Life Is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 3: Hell Is Empty Reviews
Before the Storm finishes with a thrilling and emotional episode. Hell Is Empty is where most of your decisions throughout the game reach a conclusion. However, the ending is rushed and the game forgets its other characters.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Hell is Empty was somewhat empty in terms of dropping certain points though it still concludes in a satisfying way.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 3 is heart touching and reveals more about Rachel Amber's life. However, many events that lead us to the original Life is Strange were poorly explored. A fourth episode to fix this would be ideal, which unfortunately will not happen.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Hell is Empty was the first time in Before the Storm that I found myself wishing there was a Fast Forward option.
The conclusion to Hell Is Empty didn't give me my runaway future, but the prequel nature of Life Is Strange: Before The Storm made that an impossible dream. Instead, another story shoves it aside, trying to find the difference between what is right for someone and what is good for them, but there isn't enough time in this episode to deliver this message and round out everything else. This pace leaves it rushed and somewhat tunnel-visioned. That said, characters I cared about and real, hard choices which often don't feel truly right or wrong kept my gut firmly wrenched throughout. Light puzzles break up the talking and drama but again serve to remind us that "correct” isn't necessarily “right.” Instead, there's a strong single theme that's delivered well in a story that isn't afraid to get in a few punches.
Much like the original Life is Strange, Before the Storm’s concluding episode missed the high marks of the rest of the series but still provided a satisfying ending. A more poetic writer might say that Life is Strange is about the journey rather than the destination.
Hell Is Empty, the final episode of Life is Strange: Before the Storm, is action packed and tense but ends with a hollow, inconsequential decision.
As a standalone episode, Hell is Empty doesn't quite hit the same spot that the previous two episodes reached — but that's not to say it's a let down.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm's 3rd episode has a simpler approach to its narrative. It doesn't go out of its way to amaze the player. So it might not be the best or the most memorable but thanks to an incredibly bitter ending to a great story, Rachel's and Chloe's adventures connect to the main game and that is the biggest achievement of Hell is Empty
Review in Persian | Read full review
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm tells a chaotic story of two very broken people and make you fall in love with them. Rachel Amber finds out what she's missing out of life when Chloe Price deals with her own loses. Despite the characters being deeply flawed, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm finds the beauty in a messed up world.
Before the Storm redefines what a Life is Strange game can be.
Episode 3 of Life is Strange: Before the Storm provides a satisfying conclusion to Chloe Price and Rachel Amber's many emotional dilemmas, tying in neatly to the original series while presenting its own unique twists and turns.
The last episode of Life is Strange: Before the Storm is awesome. It resonates in the characters of Chloe and Rachel, building a story on few very strong topics.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Deck Nine had a pretty tall task when it came to Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. Creating a prequel that would satiate the series' fans is tough enough, and they've passed with flying colors in that regard. However, it's the way in which Deck Nine has really honed in on the identity of the original series that makes it so special.
Some players may well prefer Max and her powers to the more grounded story of Chloe, but the prequel is still a worthwhile journey through Arcadia Bay and an appropriate telling of the events before Max returned to the area.
Hell Is Empty - not exactly what we wanted to see as the final of the Life Is Strange prequel. Nevertheless, the mini-season as a whole turned out to be an interesting. Fans of LiS and other episodic adventures should try this game.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Three years ago, we were introduced to Chloe as she was a desperate and lost young woman. We were told that Rachel meant a lot to her, but we didn't know the half of it. Before the Storm provides that context and it's immensely successful in the way it tells that story. In my favorite scene from all of Life is Strange, Chloe was willing to don a silly outfit, get on stage, and stammer through Shakespeare to protect her friend. That's about as un-Chloe as it gets. Rachel clearly means the world to her.
The episode itself has its weak points, but it's still a successfully heart-rending finale to one of the great storytelling achievements in gaming.
Life is Strange’s short prequel season comes to a close in a gripping and emotional finale that represents some of the series’ best writing yet
While I'm not sure if Before the Storm will hold the same place in my heart as the original, I'm certainly glad that Deck Nine Games got to tell their own story in Arcadia Bay. It's a very different tale, one on a completely smaller scale both in terms of narrative and length, but one that still manages to make an impact. It's a more personal story, and it wound up being quite bittersweet having to say goodbye to the duo of Chloe and Rachel.