I see where they were going with this game, especially with it being similar to Donnie Darko which was a satirical take on teenage angst mixed with philosophical world-ending time travel shenanigans, operating like a coked-up Philip K. Dick piece (whom director Richard Kelly was inspired by). Donnie Darko wasn't perfect, but it was interesting enough. Life is Strange shares some of those elements, but it doesn't hold up like that film does, which I find unfortunate because already so many video game stories falter one way or another, including the highly-praised ones, Which, to be fair, I get why this story is praised more than the likes of, say, the Bioshock series, which is like a hackneyed Hollywood affair written by someone who took Intro to Lit and applied what they learned during amateur hour at a writer's workshop. It's not an absolute mess like that, it's more mixed, but unfortunately, going into too much detail on what I find both good and bad overall would be too much for this review. What stuck in my craw the most was ultimately the ending anyway, which I normally avoid spoiling, but feel a serious need to from here, so be warned: First, the idea that a massive death storm arrives simply because some random person is alive is absolutely ludicrous and makes it clear the writers wanted to force a tired ethical dilemma that's more superfluously dramatic than thought-provoking. In Donnie Darko, a whole reality was ending because of the time shift, here it's just a town under fire because reasons. Combine that with another in a long line of lesbian deaths in fiction and you get a pretty tasteless facepalm of an ending. Which, I get the two women don't have to be together, I agree. But then either don't do it at all, or do it for both endings. It wouldn't matter so much if not for trying to be inclusive. If not for the ending, I would've considered three stars. Better than most still, but that's not saying much. Video games still have a long way to go...
I mentioned this game in another review praising it as an example of an FMV game done right. I say that for a number of reasons, first being that it for being mostly cutscenes it does have its fair share of interactivity and freeform gameplay despite its limitations. There are a number of ways to pose questions and phrases, and sometimes a little difference can mean a lot. Sometimes it's even best not to say anything at all, and knowing when to speak or not is half the battle (though admittedly you'll speak more often than not). The game does otherwise give the option of simplifying your run by typing certain important phrases, but what's the fun in that when you can get an out-of-nowhere answer that's not even related to your question? It can be fun that way. Which can be a problem, admittedly, as the text entry, as freeform as it is, is still limited and can sometimes read your response wrong, or think you're answering to something when you're not, or not even accept an answer to a question you're trying to answer. It's not frustratingly bad, but it can hamper the experience for a bit before you're back on your way. It's like troubleshooting a computer in that sense, but you're talking to people. Which, I will admit, while I wouldn't call any of the actors bad, some are better than others, but I'm willing to forgive that due to the tone of the game and its purpose in being a Lovecraftian sci-horror satire. That's what is more important is the story overall holds as actually being pretty solid overall. It's far from amazing, but for what it's going for it works more than well enough and I'd recommend it for its clever ideas and execution of them alone. So, the story isn't the absolute most amazing, but considering most game stories tend to be awful, even the highly-praised ones, that's a serious compliment to this game. With it's unique, if also slightly flawed, gameplay mechanic, it's an obvious recommendation, especially at this price, well worth it.
