Life is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room Reviews
The wait for the next episode is going to be quite painful.
Dark Room finally sets off the mystery but it's the least consistent episode of Life Is Strange so far.
When Dark Room moves beyond its initial twist in order to return to the mystery at the centre of the game's overarching plot, it succeeds at offering exciting gameplay in lieu of maintaining its thematic focus.
But there is one more episode left and the town of Arcadia Bay has yet to be saved. There is still time for Max's story to be subsumed by melodrama, for the game to simply spend the emotional currency it has worked hard to gather on a cliffhanger for the sake of having a cliffhanger. Come October shall we look back and wonder where this potential went? Perhaps we shall ask ourselves what could have been done differently. Or, perhaps, Life is Strange will navigate these concerns, becoming the game we hoped it would be.
Life Is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room is a great penultimate episode for this bestselling series, following up on a lot of questions we had from previous episodes, while giving us a bunch of new questions as well.
I think the developers are on to something really special here, and if they properly end it off in the next and final episode, Life is Strange will stand as a giant in the genre. Now, all that's left is to wait for the finale, and what a long and gruelling wait it's going to be.
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.
Dark Room brings out the darkness in Arcadia Bay, but fails to continue one of the best parts of Life is Strange.
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!
I have little hesitation in suggesting Life is Strange will be a narrative adventure masterpiece when it concludes with part five - bar a horrific final episode. The way in which DONTNOD has blended teen drama with sci-fi craziness and more than a hint of Twin Peaks is to be commended. It's certainly not something I wholly expected after Episode 1, and it feels like a genuine journey. By the time the credits rolled on Dark Room I knew I'd just played something outstanding, and it only makes the wait for conclusion even harder.
All in all, episode 4 is a good instalment and let's hope that the next episode comes sooner rather than later which may hurt the revelations found in episode four but if you enjoyed the previous stories, you'll enjoy this one. So how does Amber, Frank, Nathan, Veronica, Warren, Chloe and Max all connect? The answer will be found out in episode 5!
From the gate it was clear that Life is Strange was a title to keep an eye on. It's now evolved into an experience over a million players are constantly on the edge of their seats to continue, and is poised to become one they'll likely never forget. Even a seemingly shorter, more linear episode like this one shines in all the right places; it's a visual novel with a choose-your-own-adventure twist in which choices matter, and consequences are finally catching up like the dark cyclone ever hurdling toward Arcadia Bay.
A Telltale-esque title set in suburban America that hints at maturity.
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.
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.
Dark Room is the strongest episode of Life is Strange. It leaves you wanting to see what happens to Max Caulfield and the rest of Arcadia Bay whilst also delivering a truly entertaining slice of gaming.
As much as I'm looking forward to the conclusion of Life is Strange, I'm glad the episodic structure gives me a bit of reprieve. Days later, I'm still trying to process my thoughts and feelings on Dark Room, and I feel like this episode (and Life is Strange, as a whole, unless the final chapter completely drops the ball) is something we'll be talking about for years to come.
Now we wait for several more weeks before learning all of the truth behind the horrific things happening at Blackwell and Arcadia Bay, and hopefully how and why Max was given this power. Even though DONTNOD made something a bit predictable, they have left plenty of roads open to continue their usual unpredictability. I can honestly say at this point, I have no idea what will happen next. So many unanswered questions, and I have my expectations high that all will be revealed without any disappointment.
Character inconsistencies and story dead-ends mar an otherwise superb narrative series that is starting to really pay off.
After a brief emotional detour, Life is Strange gets back to its main plot. The beginning and end of this episode are strong, with a lot of tension and emotional payoff, but the middle feels like it's padding out the gameplay time instead of serving the story. Still, this is the best episode yet.