Do you like this story?

[Deluziion90]

Currently I've reached chapter 4 and well.. I hate to say it, but really not worth the full price for me.

 

While I'm a real fan of all these story games with almost no gameplay I just can't get into this story. The earlier games got me hooked to the screen but with this game I keep getting distracted so easily by my phone or other stuff. I'm actually happy I've already reached ch4 so I can continue F.I.S.T. when this game is done.

 

The main character is kinda meh compared to the first game. Big spoiler:

Spoiler

Also I just couldn't care a bit that Gabe fell down the cliff lol. I actually had to google real quick if I was correct about his name.

 

I hope the ending is just a huge WOW moment but I can't see it happening at the moment.

If you're having second thoughts if it's worth the full price I would wait for a sale imo.

[snakebit10]

I am totally liking this story a 100X better than LIS2. It still isn't as good as the first game. I like all the characters and love that it is set in one location and not tracking across the country meeting random people that you have forgot about by the time you got to the next city. I think Alex is a great main character. The support staff is really strong. I also finished chapter 4 and hoping 5 is like yo say " a big wow moment."

[Tripple_Barnett]

I really enjoyed the story and really liked Alex as the main character. I really liked Steph and Gabe as well. 

[Deluziion90]

I just got the platinum and I take my words back. The last chapters really changed my mind and I rate it a 8/10

[WhoElseBut-Matty]

on chapter 5 at the moment and i have to say i think this takes over before the storm as my favourite game in the franchise in every aspect 

[snakebit10]

Just finished the platinum. Chapter 5 was fantastic. I love how it brought the whole story together. Alex is a very good lead character and I would like to see more of her in another game.

[Im-not-him-slim]

Got the platinum a bit ago...I'd recommend if you've enjoyed the past games....

 

As a overly hairy and overly tattooed guy, I really enjoyed it. My allergies even acted up a few times.

Edited September 11, 2021 by Wargazsem

[MrPhrips]

I LOVED Life is Strange 1, but absolutely hated Life is strange 2. I thought 2 was an absolute waste of time, the characters were garbage and there was zero lasting consequences. Also your powers had no effect on the story or choices. It's as if the powers were inconsequential in any way, where LiS1 your powers played a major role in everything.

 

I'm worried that True Colors may be the same as how awful 2 was. I'd love to give this a chance, but a 60 dollar entry compared to just buying episodes seems like they want to lock people in and if they finish the game or not it doesn't matter because they already have your money?

 

I think LiS1 was hands down one of the best story games for that gen but 2 was something I would make a child play for punishment for breaking a window or something.

 

How does everything hold up in this game? Do choices and actions matter? Do the powers matter? Are relationships long term and affect story, or do people show up and leave each episode like in 2 where nothing matters?

[Vivis_apprentice]

So is it worth its price? it's expensive in my country, twice the price of the original Life is Strange titles  when they came out and double the telltale games. Doesn't seem like a $100 game to me

[Datboy1991]

Only two chapters in. I thought Chapter 1 was fantastic. Chapter 2 was on the slower side, but not bad per se. 

[Datboy1991]

11 hours ago, MrPhrips said:

I LOVED Life is Strange 1, but absolutely hated Life is strange 2. I thought 2 was an absolute waste of time, the characters were garbage and there was zero lasting consequences. Also your powers had no effect on the story or choices. It's as if the powers were inconsequential in any way, where LiS1 your powers played a major role in everything.

 

I'm worried that True Colors may be the same as how awful 2 was. I'd love to give this a chance, but a 60 dollar entry compared to just buying episodes seems like they want to lock people in and if they finish the game or not it doesn't matter because they already have your money?

 

I think LiS1 was hands down one of the best story games for that gen but 2 was something I would make a child play for punishment for breaking a window or something.

 

How does everything hold up in this game? Do choices and actions matter? Do the powers matter? Are relationships long term and affect story, or do people show up and leave each episode like in 2 where nothing matters?

It avoids the problems of 2, as most of the events revolve around a smallish cast of 5-10 people you see throughout the story. Without doing several playthroughs, it's hard to get any insight for how much the choices matter. In my ps4 playthrough, I'm hoping to explore some of the alternative choices to see. 

 

The powers definitely matter, and mesh with the flow of the story very, very well. 

 

I loved the original. Thought 2 was an fiery trashcan that nobody should ever play. This game is worth playing. 

 

I think my only major complaint is that it takes longer than it should for the major conflicts of the story to take center stage. The middle of the story is decent, but very  very slow. The first and last chapters are both outstanding though. 

[JoaLoft]

I played all four games as of tonight. This summer, I tried getting through Life is Strange 2 finally, before True Colors would hit the shelves.

 

Didn't even get close to finishing it. I don't know what it is, but I barely feel any incentive to put in effort and finish that game. Which is a rare thing for me, because I'm into a wide variety of genres and franchises, and I try to finish as much as I can. I'll try to power through Life is Strange 2 sometime this year, finally. I hope. But honestly, the game will need to really dial everything up for me to grant it some staying power.

 

If I had to arrange them from best to worst, I'd put them as such:

 

LiS 1 > LiS: True Colors > LiS: Before The Storm > LiS 2

 

I concur with what people here are saying about the pacing: the narrative loses some steam in chapters 2 and 3 because it focuses more on character development and building relationships with all the characters, but chapters 1, 4 and 5 are simply great. Especially the way the plot suddenly ramps up in the last 2 chapters with plenty of twists and provides satisfying closure.

 

I'm down for another game with Alex Chen, she's one of the best and most likeable protagonists in the franchise.

[BeesTrophies]

I just finished this and it definitely is my favorite LiS game to date. Prior to this it was Before The Storm. 

I loved the setting of Haven, and this story was more grounded to me than previous titles. I feel like the powers flowed better into the story and it didn't turn into this wild off the rails thing at the end. 

My fav part by far was

Spoiler

the LARP. My DND loving self really enjoyed this.

I loved Alex's voice actor- not even from an acting perspective (which was good) I mean just the tone of the voice in general. The little nuances in delivery really made Alex feel like a person to me by far than any other character has in these previous games. 

I have two MINOR complaints that probably only bother me (heavy spoilers moving forward):

Spoiler

1. In the apartment playing foosball I established with Steph that my Alex liked girls. I even romanced her during the LARP. Then the festival came and the game still said "hey you can romance Ryan or Steph" which again I know is not a big deal for majority of people on this site but as a queer woman myself it made me feel a bit weird that the game was still trying to sway me one way or the other when I established my stance on the subject. 2. I don't think it was necessary to have Mr. Chen die in the mine at the end. It felt too "lets tie these things together" for me. Out of all the small towns they happen to land in the one where their dad was murdered? It wasn't needed to have an emotional ending in my opinion. PS-if i missed something hinting at this is why Gabe landed at Haven in the first place please let me know because again this did feel out of the blue for me.

 

I can't wait for the DLC and I hope if they do continue the LiS franchise they follow this route: more grounded story and all the episodes released at once. 

[Vault-TecPhantom]

I feel like Life is Strange 2 gets a lot of undeserved hate. Sure it's not as good as LIS1 or BTS or even TC but it's still a good time.

[DrBloodmoney]

10 hours ago, Beth Medusa said:

I have two MINOR complaints that probably only bother me (heavy spoilers moving forward):

  Hide contents

1. In the apartment playing foosball I established with Steph that my Alex liked girls. I even romanced her during the LARP. Then the festival came and the game still said "hey you can romance Ryan or Steph" which again I know is not a big deal for majority of people on this site but as a queer woman myself it made me feel a bit weird that the game was still trying to sway me one way or the other when I established my stance on the subject. 2. I don't think it was necessary to have Mr. Chen die in the mine at the end. It felt too "lets tie these things together" for me. Out of all the small towns they happen to land in the one where their dad was murdered? It wasn't needed to have an emotional ending in my opinion. PS-if i missed something hinting at this is why Gabe landed at Haven in the first place please let me know because again this did feel out of the blue for me.

 

 

I'm with you on this one - I loved the story, but at the moment of that reveal, I did think "Uh-Oh, well that's a bit of a deus ex machina" - but as it progressed to the end, I softened a little, as what they actually do with that reveal works pretty well, I thought.

 

On your question there is actually a small hint:

 

Spoiler

Gabe does make mention - and it is reference in some of the documents you can find in chapter 1 I think, that Gabe was basically following his dads trail, and that is what led him to Haven in the first place. The trail went cold (for obvious reasons!) and so presumably, during the amount of time he spent trying to pick it back up - and failing - he came to dwell in Haven longer, and ended up planting some roots there.

 

I agree, it can feel a little out of the blue, however, I think they were in a bit of a narrative "rock and a hard place" with it. If they dropped too many hints or references, then the savvy player would end up figuring it out, and being ahead of the characters, but without them, it can feel like too convenient a ribbon being tied...

 

There is probably a slightly more elegant way to write it, but I think, in the end, I personally prefer what they did -  to be surprised completely, and have it feel al little convoluted initially, than feeling like I knew what was coming from the beginning.

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by DrBloodmoney

[ArtMontef]

On 11.09.2021 at 8:58 PM, MrPhrips said:

I LOVED Life is Strange 1, but absolutely hated Life is strange 2. I thought 2 was an absolute waste of time, the characters were garbage and there was zero lasting consequences. Also your powers had no effect on the story or choices. It's as if the powers were inconsequential in any way, where LiS1 your powers played a major role in everything.

 

I'm worried that True Colors may be the same as how awful 2 was. I'd love to give this a chance, but a 60 dollar entry compared to just buying episodes seems like they want to lock people in and if they finish the game or not it doesn't matter because they already have your money?

 

I think LiS1 was hands down one of the best story games for that gen but 2 was something I would make a child play for punishment for breaking a window or something.

 

How does everything hold up in this game? Do choices and actions matter? Do the powers matter? Are relationships long term and affect story, or do people show up and leave each episode like in 2 where nothing matters?

I had EXACTLY the same experience. LiS 2 is on my list of the worst games ever, I'd rather gauge my eyes with dull spoon. I couldn't force myself to finish it. Just watched biggest cutscenes online to see if got better later. It didn't. 

 

I seriously loved True Colors. 9/10 for me. 

 

Also why did almost none of you romance Ryan, my man deserves better. 

[Bunkerbudy]

2 hours ago, Vault-TecPhantom said:

I feel like Life is Strange 2 gets a lot of undeserved hate. Sure it's not as good as LIS1 or BTS or even TC but it's still a good time.

Not sure if its undesrved if so many people disliked the main characters and the story. I did not like it as wel, the whole story and interaction between all characters was so unbelievable. It felt so forced and made no sense the whole game through, also a lot of story that was not interesting at all and felt like mayor filler for the main story that never delevered.

 

If I where to give it a score.. 6/10 tops. Where LIS and BTS would be 8 and 7,5. I don't hate 2, but on the other hand, I can't call it a good game eighter.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Bunkerbudy
Language

[BeesTrophies]

2 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

On your question there is actually a small hint:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Gabe does make mention - and it is reference in some of the documents you can find in chapter 1 I think, that Gabe was basically following his dads trail, and that is what led him to Haven in the first place. The trail went cold (for obvious reasons!) and so presumably, during the amount of time he spent trying to pick it back up - and failing - he came to dwell in Haven longer, and ended up planting some roots there.

 

I agree, it can feel a little out of the blue, however, I think they were in a bit of a narrative "rock and a hard place" with it. If they dropped too many hints or references, then the savvy player would end up figuring it out, and being ahead of the characters, but without them, it can feel like too convenient a ribbon being tied...

 

There is probably a slightly more elegant way to write it, but I think, in the end, I personally prefer what they did -  to be surprised completely, and have it feel al little convoluted initially, than feeling like I knew what was coming from the beginning.

 

Oh shoot I missed this somehow but this helps thank you! 

[arcanehornet_]

Honestly, after the massive disappointment that LiS2 was, I wasn’t keeping my hopes up.

 

But damn, this game is amazing. I loved the story, loved Alex, loved the powers as well.

Not as good as Life is Strange 1, but it’s damn close.

This is my current ranking:

LiS1
True Colors

Before the Storm

LiS2

Edited September 13, 2021 by arcanehornet_

[MrPhrips]

19 hours ago, Vault-TecPhantom said:

I feel like Life is Strange 2 gets a lot of undeserved hate. Sure it's not as good as LIS1 or BTS or even TC but it's still a good time.

 

I don't like saying "X is a bad game" because I know the team of people who spent untold hours working on it and creating a game and story and were excited to tell that and have people experience it. It's never enjoyable to be on the opposite side for whatever project you're on and told it's terrible. Service industry, retail, food service, art, car manufacuring, medical, whatever.

 

But LiS2 was a bad game. The brothers aren't enjoyable with each other and never really feel like they bond well enough until the game says they have to to wrap up the story. Don't get me started on the "Mother" who was really the main villain of the game but is forgiven and made to be a hero for abandoning her kids and family and has zero regrets doing it. The forgettable characters that don't last more than 20 minutes a chapter and are never heard or seen again so none of your choices matter unlike the first game where most choices from each chapter build to the next and up to the final chapter. 

 

The power the little brother had was irrelevant. He may have well just been throwing things with his hands. Where LiS1 reversing time impacted gameplay, story telling and consequences to actions or inaction and allowed you to find more options to increase dialogue choices and in a cooler way when the power was taken away made your choices that much more impactful because you couldn't rewind to get an outcome you wanted so it put more pressure on the player when talking down Kate Marsh to not jump to her death. Or when you wake up at the beginning of the final chapter in that "oh NO!" moment and can't use your powers well enough when you need them the most.

 

Heck even the Captain Spirit preview chapter before LiS2 would have made a more interesting character/power. A kid who thought he was a superhero or could fly could have turned into a story of does the kid really have powers or is it in his mind, or what is reality. Instead we got angry unlikable brothers with an unlikable mother with zero lasting side characters and a game of choices where choices have zero affect.

 

The only thing LiS2 did that was on par with LiS1 is that everyone from Portland is obsessed with being from Portland and that lifestyle. It seems like LiS3 has the same thing going on.

 

I would say if they want to capture the same kind of feel and gameplay LiS1 had a good power to use would be mind control/mind reading. It would allow you to interact with people and have different types of dialogue. As well as a very ethical dilemma system of making someone do something against their will in a situation that would benefit the player at their loss or vice versa. Or do you build a relationship naturally and take risks, or force someone to like you when they don't? Do you have someone admit to committing an act and get them in trouble to save your friend from being found out only to later on learn it destroys their life? And I think there could be a good story built around that and the consequences of those actions.

 

Anyway, LiS2 was bad. The characters, plot, theme of the game and message, powers, everything. Not good, and that's not even comparing it to the first one. If LiS2 came out first, we wouldn't have had LiS1 or True Colors or Before the storm or the upcoming TV show.

[PhantomFear94]

I loved True Colors, and I hope Deck Nine handle LiS from now on (from this article I believe this to be the case). 

 

I mainly loved that it didn't try too hard. It didn't try and come up with tons of set-pieces or brash political sentiments (these are in the game, but handled more tastefully IMO); it focused on a great core group of characters, a good premise and a beautiful location with a reasonable twist at the end, and it just used these things to tell its story. The more 'understated' style was a nice deviation to 2 (and 1, although 1 is a fantastic game) which seemed to intentionally create as much drama as possible at every turn. Other things is that the characters are a lot less cringey (there is a bit of cringe still, but it's night and day compared to 2), and episode length (1.5 - just over 2 hours) was perfect. The game looks a treat, really pretty game and stellar character modelling for a stylised game.

 

There are some criticisms. My two main criticisms are that I think the endings are a bit anti-climatic - nothing close to 1 in terms of gravity (although that's part and parcel of the above, I suppose) and that the empathy superpower could have been used more. If you were to skip over optional story arcs, it's really only used a few times throughout the whole game. I feel that 1 utilised its super power better than TC did.

 

The other (incredibly minor) thing is that I think Tell Me Why did better than LIS is that had the best episode release, once a week. I'd definitely prefer True Colors to a 2 situation, but I actually do like the 'checking in once a week to a new episode' thing, much like a loved TV show. There is something comforting to me about checking in once a week.

 

On 14/09/2021 at 7:15 AM, MrPhrips said:

But LiS2 was a bad game. The brothers aren't enjoyable with each other and never really feel like they bond well enough until the game says they have to to wrap up the story. Don't get me started on the "Mother" who was really the main villain of the game but is forgiven and made to be a hero for abandoning her kids and family and has zero regrets doing it. The forgettable characters that don't last more than 20 minutes a chapter and are never heard or seen again so none of your choices matter unlike the first game where most choices from each chapter build to the next and up to the final chapter. 

 

The power the little brother had was irrelevant. He may have well just been throwing things with his hands. Where LiS1 reversing time impacted gameplay, story telling and consequences to actions or inaction and allowed you to find more options to increase dialogue choices and in a cooler way when the power was taken away made your choices that much more impactful because you couldn't rewind to get an outcome you wanted so it put more pressure on the player when talking down Kate Marsh to not jump to her death. Or when you wake up at the beginning of the final chapter in that "oh NO!" moment and can't use your powers well enough when you need them the most.

 

No need for me to take up space with words when the above explains everything so well. LiS2 was a massive disappointment to an otherwise great franchise. 

Edited September 16, 2021 by PhantomFear94

[Vault-TecPhantom]

I feel like when people say Life is Strange 2 is "too political" they're just upset that it focused on racism which is a triggering topic for many. There was a lot of social and political commentary in LIS2 outside of that as has been with all of the games. I think the biggest mistake LIS2 makes is not having you play as the person with the powers which removed a lot of the more gamey aspects.

[ahmedelebiary]

On 9/16/2021 at 11:31 AM, Vault-TecPhantom said:

I feel like when people say Life is Strange 2 is "too political" they're just upset that it focused on racism which is a triggering topic for many. There was a lot of social and political commentary in LIS2 outside of that as has been with all of the games. I think the biggest mistake LIS2 makes is not having you play as the person with the powers which removed a lot of the more gamey aspects.

LiS 2 is my second favorite LiS after the Original

[Breakingthegreen]

On 16/09/2021 at 10:31 AM, Vault-TecPhantom said:

I feel like when people say Life is Strange 2 is "too political" they're just upset that it focused on racism which is a triggering topic for many. There was a lot of social and political commentary in LIS2 outside of that as has been with all of the games. I think the biggest mistake LIS2 makes is not having you play as the person with the powers which removed a lot of the more gamey aspects.

I think what made the original LiS so special was that the time travel mechanic, made the choices less about the "right or wrong" but the ability to make "mistakes" and undo them leads to the dilemma of "immediate or long-term" consequences which made it distinct from the Telltale Games... games... The other games lacked a mechanical difference that made the first game feel so special. Although it would be unfair of me to say that LiS 2 had a unique sneakier mechanic, a developer stated that Daniel's morality is not on a straight line but a grid, with personal morality on one axis and devotion to Sean on the other axis; how the devotion axis would affect the story would require more playthroughs on my part.

(I realised I used the " " a bit much tbh)

My ranking of the series + Twin mirror just 'cause

Life is Strange 1

Life is Strange 2 ~~ True Colours

Before the Storm

Twin Mirror

 

(haven't played Tell Me Why yet)

[lostforever77]

Yes, loved it

On 12.9.2021 at 8:54 AM, Datboy1991 said:

It avoids the problems of 2, as most of the events revolve around a smallish cast of 5-10 people you see throughout the story. Without doing several playthroughs, it's hard to get any insight for how much the choices matter. In my ps4 playthrough, I'm hoping to explore some of the alternative choices to see. 

 

The powers definitely matter, and mesh with the flow of the story very, very well. 

 

I loved the original. Thought 2 was an fiery trashcan that nobody should ever play. This game is worth playing. 

 

I think my only major complaint is that it takes longer than it should for the major conflicts of the story to take center stage. The middle of the story is decent, but very  very slow. The first and last chapters are both outstanding though. 

2 isn't that bad

10 hours ago, breakingthegreen said:

I think what made the original LiS so special was that the time travel mechanic, made the choices less about the "right or wrong" but the ability to make "mistakes" and undo them leads to the dilemma of "immediate or long-term" consequences which made it distinct from the Telltale Games... games... The other games lacked a mechanical difference that made the first game feel so special. Although it would be unfair of me to say that LiS 2 had a unique sneakier mechanic, a developer stated that Daniel's morality is not on a straight line but a grid, with personal morality on one axis and devotion to Sean on the other axis; how the devotion axis would affect the story would require more playthroughs on my part.

(I realised I used the " " a bit much tbh)

My ranking of the series + Twin mirror just 'cause

Life is Strange 1

Life is Strange 2 ~~ True Colours

Before the Storm

Twin Mirror

 

(haven't played Tell Me Why yet)

Didn't you notice the parallels between twin mirror and true colors?