[SPOILERS] Life is Strange | Finale Discussion

[skiptracing]

I just played and finished Episode 5: Polarized. And, damn, that was an emotional roller coaster. I loved it though.

I loved the nightmare part of the game. Felt a lot like Twin Peaks and I love Twin Peaks. For the final choice, I chose to save Chloe. I played the other ending and I didn't like it that much.

It's my favorite episode out of all 5 of them. I'm really upset that the game is over.

I really want a one episode DLC where you can see the aftermath of what choice you made. I don't see a point of Season 2 unless if the save Chloe ending is canon. Unless they replace the cast.

 

What did you think of the Episode 5 ending?

 

Would you like a Season 2/DLC? What would you want it to be about?

Edited October 23, 2015 by HolyFad

[mittoucp]

I haven't got around to playing it yet but I spoiled the ending for myself day 1. I feel like I'm the only one that didn't enjoy this game as much because I'm not really hyped to play the final episode, I'm not sure what it is about the game that makes me feel this way but it just feels a bit boring.

I'll be sure to update this if I change my mind when I finish the last episode but for now I don't think that they should go for a new Season, at least not now. A DLC though could be a good idea.

[Superstarmaste1r]

The final episode was quite good that the parts of it was really awesome. The puzzle for finding the doors was quite creepy and confusing on what to supposed to do. Thank goodness there are video walkthroughs in order to solve things because even this game has some easy things to find, but episode 2 where you have to find 5 bottles, episode 4 having to find the code numbers and the barn part was hard, and the final episode here that part was tricky without a guide. The choices though was kind of misleading by the word "sacrifice" I chooses sacrifice Acredia Bay and I thought Chole will be gone but it turned out she's alive by that ending and mostly the town is completely destroyed. I guess that is a okay ending but not I was looking for my decision. Also the part where Max has to go to the diner when it was raining hard, I don't even know what is going on that I didn't really knew that most of Max's friends are in danger that mostly they are dead except I save one friend. If the game could've tell me what is going on then I would've save all of them.

Other than that, I love the game despite some freezes in episode 4 and 5 for only one part. 9/10

Edited October 22, 2015 by Superstarmaste1r

[katniss1444]

I had the opposite reaction to the nightmare part. Although I understand why it was there and some parts of it were interesting to play through, I felt it went on for way too long. I also chose to save Chloe, mostly because I didn't have any emotional investment in any of the Arcadia bay residents enough to want to sacrifice Chloe for them. I liked this episode and was happy with my ending but I did think it was one of the weaker in the series. The whole thing with Jefferson just didn't really seem to have a point in the end. But yeah I would love some kind of wrap up dlc in the same vein was the walking dead 400 days. 

 

I'd like a season 2 but would prefer new characters and setting. I feel like the ending did a good job of wrapping things up while also leaving a bit to the imagination. And I can't imagine Max would ever use her powers again, at least for my ending, so I"m not sure how the game could still go forward with her. 

[Superstarmaste1r]

I had the opposite reaction to the nightmare part. Although I understand why it was there and some parts of it were interesting to play through, I felt it went on for way too long. I also chose to save Chloe, mostly because I didn't have any emotional investment in any of the Arcadia bay residents enough to want to sacrifice Chloe for them. I liked this episode and was happy with my ending but I did think it was one of the weaker in the series. The whole thing with Jefferson just didn't really seem to have a point in the end. But yeah I would love some kind of wrap up dlc in the same vein was the walking dead 400 days. 

 

I'd like a season 2 but would prefer new characters and setting. I feel like the ending did a good job of wrapping things up while also leaving a bit to the imagination. And I can't imagine Max would ever use her powers again, at least for my ending, so I"m not sure how the game could still go forward with her.

I agree that it feels the nightmare chapter went for too long that the last 5 optional photos is in that chapter and that's it. When the chapter begin I actually don't understand why it feels kind of screwy where time reversed, Max is in stealth mode, and her journal was a bit messy in that chapter. Kind of agree on what are you saying but as long as Jefferson got punished for anything he gas dine cruel to the girls, that is the conclusion of it and I feel that is the ending for him.

I prefer season 2 with different people and even the aftermath if my ending to the Bay or the other ending without Bay destroyed where it explains on how the protagainst got the rewind ability to begin with.

[skiptracing]

The final episode was quite good that the parts of it was really awesome. The puzzle for finding the doors was quite creepy and confusing on what to supposed to do. Thank goodness there are video walkthroughs in order to solve things because even this game has some easy things to find, but episode 2 where you have to find 5 bottles, episode 4 having to find the code numbers and the barn part was hard, and the final episode here that part was tricky without a guide. The choices though was kind of misleading by the word "sacrifice" I chooses sacrifice Acredia Bay and I thought Chole will be gone but it turned out she's alive by that ending and mostly the town is completely destroyed. I guess that is a okay ending but not I was looking for my decision. Also the part where Max has to go to the diner when it was raining hard, I don't even know what is going on that I didn't really knew that most of Max's friends are in danger that mostly they are dead except I save one friend. If the game could've tell me what is going on then I would've save all of them.

Other than that, I love the game despite some freezes in episode 4 and 5 for only one part. 9/10

 

Yeah, I cheated on the puzzles in the previous episodes but I didn't want to in this episode. I enjoyed the puzzles a lot. I found them easy though, the only one that I felt was hard was the beginning of the puzzle where people look around for you with flashlights. Took me a while to realize what I'm doing but I got the hang of it.

[snakebit10]

I liked the last episode but it wasn't my favorite of the series. I also chose to sacrifice Arcadia Bay and Save Chloe. You saved her so many times during the course of the game so I seen fit one more time. I really like Chloe and Max's character. They are truly opposite but yet so perfect to be friends (even though i think they are more than friends).

 

i wouldn't mind if there was a dlc for the choice you make at the end. If a season 2 is made with Max and Chloe maybe they could be in another town.

[Omar]

Where can I begin? I absolutely adored this whole series and the finale delivered for me, but only one of the two endings qualifies. But let me go through the whole thing and explain why Episode 5 ranks as the third best for me, overcome by Episodes 3 and 4.

 

.I don't fully dig Jefferson's personality 180º. He went from smooth hipster teacher to cray sociopath looking for "innocence". His motif is zero relatable and the transition from one personality to the next was too snappy to be believable. That been said, I was crept out by his new tone and the voice actor did a great job. Also, Dontnot were bold enough to maintain such an uncomfortable segment to watch for enough time for it to be powerful (not that I am surprised, they have been some brave folks episode after episode)

 

.The way Max jumped through pictures was wonderfully performed, with every jump having a solid reason or even being the only way out. I was genuinely worried when I lost count of how many times Max had jumped within a jump. 

 

.It was nice that they gave us some room to choose how we want to wrap up our relationship with the main cast (tell David that Chloe is dead or hide it, convince Joyce to forgive David or not, tell Frank that Rachel died because of the drugs he sold and being given the chance to ignore, friendzone or kiss Warren) 

 

.The pass-out sequence is a highlight gaming moment of 2015 for me, the way I felt going through it really felt like I had fucked up time HARD also, it is used as a beautiful build-up for the final choice, one that I was fearing I'd have to make since I started the game.

 

.The final choice: I had to let go of the controller when the prompts to choose showed up on the screen. I knew what I was going to pick though. I chose to sacrifice Chloe and restore the timeline, and judging by how that ending is fully fleshed out while the other one is a 3-minute-long content-empty cutscene, I'd say I picked the right one. For once, Chloe thinks about others and realizes she was meant to die, and if Max chose to wipe out Arcadia Bay, Chloe would keep dying and Max would have to save her every single time, indefinitely. The Sacrifice Chloe ending give us a moving and emotional final moment that, even thought it's heartbreaking, feels like the kind of ending this game should have. 

 

All in all I was blown away by the strength and the great pace Dontnod showcased in this final episode, and I am all in for Season 2

[zadorvp]

I loved it, but it ended up being very predictable on many parts (especially having to go back with the Everyday Hero photo, Warren photo, and the photo that started the whole thing). I did enjoy replaying the early classroom parts with the knowledge of Jefferson's involvement and liked playing hero in the Bay during the storm (I saved everyone including ones determined by previous episode choices, so yay)/telling Jefferson to piss off in various ways though it's sad that those decisions (and others from earlier ones) end up not mattering as much if you choose the Chloe ending. Also kind of sad certain characters played basically no part (apart from cellphone messages/showing up in the reversed school section) in the finale, but that was to be expected since the ending of episode 4 meant there would be no "normal" life for episode 5 (and episode 4 already worked as a send-off to most of those characters anyways if you interacted with them). At least Alyssa got to return the favour for once, though one save doesn't really make us even...

 

The nightmare parts were interesting, though Max's reaction to them was kind of weird such as wanting proof of Warren's sick obsession in a locker that wasn't even real. The dormitory part I personally found easy to figure out since there were maps on the walls and whoever your character model was (or was standing in for i.e. Rachel Amber) basically told you which doors to interact with.

 

This episode had my favourite optional photos out of all the episodes due to one being obtainable from a dialogue option and several being caused by the nightmare sections (had to leave out one for the Plat Rain Day event though so I chose the squirrels ^^).

 

Anyways, I chose to sacrifice Chloe. To me, that is the "good" ending despite everything they went through to get there. I will be going with entirely different choices when I eventually play the PS3 version though.

 

If there is a season 2, I hope it does not follow the same characters since it would then need to pick a canonical ending and I'm not personally that okay with being told which was the right choice (unless they find a way around that but having to design the game so it follows two entirely different branches of the story due to season 1 choices may be a bit much unless Chloe would be absent from the story either way). I do hope they make another season though as this was among the best choice-driven games in my opinion.

[Redgrave]

Episode 5 wasn't my favorite episode but it had it's moments. I had hoped it would at least explain how Max got her powers or the ghost deer that she sees. Going by the name of the Platinum trophy I kind of expected it to be where Max made everything after the bathroom up in her head because she was traumatized by it, and so everything else is just a "What if" situation. But I guess her powers are just up for interpretation (I'm saying it's a Stand though).

 

For my ending I chose to sacrifice Chloe, because it was pretty obvious her living is what caused the storm. I've seen the other ending though, and it's kind of depressing since it's implied everyone dies but Chloe doesn't seem too bothered by it. Plus I assumed if she lived again there would just be another disaster to follow them wherever they go next. I also liked the part where David came in and saved Max. I had a feeling he was a good guy in the end, but a bit misunderstood.

 

Overall, I wouldn't say the game is a masterpiece or amazing, but it wasn't awful either. I didn't like Chloe throughout the whole thing until the last minute when she felt like everyone deserved to live. But when you also think about it your choices didn't matter too much in the end, either because everyone is either (most likely) dead or you picked the ending where you go back to the bathroom. I know it's not a Mass Effect choice type game, but still, doing things like saving people in the storm or kissing Warren didn't really mean anything. Still, it was an interesting experience. If they make a sequel I hope they make the characters a bit better, and not use so much "hip with it" dialogue (I noticed they dropped it a bit in Episode 5), and make the lip-syncing better. I know they made it better as it went on, so hopefully if they make another then it will look much better.

[MortalRikku]

I loved this epsiode, so sad that it is all over

 

The 'nightmare' part of the game really reminded me of PT when in the dorm section and kind of like Evil Within's DLC when in the section with the lights/torches

 

I really hope they do a season 2 but with new characters and new story as I feel the Max and Chloe story has ended now.

 

I ended up saving Arcadia Bay as the way I looked back on each episode you have to save Chloe as she always dies/comes close to dying. By rewinding the time you got to spend that week with her and make memories that you should never have had as she wasn't meant to be alive after the shooting in the bathroom, plus you get to find out what happened to Rachel Amber and get prevy Jefferson arrested.

 

By far one of the best games I have played this year

Edited October 22, 2015 by MortalRikku

[RoD_HiGo]

I played this game on PC but I want to add to the discussion

 

This might be an unpopular opinion but this episode felt empty, so different in tone from the other four episodes, I just didn't feel it through the whole episode.

And then the endings, I chose Sacrifice Arcadia because it was the only choice for me, it was basically either accepting that none of your choices mattered or dealing with your choices. And it was really dissapointed, I mean, are we supposed to accept everyone is dead, even David who was in a freaking BUNKER.

I honestly dont care that the endings were predictable, the Saving Chloe one needed a lot more depth.

 

This was a disappointing last episode for me, but at least episodes 1-4 were great and I dont regret having played this game.

Loved this game

[NerdRage04]

I enjoyed the game a lot. 

The conversation with David (Which I told him about Chloe dying) was really heartbreaking.

The conversation in which Max breaks down in front of Chloe was also really hard to watch.

 

I felt the overall ending to the game was done really well. I do, however, feel that the choices didn't really mean anything towards the end. Everything we did from Chapter 1 up until the final choice didn't mean anything. Trying to romance either Chloe or Warren meant nothing. Saving Kate or not meant nothing. At least this is how I feel. 

 

I wouldn't want a Season 2 with these characters, but I would like to see another game similar to Life is Strange with different characters and I would like the choices to mean a little more. 

[Lufik12]

I couldn't sacrifice Chloe. She is my top character and I love her. I gave sacrifire Chloe only mystakenly - it was really horrible to see how she die... and nobody in the city amaze me to much to trade him for Chloe. But then I loaded last part of the game again and choise sacrifice Arkadia Bay as I wanted to do that from 1st time. I know that it's just game... but I feel soo many emotions from that game... that let Chloe die it's for me like... let die my best friend or my girlfriend (and I'm not boy - it mean for me then much more to let Chloe live)... I would never do that.

[straysheep87]

I sacrificed Arcadia Bay, saved Chloe. I got to say, I'm  a bit disappointed with this ending chapter, it was the weaker of all. The nightmare parts took so long, and so many questions were left unanswered. Joyce survived? Warren is a sick perv? How Max got this power? What's that ghostly deer? Nathan's really dead? Samuel have any connection with this power? So many loose ends, but honestly, even I liked this game so much, I don't wanna see a Episode 2 with the same characters.

[kittyxiii]

I've spent the past few days since the episode came out thinking about the finale - I really loved it, the nightmare part was amazing and I was sufficiently creeped out and intrigued by the whole sequence, however it felt like it went on too long, but I liked how it led you back to Chloe and I'll be shocked if there isn't a figure collection based around those freezeframes out soon. The puzzles were fun, I really liked in the section where everything's backwards that the journal is scribbled on (bless the student who lost their tablet with the pictures of their dead cat, that was my favourite part of the series) and Jefferson's text being backwards and the skeleton photo (which took me far too long to figure out - I knew it had something to do with it being backwards, didn't expect that you had to press the select button to actually get the photo) were awesome.

Also, Kudos to the actor behind Mr. Jefferson too, those scenes in the bunker are probably the main things that I took away from the episode (although I can understand why people see it as a really quick change in character - the only reason I twigged onto him was in episode 2 after Kate runs away from him and he answers the phone asking you to go into the classroom I decided to stay and listen and it was super weird) and it was really nice being able to help all the people you met throughout the week and see them one last time. My main gripe is that it felt like all the choices I had made throughout the series had very little impact on the final episode, I'd had like to see some of the minor choices have importance in the story (like for example not signing the petition for the security cameras in episode 1 is how Jefferson gets caught, even if getting cameras in the school taking like 3 days isn't very realistic haha).

 

I ultimately decided to sacrifice Chloe and save Arcadia Bay, it's not worth a few thousand lives for one person who's essentially the catalyst of the storm. I have a feeling that no matter where they would go if you sacrificed Arcadia Bay bad things would continue to happen. I still need to go back and play the other ending though, so I could be wrong haha.

 

Like someone suggested here, a post-ep 5 DLC would be really cool. I'd really like for there to be a sequel wherein the student actually finds her tablet with the cat pictures and her search for the week wasn't for naught somewhere else someone in a very similar situation gets the same/a similar gift and it's hinted at that the phenomena of Max going back in time and such is due to bigger reason and that it didn't just effect her, with maybe a third series explaining it in full and finding an end to it, but that may be stretching the series out too much

 

I think that's me done talking about LIS for at least a few months haha. Overall, I really enjoyed this series and wouldn't complain if a second season was made, but it would be nice to have your choices effect the story more.

[StrickenBiged]

I thought the ending was perfect. We knew that Arcadia Bay was going to get wiped out from the beginning, and it was clear that the strange events around the bay had something to do with Max's power. 

 

The question is, though, was the first time we saw the hurricane, right at the beginning of Episode 1, a vision, or was Max actually there and did she send herself back somehow to re-live the week and change her decisions? Was the whole game Max attempting a re-run of the week without her necessarily even knowing it? 

 

I liked the ending. I thought it fit well. Either way, Max learned an important lesson - you can't abuse power to create a "perfect" outcome. I thought it was important the way that, had she just not saved Chloe in the first place, then everything would have played out in such a way that Mr J, Nathan, etc, would all get caught. Equally important, if you choose to sacrifice the town, Max learned that messing with time has dire consequences. 

 

I wasn't so put off by the flip in Jefferson's personality. I suspected him for a while. Real life psychopaths are manipulative and versatile, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that Mr J was able to fool people for so long. 

 

Anyway, a fantastic game. Definitely one of the strongest story-based games there's been for a while. 

[Gommes_]

I choosed to sacrifice Chloe and that ending was perfect and fit well into this whole story.

The game is absolutely amazing and I still have to think about it from time to time. I loved the butterfly effect and donnie darko touch of it.

The real sad part about sacrificing Chloe was, that no one except Max knew what happened during that week and that both of them made the choice in order to rescue Arcadia Bay. Another great thing was the display of the totally fucked up time when everything ran backwards. It was really weird and because of it, really awesome. I didn't like the "stealth" thing towards the lighthouse but I did like the path which showed the moments of Max and Chloe.

Overall it's an amazing game and it was a really emotional and crazy ride. Absolutely stunning

09/10

Edited November 27, 2015 by Gommes_

[themindisacity]

To me, the ending was a call-back to the scene with the two Maxes in the diner during the nightmare scene; it was about Max learning her lesson. People here bring up the fact that they saved Chloe over the town because the whole point of the game to that point had been to save her from death several times, but every time Max did it, the storm got worse. When Chloe said that destiny wanted them to be together, it was literally in front of the tornado, and I just thought, "Destiny is trying like crazy to tear you two apart!" So to me, the ending was "will you make the mistake again or not?"

Twin Peaks was always a clear influence on this series (anyone catch the license plates TXFLS and TWNPKS?), but it was screamed at us during this episode during the nightmare sequence. But given that Twin Peaks was an influence, it surprised me just how much of the game was actually still focused on Laura Palmer Rachel's murder, instead of using that story as an excuse to get to know everyone in this small town and how her murder (disappearance, in this case) affected them and their own lives/drama.

The game was originally set up to imply that Max would have to stop this tornado before it hit the town. We find out that it's because she's screwing around with time, but I spent the first few episodes thinking it was entirely Chloe's fault (I was half-right). The first few episodes have several pictures of Chloe that are all taken from behind or obscure her face, so I thought they were going to go with some sort of temporal displacement where Rachel = Chloe or somesuch. I abandoned that theory midway through, but it also came back after said scene with two Maxes, where it started repeating dialogue between them from past episodes (especially with the gifting of the camera, where I wondered momentarily if the camera was actually magical. I watch too much Doctor Who), and that part when Chloe comes in to the diner and yells at one of the Maxes about what the current reality is, and to stop trying to influence the other Max.

I really liked the game overall. I felt many of the consequences ran deeper than anything Telltale has put into their games, or at least didn't feel like so much window dressing.

 

I'd really like for there to be a sequel wherein the student actually finds her tablet with the cat pictures and her search for the week wasn't for naught

Actually, during the part outside the diner in the fifth episode, where you can save all those people, there's a scrap of paper you can pick up that is an apology note from some unknown person saying they were sorry they'd stolen the tablet and were returning it. Max even says, "Well, that's that mystery solved."

Edited December 8, 2015 by themindisacity

[kittyxiii]

Actually, during the part outside the diner in the fifth episode, where you can save all those people, there's a scrap of paper you can pick up that is an apology note from some unknown person saying they were sorry they'd stolen the tablet and were returning it. Max even says, "Well, that's that mystery solved."

 

Oh, really!? Looks like there's no need for a sequel now

[FrecLognAizeW]

And it was really dissapointed, I mean, are we supposed to accept everyone is dead, even David who was in a freaking BUNKER.

I honestly dont care that the endings were predictable, the Saving Chloe one needed a lot more depth.

 

That was one of the big criticisms, the "save Arcadia" ending was given a lot more love than "save Chloe".  Even after instinctively saving Chloe, I watched the "Save Arcadia" ending and it swayed me a bit.  It's a bittersweet ending that felt, if nothing else, a bit more complete.  As for saving Chloe... I can't imagine everyone in town was dead, nor do I think that's what DONTNOD wanted you to think.  But I think the point they wanted to hammer home was that Max/Chloe valued eachother more than the town, and probably (since they didn't go into detail) enough people didn't make it to warrant sticking around.

 

Great game though, I played it on PC and will probably pick it up on PS4 as well once the physical copy comes out.  I love "normal" stories that just spiral into chaos as you get closer to the end, and Life Is Strange delivered from the end of EP3 onward... even if it wasn't perfect.

[Doom]

There probably won't be a sequel, since DONTNOD is working on a new project now (Vampyr).

That being said, I'd live this to become a franchise with different cast and different story each time. And maybe a different power.

And with each game some details could be uncovered (just for the player) about the origin of these powers.

Maybe it's someone like The Ousider from Dishonored that likes to watch the drama that ensues.

[MilanYildirim]

Before I start, I'd like to say I didn't like the game. Too much teenage drama and not original plot to me.
I've sacrificed Chloe and the alternative reality where Chloe's dad was alive was a better choice when you think of it.
Ending didn't really make sense to me

[Carville87]

I chose the save Arcadia bay ending which i think was the right choice but now that I've been thinking about it i wished i had saved Chloe.

Just as long as Kate Marsh is alive that's all i really cared about.

The nightmare section was great and Warrens locker in there was super fucked up.

Hope they do a sequel with new characters and a completely different story 

[MMDE]

I just killed the entire town... Fuck 'em!

Edited February 9, 2016 by MMDE