Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 1: Awake Reviews
Life is Strange: Before the Storm had no easy task, but at least the first episode managed to deftly follow in shoes of its extremely successful predecessor.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
My experience with Life is Strange: Before the Storm was a good one, but nothing spectacular as far as story-telling games go. It convinces with the beautifully written dialogues and voice acting, but beyond that follows a generic story with little surprises (so far). At $5.99 you can’t go wrong. Expect between 2-4 hours of playtime with multiple choices for added replay value.
Episode 1: Awake is a strong start to Before the Storm.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm: Episode 1 has got off to a little bit of a stuttering start for me. I was very disappointed by the art style of choice, but the story that is unfolding will certainly be the most impactful feature of the game, much like the first. If the franchise is something you are in love with, then it will be a no brainer as I can’t really see them messing up the story.
Episode 1 of Beyond the Storm builds a few lines of dialogue from the original series and a character that we didn't previously meet into a riveting expansion of the Life is Strange universe. The writing. The visuals. The soundtrack. The story. The mechanics. They're all superb with only a handful of niggles and bum lines. All of my caution and concern was totally unfounded as Deck Nine are obviously very safe hands to carry the series forward. Awake is as good as much of the original Life Is Strange and there's not a single "hella" in sight.
Life is Strange is a special kind of video game. The story is so engrossing and the characters are so relatable. The whole package is so much better than the sum of its parts. As such I don't feel justified in ranking a single episode and will defer until the whole story unfolds. For now all I can say is this episode has the same magical quality as the first game.
If you are a fan of Life is Strange this is a no brainer and you've probably already downloaded the game and are playing through it. Before the Storm was made with you in mind.
There’s only one way to really describe Life is Strange: Before the Storm – Awake – it’s more of the same, for better or worse. If you were a fan of the original game then you’re going to really enjoy what’s on offer here, with the whole angsty yet touching vibe carrying over this time around too. There are a few differences, most notably with the time-bending powers replaced with Chloe’s Backchat, but in general it all feels the same. If you weren’t a fan of the original game though, nothing on offer here is going to change your mind. I was a massive fan of the original game though and in turn really enjoyed playing through Life is Strange: Before the Storm – Awake. It has set up a story that I want to see more of, and whilst I might already know the fate of both characters, I’m still intrigued to see how their relationship blossoms and what issues they face going forward. Life is Strange: Before the Storm has got off to a great start, so hopefully there’ll be more of the same in the next two episodes.
The writing so far is every bit as corny as an independent film crossed with a CW drama is, and it’s this writing style that has made the series so endearing, so it’s hard to not be excited to see what new developer Deck Nine has store for the next couple episodes.
The original Life is Strange kind of came out of nowhere and surprised us all with just how good it was. As a result, there is a lot for Life is Strange: Before the Storm to live up to. Only one episode of three main episodes has released thus far, but so far it looks to be maintaining the quality of the original while presenting some new mechanics and building onto the backstory that we didn’t even know we needed so badly.
Overall, Episode 1 is a great introduction to Before the Storm. It offers what you expect from the series as well as adding in some new ideas. The way Deck Nine have been able to take the concept of the first game and apply them to a totally different character has been great.
Yes it has some serious pacing issues and the long conversations where you don’t seem to be doing much can grate. But the gameplay is solid, with some interesting extras and it still looks very pretty indeed.
Much like Dontnod succeeded despite their inexperience, Deck Nine has managed to pull off a fantastic start to their own addition to the Life is Strange universe and Chloe’s tale.
The first installment in "Life is Strange: Before the Storm" blew me out of the water. The Game's clever use of literary allusions, coupled with the impressive dialogue and impeccable playlist makes 'Awake' a beautiful exploration of depression.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a great start for the series and I'm very, very curious where it will go from here.
Deck Nine has shown an extraordinary understanding of a delicate formula. For fans, it's a return journey to one of the most vivid, joyous settings in gaming. For them, and for everyone else, it's a brave effort which, at times, surpasses the original.
Life is Strange Before the Storm feels like a true prequel to the original game, even though we don't have time travel abilities this time around. While character developments are interesting, this first chapter is unclear whether the journey will be better than the destination considering we already know how their fates will end.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Since the game deals more with character development and how they cope rather than temporal philosophy, it may or maybe not divide its audience. Even though this is a prequel, I felt that this game should be played after the original for the way it is presented, think of it as bonus content rather than a standalone game.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm offers us the chance to use trust and love as our cloak and dagger.
If you were a fan of Life is Strange and its formula, this prequel will be perfect if you desired more from Arcadia Bay.