As you may be able to guess from the title of this blog, I'm going to be doing a review of the new episode of Life is Strange: Before The Storm, "Brave New World."
I actually finished this on Thursday and was planning to do the review straight after like I did before with Episode 1: Awake, but I was kinda really tired from staring at my TV for so long and my head was hurting since I didn't wear my glasses.. Whoops (-_＼)
So I made some small notes on all the main events that took place in the episode while they were still fresh in my mind so I wouldn't forget for today when I start my review :,)
..I actually started writing this yesterday, but stopped because I had to go out > <"
But (I'm going to do a "Max Caulfield" here and say..) WOWZER! This episode was even better than the first!
I'm still, like...feeling everything I felt while I was playing the game. It honestly, seriously and completely moved me in so many different ways! One moment made me cry which then gradually turned into nearly hysterical sobbing (I'll explain that later) and the ending of the episode!! Like, my literal reaction was..
"..! *GAAAAAAAAAAAAASP*" ∑(;°Д°) ..then followed by your typical hand-over-mouth-shocked gesture :,)
..but I digress :,)
Oh! And if you're interested, I'll put a link here for my review of the first episode :3
..just in case you want to read that ^^;
Life is Strange: Before The Storm - Episode 1: Awake Review~ By SerahNyan (ME!)
[ 20/12/17 Edit: I just finished my review of the third episode, so I'll leave a link here in case you want to read that ]
Life is Strange: Before The Storm - Episode 3: Hell Is Empty Review~ By SerahNyan (ME!)
So let's get started!
--SPOILER WARNING--
Usually I just use a "warning" before reviews, but I am going to talk a lot about the second episode and what happens, so if you haven't played the second episode yet and want to do so without knowing what happens...maybe don't read this review quite yet.
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[ Available on Microsoft Windows, PS4 and Xbox One ]
Plot Outline~
Life is Strange: Before The Storm is set three years prior to the events of the original Life is Strange and, as opposed to Life is Strange where you play as Max Caulfield, Life is Strange: Before The Storm is played through the view point of 16 year old Chloe Price.
Currently, Chloe is feeling very alone and very abandoned. Her father has died and Max, her best friend, left her to go and live in Seattle. Chloe has tried to keep in contact with Max but Max eventually stopped talking to her.
With Joyce, Chloe's mother, bringing her new boyfriend, David Madsen into the picture, Chloe is feeling very frustrated at all these changes happening around her. Along with the absence of her now ex-best friend and her father gone, Chloe becomes very rebellious as a way to deal with all these emotions.
One day, she meets a girl called Rachel Amber who is very beautiful, very popular and has big dreams and the two girls form an unlikely friendship that becomes something very special to them both.
Gameplay~
Much like the original Life is Strange, you experience this game from a third-person point of view, only this time you assume control of Chloe. Unlike Max (who you control in the original Life is Strange), Chloe doesn't have any super natural abilities and definitely not the ability to time travel. Instead, Chloe has a little feature called "Backtalk" which is something of a...type of mini-game, I guess you could say, that allows Chloe to lash out and insult people as a way of getting them to do what she wants which, in turn, gets her out of less than desirable situations :,)
Something similar to the original Life is Strange though is the power of "Choice." You will be given various times in the game to interact with different people by being given the chance to make a choice on how you'll respond to things people say to you. And depending on what you choose, this affects the overall outcome of the game.
People who've played the original Life is Strange know that Max kept a diary which let us see more about how she felt about all the things that were happening. Chloe doesn't exactly keep a diary, it's more like she's writing letters to Max telling her what she's been doing, though she never sends these letters.
..it actually causes me emotional pain knowing Max has been completely ignoring Chloe all this time.
And again we all know Max enjoyed taking pictures of her surroundings (which also earned us Trophies in the original game). Now Chloe is no photographer, so instead Chloe is given a "Graffiti" option which allows her to draw on different areas in her surroundings which, of course, earns us the trophies.
Episode 2: Brave New World Summary~
This episode picks up right after where the first one left off, only it's the next day.
Chloe and Rachel have both been called into the Principle's Office (along with Rachel's parents and Chloe's mother) and Mr. Wells informs them that them skipping school is unacceptable behaviour and that they must be punished. Rachel is almost forbidden from performing in the school's play of The Tempest, but after talking more, she is allowed to remain in the play. However (even though all previous Life is Strange players know this), Chloe ends up expelled from Blackwell Academy.
..kinda unfair if you ask me since ditching was Rachel's idea...but meh > <
After this, Chloe is escorted by the school's security, Skip, to clean out her locker. She'll then go on a tag rage in the girls bathroom and eventually ends up meeting with her mother, Joyce and her mother's boyfriend, David in the school's carpark. David berates Chloe for her actions and tells her that being expelled reflects poorly on her and on her mother while Joyce remains mostly quiet through this. After a little while, Joyce will announce to Chloe that David is to move in with them to which Chloe immediately hates the idea and will storm off after saying what she believes is necessary.
Chloe finds solitude in the junkyard and wanders around there for a while until she finds an old truck (which turns out to be her truck in Life is Strange) and decides to repair it. What's really cool about this is that if you examine everything in the junkyard, you can actually fill the truck with familiar things that we all saw in Life is Strange, for example the little bobble-head dude that sits on her dashboard. After Chloe is finished doing what she can do to the truck, the receives a call from her drug dealer, Frank who tells her that he has a job for her and that he will come to meet her in the junkyard. After this call ends, Chloe has another dream sequence (quite a creepy one, I might add) about her father and gets woken up by Rachel knocking on the truck window asking if she can come in. They have a mini therapy session together and then Rachel leaves to go and prepare for the play she is in. Rachel brought a duffle bag with her full of clothes and she tells Chloe to go and pick an outfit to wear. Chloe will do this in the small...I guess you could call it "clubhouse" that we also know from Life is Strange and there are also a few things within it that you can decorate the room with. Once Chloe has chosen an outfit, she gets a message from Frank saying he is at the junkyard and she heads to his RV but before she goes in, she sees a woman exit the RV who happens to be the woman we saw in Episode 1: Awake with Rachel's father.
When Chloe gets inside Frank's RV, if you complete the backtalk challenge successfully, you find out that the woman's name is Sera (unless you find out either way? I'm not sure since I succeeded in the backtalk thing.) Once that is all out of the way, Frank explains to Chloe that the job he wants her to do is to collect money from a student at Blackwell who has been buying drugs but has failed to make payment and is now ignoring phone calls and messages. Chloe reluctantly agrees to help since Frank said he'd give her 10% of the money and so Chloe, the now expelled student, finds herself back at Blackhell once again.
Getting into the Boys Dormitory is a bit of a hassle but once in there, you find out that the student refusing to pay is Mikey's older brother, Drew. Once Chloe has found the money in Drew's room, Mikey enters and sees her, but before Chloe can come up with a real excuse as to why she is there, Drew walks in. Surprisingly, Drew isn't overly concerned to see Chloe; he is just insistent that him and Mikey hurry up and leave. Before they can, you hear someone calling for Drew out in the hallway and Drew tells Chloe and Mikey to stay put while he deals with the situation. It is then revealed that Drew is in debt with another drug dealer who happens to gets violent on him. With this scene, I think you can stop a particular violent action this guy does to Drew, but I chose to remain in the room which I felt awful about afterwards. Even though Drew, Mikey and Steph thank Chloe for it, I still felt bad.
After this, Chloe will go to meet up with Rachel before the play but instead sees Victoria put muscle relaxant into a drink she is planning to give Rachel. You are given a few choices of how to stop Rachel from drinking the tea and I chose to outright blame Victoria and, I know Rachel is an actress and all, but I honestly had no idea if she was being serious when she was all like..
"Nah. Victoria wouldn't do that to me. She is one of my closest friends!"
..I think maybe he was lying, but anyway! Victoria drinks the tea to prove Chloe was wrong even though Chloe was right and Victoria passes out later.
Chloe is then roped into performing in place of someone else who can't make it and the play ends up being a huge success! ..even though Rachel started ad-libbing a conversation between her and Chloe which I didn't really fully understand since they were still using Shakespeare-esque talk ^^; But I think it was basically about their new friendship and how they should run away together.
Once the play is over, Rachel is on an adrenaline high and tells Chloe that they really should run away together and obviously, Chloe will agree to this. Rachel will take Chloe to her house so they can pack but before they can, they both get caught by her parents and their plans are put on hold as they are asked to stay and have dinner. While they are all eating, an argument breaks out and eventually Rachel gets tired of playing "happy family" with her father and snaps at him saying that she knows that he has been cheating on her mother with some other woman.
! MAJOR SPOILER TIME !
But it turns out that the woman Rachel saw her father with is her actual mother!!? ..so, GOD KNOWS who the woman Rachel believed to be her mother is! :,)
I guess we'll find that out in the last episode :,)
..yea. I now realise this was not a summary, but the entire episode in written form ^^;
My Thoughts~
I, for one, am really enjoying this game and I really loved this episode.
It was SO much better than the first one! And that's not to say the first episode was bad, it was awesome! I just thought this one was better! There is just something really special about Chloe and Rachel's relationship that just completely draws you in. It's just very raw and real and it doesn't feel fake or rushed in any way. I honestly don't understand how Deck Nine have done it, but they've really done so well at developing a relationship between these two girls that feels SO real. Like really real! And I just love how close they are even though they haven't known each other long at all. I've seen some fans talk about how that doesn't seem realistic and, yes. I guess in a sense people don't become instantly close like this in real life, but we all know how much Chloe loved Rachel and how important their friendship was to her, so there was definitely something there. Like maybe a little red string of fate or something *3*
This episode also packed in the drama. A lot.
We know the next episode is the last one, so everything that probably rocks Rachel severely needs to be shown, like...now since we know she's involved with Frank at one point (even though it's heavily implied she didn't fully reciprocate Frank's feelings) and then also Mark Jefferson which then leads to her disappearance. I'm also intrigued about knowing what Chloe and Rachel's relationship was like towards the end. Maybe it was more strained or maybe it was still as strong as it is. I also remember Frank saying in the original Life is Strange to Chloe that Chloe herself was part of the problem as to why Rachel disappeared, so I want to know if that is true.
If there was one thing I wasn't 100% okay with...
I would say that was the Kiss option between Chloe and Rachel.
Some people have said they didn't get that option, so maybe that's if they chose the "Friendship" choice in the first episode. But I chose the "Something more" option, so maybe that's why I got it. I mean, we all know their relationship is more than just a simple friendship, but I never felt Chloe's love for Rachel was reciprocated. My personal view of their friendship was that...
Okay, so we all know Chloe was in love with Rachel. That Rachel was her angel and saved her. That's fine, we all know that. And I've always felt that it's possible Rachel knew how Chloe felt and what she meant to her...but I felt that Rachel would try and keep Chloe at a distance regarding her feelings of love for her. Because Rachel always had big dreams and it's maybe possible that Chloe didn't always fit into the future Rachel was after. So I think maybe Rachel felt keeping Chloe's feelings at a distance would lessen the blow of her leaving and possibly leaving Chloe behind. Also because, again, we know Rachel was in a relationship with Frank. I truly feel that if Rachel did love Chloe and had serious feelings for her, she wouldn't ever cheat on her. Regardless of the fact she didn't tell Chloe about Frank, I feel that Rachel would never betray a romantic relationship with Chloe. Which is also why I feel this game has...catered more to the feelings of the fans. I think maybe something that isn't quite right is how this game has really pushed all the romantic choices you can take with Rachel when I seriously feel that nothing was ever romantic about their relationship. It was just a very intense friendship that resulted in Chloe loving Rachel as much as she did. Rachel probably didn't even intend for that to happen.
But anyway. Back to the kiss :,)
I think depending on the choices you make after choosing the "Something more" option, Rachel will either kiss Chloe and leave it at that. Or Rachel will kiss Chloe and then continue to make out with her. I got the latter one and yea, I KNOW I just ragged on the whole..
"The kiss isn't right!!"
thing, but I chose it regardless of how I felt about it. Honestly, I didn't know they were going to make out!! Sue me.
And that was the thing I mentioned earlier that made me cry which then nearly turned into hysterical sobbing. Because we all know what happens to Rachel and how hard Chloe fell for her and how hurt and distraught Chloe is when you find out what happened to Rachel. And it was SO heart-warming but awful at the same time to see them have such an intimate moment when we know that their worlds are going to completely break apart;; So...yea. I cried and managed to suppress the hysterical sobbing that nearly broke through :,)
Like, seriously. Okay, a kiss between them is maybe fine. I think what I totally wasn't okay with was the fact that certain choices lead them to making out. It just doesn't feel like that's what their relationship was ever really about. Nothing romantic, at least. And that's all just my personal feelings.
So that's why I'm not 100% okay with the kiss. Like, it was lovely and sweet. But never really the impression I got from their relationship. I honestly always felt Rachel would have kept Chloe at a safe distance, you know?
ALSO!!
Chloe needs to get a move on and dye her hair blue :,)
We all know that at some point during their relationship Chloe has blue hair.
There's your proof!
So we definitely need that to happen at some point in the last episode... Right?
We also need to see or have it implied in some way that Rachel is spending time with Frank. Or maybe not even directly implied so much since Chloe had no idea... But maybe we can at least assume that is happening in some way. I'd also like to see Mr. Asshole-- Oh! I'm sorry! Mark Jefferson pop up somewhere. Because we know him and Rachel hooked up and that he is the one Rachel refers to in her letter to Chloe that she met someone who has "changed her life."
And he is also the one responsible for her disappearance. And if the game is going to continue right up to Rachel going missing, we need all of these things to come into play.
I'd also like to know, if there is a specific reason, what is was that brought Rachel and Chloe together. We know they met by chance at the Firewalk show, but is there something more as to why Rachel wanted to seek Chloe out the next day regardless of her saying that "yesterday was one of the best days" and "I didn't want it to end" type of thing :,)
..maybe I'm just reading too much into that ^^;
Daughter continue to amaze with the music! Honestly, this game has one hell of a soundtrack.
It's brilliant!
In particular A Hole in the Earth was an especially moving piece;;
And the art style is still alive and kicking :,) It seriously is such an improvement from the first game! There is a lot more detail to the general surroundings that it's almost mesmerising and too realistic. ..if that's possible ^^;
I personally also can't get over how gorgeous Rachel is. Honestly if I was in Chloe's shoes, I'd be totally in love too :,) It's also the fact how Rachel is...quite charismatic; she can really draw someone to her. And she also feels bright and alive and I think that's just a few of the reasons why Chloe is completed enamoured with her.
Conclusion~
So...to sum up my ramblings :,)
Even though I had some issues, I really feel this game is worth everything! And even though my feelings about their kiss are on-the-fence, I feel like...I actually ship Chloe and Rachel more than Chloe and Max :,)
Even though Chloe eventually forgives Max for bailing on her, I always felt a slight element of tension remain. And even though their friendship is so lovely and what Chloe needed at that time, I feel that Rachel had way more of an impact on Chloe's life than Max returning did and that impact continued to remain with Chloe.
And that's why Before The Storm is so great! It's really awesome being able to see all these moments between Chloe and Rachel fleshed out and actually being able to experience them;;
Episode 2: Brave New World really throws you into the thick of everything and has really set the mood for the third episode. We know it's going to be a dramatic and soul crushing one and Episode 2: Brave New World has definitely continued on strong from the first episode and has risen the climax considerably!
It's easy for new fans to find a way to enjoy this game :3
But for old fans, I really do recommend it! I know some people have avoided it thinking it's a mistake, but it's truly a wonderful experience seeing Chloe and Rachel. I can't talk it up enough and if you're thinking about it...
Just. Buy. It. Already.
I don't know how you could possibly be disappointed. I swear! It's worth your time!
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Thank you for reading my messily (again) put together review :,)
I hope you enjoyed reading it and if you're playing Life is Strange: Before The Storm, I also hope you are enjoying that as well! *v*
Have a hella awesome day, guys! ;D
BYESIES~! c:
xoxo~
