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Life Is Strange: Before the Storm
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Life Is Strange: Before the Storm
Developer(s)
Deck Nine[a]
Publisher(s)
Square Enix
Director(s)
Webb Pickersgill
Chris Floyd
Producer(s)
David Lawrence Hein
Zoe Brown
Designer(s)
William Beacham
Programmer(s)
Mark Lyons
Danielle Cheah
Artist(s)
Andrew Weatherl
Writer(s)
Zak Garriss
Composer(s)
Daughter
Engine
Unity
Platform(s)
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Release
Episode 1
WW: 31 August 2017
Episode 2
WW: 19 October 2017
Episode 3
WW: 20 December 2017
Genre(s)
Graphic adventure
Mode(s)
Single-player
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm is an episodic graphic adventure video game developed by Deck Nine and published by Square Enix. The three episodes were released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One between August and December 2017. It is the second entry in the Life Is Strange series, set as a prequel to the first game, focusing on sixteen-year-old Chloe Price and her relationship with schoolmate Rachel Amber. Gameplay concerns itself mostly with the use of branching dialogues.
Deck Nine started developing the game in 2016, using the Unity game engine. Voice actors from the original game did not appear in Before the Storm on account of the SAG-AFTRA strike, but reprised their roles in a bonus episode once the strike was resolved. The soundtrack was created by Daughter.
Contents
[hide]
1 Gameplay
2 Plot
3 Development
4 Release
5 Reception
5.1 Awards
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links
Gameplay[edit]
Chloe engages in a conversation with Rachel Amber (pictured)
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm is a graphic adventure played from a third-person view. The player assumes control of sixteen-year-old Chloe Price, three years prior to Life Is Strange. Unlike its predecessor, the game does not include time travel. Instead, Before the Storm features the ability "Backtalk", with which the player can call upon Chloe to get out of certain precarious situations; "Backtalk" may also make a situation worse. A dialogue tree is used when a conversation or commentary is prompted. Occasional decisions will temporarily or permanently change outcomes. The environment can be interacted with and altered, including marking walls with graffiti.[2][3]
Plot[edit]
In her hometown of Arcadia Bay, sixteen-year-old Chloe Price sneaks into a house concert at an old mill. Conflict arises with two men inside, whom she evades when schoolmate Rachel Amber causes a distraction. The next day, Chloe and Rachel reunite at Blackwell Academy and decide to ditch class, stowing away on a cargo train and ending up at a lookout point. They people-watch through a viewfinder and see a man and woman kiss in the park, which upsets Rachel. They steal wine from local campers and take a walk to a scrapyard. Chloe confronts Rachel about her change in mood, but is refused an answer. After Rachel leaves, Chloe discovers the wrecked car in which her father was killed. She meets up with Rachel again, who discloses that she witnessed her father, James, cheating on her mother through the viewfinder. Rachel destroys a family photo in a burning trash bin, and in a fit of rage kicks it over, igniting a wildfire.[4]
The next day, Chloe and Rachel are reprimanded by Principal Wells for ditching school. Chloe hides out at the scrapyard where she finds an old truck in need of repairing. She then receives a call from local drug dealer Frank Bowers, who arranges a meeting to discuss settling her debt with him. Chloe agrees to repay him by helping him steal money from her classmate Drew, who owes Frank a large sum. However, Chloe finds out that Drew is being violently extorted by another drug dealer, Damon Merrick, and she must decide whether to pay off the dealer with the stolen money to protect Drew or keep it. When later a student is unable to participate in the school's theater production of The Tempest due to road closures from the wildfire, Chloe reluctantly takes on the role opposite Rachel. After the play, they decide to leave Arcadia Bay with the newly repaired truck and return to Rachel's house to pack. There, following a confrontation, James reveals that the woman they saw him kissing was not a mistress, but in fact Rachel's biological mother.[5]
Rachel is told that her mother, Sera, is a drug addict, and that on the day her father kissed her, he had rejected Sera's plea to see Rachel. Chloe vows to find Rachel's mother, against James' wishes. Chloe contacts Frank, who agrees to meet her at the scrapyard. She repairs the truck there before Rachel arrives. They are ambushed by Frank and Damon, who stabs Rachel after he realises she is the district attorney's daughter. Surviving the wound, Rachel recovers at the hospital. Chloe continues the search by investigating James' office for clues about Sera, instead revealing that James has been in contact with Damon; Chloe uses James' phone to convince Damon to disclose where Sera is located, and finds out that Damon has kidnapped her for ransom. She races to Damon to pay him off, but learns when she reaches him that James wanted him to kill Sera. Frank appears and fights Damon, after which Sera entreats that Chloe never tell Rachel about James' actions. Back at the hospital, Chloe is faced with a choice: tell Rachel everything or protect her from the truth.[6]
Development[edit]
Publisher Square Enix chose Deck Nine to develop the prequel to Life Is Strange after the developer's proprietary StoryForge tools had made an impression.[7] Development started in 2016 with the Unity game engine. Rhianna DeVries, who initially did the game's motion capture for Chloe Price, voices the character, while the original voice actress Ashly Burch serves as writing consultant.[2][8][9] Burch did not reprise her role due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.[10] With the strike over, Burch and Hannah Telle, who voiced Max Caulfield in Life Is Strange, will return for a bonus episode.[11] The game went under different working titles during casting,[12] according to Kylie Brown, who was cast as Rachel Amber (then codenamed Rebecca) in February 2017.[13] The music was written and performed by the British indie folk band Daughter, and released as an official soundtrack by Glassnote Records on 1 September 2017.[14] Instrumentation was employed to represent different sides of the lead character: piano for isolation, electric guitar for rebelliousness, and layered vocals for friendship.[15] Daughter took the script and concept artwork as inspiration.[16] The writers researched memoirs and psychology to understand the grieving process of the main character.[17]
Release[edit]
Prior to its official announcement, images had leaked online indicating that a prequel to Life Is Strange was in development.[18] Square Enix revealed Life Is Strange: Before the Storm on 11 June during E3 2017, stating that it would be released over three chapters starting on 31 August for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[2] The Deluxe Edition includes the bonus chapter "Farewell"—featuring Max Caulfield of the original game as a playable character—three additional outfits, and Mixtape Mode, allowing players to customise playlists with the game's soundtrack.[3]
Episode
Release date
"Episode 1: Awake"[19] 31 August 2017
"Episode 2: Brave New World"[20] 19 October 2017[21]
"Episode 3: Hell Is Empty"[20] 20 December 2017[22]
Reception[edit]
Aggregate review scores
Game
Metacritic
Episode 1: Awake
(PC) 77/100[23]
(PS4) 78/100[24]
(XONE) 80/100[25]
Episode 2: Brave New World
(PC) 78/100[26]
(PS4) 79/100[27]
(XONE) 76/100[28]
Critics appraised Episode 1: Awake the most on its character development of Chloe Price and Rachel Amber.[29][30][31][32] Jeremy Peeples of Hardcore Gamer found Chloe's behaviour "endearing" and noted that her personality was portrayed with multiple layers. Sam Loveridge at GamesRadar wrote that Rachel was the more authentic character on account of her more "grounded" dialogue. Despite disparaging Chloe for being "her same tiresomely combative self" early on, Metro saw her fleshed out by enduring the loss of her father. Game Informer's Kimberley Wallace thought the younger version of Chloe brought a "naivety and vulnerability" worthy of sympathy. Conversely, the relationship between the leads was said to have formed "at unnatural speed". Peeples and Loveridge favoured the "Backtalk" gameplay feature, while Metro and Wallace cared little for it. Otherwise lauded were the story, graphics, voice acting, and soundtrack.[33][34][35][36]
Reviewers found Episode 2: Brave New World to either be better than the first installment or one of the series' greatest.[37][38] Metro praised how choices made a difference with a "profound effect" on character arc, while Ozzie Mejia of Shacknews relished in Chloe's "genuine growth" contrasting her "fiery spirit". Similarly, Game Informer's Joe Juba appreciated the continued comprehension of the character, declaring this "its biggest strength". However, Juba's biggest complaint echoed that of Wallace, in reference to the "forced" manner with which Chloe and Rachel are made friends. Brett Makedonski, writing for Destructoid, thought that the character exposition was done "to great effect". Most noted was The Tempest school play sequence, which Metro stated as their favorite; Mejia called "one of the funniest" in Before the Storm; and Juba observed as the culmination of all past choices. Metro criticized the script for being "uneven" and disapproved of the voice acting. Mejia felt the ending could have been done away with, saying it was "a bit drawn out", though he was impressed with the progression of the Backtalk feature.[37][38][39][40]
Awards[edit]
Following E3 2017, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm received one of GamesRadar's Best of E3 awards[41] and was nominated for Hardcore Gamer's Adventure Game award.[42] It was nominated in the Games for Impact category at The Game Awards 2017.[43] At the 2017 Golden Joystick Awards, it was nominated for Best Audio.[44]
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Additional work by Square Enix London Studios[1]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Robertson, John (12 July 2017). "Life is Strange: Before the Storm is Chloe's game". Red Bull Games.
^ Jump up to: a b c Sarkar, Samit (11 June 2017). "Life is Strange prequel Before the Storm debuts this summer (update)". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Matulef, Jeffrey (13 June 2017). "Life is Strange prequel's Max-based bonus episode is a Deluxe Edition exclusive". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017.
Jump up ^ Deck Nine (31 August 2017). Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One. Square Enix. Level/area: Episode 1: Awake.
Jump up ^ Deck Nine (19 October 2017). Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One. Square Enix. Level/area: Episode 2: Brave New World.
Jump up ^ Deck Nine (20 December 2017). Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One. Square Enix. Level/area: Episode 3: Hell Is Empty.
Jump up ^ Alexander, Jem (July 2017). "Life Will Be Strange". Develop. No. 184. p. 17. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.
Jump up ^ Phillips, Tom (19 June 2017). "Life is Strange: Before the Storm dev on Ashly Burch's absence, season pass kerfuffle and more". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017.
Jump up ^ Hardawar, Devindra (24 August 2017). "'Life is Strange: Before the Storm' is all about being a wiseass teen". Engadget. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017.
Jump up ^ Phillips, Tom (13 June 2017). "Three-part Life is Strange prequel confirmed". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017.
Jump up ^ Frank, Allegra (30 November 2017). "Original Life is Strange actresses return for special episode". Polygon. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
Jump up ^ Riaz, Adnan (7 November 2017). "Kylie Brown: 'I Was Nervous, But Ecstatic,' to Voice Rachel Amber in Life Is Strange: Before the Storm". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017.
Jump up ^ Browne, Emily (11 December 2017). "Talking to the voice of Rachel from Life is Strange: Before the Storm". PC Gamer.
Jump up ^ Kress, Bryan (9 August 2017). "Watch London Trio Daughter Create Music for 'Life Is Strange: Before The Storm' Video Game". Billboard. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017.
Jump up ^ Biery, Thomas (24 August 2017). "How Life is Strange: Before the Storm's music brings out Chloe's emotions". Polygon. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017.
Jump up ^ Diver, Mike (29 August 2017). "Scoring with Chloe: Daughter's OST for Life Is Strange: Before the Storm". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017.
Jump up ^ Conditt, Jessica (23 November 2017). "How 'Life is Strange' landed in Deck Nine's hands". Engadget. Archived from the original on 24 November 2017.
Jump up ^ Schreier, Jason (2 June 2017). "Images Of Apparent Life Is Strange Prequel Pop Up". Kotaku. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017.
Jump up ^ Jones, Gary (14 June 2017). "Life is Strange Before the Storm: Chloe and Rachel's next adventures REVEALED". Daily Express. Northern & Shell. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Deck Nine (31 August 2017). Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One. Square Enix. Level/area: Main menu.
Jump up ^ Nunneley, Stephany (12 October 2017). "Life is Strange: Before the Storm – Episode 2 has a release date and a new trailer". VG247. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017.
Jump up ^ Gilyadov, Alex (5 December 2017). "Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 3 Release Date Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017.
Jump up ^ "Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 1: Awake PC". Metacritic.
Jump up ^ "Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 1: Awake PlayStation 4". Metacritic.
Jump up ^ "Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 1: Awake Xbox One". Metacritic.
Jump up ^ "Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 2: Brave New World PC". Metacritic.
Jump up ^ "Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 2: Brave New World PlayStation 4". Metacritic.
Jump up ^ "Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 2: Brave New World Xbox One". Metacritic.
Jump up ^ Clark, Justin (1 September 2017). "Life Is Strange: Before The Storm - Episode 1 - Awake Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.
Jump up ^ Hillier, Brenna (1 September 2017). "Life is Strange: Before the Storm Ep 1 review – abandon the SS Pricefield, all aboard whatever we're calling the Chloe Rachel ship". VG247. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.
Jump up ^ Bell, Alice (1 September 2017). "Life is Strange: Before the Storm review in progress". VideoGamer.com.
Jump up ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (1 September 2017). "Life is Strange: Before the Storm is fan service at its finest". The Verge. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.
Jump up ^ Peeples, Jeremy (31 August 2017). "Review: Life is Strange: Before the Storm – Episode 1: Awake". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.
Jump up ^ Loveridge, Sam (31 August 2017). "Life is Strange: Before the Storm Episode One review: "It's touching, poignant, and will definitely move you"". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.
Jump up ^ "Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 1 review – Awake". Metro. 31 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.
Jump up ^ Wallace, Kimberley (31 August 2017). "Life Is Strange: Before The Storm – Awake". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b "Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 2 review – Brave New World". Metro. 20 October 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Mejia, Ozzie (20 October 2017). "Life is Strange: Before the Storm - 'Brave New World' Impressions". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017.
Jump up ^ Makedonski, Brett (19 October 2017). "Review: Life is Strange: Before the Storm: Brave New World". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017.
Jump up ^ Juba, Joe (20 October 2017). "Life Is Strange: Before the Storm – Brave New World". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017.
Jump up ^ Staff (19 June 2017). "GamesRadar+ E3 awards - our best, most exciting games of E3 2017". GamesRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017.
Jump up ^ Staff (21 June 2017). "Best of E3 2017 – Day Three: Fighter, Adventure, RPG, Shooter, Action". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017.
Jump up ^ Staff (14 November 2017). "The Game Awards 2017: List of Nominees". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
Jump up ^ Dwan, Hannah (3 November 2017). "Golden Joystick Awards 2017 Last chance to vote for your favourite video games of the year". The Daily Telegraph.
External links[edit]
Official website
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