scepticpurple

Life is Strange is a bit of a mess. But with flaws that would otherwise cripple a game, here they merely slow it down. Sure, the dialogue is puzzlingly inconsistent, the ending is nothing short of awful and the whole game can often feel extremely through-composed. But amongst these issues, however abundant they may be, you'll find beauty, character and intelligence in volumes that few games can even come close to. Life Is Strange tirelessly tussles with itself, sometimes in confidence, sometimes not. In this sense, it is defined as much by it's weaknesses as it is by it's strengths, and though this can be frustrating, it ultimately only gives way to the game's greatest victory of all: Life Is Strange is a remarkably human game

A welcome return to the world of Arcadia Bay, fans will enjoy the well crafted re-imaginings of previously explored environments, and equally well created characters, both new and old. The episode can feel a little bit thin in terms of new material at times- often appearing instead to simply re-tread ideas from the first game, but for now at least, the excitement of a younger, lighter Arcadia Bay is more than enough to suffice.

Though a little lengthy, Brave New World succeeds in progressing Before the Storm's story and characters in a way that manages to simultaneously pay tribute to the first game, while also expanding upon it's own ideas and thus freeing itself to truly come into it's own light. Juxtaposing the innocence and youthful naivety of it's adorable protagonists, with their ever darkening horizons, catalyses intimate and memorable development, in a series that continues to tug at the heartstrings with every successive episode.

Hell is empty's heavy emphasis on dialogue and character development serves as both it's greatest strength and its greatest flaw. While it boasts some of the richest, most believable character interactions in the series, and draws the game to a fairly satisfying conclusion, it's pacing suffers from the frequency of such events, and so the episode can feel like a bit of a slog to get through. The pay-off is rewarding (and in the case of a certain after-credits scene, typically soul-destroying) though, besides one or two plot points that are left irritatingly unresolved.