In 2015, Square Enix with developer Dontnod Entertainment (now known as Don’t Nod Entertainment SA) introduced Life is Strange, an interactive RPG game that introduced Max Caulfield and Chloe Price who have since become gaming icons. The original game won various awards and received a prequel, a remaster, spinoffs, and two sequels. Now teaming up with developer Deck Nine in this timeline of 2024, the latest game in the series, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Maxine “Max” Caulfield returns as the main protagonist. Set ten years after the events of 2015’s Life is Strange, the story takes place at Caledon University, where Max, now in her mid-20s, is the photographer-in-residence. She also teaches photography there despite what happened at Blackwell Academy.

She hasn’t dared to try to use her rewind powers after what happened at Arcadia Bay, because it always came at a price. Even though her old best friend Chloe isn’t around anymore, she’s been living a happy and fulfilling life.

While stargazing with her close friends Safi and Moses, she suddenly experiences a searing pain in her head and a nosebleed similar to when she used her old powers beyond her limit. While searching for Safi who left earlier to answer a call, she hears a gunshot from a distance and soon finds her dead.

While grieving the loss of another best friend, she discovers that she has manifested new powers, allowing her to transfer between two alternate timelines where Safi is either alive or dead and uses it to try to solve the mystery behind her murder.

Longtime fans will be delighted to play as the original protagonist, Max Caulfield, again and see how much has changed. Hannah Telle reprises her voice role of Max, and she does an amazing job of showing her character development since the original game from nine years ago. Max is now in her 20s and has matured a lot since her teenage years but is still a kid at heart. Her new powers of traversing between two different timelines play a huge part in the game’s story of uncovering the mystery behind Safi’s murder.

Players must focus on two worlds where Safi is either living or deceased, which Max refers to as the Living World and Dead World. Max has no idea how any of this happened, but her priority is uncovering Safi’s killer.

Both realities are vastly different from each other with the Dead World having a dark and gloomy tone in terms of emotion, where everyone is grieving the loss of Safi. While everyone in the Living World is lively and cheery, well almost everyone. While Max searches for clues and answers, she also experiences unfamiliar supernatural events.

As Max, players must interact with other characters in both timelines. What you might not find in one timeline, they might have better luck in the other. In the previous Life is Strange games, the choices you make, no matter how big or small, can have the biggest consequences later. Being polite to one character might make another cautious of you, but going in that direction might lead to the answers you’re seeking.

Deciding whether to help or sabotage another character always makes things interesting. Interacting with the same characters in the opposite timeline will have vastly different interactions.

Players must remember how they’ve interacted with certain characters in one timeline and not get mixed up with their counterparts, or they could intentionally make that mistake to see what happens.

Adding to the conversations, Max interacts with others via text messages and social media. Players can respond to certain messages with a few response choices just like in-person conversations, which could also affect what happens later. With the in-game social media app, Crosstalk, players can see other characters’ posts and comments to each other, and they will even comment on photos you take and post throughout the game.

This is also where fans will see other characters from the original and what they’re currently up to. Text messages and social media will be different in both timelines, which helps you keep track of what characters have been up to. Max also keeps notes on everyone she meets and a journal detailing what’s been happening so far.

With about 10-20 hours of gameplay across five chapters from the get-go instead of being released periodically, players will have many branching paths to solve this murder mystery. Even though all roads lead to the same two endings, it’s the emotional journey that fans will remember the most.

The story has many twists and turns that could leave a lasting impression for years. The variety of branching paths provides hours upon hours of replay value. After completing the game, players can explore specific points of the story on their own or play the rest of the game from there to experience different choices and outcomes.

The original Life is Strange also had two different endings and both are taken into account depending on your responses early on in the game. Fans may be upset that Chloe doesn’t appear in the game, but her presence can still be felt through old photos, conversations, newspaper articles, flashbacks, and in Max’s dreams. Even though she was living happily before Safi’s murder, she still suffers from some trauma from what happened with her and Chloe in Arcadia Bay.

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure features a cast of characters with diverse backgrounds and personalities who all naturally fit into the game. There are some subtle references to real-world problems that people of different ethnicities, orientations, and minorities face. It never feels forced, or political, or becomes a main focal point of the game. It also shows how different Max’s new home is compared to the small town of Arcadia Bay. The entire voice cast does an incredible job of bringing these characters to life.

The older Life is Strange games weren’t the most graphics-intensive, but instead went for a unique urban art style and presentation that perfectly suited the game’s aesthetics and main characters’ personalities. The latest game keeps the same style and presentation as its predecessors, but now with enhanced graphics and more detail than ever. Seeing the main characters up close shows how far the series has come.

Their faces have more detail, and the facial animations show more expressions than ever. Each character also has their unique quirks and mannerisms such as Moses fidgeting with his fingers when he’s feeling anxious. The NPCs may not look as good up close, but it’s the main and supporting characters that matter most as they all feel like people you could meet in real life.

The environments and set pieces all look amazing. The story is set during the snow season leading up to Christmas and even though there’s a lot of white, it’s presented in a way that compliments both the happy and upbeat Living World and the sad and depressing Dead World. Max’s home has a very warm and cozy feel. Though you can’t explore all of Caledon University, it has some fantastic architecture to see, an art gallery with paintings, sculptures, and Max’s old photo projects on display, a library, staff rooms, offices, and a cafe that looks friendly and relaxing, even if the coffee is terrible. The soundtrack features original songs that all fit perfectly into the game by Tessa Rose Jackson, chloe moriondo, Matilda Mann, and more.

As good as the game looks and sounds, there are quite a few glitches. In my playthrough, I saw doors missing or floating in the air and someone’s briefcase open when it was meant to be closed, as I was supposed to find a way to open it. Thankfully these don’t ruin the experience and are just amusing to see, but there are also audio glitches where conversations might overlap with each other which could cause some confusion. Sometimes an earlier conversation might be repeated after the two characters have already parted ways. There are supernatural elements in this game, but clearly, these weren’t intentional and hopefully, they can be fixed in a future patch update.

The story of the Life is Strange series has always done an excellent job of drawing you in and keeping you engaged with its riveting and impactful storytelling and characters. Seeing Max Caulfield again and what she’s been up to after so long will surely please longtime fans, but newcomers can still enjoy this game without playing the original. Max’s new powers create a whole new dynamic with how she tries to solve the mystery of her best friend’s killer, while also keeping up other aspects of her life in two different realities. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for the franchise as it’s already alluding that there will be a sequel. Until then, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is a picture-perfect story that needs to be experienced again and again.

Written by: Sammy Hanson