Life Is Strange

Life Is Strange is an episodic graphic adventure game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix. Its five episodes were released during 2015, beginning with “Chrysalis” in January and ending with “Polarized” in October. The game follows Maxine “Max” Caulfield, an 18-year-old aspiring photographer who returns to the fictional Oregon town of Arcadia Bay to attend Blackwell Academy. Max discovers she can rewind time after witnessing the shooting of a girl in the school bathroom. The girl is Chloe Price, Max’s childhood friend, whom Max had not seen for five years. Their reunion drives an investigation into the disappearance of Rachel Amber, Chloe’s close friend and former schoolmate. The player explores Blackwell and Arcadia Bay, speaks with classmates, examines objects, and uses Max’s rewinding ability to alter conversations and immediate outcomes. Photographs function as optional collectibles, while particular images later let Max revisit earlier moments and make wider changes to the timeline. At Blackwell, Max encounters Victoria Chase, a competitive photography student, Warren Graham, her science-minded friend, Kate Marsh, a student targeted by humiliating online images, and Nathan Prescott, the troubled son of the powerful Prescott family. Choices surrounding Kate’s rooftop crisis can determine whether she survives. Max also attends photography classes taught by Mark Jefferson, a celebrated photographer whose role in the story becomes central. The plot eventually identifies Jefferson as the operator of the “Dark Room,” where he drugs and photographs young women. Nathan assisted him, and Rachel Amber was killed after Jefferson drugged her. Max repeatedly uses time travel in attempts to save Chloe and prevent a catastrophic storm from destroying Arcadia Bay. The resulting shifts include an alternate reality in which William Price, Chloe’s father, survived the car crash that originally killed him. The finale presents a defining decision: Max can sacrifice Chloe by allowing the original bathroom shooting to occur, or sacrifice Arcadia Bay by keeping Chloe alive as the storm arrives. The game was followed by Dontnod’s Life Is Strange 2, while Deck Nine developed the prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, centered on Chloe and Rachel. Originally released for Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, it later reached other systems. Its first episode was initially offered free on several platforms. In 2016, it won the BAFTA Games Award for Best Story. Its success also led to a remastered collection released in 2022 for modern platforms worldwide.