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Now that I have finished episode 4 of Life is Strange I felt the overwhelming need to write down some thoughts on it.
Note: My copy was provided by Feral Interactive, the porter.
Important note: This will spoil the game for you, do not read unless you’re prepared for that.
You can see my port report and my thoughts on the earlier episodes in my original release article right here.
I livestreamed this episode and you can watch the entire thing right here on YouTube:
Note: The awesome music had to be removed, due to a copyright claim.
It’s hard to put into words how I feel now after finishing this part of the game, as I feel emotionally attached to this title in a way that I honestly didn’t feel possible. This is why I absolute adore video games—they give me a chance to experience and play out events as other people.
The story, to be perfectly honest with you, was incredible. I am on the opposite side of the fence to a lot of reviewers it seems, as a lot of people seem to think episode 4 was quite weak. I on the other hand thought it was the best episode yet.
I felt the game didn’t truly blossom until episode 4, which is where it truly gets "hella" good. So many missing pieces of the puzzle start flowing together and it was impressively done.
The whole episode was like being on a, to poach a phrase, emotional rollercoaster. Dealing with a disabled Chloe, watching their memories together unfold and seeing them cry together was heart wrenching to say the least. The decision you have to make about Chloe’s life caught me totally off guard, but the decision I made to put her to sleep was based on my own thoughts on life. I personally wouldn’t be able to comprehend life without any mobility, so my own personal thoughts totally influenced my in-game decision making there.
I made some terrible decisions during the course of this one, that ended up getting a questionable character killed. I rewound time, changed a few decisions and "oops I did it again". It was shocking the first time, but somehow slightly amusing that I got him killed again. That was probably the only slightly humorous moment in the entirety of episode 4, the rest is just outright dark.
The feeling of dread and panic boiling inside of me when I figured out where Rachel is, you could cut the tension in my room with a knife. Finding out what really happens to her made me feel terribly sorry for Chloe, and slightly sick. I was close to an emotional wreck myself due to how invested I am in the story and the characters. It did, however, feel good to finally get my own personal closure on that major part of the story.
There is one point in this episode that created frustration, which was dealing with multiple sets of clues and picking the right ones together. I didn’t feel like that truly added anything to the experience, it just wasn’t executed very well. Honestly, this section made me want to bang my head against the wall for how it was designed. Apart from that, episode 4 will stay firmly in my brain for months to come.
The total plot-twist at the end of episode 4 completely knocked the wind out of me and I felt like I was in minor shock. WHY, why did it have to be you!? You total, and complete—bastard!
Episode 4 has shown that Life is Strange has some really great writing, but it also showcases some of the more poorly designed parts with the clue sorting.
This game is now battling Among the Sleep for my top spot of video games that have affected me emotionally. I feel Life is Strange will probably take the crown there, as Among the Sleep only really got to me right at the end, but this game has repeatedly slapped me.
This single episode set me back approximately two and a half hours, so it’s not exactly short.
If you haven’t purchased this game yet, I urge you to. The free first episode is nothing compared to the rest of it. Overall my experience has been that it’s simply fantastic. I will also be writing up episode 5 once I have completed the entire game and will be doing a wrap-up article.
You can grab Life is Strange right now from the Feral Store, or pop onto Steam to try the first episode for free. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Note: My copy was provided by Feral Interactive, the porter.
Important note: This will spoil the game for you, do not read unless you’re prepared for that.
You can see my port report and my thoughts on the earlier episodes in my original release article right here.
I livestreamed this episode and you can watch the entire thing right here on YouTube:
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Direct Link
Direct Link
It’s hard to put into words how I feel now after finishing this part of the game, as I feel emotionally attached to this title in a way that I honestly didn’t feel possible. This is why I absolute adore video games—they give me a chance to experience and play out events as other people.
The story, to be perfectly honest with you, was incredible. I am on the opposite side of the fence to a lot of reviewers it seems, as a lot of people seem to think episode 4 was quite weak. I on the other hand thought it was the best episode yet.
I felt the game didn’t truly blossom until episode 4, which is where it truly gets "hella" good. So many missing pieces of the puzzle start flowing together and it was impressively done.
The whole episode was like being on a, to poach a phrase, emotional rollercoaster. Dealing with a disabled Chloe, watching their memories together unfold and seeing them cry together was heart wrenching to say the least. The decision you have to make about Chloe’s life caught me totally off guard, but the decision I made to put her to sleep was based on my own thoughts on life. I personally wouldn’t be able to comprehend life without any mobility, so my own personal thoughts totally influenced my in-game decision making there.
I made some terrible decisions during the course of this one, that ended up getting a questionable character killed. I rewound time, changed a few decisions and "oops I did it again". It was shocking the first time, but somehow slightly amusing that I got him killed again. That was probably the only slightly humorous moment in the entirety of episode 4, the rest is just outright dark.
The feeling of dread and panic boiling inside of me when I figured out where Rachel is, you could cut the tension in my room with a knife. Finding out what really happens to her made me feel terribly sorry for Chloe, and slightly sick. I was close to an emotional wreck myself due to how invested I am in the story and the characters. It did, however, feel good to finally get my own personal closure on that major part of the story.
There is one point in this episode that created frustration, which was dealing with multiple sets of clues and picking the right ones together. I didn’t feel like that truly added anything to the experience, it just wasn’t executed very well. Honestly, this section made me want to bang my head against the wall for how it was designed. Apart from that, episode 4 will stay firmly in my brain for months to come.
The total plot-twist at the end of episode 4 completely knocked the wind out of me and I felt like I was in minor shock. WHY, why did it have to be you!? You total, and complete—bastard!
Episode 4 has shown that Life is Strange has some really great writing, but it also showcases some of the more poorly designed parts with the clue sorting.
This game is now battling Among the Sleep for my top spot of video games that have affected me emotionally. I feel Life is Strange will probably take the crown there, as Among the Sleep only really got to me right at the end, but this game has repeatedly slapped me.
This single episode set me back approximately two and a half hours, so it’s not exactly short.
If you haven’t purchased this game yet, I urge you to. The free first episode is nothing compared to the rest of it. Overall my experience has been that it’s simply fantastic. I will also be writing up episode 5 once I have completed the entire game and will be doing a wrap-up article.
You can grab Life is Strange right now from the Feral Store, or pop onto Steam to try the first episode for free. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
Kimyrielle Aug 15, 2016
I absolutely hated the ending (weak, unoriginal and completely predictable are the nicer things I can say about it), but this game is still one of the best adventures ever made. The ending didn't change my opinion about the game. It might have made me decide not to play it again, but that's all. 4 was probably the best episode.
2 Likes, Who?
I went through the whole game in 52 hours.
I got the first episode before it was free, but when the Summer Sale was just started 2-3 days ago, and I gained the money for it by selling my trading cards, and after I was got curious about the continuation, so I sold cards again, until I could buy the Season Pass, and I started the second episode, and I realized how the choices affect the gameplay, and I started playing with that until I got totally immersed into the game, and when I came to the "rescue Kate" segment, I tried every line, and if she jumped. I exploited the saving mechanism by reloading the previous state (reaching Kate), and tried again until she didn't jumped, thus saving her, letting the protagonist to become a hero.
At Episode 4, when entering that shelter in the barn, I knew that place is very dodgy (the chair and duct tape is not an encouraging combo)
The plot twist at the end of Episode 4 is was like a 'What?' situation.
Episode 5 is will be the strangest part of the game.
I got the first episode before it was free, but when the Summer Sale was just started 2-3 days ago, and I gained the money for it by selling my trading cards, and after I was got curious about the continuation, so I sold cards again, until I could buy the Season Pass, and I started the second episode, and I realized how the choices affect the gameplay, and I started playing with that until I got totally immersed into the game, and when I came to the "rescue Kate" segment, I tried every line, and if she jumped. I exploited the saving mechanism by reloading the previous state (reaching Kate), and tried again until she didn't jumped, thus saving her, letting the protagonist to become a hero.
At Episode 4, when entering that shelter in the barn, I knew that place is very dodgy (the chair and duct tape is not an encouraging combo)
The plot twist at the end of Episode 4 is was like a 'What?' situation.
Episode 5 is will be the strangest part of the game.
0 Likes
I am the one who usually rushes to YouTube for every puzzle. When I played that particular section it was 3AM, I was frustrated because I was tired and had to go to work early next day. I tried brute-forcing it and failed. Then my half asleep brain started connecting pieces and solved it - felt quite proud of myself. I think it was brilliant.
For the euthanasia section I spend 30 mins thinking about it. Something I could never do in TellTale's games because of that darn timer (also because often not caring that much)
I haven't read much reviews about Ep4, but for me it was the point where I realized this game is going to be one of my personal favorites. Ep5 was just ok, and that's the main reason for the most negative steam reviews. Dontnod explained the ending further in an interview, giving more sense to it. But in-game it felt flat.
I'm waiting to upgrade my potato box to replay it in linux with full details on.
For the euthanasia section I spend 30 mins thinking about it. Something I could never do in TellTale's games because of that darn timer (also because often not caring that much)
I haven't read much reviews about Ep4, but for me it was the point where I realized this game is going to be one of my personal favorites. Ep5 was just ok, and that's the main reason for the most negative steam reviews. Dontnod explained the ending further in an interview, giving more sense to it. But in-game it felt flat.
I'm waiting to upgrade my potato box to replay it in linux with full details on.
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Kimyrielle Aug 15, 2016
Quoting: arvigeusI am the one who usually rushes to YouTube for every puzzle.
That's me playing adventure games. Well, at least these days. I used to play adventures pretty much since the genre was invented (yes, all the way back to Infocom's stuff). And I never needed walkthroughs. Back in the days, the puzzles could be solved by rational thinking and exploring the scene. A bit of Sherlock Holmes here and Lara Croft there. These days? Apparently many devs feel the need to artificially extend the hours required to complete their games by inventing extremely irrational and extremely obscure puzzles. I am usually proud of my problem solving skills and logical thinking, but I am the first to admit that modern adventures tend to frustrate the hell out of me. When I see a locked door, I am looking for a key. But modern adventures make you open a door by looking for a fishing rod, catch a salmon, and use the salmon to make a Grizzly bear charge into the door and breaking it open, after first going to the zoo and help the bear escape its cage.
And then came Life is Strange. I never needed a guide for that game. Not once. I really, really appreciated a game focusing on good storytelling, not artificially delaying my progress with stupid, irrational puzzles. Other than (most of) the writing, that's the thing that I most liked about the game.
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Yes, this game is great piece of art. Very likeable characters and thrilling story. Finished the game on one weekend. I also liked the intelligent and empathetic dialogs and all the creative puns ("Go fuck yourselfie!" ). Also enjoyed the visual style with the picturesque graphics and the warm lighting directed in great view angles. I took a lot of beautiful screenshots while playing. Fits very well to the story which is much about art and photography. Really great game which comes to my mind again from time to time, which proves it is something special.
Btw, talking about intelligent dialogs ... this fake one is not, but pretty hilarious. Accidently found it on youtube after playing the game. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. :D
View video on youtube.com
Btw, talking about intelligent dialogs ... this fake one is not, but pretty hilarious. Accidently found it on youtube after playing the game. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. :D
View video on youtube.com
1 Likes, Who?
RussianNeuroMancer Aug 16, 2016
!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!
> plot-twist at the end of episode 4
Somehow I figure out this on lecture in Ep1. So I wasn't surprised when that "plot-twist" happened, but still like this game a lot.
!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!
> plot-twist at the end of episode 4
Somehow I figure out this on lecture in Ep1. So I wasn't surprised when that "plot-twist" happened, but still like this game a lot.
!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!
0 Likes
the 1st chapter is the most boring thing ever. I hope than it gets better
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Really nice game and the scenario with Chloe in ep4 was really heartwrenching, unfortunatly I think that was also the point where I started to lose interest in the plot. Before that, Max special ability was like some type of superpower from the tv-series "Heroes" (or some other metahuman/mutant/accidental power). However, at that point the "feel" of the story switched tracks over to the magical, mythical or karmic arena. Basically it felt like I was just playing a modern variation of the classic "Monkey´s Paw"(link story.
This lessened my enjoyment significantly for the rest of the game. :(
Last edited by Feist on 16 August 2016 at 7:51 am UTC
This lessened my enjoyment significantly for the rest of the game. :(
Last edited by Feist on 16 August 2016 at 7:51 am UTC
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Nice one, Liam. Big fan here too.
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