A pretty standard start.
What They Say:
Two brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz, 16 and 9, are forced to run away from home after a tragic incident in Seattle. In fear of the police, Sean & Daniel head to Mexico while attempting to conceal a sudden and mysterious supernatural power.
Life on the road is tough and now totally responsible for his much younger brother, Sean begins to realize that his decisions will impact their lives forever…
The Review:
I have a unique perspective coming into Life is Strange 2. I never touched the original season nor its prequel Before the Storm but I have played the free Captain Spirit tie-in to season two. A big fan of other similar titles and somewhat familiar with what happens in the original, I was excited for this potentially supernatural tale of two brothers.
For the most part, the first episode of Life is Strange 2 delivers on a pretty standard opening episode. It isn’t extremely surprising or exceptional but it isn’t boring or terrible either. The story begins in Seattle, Washington so not necessarily in the same location as the first season. Following the brothers Sean and Daniel, this first episode mostly focuses on their relationship.
Without spoiling anything, certain events happen towards the beginning that leads to them heading to Mexico. Life is Strange 2 episode one quickly takes a surprising turn that I didn’t expect until the end of the episode or near the middle so it was a welcome surprise.
From there, it’s mostly about the brothers’ relationship. It is a complex one that is centered around the choices the player makes. Do you stop what you’re doing to play hide-and-seek for a minute with your younger brother Daniel? Or do you keep focused on your objective? What sorts of things do you teach him?
Life is Strange 2 benefits from offering choices that aren’t necessarily black and white, and don’t immediately hint towards consequences down the road. These complex choices had me thinking about what type of person I wanted to make Sean and – through my decisions – his brother Daniel.
Unfortunately, being that this is the first episode, you don’t get to see too much of the results here, which is understandable. That isn’t to say it isn’t enjoyable, though. I really liked how the relationship between them was developing as the episode went on. It was especially nice to have some agency over how it developed, as it made me care even more for them.
Both Sean and Daniel are pretty well voiced, bringing personality to their respective roles. The rest of the supporting cast, however, is fine but mostly just passable. The same can be said for the plot outside of their relationship. Certain plot devices and twists are a little too on-the-nose, especially when it comes to relatability.
Life is Strange 2 tries a little too hard to be “modern” as well as deal with current issues that it feels forced at times. A little more subtlety or build-up would have gone a long way. It doesn’t help that the more adventure game-like sections do drag the pacing down a couple of times.
At certain sections, you will need to walk around and complete various objectives. This could be choosing supplies for the party or helping your dad out. Though the dialogue can be often goofy and fun, these parts do tend to slow everything down, especially when the real star of Life is Strange 2 is the rich dialogue in scenes.
Due to the nature of the story itself in episode one, the entire episode mostly has a relaxed pace to it. Though it’s clear it will pick up in later episodes, this first one isn’t nearly as action-packed or exciting as you would expect. That said, I am still excited for what’s to come from the rest of the season and the two brothers’ relationship.
In Summary:
Life is Strange 2 episode one does attempt to cover a lot of ground here but at the end of the day, it’s all about the relationship between Sean and his younger brother Daniel. The two are well-acted and certainly not cliche but, more importantly, your choices are complex and shape their interactions with each other. Though the adventure sections can slow down the pace considerably, this first episode does pave a solid foundation for what’s to come.
Grade: C+
Released By: Square Enix
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
MSRP: $39.99
Release Date: October 5th, 2018
Platform: PS4 (reviewed), PC, Xbox One
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
