Life is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room Reviews
Life Is Strange Episode 4 is a series of gut punches, making new strides in gameplay and storytelling that take the series from interesting to must-play.
Dark Room finally sets off the mystery but it's the least consistent episode of Life Is Strange so far.
Episode 4 wraps up some mysteries, but leaves you with even more questions, enticing you to stay on the turbulent ride
Life is Strange's penultimate episode abuses its own mechanics and drags the pace down, but bookends its slog with two powerful, well-worth-it gut punches.
'Dark Room' exhibits the best and worst of what Life is Strange has to offer
With Episode 4: Dark Room finishing on a brilliant cliffhanger, Dontnod will no doubt be firing on all cylinders as they head towards the finish line for Life Is Strange with some serious momentum behind them.
Life Is Strange is still a strong candidate for my game of the year but this episode raised a bunch of problems.
Dark Room doesn't give you much room to complain, unless you hate things that make you have feelings. It's the best-paced, most emotional entry yet, and it handles its super-serious subject matter with skill and maturity. This is the chapter we've been waiting to play since the beginning.
An emotional tour de force that has considerably upped the ante as the final episode approaches. That last episode can't come soon enough.
A hugely disappointing penultimate episode, but if you enjoyed the first three it's still nowhere near enough to put you off from following things through to the end.
So, after another cliffhanger ending, we're left awaiting the conclusion and with no real idea where the narrative might go. Dark Room has been the most masterful installment in Life is Strange thus far, and it sets us hurtling toward the finish line. If the first 80 percent is any indication, it probably won't be a "happily ever after" ending. Only one thing's certain, though: that ever-present throat lump will be along for the ride.
This is the fourth time in as many chapters that Life Is Strange has shocked me big time. So bring on the conclusion stat. I am ready for one more trip to Arcadia Bay.
As the credits rolled at the end of the episode, I was left trying to digest not just the final few moments, but the episode as a whole. There were several very powerful moments, with Dontnod's mature approach to the subject matter and ambiguous decision making key, as they tackled the theme of life and death that ran throughout. Alongside some great puzzles and use of Max's time warping power, this is the best episode yet.
But, despite the occasional jarring conversations or the surprisingly calm reactions to horrific events, Life is Strange: Episode 4 is able to deliver some intense emotional blows, while at the same time begin to wrap up some key mysteries and keep the entire adventure highly exciting. This is one of the best episodes in the season, and it alone can be listed as a reason to buy Life is Strange if you haven't already taken the plunge.
Life is Strange has been getting better with each episode and with the best story by far found in Episode 4 – The Dark Room, the upcoming finale is setting up to be mindblowing.
Life is Strange's progression from a promising, awkward experiment to a confident, bold narrative is one of the year's most interesting gaming tales.
With each episode managing to impress and surprise us more than the last, I can only assume that the next and final episode of Life is Strange will make our jaws drop yet again. For now, we just have to patiently wait until we can get our hands on it.
I firmly believe Life is Strange is an amazing series, and I stick by this statement. This episode kicks it into overdrive and now makes the next month and a half wait for the finale that much longer.
Emotionally powerful and engaging, Life is Strange Episode Four: Dark Room cements Dontnod's teen drama as a real contender for Game of the Year. Roll on Episode Five!
Episode four of DONTNOD's Life Is Strange continues the exceptional level of quality that episode three delivered. It even goes so far as to surpass what came before in a variety of ways.