There's a lot of anticipation for Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, being the direct sequel to the first Life Is Strange game from nine years ago. Many people, us included, strongly resonated with Max and Chloe's story back in 2015, and it became a classic in the medium.
The first game, by Don't Nod, saw Max gaining the ability to rewind time and using it to save her friend/girlfriend Chloe. The emotional journey culminated in Max being forced to make one final decision: sacrifice her hometown of Arcadia Bay, or sacrifice Chloe.
Deck Nine – who was behind 2021's Life Is Strange: True Colors, a game that we also loved – is the developer helming the sequel.
Double Exposure follows Max years after the events of the first game. Now at Caledon University, she finds her new best friend Safi shot dead on a cold winter night.
Related: Life Is Strange: Double Exposure deals
Grieving, Max ends up discovering a new power that allows her to travel between two different timelines: the current one where Safi is dead and a parallel reality where Safi is still alive.
What to Read Next
One of the strongest aspects of Double Exposure is how it keeps you guessing. Once the story gets going, it revels in subverting expectations.
The murder mystery itself isn't a regular one, as Max spends time in both timelines to try and solve the murder of – and maybe save – Safi. It doesn't unfold as you might expect, not just with some excellent 'WTF' twists but also in how you might start questioning how well you know Safi.
Though everyone mourns Safi in the 'Dead' timeline, the 'Living' timeline hints that she's not the most popular person.
There are secrets to be uncovered, but even this fairly novel approach to investigating the mystery is upended in the back half of the game, when the story takes another turn and is pulled in a different and fascinating direction.
While the story starts primarily focusing on the murder, it evolves into a closer look at Safi as a character as well as Max and Safi's friendship in an unexpected way.
Throughout, the two timelines are also used to flesh out the supporting characters (some of whom may be suspects), with Max interacting with two versions of them in different headspaces and situations.
The final chapter expects you to be invested in them by that point, so it's just as well that some of the new characters – like Safi's nerdy close friend Moses and university professor Gwen – are wonderful, even if perhaps one or two others feel a little underserved.
Related: Neva review
It's a narrative that succeeds in being engaging throughout, with rarely a dull moment. That said, it also doesn't quite reach the heights of the first game's story.
The sequel isn't as brave as the first game in regards to themes and subject matters, relying a little more on its supernatural elements, and that results in a final chapter that doesn't emotionally hit as hard as you might expect from the series.
It's really hard to elaborate on this point while keeping this review spoiler-free, but we will try.
We really enjoyed Safi and the friendship she has with Max, though with how her character develops late in the game, we wish we had more time to explore Safi's outlook and motivations before arriving at the final major decision of the game.
That said, the implications of the ending and how it might impact the series going forwards are interesting. We don't think we will have to wait another nine years to find out what happens next in Max's story.
The other thing that's worth mentioning is that while Double Exposure can be experienced as a standalone story, the game does heavily reference the events of the first Life Is Strange game. The traumatic experiences that Max previously went through give context to her state of mind and to some key scenes here.
Double Exposure may fall a little short when compared to some of the previous games in the series, but Max Caulfield's return is still a riveting (and wild) ride.
Max is as caring and likeable as ever. We loved spending time with her again – from her adorably awkward attempts at flirting at the start through to the dramatic if slightly uneven climax – and would more than welcome further stories with her.
Platform reviewed on: PC
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is launching on October 29, 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. A Nintendo Switch version is also planned.
The Sims 4 Parenthood (PC code)
The Sims 4 Dream Home Decorator (PC code)
The Sims 4 Spa Day (PC code)
The Sims 4 Realm of Magic (PC code)
The Sims 4 Vampires (PC code)
