History YMMV / LifeIsStrange2

** Before the first episode was released, there were complaints that Sean seemed like a typical straight male protagonist. Episode 3 reveals that Sean is bisexual, making him a very atypical male protagonist. [[labelnote:*]]male bisexuality has, for lack of a better way to describe it, been known for being one of the most underrepresented sexual orientations in recent media to the point of invisibility. Add in the fact that he is a person of color and you can argue that he's more atypical than Max.[[/labelnote]]

* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Just like Max and Chloe, Sean is shipped with a bunch of supporting characters in the game, in-game romance potential or not. This includes [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Lyla]], Cassidy, Finn, [[BirdsOfAFeather Jacob]], and even [[IncestYayShipping Daniel]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Being a road trip adventure, ''Life Is Strange 2'' has no central mystery, no cast of constantly recurring characters, and no central location. It also lacks a female protagonist and the central relationship between the two leads is a sibling one, not a romantic one. The player's partner is also significantly younger. All of these factors were different from the first game, and many of them were well beloved in the first game, leading to this complaint from a decent chunk of the fandom.

* BrokenBase: Just like with ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', there are those players who'll only accept [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game]] as proper ''Life is Strange'' canon. Then there are those who like ''Before the Storm'' but dislike ''2'' due to the fact that it departs from Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe; as well as those who dislike the change to a RoadTripPlot formula rather than a single fleshed-out setting with recurring supporting characters; the fact that the playable character doesn't have powers of his own and/or is male; or the fact that the game's central relationship is familial rather than romantic — all of which were controversial choices, as some players felt they departed too far from what they liked about the series.[[note]](Of course, on the other hand there are equally those who got along fine with ''2'' ''because'' it told a completely different story, but dislike ''Before the Storm'' because they feel it was unnecessary to delve further into the backstory for the Arcadia Bay arc when ultimately Rachel's fate was a ForegoneConclusion, or simply because [[ShipToShipCombat some Max/Chloe shippers disliked the confirmation of Chloe and Rachel's relationship as also being romantic in nature]].)[[/note]]

** Some fans feel like this about Daniel's, while the game tries to make you feel sympathetic about his situation, his negative attitude in episode 3 and refusal to leave Lisbeth in Episode 4, gained him some detractors.

* ContestedSequel: The dramatic shift in tone and play style compared to the first game put off quite a few fans, while others appreciate the fact that the TotallyRadical dialogue is toned down and enjoy the relationship between Sean and Daniel. There also a matter of how it tackling hot button issues, as some people see it as a case of Some Anvils Need to be Dropped while others find it more {{Anvilicious}}.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: While the execution is blunt, the protagonists and their social environment lead naturally to the game's handling of American hot topics like racism against Mexicans, and with the RunForTheBorder plot it would be impossible ''not'' to talk about how current politics would influence that without the game coming off as tone-deaf.

** One of the biggest criticism of the first game was that the two endings didn't feel like your choices matter whereas [[spoiler:everyone dies or Max goes back in time to make her last five days entirely pointless.]] Episode 5 shows multiple different endings that are drastically different depending on your morality and your relationship with Daniel and even variations of some endings depending on if you tried to make contact with Lyla in Episode 1 and 2 or who you romanced in Episode 3. It also addresses the criticism of the first game with one ending being favored over the other. Here, with the exception of the [[DownerEnding Lone Wolf ending]], all of the endings have their good points and bad, making none of them favored over the others.
** Two occur in Episode 5 if you chose the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending. [[spoiler:First, it reveals that there are other survivors of the storm besides Max and Chloe, making the ending seem less like a KillEmAll ending (though not by much, since the only other confirmed survivors are David and Victoria, making it a total of four people). Second, for fans who felt the ending didn't have enough closure for Max and Chloe, there's a cameo that shows a little of what their life is like and confirms that they're still together.]]

* BrokenBase: Just like with ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', there are those players who'll only accept [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game]] as proper ''Life is Strange'' canon. Then there are those who like ''Before the Storm'' but dislike ''2'' due to the fact that it departs from Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe; as well as those who dislike the change to a RoadTripPlot formula rather than a single fleshed-out setting with recurring supporting characters; the fact that the playable character doesn't have powers of his own and/or is male; or the fact that the game's central relationship is familial rather than romantic — all of which were controversial choices, as some players felt they departed too far from what they liked about the series.[[note]](Of course, on the other hand there are equally those who got along fine with ''2'' ''because'' it told a completely different story, but dislike ''Before the Storm'' because they feel it was unnecessary to delve further into the backstory for the Arcadia Bay arc, or simply because [[ShipToShipCombat some Max/Chloe shippers disliked the confirmation of Chloe and Rachel's relationship as also being romantic in nature]].)[[/note]]

* BrokenBase: Just like with ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', there are those players who'll only accept [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game]] as proper ''Life is Strange'' canon. Then there are those who like ''Before the Storm'' but dislike ''2'' due to the fact that it departs from Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe; as well as those who dislike the change to a RoadTripPlot formula rather than a single fleshed-out setting with recurring supporting characters; the fact that the playable character doesn't have powers of his own; the fact that the player character is male; or the fact that the game's central relationship is familial rather than romantic — all of which were controversial choices, as some players felt they departed too far from what they liked about the series.[[note]](Of course, on the other hand there are equally those who got along fine with ''2'' ''because'' it told a completely different story, but dislike ''Before the Storm'' because they feel it was unnecessary to delve further into the backstory for the Arcadia Bay arc, or simply because [[ShipToShipCombat some Max/Chloe shippers disliked the confirmation of Chloe and Rachel's relationship as also being romantic in nature]].)[[/note]]

* BrokenBase: Just like with ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', there are those players who'll only accept [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game]] as proper ''Life is Strange'' canon. Then there are those who like ''Before the Storm'' but dislike ''2'' due to the fact that it departs from Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe; as well as those who dislike the change to a RoadTripPlot formula rather than a single fleshed-out setting with recurring supporting characters; the fact that the playable character doesn't have powers of his own; the fact that the player character is male; or the fact that the game's central relationship is familial rather than romantic — all of which were controversial choices, as some players felt they departed too far from what they liked about the series.[[Note]](Of course, on the other hand there are equally those who got along fine with ''2'' ''because'' it told a completely different story, but dislike ''Before the Storm'' because they feel it was unnecessary to delve further into the backstory for the Arcadia Bay arc, or simply because [[ShipToShipCombat some Max/Chloe shippers disliked the confirmation of Chloe and Rachel's relationship as also being romantic in nature]].)[[/Note]]

* BrokenBase: Just like with ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', there are those players who'll only accept [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game]] as proper ''Life is Strange'' canon. Then there are those who like ''Before the Storm'' but dislike ''2'' due to the fact that it departs from Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe; as well as those who dislike the change to a RoadTripPlot formula rather than a single fleshed-out setting with recurring supporting characters; the fact that the playable character doesn't have powers of his own; the fact that the player character is male; or the fact that the game's central relationship is familial rather than romantic — all of which were controversial choices, as some players felt they departed too far from what they liked about the series.[[Note]](Of course, on the other hand there are equally those who got along fine with ''2'' ''because'' it told a completely different story, but dislike ''Before the Storm'' because they feel it was unnecessary to delve further into the backstory for the Arcadia Bay arc, or simply because [[ShipToShipCombat some Max/Chloe shippers disliked the confirmation of Chloe and Rachel's relationship as also being romantic in nature]].)[[/note]]

* BrokenBase: Just like with ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', there are those players who'll only accept [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game]] as proper ''Life is Strange'' canon. Then there are those who like ''Before the Storm'' but dislike ''2'' due to the fact that it departs from Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe; as well as those who dislike the change to a RoadTripPlot formula rather than a single fleshed-out setting with recurring supporting characters; the fact that the playable character doesn't have powers of his own; the fact that the player character is male; or the fact that the game's central relationship is familial rather than romantic — all of which were controversial choices, as some players felt they departed too far from what they liked about the series. (Of course, on the other hand there are equally those who got along fine with ''2'' ''because'' it told a completely different story, but dislike ''Before the Storm'' because they feel it was unnecessary to delve further into the backstory for the Arcadia Bay arc, or simply because [[ShipToShipCombat some Max/Chloe shippers disliked the confirmation of Chloe and Rachel's relationship as also being romantic in nature]].)

* BrokenBase: Just like with ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', there are those players who'll only accept [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game]] as proper ''Life is Strange'' canon. Then there are those who like ''Before the Storm'' but dislike ''2'' due to the fact that it departs from Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe; as well as those who dislike the change to a RoadTripPlot formula rather than a single fleshed-out setting with recurring supporting characters; the fact that the playable character doesn't have powers of his own; the fact that the player character is male; or the fact that the game's central relationship is familial rather than romantic — all of which were controversial choices, as some players felt they departed too far from what they liked about the series. (Of course, on the other hand there are equally those who got along fine with ''2'' ''because'' it told a completely different story, but dislike ''Before the Storm'' because they feel it was unnecessary to delve further into the backstory for the Arcadia Bay arc, or simply because [[ShipToShipCombat some Max/Chloe shippers disliked the confirmation of Chloe and Rachel's relationship as also a romantic one]].)

* BrokenBase: Just like with ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', there are those players who'll only accept [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game]] as proper ''Life is Strange'' canon. Then there are those who like ''Before the Storm'' but dislike ''2'' due to the fact that it departs from Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe; as well as those who dislike the change to a RoadTripPlot formula rather than a single fleshed-out setting, the fact that the playable character doesn't have powers of his own, the fact that the player character is male, or the fact that the game's central relationship is familial rather than romantic — all of which were controversial choices, as some players felt they departed too far from what they liked about the series. (Of course, on the other hand there are equally those who got along fine with ''2'' ''because'' it told a completely different story, but dislike ''Before the Storm'' because they feel it was unnecessary to delve further into the backstory for the Arcadia Bay arc, or simply because [[ShipToShipCombat some Max/Chloe shippers disliked the confirmation of Chloe and Rachel's relationship as also a romantic one]].)

* StrawmanHasAPoint: A stall owner criticizes Cassidy and Finn, whom he sees as hoodlums, for not putting a leash on their dog in public. As a response, he is mocked for his views, and the player is also given the opportunity to allow Daniel to prank him for daring to confront them over their dog. While [[KickTheDog calling the two "parasites" when they refused]] was unnecessary, some saw the stall owner as being reasonable with his claims, considering that he's right to be worried about a stray dog potentially causing trouble in the stalls while he's trying to sell his merchandise to the public, and especially when earlier on in the story, [[spoiler:Mushroom died]], because [[RealityEnsues the dog was allowed to roam outside unsupervised and was quickly killed by a mountain lion]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj2c5og_UV0 Assuming the teaser trailer is canon]], then there's a recording of Daniel's superpowers, but no one seriously comments on it. Anytime the news mentions the dead cop there's no discussion of how a small boy could send a grown man flying. It could have added a layer to the hiding from the law storyline, if Daniel was known to the public as the kid with superpowers. Inspecting Stephen’s computer in Episode 2 shows that people on the internet noticed how weird the murder of Matthews was, coming up with a plethora of conspiracy theories, so it’s evident that Dontnod acknowledged [[RealityEnsues the type of reaction the tragedy would’ve garnered in real life]] but sadly didn’t use this as frequently as they probably should’ve.

* AngstWhatAngst:[[spoiler: According to David in the Save Chloe ending, Max and Chloe were able to move past the destruction of Arcadia Bay, which also resulted in the death of the latter's mother, in a relatively short amount of time. The one time you hear from them is them having a cheerful conversation about their travel plans with David.]] However, it's worth noting that [[spoiler:people familiar with how hair dye works have pointed out that Chloe's new hairstyle — long with acid green tips — is likely actually just her iconic blue inverted bob faded and grown out over the intervening three or four years. This is suggestive of a sudden lack of interest in maintaining her personal appearance that could be indicative of depression — especially coupled with her decision to black out her tattoo sleeve, which WordOfGod confirms she did out of guilt and in remembrance of the victims of the Arcadia Bay disaster. So Chloe, at least, might not have been doing so well after all; and it's possible that David's interpretation of how quickly she moved on might be due to his own biased perspective (not to mention that Chloe might be putting on a brave front around him to spare his feelings).]]

* AngstWhatAngst:[[spoiler: According to David in the Save Chloe ending, Max and Chloe were able to move past the destruction of Arcadia Bay, which also resulted in the death of the latter's mother, in a relatively short amount of time. The one time you hear from them is them having a cheerful conversation about their travel plans with David.]]

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: A lot of fans don't really accept Karen's explanation as to why she abandoned her family shortly after Daniel was born. While many are okay with her realizing that she's not fit as a mother and giving custody of the children to Estaban, the fact that she was never involved in her sons' lives since she left to the point where Daniel doesn't even recognize her when they first meet, makes her seem as somewhat of a deadbeat and how the game tries to sympathize her has caused fans to point out the DoubleStandard of the issue.

** While Cassidy is a popular character overall, some players were put off somewhat by how badly she reacts if Sean refuses to sleep with her immediately after kissing her at the lake. (It's not hard to see why since it does present a bit of a DoubleStandard, as a male character pressuring his female love interest to have sex mere minutes after their first kiss would probably not be treated as an overall sympathetic figure.) It's also pretty jarring considering how easygoing and understanding Cass is shown to be the rest of the time.

** Due to their strain relationship, Sean often refers to his mother by her first name, which happens to be Karen. By 2020, this has become slang for a middle aged, middle class, white woman who is confrontational about trivial matters[[note]]summed up by the phrase "I'd like to speak to the manager!"[[/note]]. This gives it a completely different interpretation. What makes it even funnier is that the writers seem to have been well aware of the connotations of naming the racist redneck who bullies Sean in Episode 4 "Chad."

* CrossoverShip: A platonic example. Sean is pretty frequently paired with [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead Clementine]], envisioning the two as best friends or even BackToBackBadasses. It makes sense, considering how close this game and ''[[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonFour The Walking Dead: The Final Season]]'' released their episodes, both being the caretakers of children, and the two being UsefulNotes/{{Bisexual}} people of color protagonists in AdventureGames.

** Due to their strain relationship, Sean often refers to his mother by her first name, which happens to be Karen. By 2020, this has become slang for a middle aged, middle class, white woman who is confrontational about trivial matters[[note]]summed up by the phrase "I'd like to speak to the manager!"[[/note]]. This gives it a completely different interpretation.

* SophomoreSlump: While ''Life Is Strange'' and ''Life Is Strange 2'' had about the same critical reception, what little official sales and play data can be found point to ''2'' being far less commercially successful, and while it has a dedicated fanbase, it's not nearly as beloved as the first game was. The much longer wait time between episodes didn't help, either. More than a few fans outwardly celebrated the news that Deck Nine was handling [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeTrueColors the next installment]], having become disillusioned with the direction DONTNOD took for ''2''.

** Granted that Daniel is a ''child'', and his frequently stupid behavior throughout the series is close to a JustifiedTrope, but there's still the moment in Episode 3 when he accompanies Sean to get his pay from Merrill at the pot farm.

** Lyla is popular in the fandom for being a young Asian woman, for being best friends with Sean without any romantic undertones, and for her playful yet caring attitude to both Sean and Daniel. When she didn't make any sort of appearance after the first episode, besides a few mentions of her in a flashback, many fans were disappointed. [[https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/24/why-life-is-strange-2-writers-ratcheted-up-the-drama-in-episode-3/ An interview with the lead writer]] reveals that Lyla wasn't supposed to show up at all after Episode 1, but made a re-appearance due to how popular she had become with fans. [[spoiler: If certain steps are followed, Lyla will show up in one of the endings when Sean gets out of prison.]]

** Lyla is popular in the fandom for being a young Asian woman, for being best friends with Sean without any romantic undertones, and for her playful yet caring attitude to both Sean and Daniel. When she didn't make any sort of appearance in Episode 3, besides a few mentions of her in a flashback, many fans were disappointed. [[https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/24/why-life-is-strange-2-writers-ratcheted-up-the-drama-in-episode-3/ An interview with the lead writer]] reveals that Lyla wasn't supposed to show up at all after Episode 1, but made a re-appearance due to how popular she had become with fans.