Life is Strange: Before the Storm Reviews
The first Lift is Strange game set the bar quite high. Before the Storm just did not have enough to live up to the first. The story was lacking any interesting plot elements to reel you in. The gameplay lacked...pretty much anything. The puzzles were slow and boring. Chloe's behavior was so frustrating at times. For the most part it felt like all of this stuff was there to serve as a distraction from a story that is mediocre at best.
If you’re looking for more Life is Strange, Deck Nine has delivered a fantastic and consistent prequel that is a must-play for fans.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a game that makes you think about every single aspect of your life thanks to a very strong plot. Because the developers have a relatively predictable story, this game being a prequel, some points were flawed, but it's still an overall enjoyable experience. Despite some graphical and gameplay shortcomings, this prequel is able to honour the Life is Strange name.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Despite an uneven final episode, the bond between Chloe and Rachel cements the surprising prequel, sometimes even soaring above the heights of the original game. It still has all the faults of Life Is Strange as a series, but its domestic focus helps it resonate even greater than its successor. If Rachel Amber is the Laura Palmer of Life Is Strange, then Before the Storm is her much-deserved Fire Walk With Me.
Standing alone, Before the Storm has an emotional arc, which goes to say that the experience is not an inherent waste of time. The nature of truth that is at the heart of the narrative is not without merit—a worthy exploration of an important theme to be sure. Overall, Deck Nine does as the best as any studio could be expected to in trying to recapture the magic of the first season, even if the experience ultimately leaves players wanting more of that original magic. Perhaps these shortcomings are simply a testament to the quality of the initial installment. Any attempt to replicate Life is Strange would always fall flat, and no one can be faulted for failing at such an impossible task. In the end, even with all the proper precautions and setup in place to capture the same lightning in a bottle, the emotional maelstrom that is Life is Strange is so potent because of the storm at the heart of the game. Anything that comes before is just the calm.
Wonderful, emotional, sad, happy, too real… fateful. That's Life is Strange: Before the Storm.
Review in Slovak | Read full review