I wasn't expecting to say this about Life is Strange: Before the Storm, but Life Is Strange is one of my favourite games, and normally sequels/prequels to my favourite games are disappointingto saythe least, with some exceptions, but this really manages to capture everything great about the original, while keeping things fresh with some interesting changes.
Life is Strange is the story of Max, who returns to Arcadia Bay after a long absence and reconnects with her old best friend Chloe, who the story mostly revolves around. Before the Storm is the story of Chloe, during that same long absence, who connects with Rachel Amber, a mysterious girl at her high school who the story mostly revolves around. It sounds a little bit recycled, but it's a fresh character and a different story, and the writing is as funny and charming as I found it the first time around.
The biggest difference is that Max could rewind time in short periods, and Chloe can not. While you could never predict all of the consequences in the original, you would get an idea of them, and could rewind if you really messed up in a situation. Not so here; you can't go back this time around, which forces players to think more quickly and more carefully.
There are other nice little differences; Warren in the original game is a cute but dorky teenager with hints that he might be more of a jerk than he lets on, and sure enough, these hints amount to nothing and he is legitimately a friendly and supportive, if slightly awkward, guy whereas in this game, there's Eliot, who is also cute and dorky and has a crush on the protagonist, but, just like Warren, actually, I lied, unlike Warren, he's a possessive asshat who seems to be in love with an idealised version of Chloe and gets annoyed with her for spending so much time with Rachel.
On top of that, the game's willingness to poke fun at itself is admirable. The graphics settings go up to 'Hella High', and there are some great Call Forwards, like Frank's RV having a cupboard full of tins of beans, and Pompidou as a cute puppy. And while the stakes are lower, the choices are just as difficult; I found the final choice much tougher in this game, and at the time of writing - 11 days after it came out - the split is 49/51%. So for following up one of my favourite games of all-time with a spin-off that didn't just satisfy me, but impressed me on its own merits, I have to say it's my favourite game to come out this year.
Granted, the only other game I've played that came out this year was Pac-Man Championship Edition 2.
And it might primarily be for this one Adorkable line from when Chloe and Rachel's friendship is starting to blossom, and you have the option to try to make small talk about the weather.
My Favourite Game of 2017
I wasn't expecting to say this about Life is Strange: Before the Storm, but Life Is Strange is one of my favourite games, and normally sequels/prequels to my favourite games are disappointing to say the least, with some exceptions, but this really manages to capture everything great about the original, while keeping things fresh with some interesting changes.
Life is Strange is the story of Max, who returns to Arcadia Bay after a long absence and reconnects with her old best friend Chloe, who the story mostly revolves around. Before the Storm is the story of Chloe, during that same long absence, who connects with Rachel Amber, a mysterious girl at her high school who the story mostly revolves around. It sounds a little bit recycled, but it's a fresh character and a different story, and the writing is as funny and charming as I found it the first time around.
The biggest difference is that Max could rewind time in short periods, and Chloe can not. While you could never predict all of the consequences in the original, you would get an idea of them, and could rewind if you really messed up in a situation. Not so here; you can't go back this time around, which forces players to think more quickly and more carefully.
There are other nice little differences; Warren in the original game is a cute but dorky teenager with hints that he might be more of a jerk than he lets on, and sure enough, these hints amount to nothing and he is legitimately a friendly and supportive, if slightly awkward, guy whereas in this game, there's Eliot, who is also cute and dorky and has a crush on the protagonist, but, just like Warren, actually, I lied, unlike Warren, he's a possessive asshat who seems to be in love with an idealised version of Chloe and gets annoyed with her for spending so much time with Rachel.
On top of that, the game's willingness to poke fun at itself is admirable. The graphics settings go up to 'Hella High', and there are some great Call Forwards, like Frank's RV having a cupboard full of tins of beans, and Pompidou as a cute puppy. And while the stakes are lower, the choices are just as difficult; I found the final choice much tougher in this game, and at the time of writing - 11 days after it came out - the split is 49/51%. So for following up one of my favourite games of all-time with a spin-off that didn't just satisfy me, but impressed me on its own merits, I have to say it's my favourite game to come out this year.
Granted, the only other game I've played that came out this year was Pac-Man Championship Edition 2.
And it might primarily be for this one Adorkable line from when Chloe and Rachel's friendship is starting to blossom, and you have the option to try to make small talk about the weather.