Life is Strange: Episode 5 - Polarized Reviews
If you've been putting off a purchase to see how the complete package rates, then you should definitely get it. It might suffer a little from "Telltale False Choice" syndrome, but due to how emotionally invested you become with the kids at Blackwell Academy, I found myself actually feeling guilty about some choices that I was reminded about.
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.
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.
Life is Strange went out with its emotional core beating strongly despite some of the same old gripes of the series lingering.
This is an example of what video games can do that no other medium can; it wouldn't work to see these things happen on a screen or read them on a page—Life is Strange draws its power from putting choices in players' hands, and while it may not amount to a perfect experience, it is one that they are never going to forget.
As a whole series, Life is Strange has been an intriguing and emotional experience. The rewind mechanic is an intelligent inclusion to the interactive drama genre and gives the impression of having significant control over the narrative. That said, there's certainly an argument that player choices have all been leading to a singular binary decision which somewhat softens the finale's emotional punch.
Max and Chloe's adventure comes to an excellent end.
Those who have played the series from the beginning most likely saw that there was only one evitable ending to the whole thing, but it doesn't make the big reveal any less heartbreaking. DONTNOD may be a newcomer to the choice-based adventure genre, but they have made their presence known and they can give any other adventure game a run for its money. Polarized has solidified Life is Strange's spot as a frontrunner for best adventure game of the year.
'Polarized' is a fitting end to a strange game that has been reliably decent, with the occasional wondrous high and disappointing low. It uses a mix of storytelling techniques that have not been seen previously in the 'Life is Strange' series, but gets its message across to the audience. What precisely that message is, is up for the viewer to decide.
"Polarized" is otherwise so linearly story-driven that the puzzle play of its dream sequence feels a little out of place.
Life Is Strange: Episode 5 - Polarized is an amazing final entry to the game as a whole making the entire game more than worth the price of admission.
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.
Life is Strange comes to its ultimate conclusion by asking players what's more important: one person or an entire town? This is an emotionally strong episode that's unfortunately padded out by sequences that justify its overall running time and reinforce that you're playing a game. Life is Strange was great as a whole, but there are missteps in this episode.
This all sounds like a lot of harping on a series that I feel has been nearly brilliant up to this point, and one that I still recommend highly despite my feelings about its closing presentation. I recognize that not only is life strange, but so are expectations. Undoubtedly this will not meet some people's. "Polarized" indeed.