Life is Strange: Double Exposure Reviews

TLDR: Incredibly disappointing. Probably the only life is strange game I can't bring myself to replay for all of the achievements. The lack of skip options is rough, but I could have tolerated it if the story felt worth replaying. But it simply doesn't. Spoilers ahead. [spoiler] I'm not even a pricefield stan. I played through the bay version of the story and was planning on replaying the bae version on my second achievement play through. But because of the god awful ending its actually not even worth it. [/spoiler] [spoiler] I think Safi's turn towards a god complex could have been written well, but instead what I experienced was a complete absence of character agency in relation to Safi. None of the decisions the player makes have any ACTUAL effect on Safi deciding she's a god now. I even felt disappointed when Safi was revealed to be a shape-shifter in chapter three, because the god complex was so glaringly obvious, and yet not only does Max not react to it at all, they did a terrible job foreshadowing it! [/spoiler] [spoiler] Then there's Alderman and Reggie experiencing themselves across the timeline. Not only does your "decision" not save Alderman, the writers also just forget about him? Maybe it's a terrible meta-story where Alderman was SO erased from existence that even the writing room deleted him? The REST of the game I spent wondering what the hell that was, and there literally ISN'T an answer! It's just, "weird time shit? sorry bro" and no one cares in the story. I can understand that if he was erased from existence most people wouldn't, but Max doesn't even mention it, and somehow Moses knows, but all we get is a vague text about it and then they act like that plot is resolved. [/spoiler] [spoiler] Even the whole premise of the story is left unanswered! Who killed Safi? Was it Safi as a doppelganger? Was it Max from a different timeline? Thinking from a story perspective it feels like maybe they wanted to present it as Max originally choosing to kill Safi to stop her from using her powers and creating the storm, then growing and choosing a third option to not have to choose the death of anyone. But I only got there by filling out the details myself. No where in the story was that explained, and the ending doesn't even mention it, just some garbage to set up a sequel. [/spoiler] [spoiler] Additionally, the "third choice" to not kill Safi or the college not only doesn't make any coherent sense at all, they don't even try explaining beyond "timelines merging and removing Safi's hold on people", and on top of that it completely ret-cons the weight of the decision even in previous games. The game wants to be about moving on from trauma, letting go of your past and continuing to grow, but the option to just invalidate the storm opposes that. Max is somehow just better at fixing everything now, so she doesn't have to worry about consequences. [/spoiler] [spoiler] And even the storm doesn't make sense in the setting! In the original the storm is unavoidable because it's the reflection of one single point of change cascading into a disaster, in this game it's just a consequence for using powers, or maybe not since Safi seems to be just fine using hers still in the ending? Because yeah, this game is all about growth and character development, wait! Except for the ONE character who determines the plot and cannot grow past her god complex. [/spoiler] [spoiler] I actually thought I got the bad ending when I finished my blind play through, but nope, the "two" endings you can get are both bad. Safi always chooses that she's a god now and leaves. It's a shame because I love the VA for Max and her character, I love the narrative it feels like they're going for, but they completely dropped the ball and it feels like they backed themselves into a corner with the writing. [/spoiler] [spoiler] What makes Life is Strange so great is that the powers are not the point. All they end up being are tools to drive the plot, the actual enjoyment of the game is in the characters and their relationships. They had some of the bones here, Vinh was fun but shallow, and Amanda had a great story (lesbian bias sorry) that had cool conflict with Max romancing her in a different timeline after being rejected, but that gets waved off instead of actually built upon. Just like how Vinh and Reggie are kinda shoved in there, I didn't even know they knew each other until they were together at the end. [/spoiler] [spoiler] Lastly, Lucas, Gwen, Yasmin, and Safi's conflict about Maya does not make sense and is left unanswered. Lucas clearly plagiarized Maya, but then he says [b]something[/b] to Safi about it off camera that makes her want to kill Yasmin? They talked about how Safi and Yasmin's relationship was bad, but what could Lucas even say that would escalate it to that point? We know Yasmin told Vinh to lie about Maya, Lucas plagiarized her work, and Yasmin conspired with Gwen to cancel Safi's book about Maya, but none of that makes any sense as to why Safi loses it to the degree she does. And sure, maybe it can be chalked up to Safi's god complex making her overreact, but the writers just leave it out of the story entirely! We never get to know what Lucas said to Safi, or what Yasmin actually did to Maya. Instead we get Safi deciding she's a god and Max not doing ANYTHING about it. Like the scene with Diamond at the end felt comedic with how terribly it wanted to be a superhero movie. Life is Strange should be about drama, character development, and feelings, not powers. [/spoiler]

Just beat this game, and without a doubt, it's the worst game I’ve ever played. I’ve played every major Life is Strange title and rated them all 10 out of 10. Each one had flaws, sure, but they still felt like a meaningful journey. You pushed through the rough edges because you cared about the characters, not just the leads but the entire world around them. That emotional investment is what made the series special. This game has none of that. There’s a flicker of potential up to Chapter 3, and then it completely falls apart. It’s unbelievable that anyone thought this was ready for release. The level design and artwork had promise, but there’s so little of it that it feels like an unfinished shell. The gameplay is lazy and insulting. You’re stuck repeating the same locations and interacting with the same pointless objects over and over. In previous games, examining stuff added depth. Here, it’s just recycled clutter that makes you question why you’re even bothering. It's not immersive, it's just irritating. And the story? It's a disaster. I don't know what kind of out of touch echo chamber approved this, but it pissed me off so much I had to sit down and write this. I can’t even begin to explain how absurd and disconnected the entire thing felt. It spits in the face of everything that made this series matter. A quick search brings up the producers: T. Julian Bell, Corwin Cantin, Jason Yu, Kale Keriazes, Kelsey Lakowske, Omoyemi Oni, and Lauren Parker. These people should never be trusted with a game again. They ruined something truly special.

I don't exactly know how to feel about this game. There were some pretty wild twists and turns throughout the game, and it will certainly lead to another game with [i]Max Caulfield[/i], but it still feels unfinished. Most of the game had a steady pace, but Chapter 5 felt very rushed. It is still a fun experience and beautifully designed. The soundtrack was pretty dope too, but if you're trying to recapture the admiration from [i]Life is Strange[/i] or [i]Life is Strange: Before the Storm[/i]... maybe don't go into this with high hopes. [h2]5.5/10[/h2]

💔I like all parts of Life is Strange💔 💔Obviously this part turned out worse than the others, but it has a place to be💔 💔There are some stuffy moments in this part, but the story is not bad💔[spoiler]💔A very weak ending to the game💔[/spoiler] 💔I hope the developers will release another new part of the game in 2026-2027💔

it has so many elements that SHOULD make it really interesting and really captivating but it loses me with how buggy it is (atleast for me) and the lack of...... feeling that the original life is strange had. just something is missing of its original charm. i want to care, but i just cant. the lack of chloe price certainly doesnt help.

First of all it was wonderful to see Max again and spend time with her With the advancements in technology the characters have definitely become cuter and their facial expressions are much better In the story part of the game there were 1 2 moments where I felt like “what’s this scene doing here something’s missing in between” as if there should have been more there Those missing or in between details could have been expanded and the game’s length could have been increased Everyone kept asking “Where’s Chloe?” but that can actually change depending on the choice made at the start of the game Also compared to the first game we definitely get to talk with more characters and have more adventures together in this one In the first game everything revolved around Chloe and since she was so loved I think a lot of people unfairly gave negative comments about this game This is definitely a game that should be played To fully understand everything and explore it completely as well as to make alternative choices it’s necessary to play it twice The game’s story is full of completely different things and in some parts you’ll experience moments where you’ll say “no way” and be surprised I personally really liked the game and its world and characters were beautiful Amanda was especially adorable The “Max will return” line at the ending made me very happy because I thought we would never see her again Let’s see I can’t wait for it to come out so we can be reunited with Max.

I gave this a recommend, but I think overall, the "Mixed" reviews are accurate. I overall enjoyed most of DE, as a fan of the series, but there are some serious setbacks that make some of the criticism fair, in my opinion. Pros: - Chapters 1, 2 and 3. - The design and art direction are great. From the set design, to character design, to little things like the journal art, the world feels lived in and beautiful. Caledon is a great setting that is well-realised in most aspects. The music is also very good, full of earworms. - The central mechanic is interesting and gets some good utilisation. - The initial story is interesting and gripping, leaving you to want more. I appreciate that the non-inclusion of Chloe is a bummer for some - but I think this was always going to happen if DE was going to meaningfully respect the choice of players at the end of LiS. I also think, honestly, that it makes sense. Most childhood sweethearts do not stay that way - especially when the have the trauma that Max and Chloe do. It is bittersweet, but I don't think it's "bad writing" as some have claimed. - Most all of the characters are really well written and acted. I felt real attachment to every character (bar Lucas) and they felt realistic. Special shout-outs go to Moses, Amanda, Diamond, Gwen, and Reggie - even Vinh feels like he is a real person who really grows on you by the end. - The background conversations again do well to make the world feel real and lived-in, and do a great job expanding the lore and community of Caledon. I found myself really invested in some of the goings-on (Timid Guy and Goth Girl). Cons: - Chapter 5. - By about Chapter 3 or 4, the central mechanic feels very used up. There was a lot more scope to explore it and interesting puzzles using it, but I don't feel these were realised. - The story starts to really go "off the rails" and feel unconnected from a traditional LiS experience around Chapter 4. I think most of Chapter 4 is actually quite fun, which is why I didn't include it as a Con, but the "twist" at its end comes out of nowhere, feels unearned, and broadly not aligned with the story. By Chapter 5, everything feels disjointed and grasping at straws. It seems to me that they wrote themselves into a corner in Chapters 3/4 and then spent Chapter 5 trying to come to any sort of satisfying ending as a result. They do not manage to stick the landing, the ending feels again forced and the choice was frankly confusing, compared to the clear and emotional choice at the end of LiS 1, this fell flat because it wasn't really clear what was going on any more, or what the game was trying to say. The "motel" sequence especially feels a bit like trying to stall the end. - Lucas feels like a poor imitation of Jefferson, and Max even says this. His total disconnection from the Chapter 5 finale maxes it feel even more of a pointless inclusion. - The disjointed ending also means some characters who had really interesting ideas behind them (Loretta and Alderman, most prominently) feel cheated of an arc. Overall, I would say to go for it, and enjoy the first 3 and a half chapters of this game. But go into it with the awareness that you are not going to get a satisfying conclusion. Enjoy the vibes and environment of Caledon, and some of the great character work, and head into Chapter 5 with low, low expectations.

I found myself to be disappointed by this game, considering it's the continuation of Max Caulfield from the first Life is Strange game, a very beloved game might I add. I initially wrote a lengthy review expressing my emotions but I think it's a bit much for any normal person to swallow so I thought I would condense it into a pros and cons list. CONS: -Uninteresting new characters without enough backstory -You get one game changing decision from the beginning which is related to the first game as to whether [spoiler]you saved Chloe or you saved Arcadia Bay[/spoiler] and this choice will allegedly alter some parts of the story. It's enough of an alteration where you have to play the whole game again in order to get the achievement [spoiler]Bay or Bae?[/spoiler]. This could have been done differently which is why I'm docking it under cons. -[spoiler]If you chose to save Chloe from the first LiS game you will be disappointed to find out that her and Max are broken up due to Chloe not trusting Max to not use her time powers. Just you know, a completely out of nowhere baseless fear. [/spoiler] This was docked as a con because it was just kind of lazy on the writers part to completely remove a character[spoiler] that's this important to Max just because she doesn't quite fit in the Caledon world. If there had been an ounce of effort, Chloe could have fit into this world at least as Max's friend again if they were going to break up.[/spoiler] -Forced romance between only two characters. It's VERY lazy writing because [spoiler]we know nothing about Amanda or Vinh[/spoiler] and the little we do know is not constructive enough to warrant such a seemingly important choice. -Repetitive story setting you will find that if you are not in the Caledon grounds, you're inside Caledon between the admin building the cafe building, and if you're not there you would be at the Turtle bar right outside the grounds, and if you're not at the bar you get to be where Max is staying which is her own cabin for some reason which is still on the grounds of Caledon. We don't ever leave Caledon. Even in[spoiler] the reality warped portion of the story[/spoiler] you are still just stuck in Caledon. This feels claustrophobic and unimaginative. Huge different compared to the first LiS game but similar to LiS True Colors which was also kind of a shit game. -The DLC is completely useless and barely worth it for the cosmetic/aesthetic PoV. If you select an indoor outfit, you better like the outdoor outfit that comes with it, because you can't mix and match. The hair also does not match the outdoor outfits on a lot of the outfits which reads as LAZY and HALF ASSED. The cat is also completely point because [spoiler]you don't even get to keep it. You end up returning it to its owner, which is like, why make me build a bond with this cute cat just to have to return it? Fuck you.[/spoiler] -Issues with graphics and editing. I found often times the voice acting would sound like it was coming from a mic inside a studio. Bad post processing on the editors part? Who's at fault? Huge con, huge issue. The graphics were also very lacking. They should have kept it simple if they weren't going to go all out on making it look good. It looked blurry half the time with several focal issues. -On top of this having a terrible story in general, it also had a bad ending. [spoiler]Safi turning into a completely different personality was unwarranted. It's like she wasn't Safi anymore and didn't give a shit about Max or Moses whom she claimed to care so much about in the beginning. [/spoiler]It didn't add up. All because[spoiler] her book deal was canceled by her mom and her best friends book deal was stolen by Lucas? The anger from both of those things seems so small[[/spoiler]spoiler] when you compared it to LiS 1 where the main conflict was a literal serial killer. [/spoiler] PROS: -Playing as Max Caulfield again was nostalgic even though I funnily enough don't care for the voice actor themselves but it's so Max at this point that i've grown fond of it -Text reply where you have the option to choose how you reply was a nice touch -Music choices where for the most part decent If you're going to buy this game, I would highly suggest waiting for a good sale before getting it, knowing full well you're probably going to be disappointed. I was prewarned as well about it but I wanted to judge for myself and I have. LiS is still in general a good story and the games are nostalgic. It would just be nicer if the current developers or current writers would stick to what already worked with the first few LiS games where you had this outwardly sunny and happy world but the reality was darker and more raw than what you say(i'm specifically talking about the LiS 1, Before the storm, the awesome adventure of captain spirt, and LiS 2). Those were FANTASTIC stories that STILL stick to me even today after not having played it in years.

EN / RU As a big fan of the first Life is Strange and especially Before the Storm, I really enjoyed this game. It’s a worthy continuation of Maxine’s character arc. This time, she truly feels like the main protagonist — unlike the first game, where most of the focus was on Chloe. The tone here is darker and more mature, the choices are tough, and that’s fantastic. I also loved all the side characters — they’re well-written and feel like real, living people. The game perfectly captures the atmosphere of a small winter town, and the engine really brings it to life. Most importantly, the game respects the choice you made in the first Life is Strange. I chose to save Arcadia Bay, and Max carries that decision with her — it gives her character so much more depth and weight. Highly recommended! *** Как большой фанат первой Life is Strange и, особенно, Before the Storm, эта игра мне зашла. Это достойное развитие Максин как персонажа. Она, наконец, ощущается главным персонажем, в отличие от первой части, где больший фокус был на Хлое. У игры немного более мрачный и взрослый настрой, нежели в оригинале, выборы тяжелы и это потрясающе. Я подолгу сидел над некоторыми развилками, на чем себя раньше не ловил. Мне также очень понравились все второстепенные персонажи, они неплохо прописаны и ощущаются живыми людьми. В игре потрясающе передана атмосфера маленького зимнего города и движок это отлично подчеркивает. Самое главное — игра уважает выбор, сделанный в первой части. Я с тяжелым сердцем выбрал Аркадию Бэй и Макс носит этот выбор с собой, что добавляет её персонажу веса. За сцену с пряничным домиком я бы накинул два балла, если бы их вообще ставил. Рекомендую!

I'm super biased, i LOVE all of the LIS games, and so I obviously adored this one. Max is such a wonderful protagonist I feel so connected to on a deep level!! I think seeing her in this new world feels like a footnote to grief, a love letter to moving on! The queer characters and dialogue felt natural and comfortable, and I also loved amanda. Cool twists and turns, and objectively a cool story. LOVEDD the soundtrack. Honestly I loved this game. Definitely give it a shot. I'm a big fan