Well, if you ever needed a more apt title, Life Is Strange's latest 'Chaos Theory' is pretty up there. Focusing on how small changes can have a dramatic effect, episode 3 will have you truly gob-smacked by the ending act. Needless to say, there shall be some spoilers ahead. If you'd like to skip the spoilers completely, scroll down to our 'overall review' section below, and save yourself the trouble.
The new episodic 5-part game by Dontnod Entertainment and Square Enix has certainly garnered a considerable amount of attention due to its intriguing time-rewinding and mystery element. Players have the option of making certain decisions that will have great (or minor) impact on the gameplay and characters in the game. Centring around Maxine (but don't ever call her that) Caulfield (Hannah Telle) a student at Blackwell Academy who suddenly finds she has the able to control time.
Plot summary/commentary (many spoilers):
Reuniting with her former best friend Chloe (Ashly Burch) after saving her from being shot to death, the two embark on an adventure to figure out what really happened to missing student Rachel Amber, whilst also trying to understand what Max's visions mean (incoming Tornado anyone?). After the most recent attempted suicide (or actual death) of Kate Marsh, a bullied student at Blackwell, Max is now knee-deep in the aftermath of whatever choice the player made. So now we open up with Max and Chloe who decide that the only logical next step is to break into Blackwell Academy at night. No, we aren't kidding.
The two musketeers arrange to meet outside the Academy, and after narrowly missing Principal Wells, Max is able to escape the dormitories and reunite with her friend. Sufficed to say, the lip-syncing is still terrible but we're loving the developing characterisation, as we get a chance to see more of Max and Chloe as characters and friends, although not as much as in 'Out Of Time'. There is a great deal of back-and-forth collecting in this episode, which - if you're aware of the great bottle saga 2015 in episode 2 - you'll know can be incredibly tiring after a while.
After using explosives to break open the door to the Principals office (and then rewinding time so they don't get caught) the two find several files on Rachel Amber, pompous idiot and all round psychopath Nathan Prescott, and even a few files on little old Max. Blue haired wild-child Chloe then suggests a swim, and the two almost get caught by 'step-douche' David.
After several menial tasks, we get to explore into the back-story of Chloe a bit, something which we haven't seen much of. We know that her dad died in a car accident and ever since then she's never been the same, but at the moment it doesn't seem like much. Oh how wrong we are. After much Joyce/Max bonding, Max manages to hack into David's computer and sees the files he has. Cue intense screaming match with David, Joyce and Chloe (if you side with Chloe that is, and not David; seriously, who would side with David?!).
The dialogue is as cheesy as ever, but it's become somewhat of a trademark by now that we sort of love it. The indie tunes, the 'nobody understands me' clichés, it's all strangely likeable, it reminds us a bit of Pretty Little Liars (plenty of secrets, after all!). The time travelling element remains the best feature as it is up to the player to figure out tactics and decide which moments to rewind to get a better result. Ultimately though, if you spend enough time looking out for things to interact with, you'll usually end up with the right conclusion.
After the bust-up with David, Mad Max and Chloe head to the diner where they see Frank's RV. Keen to take a closer look, Max uses her abilities to get them in. There, they find that Rachel knew Frank rather intimately, and the two were very close. This upsets Chloe considerably, who is frustrated with everyone in her life, and is upset at her father for 'leaving' her (this girl does know he died right? He didn't just one day decide he wanted pancakes and up and left?). Chloe and Max get into an argument, which ultimately leads us to one hell of a finale for episode 3. Whilst looking at a picture Joyce had given Max of a time when Chloe and Max were kids, Max suddenly gets strange vibrations...and transports herself back in time to when Chloe's dad was still alive.
At this point, you are thinking something along the lines of: oh shit, we're going to try and save her dad aren't we. And sure enough, saving her dad is the ONLY option in this segment, as you go through an epic journey to try and save her dad, including: unplugging the phone so he can't get a call, hiding his keys in a vase, trying to warn them both to no effect, trying to ring Joyce which doesn't work out, and many, many more. Eventually though, you throw his keys into the sink and advise him to take the bus. Huzzah, you think! We've saved her dad! We are amazing! Or so you think. Back in the real-world however, everything has changed. Victoria is now friends with you, Warren is interested in another girl and Kate...well, actually, we don't know what's happened to Kate. But what about Chloe and William? Rushing over to Chloe's house Max finds out that William is indeed still alive, Step-douche is now the bus driver (not the security guard) and Chloe is...in a wheelchair.
Hold on, what? Yes, in some sort of weird twist of fate, Chloe is now in a wheelchair complete with neck brace and headgear. OK, time-out. What just happened? Naturally, this is where the episode ends and you're left wondering whether the previous two episodes are now null and void because genius Max has essentially erased them. Never mess with time, people!
Overall Review (spoiler free):
Whilst there are certain parts of the episode that are a little dull and seem to go no where (hunting for stuff you don't need, talking to people who ultimately have no impact on the story in any way) there are more favourable elements. These come in the form of the scenes with Chloe, where we really get a stronger feel for the characters and become invested in their success (or failure) and hint at what might come in the future. The characters are intriguing and original and although the sometimes glacial pace can make events seem a little too stretched out, there is enough original and exciting game-play elements to make it worth a go. The time-travelling and time-controlling are the best features, which stretch new boundaries for game playing and invite the player to take a different route where their actions really do have consequences, beyond the simple answer-clicking. Negatives however are the continual terrible lip-syncing (although providing you're not looking directly at the character these can be avoided) and the pace, which could be greatly improved in some areas, as it feels like you are on a bit of a journey - you know something is going to happen, but you don't really know what you're doing in the mean time.
Similarly to the last episode's ending, this one really takes you by surprise, however. It is unique, genuinely unpredictable and invigorating as it sets up a whole new world for Arcadia Bay residents, and you just know that this is going to have a great impact on the last two episodes. It propels the narrative closer to its end goal, and you feel as if there has been some real progress made towards the ending of the 5-part series. As always, the graphics are beautiful and atmospheric, and the soundtrack adds to the whimsical nature of this mysterious story. It's surprisingly relaxing for a game that doesn't let you catch your breath for particularly long towards the end. The final act of Episode 3 is particularly impressive, and if you can manage to get through some of the more tiresome elements (although we're being particularly critical) then you will no doubt enjoy this startling revelation.
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