As a frequent replayer of the video game “Life is Strange” (2015) and its sequels, I was thrilled by the announcement of the newest game, “Life is Strange: Double Exposure” (2024), late last year. Unlike both of the previous sequels, the new game was the first to continue the story of Max Caufield, the original protagonist. This was particularly exciting as the first game holds such a special place in my heart—each replay brings the nostalgia of sitting on the floor with my sister unaware of the impact the game would have on us.
For those unfamiliar with “Life is Strange,” the game follows Max, who enrolls in Blackwell Academy, a boarding school filled with preppy, obnoxious classmates. In the bathroom during her photography class, Max witnesses the murder of her childhood best friend, Chloe and discovers she can rewind time to save her. Unfortunately, she later also discovers that a major storm is coming to wipe out the town and she must simultaneously prevent this natural disaster and investigate the mysterious disappearance of a former classmate with Chloe. It was made in 2015 and it admittedly has some blatant ‘2015’ humor and behavior, but since my first playthrough in 2020, it has remained one of my favorite video games of all time.
In the new game, “Life is Strange: Double Exposure,” Max has returned and is tasked with solving the murder of her new best friend, Safi, but this time with the ability to see between two timelines—one where Safi is still alive and one in the aftermath of her death. I had the chance to play the game over winter break with my sister and below I will share my opinions on where the game succeeded and where it fell short.
The actual overarching plot was a great premise and held a similar level of suspense to the original game. However, one of the largest flaws was the lack of dedication to character development. In “Life is Strange,” the town of Arcadia Bay is filled with a wide variety of characters that are easy to grow fond of—it is this attribute that makes the final decision of the game, to save either the town or Chloe, such a difficult choice for most players. However, in “Double Exposure,” apart from a select few, the students and faculty of Caledon University where Max works are generally unlikeable and underdeveloped, including her closest friend, Safi. This flaw was the most influential to my gameplay experience as the characters were simply incomparable to the original game and its previous sequels.
Another letdown of the game was the lack of player agency it offered; in the first game, it felt as though every action and conversation directly contributed to the plot and relied heavily on the player’s critical thinking and morals. In the new game, the plot is fairly set in stone and most of the tasks that involve Max’s new extraordinary power are spoon-fed to the player through white dots that indicate an interactive object. So while the gameplay and objectives were intriguing and tied together well, I feel the game ultimately fell short in living up to its usual “choose your adventure” approach.
However, it would be unfair to only focus on the game’s faults as it did have several positive points. I thought the introduction of Max’s new power was a great decision as she still can manipulate space and time through a new method. Despite my complaints about specific interactions, I did appreciate the game’s storyline from a holistic perspective. Most notably I enjoyed the reveal of Safi’s powers and the open-ended conclusion in which Max can choose to help Safi harness her powers and meet others with similar abilities. While it feels somewhat unsatisfying to dedicate hours to a game, only to be given barely any resolution, it is clear that “Double Exposure” is intended to set up future games, which I can hardly complain about. While I have some hesitations about the direction Max Caufield’s storyline is heading, I am certainly excited for what the “Life is Strange” universe has in store for the future.
