Life is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room Reviews
After the shocking conclusion of Chaos Theory, Life is Strange Dark Room ups the ante once more and continues on it path of out of the blue surprises. Taking a darker and at times almost gruesome turn, episode 4 offers not only the longest story of the four but the best in the series so far. Character development reaches a new emotional level of depth and the gameplay has developed further again to gain a sense of challenge.
Life Is Strange is still a strong candidate for my game of the year but this episode raised a bunch of problems.
Life is Strange: Dark Room does a masterful job at bringing us to the finale, and it currently stands out as the best chapter in the series. While some may find fault in the shallow gameplay mechanics and the absence of multiple choices, the plot more than makes up for it, leaving us anticipating the last chapter with great excitement.
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.
We can't wait to see the conclusion to the story we started back in January, as well as playing the role of Max one last time. It's been a long and bumpy ride, but we're glad we are on board.
'Dark Room' exhibits the best and worst of what Life is Strange has to offer
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.
Life is Strange Episode 4: Dark Room ends with another signature cliffhanger. The game's story is coming around though and I'm sure DontNod have an explosive finale planned for us, here's to hoping it comes out sooner rather than later. If the final episode doesn't end up being a disappointing mess, I can see Life is Strange becoming my favourite Adventure game ever.
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.
Character inconsistencies and story dead-ends mar an otherwise superb narrative series that is starting to really pay off.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A Telltale-esque title set in suburban America that hints at maturity.
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.
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!
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.
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!