Life is Strange (Full Game) Review: Welcome to Arcadia Bay
Game Reviewed: Life is Strange
Release Date: January-October
Developer: DontNod Entertainment
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: [Reviewed: PlayStation 4], Xbox One & PC
Genre: Graphic Adventure
Life is indeed strange in DONTNOD’s episodic story that has finally come to a close. A girl by the name of Max Caulfield that goes back to her hometown to attend Blackwell High School, a prestigious high school for inspired photographers, discovers more than the average teenager can handle. From visioning the town of Arcadia Bay collapsing, attempting to save a friend from suicide and even watching your best friend go from a normal life to wheelchair bound, Max have been the ultimate decision maker in this five part series Life is Strange.
It all began in class when Max finds herself witnessing a shooting, but also having a unique ability of rewinding time saving a girl in danger, her old 
best friend Chloe. She also manages to see a dark time for Arcadia Bay that’s to come. As for when it’s quite unsure, but so many conflicts come about and shakes the city more and more.
Life is Strange story manages to intrigue and disappoint within each episode, and it’s the cliffhangers that continue to draw you in from the first episode to the very conclusion. Episode one stood out as more of a discovery, episode two leaves you focusing more on details in order to save a life, the third episode was indeed a filler with an shocking ending, and it’s from there that the game steps up as you enter the school’s “invite-only” Vortex Club.
It’s always important to remember that every action has a reaction, a butterfly effect. You have the ability to start from certain checkpoints rather than restarting entire chapters like TellTale’s “The Walking Dead.”
What makes Life is Strange so unique is that it wasn’t developed as an action-adventure nor a shooter, it’s a story of a young teen facing real-life issues while gaining supernatural abilities and openly ask you, the player, what would you do! And though the story is nearly as strong as one would expect, 
DONTNOD pulls you back in.
Controls are simplistic as the game is generally more a point and click title involving a lot of decision making.
Just when you don’t know what to expect in every episode of Life is Strange, DontNod hits you with an enormous “wow” moment that captivates you and leaves you wanting a bit more. It’s not as strong as The Walking Dead, but it isn’t meant to be. It’s real lives being affected in the most unexpected ways imaginable. Episode 5: Polarized carefully provides closure to the story with you making a gut-wrenching decision in the end.
The Scores
Gameplay: 3/5
Visuals: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Controls: 3.5/5
Replay Value: 3/5
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