Life is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis Reviews
Life is Strange, Episode One: Chrysalis is a joyous, gripping adventure that has laid down a strong foundation for the rest of the series. Its time-travelling mechanic is a great spin on traditional narrative, choice-heavy video games of similar fashion, and is backed up by brilliant characterization and superb storytelling. It may not be perfect, but there's absolutely no way you'll want to miss out on Max's adventures.
Life Is Strange's opening episode is a slow burner that leaves you with far more questions than answers, but the most important factor here is that we want to know the answers and will return to the series to find them.
Life is Strange Episode 1: Crysalis is an excellent introduction to the series and it successfully manages to pull you into its wonderful world.I look forward in experiencing the rest of the episodes
Life is Strange is presented in a package that, at first, might not seem like much, but once you delve into its world you'll see how much more it offers. With a $5 price tag, there's no reason to pass Life is Strange up. Unless, that is, you're aiming for the season's pass.
Life Is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis certainly is strange, but perhaps not in the way that DONTNOD intended. There's enough ground work laid here to pave the way for future instalments, but a lot of the good is undone by lip sync issues and some of the most mind-bogglingly bad dialogue that we've heard in recent memory. While some of this is inadvertently hilarious, it does end up hurting the product at points. There's definitely still hope for this season, but the jury's out right now.
A fantastic first step on a journey I didn't see coming.
Life is Strange's debut episode starts off strong, showing just enough of what it has to offer while cementing its characters and story firmly in its world. Though the journey only lasted 2-3 hours, it did enough during that time to make me excited for the episodes to come and it left me guessing what the consequences of my actions will be.
After quite a bit of meandering, Life is Strange offers revelations, along with dialogue that isn't trying to ape how a teenager might sound. Or maybe the awkwardness is just drowned out by Chloe and Max's sincerity. And, in the tradition of all good TV pilots - it owes as much to TV and cinema as it does to other games - there's a cliffhanger that's going to force me to come back.
In one of the developer diaries released by Dontnod leading up to the release of Life is Strange, JMAX, co-founder of Dontnod, says, "I believe video games are the future of storytelling and I think this is just a pre-history of video games… We are just pioneers. This industry is just learning to walk on its feet…" If Life is Strange is any indication of the direction the storytelling of video games is heading, the evolution is one that should be highly admired.
In the end, the only thing I can truly say is that Life is Strange is a must-buy. With its artsy graphics and music, relatable and realistic characters, and numerous mysteries and choices, the episodic adventure easily sucked me in and had me wishing I could dive directly into Episode 2. If the future episodes are anything like this first one, then I think Life is Strange is set to be one of the best games of the year, if not the best one.
Overall, Life is Strange Episode 1: Chrysalis is an outstandingly charming, albeit brief beginning to this beautiful, new world. DONTNOD Entertainment has laid out what is to come in stellar fashion and I can't wait for Episode 2 to arrive, though waiting until sometime in March is still a decision I seriously question.
As the introductory episode of Life is Strange, Chrysalis exists as a great beginning, which is full of both intrigue and hints towards greatness. This is a game that feels like it exists in a living world, and it's one that we want to explore more.
But, by the end of Episode 1 of Life is Strange, the game at the very least also proves that life is filled with rewarding challenges and beautiful moments, even if they fade like a weathered old photograph.
Life is Strange explores what it's like to be a teenage girl on the brink of escaping the clutches of high school, but with the ability to rewind time.
Overall, though, Life is Good is a good first attempt — pun so totally intended — that sets up the series for what could shape up to be a solid multi-episode run. Certain aspects of the game certainly could use a bit of polish. At the same time, it builds a nice foundation for its upcoming chapters, and I'm already nervously anxious about how the choices I've made will impact the next episode. Let's just say I'm now looking forward to the ways the series will delight or break my heart. Life is strange, indeed.
The first episode of Life Is Strange is a mixed bag – the dialogue grates and inspecting items is a bore, but there is promise elsewhere. With the story's foundations laid down, the next episode could be a standout.
Life is Strange has simplicity to it that is driven by a strong and intriguing storyline. It's one of those titles that demands your attention, but doesn't ask too much from your gaming skills. Gamers may not like the lack of control and variety of gameplay, but the freedom to dictate the character and story might be enough to warrant a go.
So maybe life isn't strange, but at least the game tries.
Life is Strange Episode 1: Chrysalis is an engaging and enjoyable first instalment in what promises to be a compelling adventure series. If subsequent episodes can live up to what Dontnod has started, we're in for a treat.