Life is Strange 2 - Episode 1: Roads Reviews
Life is Strange 2 strikes out on its own. In a amazing captivating first episode we meet the new central characters and begin an immensely interesting, and sad, tale.
Returning fans of Life Is Strange will find this sequel refreshing, but not unfamiliar. With its brand new setting and story, Life Is Strange 2 is also a great point of entry for any new players. As a fan of the series, I'm excited to follow the Diaz brothers on their new adventure.
Overall, Life is Strange 2 was not only better than I expected, but I believe it would have been a hit even if no one had ever heard of the first game.
Life Is Strange 2: Episode 1 – Roads has the same je ne sais quoi as its predecessor, but it's a different kind of game. This isn't a series about teenage angst anymore – it's about survival in a contemporary United States that's more hostile than it'd like to think it is. Larger, more detailed environments and inconclusive moral decisions that have a direct influence on key cast members make for an impressive, brave opening.
Starting virtually from scratch has allowed the developer to experiment and push themselves as storytellers, and the result is a more grounded and mature story that has real potential.
Unfortunately the episode is let down by the less than subtle way it deals with delicate subjects like racism, as well as gameplay that means this episode feels like quite a slow start to the story. There are several hints throughout the episode to suggest the gameplay may be spiced up in the future, and it may need it if players are going to make it through to the end of the story.
There are a couple of technical issues that hold back Life is Strange 2, it's got some weird visual glitches, and I encountered a few crashes in the short, but ultimately interesting story of two brothers, and their suddenly upended life.
Great Dontnod: you gave me three hours of emotions, moral choices and boundless natural landscapes. You have characterized two protagonists in an excellent way, making them loved within half an hour.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It starts badly for the characters, but very well for the players. It's a sad story for Sean and Daniel. And we already know with some sequences of this episode that Life is Strange 2 has a chance to be a successful heir to the first season, thanks to its unique atmosphere, well-written characters and some tough choices to make. Potential is here. It's clear DONTNOD has the power to fulfill it.
Review in French | Read full review
‘Roads' is a heart-breaking leg of an emotional journey that never feels limited by its medium. I've played seasons of other choice-driven narrative games that had less emotion and heart than this five-hour odyssey. With Life is Strange 2, DONTNOD has upgraded and refined every element that made its forebear successful, whilst sprinkling some magical new additions into the mix to create an essential genre-pushing experience that isn't just for fans.
Episode one can be a slow burn at times, but it sets the tone for the rest of the series nicely. While not a continuation of its predecessor in any way, it stays true to the series while adding enough to make the formula feel engaging to the player. I'm looking forward to seeing where the new series goes.
This is an excellent start for the second season of a game with big shoes to fill. We may have lost Telltale Games forever, but you can dry your tears with Dontnod's big-hearted adventure of a story game.
While this is just one small moment in the whole of the first episode, to me it demonstrated just how far that Dontnod has come in delivering a story that truly speaks to the emotional and human drama that Life is Strange explores at its best.
This first episode for Life is Strange 2 is one of the biggest surprises of 2018 so far. Dontnod Entertainment not only has improved its saga in a technical way, but the script and characterization for the game presents huge and delicate topics among the American culture.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dontnod is capturing the mood of a powerful country in the midst of a crisis of identity. If they can stick the landing, Life is Strange 2 has the potential to be a masterpiece.
Life is Strange 2's first episode goes in a bold new direction that points the series towards current political issues as much as it does human drama. It's promising but a little slow to get going after a thrilling opening scene.
Despite some questionable moments in the second episode, Life Is Strange 2 is off to an excellent start. Daniel and Sean's journey is a tough, racially-heated story that will draw you in, even as it breaks your heart.
Episode 1 can be guardedly recommended, then. It stumbles in parts, sure, but it also proves that DontNod has some ambitious ideas for this instalment of its teen adventure series. On top of that, it ends intriguingly enough to ensure that many who play through it will want to see what the next episode holds.
Life is Strange 2 starts in the right gear, with a subtle change in direction to help tell an altogether new story, albeit with a few growing pains.