Life is Strange: Double Exposure Review – More Bravery, Less Humility

Max’s return is a big deal. For fans of the first part, this inspires delight, but also fear. Where will the steps of your favorite heroine lead? How will the developers cope with the events of the controversial end of the Arcadia Bay story? And can they provide an equally immersive experience? Ambitions meet expectations. Whether the authors from the Deck Nine studio, who took on the mysterious world some time ago, will be able to justify this or that remains to be seen.

• Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series (review version)
• Release date: 10/29/2024
• Developer: Ninth games deck
• Publisher: Enix Square
• Genre: story adventure
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: No
• Download data: 25 GB
• Game time: 14 hours
• Price: 1699 CZK (Alsa)

Campus, snow and headphones in ears

From Maxine Cofield’s first step onto the university campus where she works as a photography teacher, I felt at home. The atmosphere of the game is perfect, and if there is one thing that Deck Nine has honed over the years of working on Life is Strange, it is precisely the moments of calm, security and confidence that are an integral part of the series, despite the ever-present drama and darkness seeping to the surface.

This time, the above-mentioned drama will be released very soon. The plot is familiar – Max’s girlfriend Safi is killed. Of course, only in one of the two realities that the main character visits. Unlike previous True Colors (or perhaps the less successful Twin Mirror from the original writers of Life is Strange), the game doesn’t skimp on unnecessary exposition and leans appropriately from the first episode. The gravity of the events deepens in the second and third episodes, and throughout the game’s runtime the narrative is properly measured. The story is quite engrossing, and although it sticks more loosely to the episodic format, it offers plenty of exciting moments, secrets and twists to push you forward.

The events in Double Exposure repeat the first part. They have a lot in common, and Max finds himself in many similar situations, despite frequent but subtle references to number one. However, the difference is fundamental and imitation is not cheap. This time the main character is ten years older and, most importantly, more experienced. He doesn’t make the same mistakes as before, or at least he doesn’t have to. Having made the right decisions, they have to fight the present, which reflects the traumatic past, whatever it was.

At least at first glance, double exposure breaks some established rules.

Unfortunately, the logic of things is sometimes subject to this, or better said, to a violation of internal order. Life is Strange never got too bogged down in logic, and sometimes the explanations were sufficient that’s how it is. I’ve never been jealous of this series. But Double Exposure, at least on the surface, breaks some of the established rules of the world and uses familiar elements without justifying their presence in the script. This isn’t a major issue, but it does make me a little upset because the previously established rules were based on long and elaborate discussions and fan theories.

It was the understanding of the events from the first Life is Strange, about which news continues, that was already a big topic even before the release. Regardless of whether you choose “bae” or “bae”, the game will respect the ending of its predecessor. And this applies to him much more than I expected. Max often remembers Blackwell Academy, Arcadia Bay, Chloe, or other characters, and her experiences play an indispensable role in the perception of current issues.

I probably wouldn’t have even thought about it if I didn’t know how radical decisions the authors had to take into account. But I know this and, despite the above praise, I am aware of the limits within which they held themselves. Returning to Max has many benefits, some of which remain to be seen. But the game is also the material reason why Life is Strange 2 tells a different story with different characters. Because it is impossible to please everyone, especially when there are diametrically different ideas about the world and the destinies of its inhabitants.

The developers promised to take into account both endings of the first part. That they won’t define canon. A noble approach that undoubtedly caused many wrinkles and gray hairs. To avoid them in the future, they adapted double exposure. I’m not really hiding it when I say that the ending of the last expansion clearly demands a sequel. However, the end of a thrilling ride rings somewhat hollow. While there was one big decision made at the end of Part 1, and several smaller ones paid off at the end of True Colors, the end of Double Exposure doesn’t make any difference. Trying to mirror each player’s path seems almost hypocritical when they can’t continue to build their own path. That being said, the climax is unexpected and again indirectly but accurately reflects Max’s past and her relationship with her abilities.

Peacefully to the ends of the world with Max

I already mentioned that Max’s character has advantages. More precisely: Max is the biggest advantage of double exposure. Not only because she was a great protagonist years ago, but also considering who she has become. Still a young photographer, she is more mature and confident, but retains the characteristics that make her such a recognizable character. Much credit also goes to returning actress Hannah Telle, who gives Max an unmistakable personality.

Certain stylization is reflected in the script or motion animation.

The rest of the characters are also good, but I really only liked Max’s friend, astrophysicist Moses. But also Safi, her mother, university professors or the ardent journalist Loretta work. Paradoxically, I found both of the characters Max can form romantic relationships with to be unlikable and annoying. In addition to their actions, I blame this on a certain affectation that accompanies all dialogue. I think it’s the intent and a certain stylization that’s reflected in the script or the motion animation.

Even the graphic style has changed, while the original “watercolor patina” has disappeared from True Colors; character models, on the contrary, have deviated from realism. Some characters, to be precise. The almost photorealistic Max and the almost cartoonish Professor Lucas Colmenero hit me in the eye next to each other. For example, the facial expressions of the characters are quite excellent, and especially the main character adds another layer of emotion.

Clash of realities

Double exposure is an intimate experience in every way. You will repeatedly visit several locations – the modest interior and exterior of a university campus, the local business Snapping Turtle, Max’s home, or the vantage point where the murder takes place. Other places appear sporadically. And you can experience them all in a couple of realities.

Looking into parallel worlds and moving between them is the basis of the gameplay. It offers a number of opportunities that the main character enjoys using. She has no problem eavesdropping on a conversation in another universe or transporting objects through cracks in spacetime. Moments where the game is not strictly prescriptive and forces the player to think are great. Unfortunately, there are not many such moments, and in most cases you are prompted by a giant headline telling you who to talk to, where and in what reality to advance your investigation.

The situation also leads to some pretty funny moments when Max and the player are confused about the dual realities. Many times you can confuse which version of someone you are talking to and refer to conversations that do not exist in that world.

Apart from the new ability, don’t expect any innovation. If you’ve played Life is Strange or any similar story-adventure game, you probably have a very good idea of ​​the gameplay. Exploring the environment and collecting everything available in a given location is the essence of the game. And then there are many, many dialogues.

Technicians

No matter how pleasant the game is to look at and pleasant to listen to – music this time plays an absolutely key role in building the atmosphere – the audiovisual impression is trampled on the technical side.

A good place to start is with a couple of graphics modes on the Xbox Series X. Quality mode traditionally offers higher resolution and 30 frames per second. In Performance mode, resolution drops noticeably, but not to an unbearable degree. The frame rate here is aimed at 60fps, but it fluctuates constantly. Indoors generally perform better than outdoors, but even indoors the game can slow down, usually when dealing with more demanding lighting, such as sunlight shining through a glass window.

To this should be added the bouncing of textures after loading a cut-scene in a new location and an unusual number of graphical glitches. I encountered invisible characters, animation glitches, or strange shadow jumps on characters’ faces. And the sound is not adjusted either. Some conversations (mostly in the environment, not in cutscenes) are inaudible due to the loud music, others don’t play at all or end abruptly when you move too far away.

Good

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a very good game. The authors took on the continuation of the first part with great courage, which was reflected in the character of Max, the narrative and the outcome of the story. This is a big change from Before the Storm and True Colors, which were previously worked on by developers Deck Nine, who were careful not to deviate too much from the given formula. But along with the courage, a certain pinch of humility has disappeared, which can especially irritate rock fans.