 is very predictable. This is both a sign of how unlikable and depressing our political climate has become, and how it can be commentator on to a negative effect. I appreciated a lot of the bonding between the Diaz brothers, but I couldn’t help realizing that most other characters were outright unlikable.

Losing the Spark

Generally speaking, the cast of Life is Strange 2 is not as solid as the first. Sean is a decent protagonist, but suffers due to mediocre voice acting, oddly written dialogue, and a lack of focus. The first game made protagonist Max the center of the story, while peppering in an engaging and through provoking mystery. Although Max could be insufferable in her own ways, she was still endearing and kind. Sean is a decent lead, but lacks the personality needed to be compelling. Before the game completely shifts focus, he often complains about his circumstance, takes things for granted, and acts like a grouch. The story is pretty top heavy with teen angst, and you aren’t given enough time to see the better qualities of Sean before the story kicks off. He’s not a bad character, but besides being a good brother and a good son, he’s not very interesting.

Life is Strange 2 Roadside

Life is Strange 2 also omits one really important thing that made the first Life is Strange so engaging; supernatural power. In the original game, Max was able to reverse time. This played largely into the story, but also had some key impacts on gameplay. There were various puzzles tied into this mechanic, which kept gameplay fresh. Life is Strange 2 does have some supernatural stuff, but it’s not implemented into the gameplay at all. Instead, it’s pushed into the background of the story, teasing us for later revelations. I didn’t expect Life is Strange 2 to have time traveling mechanics, but I at least though there would be a similar mechanic that would shake up gameplay. Instead, gameplay in Life is Strange 2 is mostly a third person walking simulator. You’ll talk to a few characters and interact with items, making some small and larger decisions along the way. This is still better than other games in the genre, but it’s a step down when compared to its predecessor.

The Bottom Line on Life is Strange 2: Episode 1

Life is Strange 2 doesn’t start off great, but there’s definitely still a chance that it can get there. The debut episode doesn’t give you enough time to care about the characters before it throws a few twists at you, and by the time you get comfortable, it overtly tries to make you uncomfortable. The game’s focus on modern social issues are commendable, but they feel predictable and ultimately disappointing. On one hand, it shines a light on some serious problems in our society (mostly in the United States). On the other hand, it does so at the expense of a compelling plot or interesting characters.

Life is Strange 2 Wilderness

Like the first Life is Strange, the visuals are still very pretty. There’s a comfortable and warm feeling to everything, made even better by the autumn color palette. The music is also nice, but it’s not as catchy or inspiring as the stuff in Life is Strange: Before the Storm. There are some fun moments in this episode, as well as some touching moments and good character development. Unfortunately, it’s buried under predictable storytelling that doesn’t really say much. A lack of unique gameplay features makes things a bit more slow, which affects the overall pacing of the episode. If you’re a big fan of the Life is Strange franchise, this might have enough to keep you interested. However, you might be better off waiting to see how the rest of the season pans out.

Rating: 6/10

Total
1
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • adventure
  • Dontnod
  • life is strange 2
  • review
  • Square Enix
Matthew Owen

I'm a life long gamer and an overall media junkie. In addition to writing great articles like this, I host a gaming/comedy podcast called "Super Gamecast 64" available on iTunes and Stitcher. I also watch an unhealthy amount of movies, and try to spread as much love into the world as I can. Hope you enjoyed the content!

You May Also Like
Creepy Fortune Teller from The Quarry
View Post
  • 5 min
  • PlayStation
  • Review
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Series X

The Quarry Review – Summer of Blood

  • Matthew Owen
  • June 22, 2022
Approaching Castle Stormveil
View Post
  • 7 min
  • Opinion
  • PC
  • PlayStation 5
  • Review
  • Xbox Series X

Elden Ring Review – The Best Souls Game Yet?

  • Matthew Owen
  • March 19, 2022
Dying Light 2 Protagonist
View Post
  • 6 min
  • Opinion
  • PC
  • PlayStation 4
  • PlayStation 5
  • Review
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X

Dying Light 2 Stay Human Review – The Infected Return

  • Matthew Owen
  • February 25, 2022
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem
View Post
  • 4 min
  • Review

Serious Sam 4: Siberian Mayhem Review

  • Lachlan Cosgrove
  • January 26, 2022
Halo Infinite Zeta Halo
View Post
  • 7 min
  • PC
  • Review
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X

Halo Infinite Review – Back in the Ring

  • Matthew Owen
  • December 30, 2021
Grand Theft Auto Box Art Girls
View Post
  • 7 min
  • Nintendo
  • Opinion
  • PC
  • PlayStation
  • Review
  • Xbox

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition Review

  • Matthew Owen
  • December 12, 2021
Racing a Plane in Forza Horizon 5
View Post
  • 8 min
  • Opinion
  • PC
  • Review
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X

Forza Horizon 5 Review – Celebrate the Race

  • Matthew Owen
  • December 7, 2021
House of Ashes Buried Sumerian Temple
View Post
  • 6 min
  • PC
  • PlayStation 4
  • PlayStation 5
  • Review
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Review

  • Matthew Owen
  • November 6, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

A90KID.COM

VIDEO GAMES COMMUNITY & ENTERTAINMENT

A 90s Kid is an active website and media channel, dedicated to providing you information and entertainment related to the video games industry

Navigation
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund and Returns Policy
Recent Articles
  • Horror, Halo, and More at SGDQ 2022 (Day 3 Recap) June 29, 2022
  • Retro Game Speedruns Spice Up SGDQ 2022 (Day 2 Recap) June 28, 2022
  • SGDQ 2022 Starts With $130,000 Success (Day 1 Recap) June 27, 2022
  • The Quarry Review – Summer of Blood June 22, 2022
  • The SGDQ 2022 Schedule – What Speedruns to Watch June 20, 2022
A 90s Kid
© 2022

Input your search keywords and press Enter.