Life is Strange: Double Exposure Reviews
For fans of the first Life Is Strange, Double Exposure might be a nice trip down memory lane, and it's a nice way to get inspiration for indie music playlists, but its weak story and dearth of meaningful gameplay makes it a tough sell for most audiences. For $50, when story-and-choice-driven masterpieces retail for less, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is probably only a good fit for die-hard series fans.
It's great to have Max Caulfield back, but I'm not sure she ever needed to be in the first place. A somewhat unnecessary-feeling sequel that still manages to tell a compelling story, if not a little messy and underbaked.
Like its own hero's dabbling with time travel, Life is Strange: Double Exposure highlights the troubles of trying to revisit old memories, while raising unanswered questions about the future.
After several attempts to recapture what made the original Life is Strange so enduring, developer Deck Nine Games really knocked it out of the park with Life is Strange: Double Exposure. This is a worthy sequel to a game that captured the hearts and minds of millions of people way back in 2015, myself included. The writing is great, the music is excellent, the cinematography and acting are top-notch, and Max’s new powers are a fun and intuitive fit for its murder mystery structure.
As modest as it is, it still accomplishes what it set out to do. It's a good, fun Life is Strange game, and there isn't much else like that. It maintains the delicate balance between campy and comforting throughout, but you just can't help but notice that the tightrope is only a few feet off the ground.
It's exploration of powers left me wanting more. Fans of Life is Strange will likely get more out of the experience than those going in cold turkey, but Double Exposure is worth checking out if you're looking to get stuck into a twisty mystery - though I'd still say it's worth trying the original first.
Double Exposure offers some interesting narrative beats, gorgeous visuals, and a few endearing characters, but fails to deliver the personality, drama, or emotion it is reliant upon.
Almost ten years after her terrific debut, Max Caulfield returns in a worthy if uneven sequel
Whatever promise Life is Strange: Double Exposure has, be it in its beautiful setting, fun and likable characters, or its intriguing setup, ends up being undermined by a scattershot narrative that never comes together. And unfortunately, with a lack of any substantial gameplay or meaningful choices, that leaves this as just a so-so adventure game at best, and what is arguably the lowest-ranking game in the series. Hopefully Life is Strange can rebound back, but for now, it's not a pretty picture.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure brings back our time-altering protagonist Max Caulfield after nearly a decade. While the character work largely succeeds in recapturing the original's charm, clunky mechanics and an occasionally grating supporting cast make this return an overall mixed experience.
A knotty mess of quippy dialogue and plot-driven missteps exist side-by-side with some beautiful and touching moments for the returning Max Caulfield.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a perfectly enjoyable narrative adventure, but one which we'd strongly suggest you play elsewhere unless Switch is your only means. Timeline-hopping antics, a compelling murder mystery, and a cosy atmosphere all work strongly in this one's favour, but the Switch's hardware limitations lead to an experience that feels notably blunted due to the various visual cuts that had to be made to fit this one on the humble handheld. The story itself is a fine adventure that fans (especially of the first entry) may find worthwhile, but the value proposition on Switch makes it harder to justify that $50 price tag. We wouldn't say to outright avoid the Switch version, but we'd suggest you wait for a deep sale before diving in.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is filled with the same powerful moments as the original, with fresh new characters and clever gameplay.
Despite its shortcomings, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a promising gift for fans. Its dark mystery narrative requires you to keep track of two separate timelines at most intervals. But there's enough breathing room to enjoy the usual heartfelt moments of the series. Although the final chapter parallels the first game's events in a way, it sets up an unexpected follow-up sequel, leaving much to be desired from its characters. On the plus side, the series' staple elements, from the soundtrack to the puzzle-solving sections, are executed perfectly. Deck Nine could've handled the Max and Chloe dynamic more appropriately, but there's still enough fan service that most Life is Strange fans will adore this game.
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is a great point-and-click adventure. One of the best in the dramatic genre, however, we expected a bigger revolution with the return of Max Caufield. His new powers, although attractive, do not offer much depth in terms of gameplay, and the plot, which is always one of the fundamental pillars of the saga, has certain ups and downs. However, it is a great story with extremely charismatic characters that we will not forget. The best of all is that the promise is firm, Max will return, and we hope that next time he will do so with an adventure that lives up to what this character deserves.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Life is Strange: Double Exposure presenta una trama seductora que te atrapa rápidamente gracias a su gran novedad jugable: el viaje entre realidad. Sin embargo, la falta de variedad e innovación en el gameplay hace que no pueda despuntar tanto como le gustaría.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a very easy game to recommend. If you have enjoyed previous games in the series, this is doing enough of the same to scratch that same lowkey mystery vibes itch. The ability to shift between timelines can become a touch overwhelming at times, but there's several things in place across the UI, accessibility options, and narrative flow to keep the gameplay smooth. What's more, I think this game might have redeemed Max Caulfield for me too, so take that how you will.
Despite a fantastic soundtrack and interesting characters, the game's lack of player choice and clunky writing fails to live up to the gravitas of the series.
Max Caulfield’s journey resonates with me deeply, and Deck Nine has demonstrated that it can give that character the respect she deserves. I may not love every aspect of its gameplay or ending, but I’m glad Max’s story continued. I can’t say whether or not Double Exposure will feel like it was made for you, too, but I can affirm that the Life is Strange series can still capture that feeling.
It's impossible to make your way through Life is Strange: Double Exposure without performance issues interfering with the experience. It’s ironically right in line with the game’s theme of duality, with the Living and Dead worlds serving as metaphors for what it’s like playing through the newest Life is Strange game.