Life is Strange: Episode 3 - Chaos Theory Reviews
'Life is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory' packs an emotional wallop that, despite the occasional missteps, shows that this game won't be easily forgotten.
Life Is Strange: Episode 3 takes a massive turn with a heartfelt and ambitious new story.
I wish more happened in this episode, but the story is still intriguing and the cliffhanger is shocking
The third episode of Life is Strange marks the series' high point, with poignant emotional moments and a twist that turns the narrative on its head.
Dontnod created a stroke of genius with the ending of Episode 3: Chaos Theory, leaving an open-ended cliffhanger that is nothing short of the best jaw-dropping conclusion to any episodic title to date. The music, pacing, writing and voice acting surpass all expectations set for the series so far, providing enough substance for Life Is Strange to become a serious contender for GOTY.
Chaos Theory can't escape the shadow of its superior predecessor, but that's not to say it's a bad experience. Once you power through the dull fetch quests and irritating Chloe Time, it manages to provide some powerful moments and the best ending of any episode so far.
A shorter episode, but still a good one. Life is Stranges continues to be hella good.
It is also an interesting melding of the episodic adventure popularized by Telltale, the Doublefine puzzle game and the emergent genre of Cascadian environmental and self-exploration of which Gone Home is the definitive example. Fans of these forms are likely to find much to enjoy. Gentle, unhurried and with an ambient layer of puzzle-solving, this is a so far very successful melding of genres.
Life is Strange has always been about showing us the collisions between the past and the present, and with an ending set to turn the series on its head, there's no way of knowing just where to look back.
In the shadow of the incredibly powerful second episode, the midpoint in the series is a solid episode that felt for large parts like it was waiting for the next big thing to happen. Thankfully, Dontnod did just that with an almighty twist in its final few scenes that has you on tenterhooks with the seemingly infinite possibilities the story now holds.
The cliffhanger that Chaos Theory ends on is so perfect for this portrayal of the fictional Arcadia Bay, Oregon where nothing's ever perfect. However, it's also scarily dangerous in that it very well might render most of the world-building a moot point. It'd be such an absolute shame if that were to happen. We have to wait to see if that's the case. But, Life is Strange now has me in its grips, and if I'm worried, it's only because I care. I finally really, truly care.
Life Is Strange has always had a nice down-to-earth quality for a video game. Sure, the time travel gimmick is just that, but Max and the rest of the occupants of Arcadia Bay still keep me invested. And only two episodes remain.
There's a lot of downtime at the start, but another shock ending does little to dilute what is the best piece of interactive storytelling so far this year.
But, despite having a rushed feel and under appreciating some pretty large issues, Life is Strange: Episode 3 is highly intriguing, entertaining, and surprising. Even though it offers up a different type of gameplay experience than the first two episodes, it still holds its own against the larger story.
Life is indeed strange. Meddling with time is not as easy as you would think and this engaging story does a great job of driving that point home. The moral decisions that players make really do have an affect on the story's future. The game's time-rewinding mechanics mean that all options can be considered and those all-important decisions need not be rushed. While the story so far has followed a fairly predictable path, the events of Episode 3 have really turned things on their head. Dontnod has the potential to mix things up in Episode 4. Will they stick with this new direction or will we be turned back onto the path that we have been treading so far? Only time will tell.
With the power to rewind time and choose what happens it always comes with a price; it could be good or bad, but in the end it will always affect us. Life is Strange has shown that in a spectacular way, and I highly suggest it to anyone reading this review.
Life is Strange Episode 3 is another thrilling entry in this intriguing adventure series, featuring some of the best plot development to date.
We weren't particularly sold on the first two episodes of Life Is Strange, but we could see the kernel of potential that was hiding beneath the surface. Episode 3 – Chaos Theory is where that promise finally bursts to the forefront, delivering an almost perfect balance of tense storytelling, organic dialogue, and improved gameplay – all while setting up a potentially brilliant follow-up episode. This series is finally delivering what we always thought it could, and that makes us hella happy.
Let me just say, after playing episode 3 you'll wish episode 4 was already available.