Life is Strange: Episode 5 - Polarized Reviews

Life is Strange: Episode 5 - Polarized is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Unscored
May 7, 2020

Overall, the finale of Life is Strange is a masterpiece, much like the series itself. Really focusing on character development and Max’s psyche, episode 5 stood out as the best installment in the entire episodic adventure. The many side characters showed their true selves and were each given a proper send off. Psychological horror and the complications of time travel mixed with intense moments made each part of this episode worth while. Although both endings were well written and posed moral ambiguity, the only thing episode 5 really needed was more choices and more paths for the players to decide.

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9 / 10
May 31, 2017

Dating back to January of this year, Max's adventure has been quite a ride. After a couple of episodes that were pretty shaky, the French developer righted itself and delivered three consecutive home runs that absolutely blew us away, and this has culminated in a finale that delivers on everything that we could have possibly dreamed of. We definitely hope that Life Is Strange sees something of a second season, and we can't wait to see what DONTNOD does next.

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8.2 / 10.0
Dec 23, 2015

Polarized ending may split some players with some saying the endings offer a satisfying conclusion to this teen sci-fi drama while others may find it a somewhat underwhelming climax to what has been a great series. The ending aside, this has been another very well written chapter, as the tension continued to rise throughout and as for the character development it was again on top form rewarding players with some very moving moments.

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9 / 10
Dec 14, 2015

The best episodic game out there right now

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8 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2015

The capstone to a brilliant game, Polarized is a little too melodramatic to feel fully satisfying.

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8.7 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2015

Polarized is not the perfect ending that some might've hoped for but it's a very strong finale. It carries a lot of the problems the other episodes did but they are issues that feel small in the grand scheme of things. The issues addressed narratively are situations that not many games have been brave enough to explore. That's something that can be said for the game as a whole. For that alone Life is Strange deserves to be applauded.

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4.5 / 5.0
Nov 18, 2015

Polarized caps off the Life Is Strange saga with powerful storytelling and one of the more, well, polarizing endings seen in a video game. The middle drags on a bit and some gameplay elements aren't quite as dialed in. Then again, the series does such a good job with making you care that the journey becomes quite a compelling one, even if you may not necessarily agree with the final destination.

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82 / 100
Nov 17, 2015

"Polarized" is otherwise so linearly story-driven that the puzzle play of its dream sequence feels a little out of place.

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6.5 / 10.0
Nov 11, 2015

"Polarized" will most likely be the most…well, polarizing episode of Life is Strange, and though the episode falters a bit compared to the times it succeeds, it still concludes the tale of Max, Chloe, and the numerous citizens of Arcadia Bay with style, emotion, and nearly every loose thread wrapped up neatly. While "Polarized" maybe suffers the most from some of the more "gamey" elements of Life is Strange, it still brings with it so many of the qualities that made Life is Strange a unique, if not quite perfect episodic experience. From a dreamlike sequence ripped straight out of Twin Peaks, to a gripping murder mystery, to a touching story of friendship and support, Life is Strange has been daring and unafraid to try something different, and "Polarized" caps off the season with a poignant and touching picture to remember the series by, even if the end result is a little overexposed.

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Unscored
Nov 8, 2015

Life is Strange has had its ups and downs, but the occasionally cheesy writing and dull plot points are easily outweighed by a truly unique game world and generally strong story-telling.

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85 / 100
Oct 30, 2015

Life is Strange is, without a doubt, one of the most unique episodic choice-based games to date.

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9 / 10
Oct 30, 2015

Max and Chloe's adventure comes to an excellent end.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2015

It's not the gamey aspects that are remembered, but the small, personal elements that make up a relatable narrative. It just all happens to involve time travel.

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90 / 100
Oct 27, 2015

Life Is Strange's conclusion is as effective and powerful an ending as we could hope for. It's been an emotional, haunting, and often ridiculous time following Max and her friends on their timey-wimey quest, and I'm going to miss them.

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4.4 / 5.0
Oct 26, 2015

An underwhelming ending doesn't mean the whole series is bad though, till the final moments I had a splendid experience with Life is Strange. The game is now available at a discounted rate in a bundle packing all 5 episodes which I would defiantly recommend buying. Life is Strange is a unique and realistic adventure game that does most of the things right and that it enough of a reason to get the game.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Oct 26, 2015

Life is Strange has been a fascinating journey, rough around the edges but with a sense of personality and charm that few games can match. That's why it's so frustrating that, even with some noteworthy high points, the ending felt ultimately unfulfilling, and a low point for an otherwise great game series.

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Oct 26, 2015

Polarized may have trouble determining whether it wants to be a movie or a game, but it's still a solid ending to a very good episodic series. There are high points to applaud, and memorable moments, even if things get a bit too convoluted at times.

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4.5 / 5.0
Oct 26, 2015

Life Is Strange deserves every ounce of recognition it receives; it offers a compelling story that's heartwarming, poignant and powerful, but some people may also look back on it and remember it as the sleeper hit of 2015. Memorable characters, fantastic acting, unique visuals and a well-executed story are among the few things that have solidified Life Is Strange as not only one of the best titles of 2015, but also one of the video games that everyone must experience for themselves.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 26, 2015

Life Is Strange's conclusion cements its story as one of the more noteworthy in recent videogames.

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90%
Oct 26, 2015

The ends truly justify the means.

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