Review: Life is Strange

G'day there guys and gals!

With the high standard and want in the current gaming community for Point and Click games (especially from Telltale), many were skeptical of Life is Strange, myself included. I shall admit, I was incredibly judgmental of the game before I played it!
However, for the five years that I have been reviewing games, I have written them with one rule; you, the reader, receive a 100%, unbiased review. And if no one has told you yet, let me be the first to say thus so: Life is Strange is one of the best games of 2015 and more than worthy of the Game Of The Year position.

For those unfamiliar with the storyline and to save you from too many spoilers, you play as Max Caulfield, an 18 year old girl attending Blackwell Academy for her remarkable skills with photography, with an odd obsession with selfies and old technology. Yet after taking a photo of a blue butterfly in the bathroom and witnessing a girl's murder, she soon discovers she has obtained the ability to control time through herself and her photos, and this ability is one that will change the destiny of everything and everyone around her.
Gameplay basically boils down to point and click gameplay, with the addition of button control time travel to reverse or speed up time. In doing this, you may capture Optional Photos (for your diary, and extra Achievements) as well as aid your fellow students. As the episodes go on, you will face various other puzzles, from conversations and codes to opening new areas. Graphics wise are well done, there are some bulkiness to the characters, however the vibrant colours and the settings help to create a perfect mood, especially during small cutscenes or times when players lose control. Sound effects are great and give a definite modern feel to the overall games wheras the soundtrack is perfectly placed. Each song captures the mood, tension and emotional state of Max perfectly. Voice acting is one of the greater aspects of the game, the portrayal of young adults of today's era is done exceedingly well. It was clear from the first "hella" to cross my ears that the developers at DontNod have definitely done their research into Western Culture. 

But what makes this game as brilliant as it is is the storyline. While the game admittedly starts semi-slow with many promises and Max discovering her powers, if the ending of Episode 1 doesn't intrigue you, Episode 2 definitely will, and from there, it will snowball as it did for me. The game covers incredibly sensitive topics such as teenage pregnancy and abortion, sex tapes and drugging, suicide, murder and more. The way DontNod has handled these topics (even offering aid to those with depression and suicidal thoughts via their website and game itself) is also something to be applauded for. The game's choices, admittedly, do feel slightly like Telltale's choices of "selflessness or selfishness" but do it in a way that you won't notice until you're completely finished with the game and debating over the choices you should make. Choices can be simple such as bacon and eggs or waffles (no I'm not joking, that's in the game) or choices you don't even realise you're making, such as multiple ways to complete a task. What leaves my jaw dropping from this is how the game both handles them and uses them to bring out pure, raw emotions; the slightest similarities to your own high school life/experiences can be seen in this game.
It's worth note that during all five episodes, I barely had any issues, the only being the standard achievements not unlocking via the 48 hour refresh issue as well as the slight delay of episode 5. However I found no game breaking and glitching issues of any kind. Being a episodic-release title and having no issues on release is an incredibly brilliant feat.

Huge amounts of nerdy references, a beautiful setting with horrible outcomes and plotlines, incredibly hard choices and all tied off with brilliant acting, sound effects and musical score. This game will bring you to bliss then immediately to tears.
In a world today where mobile games are the rage and Online Only titles matter, it warms my heart that the tradition of video games is still alive and well; the era of incredibly written, made and executed games is not over yet. With the Holiday season upon us and the onslaught of AAA games to come, if there is any game you would consider adding to your list, make Life is Strange one of them.

Sublimity in its purest form.

Out of 10, I give Life is Strange a 10/10!

Kudos to all at DontNod, Square Enix and all others involved in this excellent game!

Life is Strange is out now, with all Episodes out, for the standard price of $30