Before Max returned to Arcadia Bay, there was the dynamic duo of Chloe and Rachel. Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a three-episode prequel set during their heyday as friends. As much as I enjoyed the previous game, there appeared to be a lot going against this one.
Set in Arcadia Bay while Max was off in Seattle, it appeared that the game’s core mechanic of time travel wouldn’t be present. Also, the studio behind the original game was off elsewhere, while a different team created Before the Storm. On top of that, the original voice of Chloe, Ashley Burch, was unable to reprise her role due to the actor’s strike at the time of development. Was this poised to be a disaster?
This time, you’re in the ripped jeans and spiked bracelets of Chloe Price. Struggling to find herself in the world after the passing of her father, her best friend ghosting her, and her mother dating a jerk, she’s in full-on rebel mode. While sneaking into a concert, she has a chance encounter with Rachel Amber, the most popular girl in the school. Together, they form a bond and stumble into some dark secrets about Rachel’s family.
As with the first game, Before the Storm is a modern adventure game in the style of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. You will move from once scene to the next, completing tasks and making story-altering decisions along the way. Unlike the previous entry, you don’t have access to time-traveling super powers. This time, you have one shot to make each decision and you’re stuck with it. Depending on who you ask, this is a great move. Logically, we already know that Chloe doesn’t have that ability later on, so it doesn’t make sense for her to have it now. Furthermore, there are those who didn’t like how the rewind could undermine your choices by allowing you to adjust the story to your liking. Without it, you’re forced to live with the choices you make in the moment, just like real life.
That doesn’t mean that Chloe doesn’t have anything unique to her gameplay. Instead, she has the ability to intimidate. During times of verbal conflict, which tends to happen a lot for her, she has the ability to square off in a war of words. Listen to each phrase said to you and choose the appropriate response to score a sick burn. Verbally dress down your opposition enough and the outcome will sway heavily in your favour. Stumble with your choice of words and the outcome worsens while you end up looking like a fool. It doesn’t impact the game nearly as dramatically as rewinding time, but it makes sense for the character.
Without spoiling anything, while the game doesn’t have the supernatural element of time-travel, it’s not without surreal elements. These moments work extremely well within the narrative and don’t feel forced at all. If anything, it’s an elegant workaround that maintains the impact of Life is Strange‘s wilder elements without shoehorning in something fantastical.
If anything, not having to incorporate the supernatural elements let’s the game focus on the human drama that made its precursor so powerful. Chloe and Rachel have a very different dynamic from Chloe and Rachel, and it’s downright beautiful to see these characters bond through all the drama. In particular, we get to see a new side of Chloe, before she completely hardens up on the inside. At the game’s best, there are some brilliant moments that put you in the heat of the moment. There are a instances where gameplay feels shoehorned into mundane moments to stall for time, but it never drags the game down too much.
While it didn’t take away from my overall experience with the game, I do want to point out one awkward bug that occurred in the second episode. During a conversation, one character would repeatedly cut himself off by saying a phrase he had mentioned earlier. Thankfully, this was the only technical hiccup I ran into.
What could have been a train wreck turned out to be a worthy follow-up. Life is Strange: Before the Storm hones in on what made the first game so great and amplifies it with a strong story that sheds light on the events that came before its precursor while delivering many memorable moments of its own. Unless you hated the first game, definitely check out the prequel.
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