At the recent Xbox Games Showcase, Life is Strange: Double Exposure was shown and it blew my mind! A little while back I ranked The Life is Strange games and I talked about what a huge fan of the series I was. While I loved the series due to the controversy regarding stuff that was found in the files of the last game and with series creators, Don’t Nod doing their own thing and also making a “Life is Strange” style game in Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. I wondered if Square Enix would even want to make another game with the Life is Strange title.
Well, I need to wonder no more as Deck Nine is back in charge of the series and Life is Strange: Double Exposure is due for release on October 29th on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC. I must admit, I find it a bit strange that there is no PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version listed, but we are several years into this generation I suppose! Still, some other big titles are getting last gen releases and while the trailer looked amazing, I did not see anything here that made me think the game would not be able to run on last gen hardware.
I was watching the Xbox Games Showcase and the trailer started and I thought to myself “She looks like Max from Life is Strange” and then as the trailer went on, I realized that it was Max from Life is Strange! Not only are we getting a new Life is Strange game, but we are getting one with the original protagonist Max! I have really enjoyed the Life is Strange comic book series so I am super excited to see what her character will be like here. We know that she is a bit older and that she is working at a university.
The trailer showed Life is Strange: Double Exposure as a murder mystery! Max’s best friend, Safi is dead! Max finds her and she tries to use her rewind powers to save her, but she finds she has a new power where she can travel to an alternate dimension/timeline. If you have read the comic books, this is a similar thing to what is going on there. In the other dimension/timeline or whatever you want to call it, Safi is still alive and now Max is going to try and see if she can solve the murder of her friend and also save her life in the process.
All of the Life is Strange games tell a fantastic story and I cannot wait to see what this has to offer. There has been some loud rumbling from part of the fanbase that is wondering where the heck Chloe is, but with these games being all about the story, I am ok with them keeping things under wrap. As a matter of fact, I do not want to know anything else about the story of Life is Strange: Double Exposure before I play it.
This brings me to an issue I have with the game and that is the way Square Enix are releasing it. Those who purchase the Life is Strange Ultimate Edition will get to play the first two chapters, two weeks early. That is awesome in one way, but with a story driven game like this, it means those who simply cannot swing the extra 20 or so for that Ultimate Edition could have the game spoiled for them before the standard edition is even out! Then we have the Life is Strange: Double Exposure Collector’s Edition. I was all in on this thing, it comes with a vinyl record and I love the soundtrack of this series and when I saw it was £54,99, I felt that was a great price, but this does not come with the actual game!!!! Why the heck is this called the Life is Strange: Double Exposure Collector’s Edition if the game is not included? Just call it something else, for example, Life is Strange: Double Exposure Soundtrack Edition, or just get rid of “edition” altogether as that implies the game is here. Calling it a “collector’s edition” is sure to confuse many people into thinking it comes with the game.
While the release thanks to Square Enix is a little odd, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is one of my most anticipated games of the year and I cannot wait to see what Max is up to. Be sure to let me know your thoughts on this game, especially those on the way Square Enix is releasing it. Also, despite my complaining, I have already pre-ordered that Collector’s Edition as I want that record!