Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 1: Awake Reviews

Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 1: Awake is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 4, 2017

Life is Strange Before The Storm: Awakening sets the stage for what promises to be a more than worthy prequel to the acclaimed Life is Strange.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Justin Celani
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2017

This was a solid first episode and if the quality keeps up, the entire prequel will be a nice companion pieces to the original game. Hopefully not taken anything away from it, but only adding more.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Sep 6, 2017

Despite feeling hesitant going into Before the Storm, Deck Nine Games' rendition of Arcadia Bay quickly reminded me of why I loved the series and its characters in the first place. Any fears of this being a cash-in on a beloved game melted away, and I was able to fully enjoy Awake without any second thoughts. I'm excited to see where Chloe and Rachel's story goes from here, even if I already know how tragic it ultimately ends.

Read full review

NZGamer
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2017

Ben received a digital copy of Life is Strange: Before the Storm from Square Enix for review.

Read full review

GameZone
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2017

Life is Strange: Before the Storm manages to capture the emotional heartache that the first game gave you and amplifies it to create a masterfully crafted story that is bursting at the seams with realistic human drama and remarkable characters.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Sep 1, 2017

For a mini series, Before the Storm is a worthy prequel, the drama around Chloe, attractive and lovely characters, just like the first season and the all-new gameplay system consisting of the Backtalk option which is amazing, makes this episode a satisfactory one and a "Must" for the fans. If you're missing the Arcadia bay and its people, do not miss Before the Storm

Review in Persian | Read full review

85 / 100
Sep 4, 2017

Despite being a story prior to the original, Life is Strange: Before the Storm is best enjoyed if you consider it as a sequel. By far, the heart of the episode is the Chloe and Rachel encounter and we can finally learn more about this character that all Arcadia Bay loves. In the end, the story is interesting and prepares us for a second episode that will possibly bring strong feelings. The biggest problem of the episode are some graphics bugs and the control.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Sep 3, 2017

If you were a fan of Life is Strange and its formula, this prequel will be perfect if you desired more from Arcadia Bay.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Sep 4, 2017

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.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Oct 1, 2017

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.

Read full review

8.4 / 10.0
Sep 24, 2017

Chloe is me. She’s you. She’s so many other teens of today and throughout time. She is one of the most fully-realized characters in modern video games, and I can’t wait to see what the next episode has in store for her and Rachel.

Read full review

83 / 100
Sep 5, 2017

Life is Strange: Before the Storm gets a lot of things right about Life is Strange…

Read full review

82 / 100
Aug 30, 2017

Episode 1 embarks on a new path with it's new gameplay mechanism while filling the plot holes from the original series. Despite some cheesy dialogues throughout the first episode, Before the Storm shows it has the potential to seize everything it wishes for.

Review in Persian | Read full review

8.1 / 10.0
Sep 4, 2017

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.

Read full review

Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Aug 31, 2017

An excellent start to a prequel series that taps into the same style of sincere storytelling as the original, making a previously unsympathetic character seem vulnerable and likeable.

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2017

Awake is at its best when it focuses on Chloe and Rachel's complicated lives, making you feel each character's struggle

Read full review

8 / 10
Sep 1, 2017

Deck Nine's Life Is Strange prequel ditches time travel, but finds power of a different sort.

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2017

That story stops in a beautiful place at Episode One's end: a cliffhanger that makes me want Episode Two, stat. I'm a little nervous about having to deal with more of Chloe's pop-punk-esque "I'm not OK" pontificating. But based on what I've seen from Before the Storm's premiere, I'm willing to tough it out alongside her, and Rachel, and the rest of Arcadia Bay.

Read full review

Sep 1, 2017

'Awake' is a great start to what I hope will ultimately be a great game. As a follow-up to Life is Strange, a game that is near and dear to my heart, I think Before the Storm is definitely on the right track and I eagerly await the remaining episodes.

Read full review

Sep 4, 2017

Life is Strange: Before the Storm's first episode recaptures the magic that endeared the series to fans during its first run, and we can't wait for more.

Read full review