It has good moments but mostly I am afraid they did it only for the money and not for the art. Also, the gameplay is less good than the first game, imho. Also, the fact there is a bonus episode and one is supposed to pay for it makes me angry. Not everything is to throw away, honestly. A hardcore fan would surely find it awesome. I had a good time with the original Life is Strange and I feel doing a prequel was unnecessary. I do hope you will enjoy this one if you choose to purchase it, though.
Good points:
The Stage Play
The Table Top Games
If you don't like games that have their focus on the story rather than gameplay, this game is probably not for you.
But if you liked the original game and want to learn more about the story of Chloe, this is your game.
It keeps the artstyle and feel of the original and adds MUCH better lip sync.
Chloe & Rachel rock! I enjoyed this prequel almost as much as the previous game "Life is Strange" (which was longer and slightly more intriguing). Thanks for the great game Square Enix! We need more games like this.
TLDR: if you haven't played the original life is strange, give this game a pass. if you have played the original life is strange and you freaking loved it, don't bother reading this review, just buy the game.
for everyone else, here's what I think:
the first life is strange is a pretty great game. certainly not perfect. it's a little flat at times, and uneven moving from one segment to another. it's a 4 out of 5 game rounded up.
this game is an addendum. it does NOT stand well on its own.
the quality of writing is inferior compared to life is strange. if you haven't played the original a lot of this stuff won't make sense.
the music is of the same quality. no remarks.
pacing is uneven, even compared to original. at times it really takes you out of it. no spoilers though.
graphics are of similar quality. no remarks.
the ending is much less interesting than the endings of LIS - but they really couldn't change anything since this is a prequel.
i'd give this game a 3/10 but it's out of five so ... i'll round up to 2/5
BUT!
if you were REALLY into everything the original game had to offer, you're going to enjoy this quite a bit. you may even love it as much as the original.
i appreciate that they made a call to focus on the fanbase of the original to give them more of what they want.
consider this twin peaks fire walk with me the TV movie (also a prequel) to LIS's Twin Peaks the original series. which fits because the TV movie totally leans into the weird stuff where in the originals the weird stuff was auxiliary to the story.
sadly, no david bowie cameo in this.
If you enjoyed the original Life is Strange for its characters and relationships, and you thought Chloe was an interesting, but kinda one-note character, you'll find a lot to love in Before the Storm. Deck Nine really captures what made the first one special and builds a great game around it.
