LIFE IS STRANGE: Before The Storm Ep. 1 ‘AWAKE’ Review for PC

Life is Strange became a huge hit in 2015 and now Deck Nine has brought this beloved story back with this stunning prequel for PC. The story starts three years before the original game and Max Caulfield is nowhere to be seen. Instead, we follow the character Chloe Price in hopes of learning more backstory about her character and her relationship with Rachel Amber.

If you enjoy story and character based games you should definitely give this one a look.  I can’t even compliment the writers enough on their amazing story and character development which is very obvious when looking at both games side by side. Like the original game, we control the character in the third person. We are presented with decisions with varying degrees of impact. Small factors like the outfit you have Chloe have minimal impacts to the story line but things such as whether to run or attack effects the storyline a little more drastically. Objects in the area give you a chance to interact with them or just look. Looking at the objects in each scene allows you to uncover deeper levels of the story and uncover dialogue options.

The animation is beautifully done and the developer’s attention to detail is beyond impressive.The music in this game is one of my favorite parts. It is very fitting with the style and time period of the game. It is very reflective of the characters and their personal taste. Personally, this game is a little slow paced and a lot of the establishing shots seem drawn out and unnecessary to the game play. There are many scenes where you are given the option to let the scene continue as long as you wish or to press SPACE to leave. I feel like this mechanic should be applied to the opening scenes. Especially for people who are replaying the Episodes to uncover more decisions and story development.

Something that is discussed in depth by players of the original game is the cringy dialogue. I personally find it to be one of the more charming aspects of the game. I relate to the slightly awkward word choices of the teens and the cringy inner dialogue. Being socially awkward is just an aspect of being a teenager and it adds a realistic layer to the game. No one talks like people write and many writer’s struggles with realistic dialogue. Making the characters awkward in their own thoughts and in conversation was the right way to go in my opinion.

*SPOILERS OF LIFE IS STRANGE* If you haven’t played the first game and plan to – turn back now!

In the original game, Max uncovers her power to rewind time. This game doesn’t have that aspect, instead, Chloe has the ability to “Back Talk.” You enter an almost battle like format showing a bar with the number of hits Chloe has to make and how many her opponent has to make. You need to listen to your opponent’s hits in order to pick the comeback good enough to win the argument. Though many wouldn’t say this was much of a power. However, as you conclude the first episode there are hints to something more going on with Rachel Amber.

8/10

Related: LIFE IS STRANGE: Before The Storm Ep. 1 ‘AWAKE’ Now Out on Xbox One, PS4 & PC