Life is Strange | Spoiler Thread

Question for those of you who are obsessed with this game. Where else do you go to talk about LiS other then Gaf? I can see this thread slowly dying out and I still want to have a place to go to discuss things. Reddit?
 
Just beat the game.

Super disppointed with the ending. Seemed like a really cheap cop-out compared to how great the other episodes felt. :/

Oh well.
 
I'm proud to say that I have just gained my first ever platinum trophy since I joined PSN in 2008.
Still pissed about the ending though.
A little bit anyway.
 
GGNKovalski said:
Question for those of you who are obsessed with this game. Where else do you go to talk about LiS other then Gaf? I can see this thread slowly dying out and I still want to have a place to go to discuss things. Reddit?
Click to expand...

Yep,I would say Reddit. Lots of discussion going on there.
 
Beat it, didn't like the ending. But I expected it. It kinda lowered the whole enjoyment of the game to me, not Indigo Prophecy level, but episode 5 just felt.... trying to wrap up too much, in too little time.

And the whole thing just feels unexplained. The universe gave you time powers because...... reasons. It's mad you used them because....... reasons. It was all for nothing, so don't use them to make sure nothing bad happens because...... reasons. Let your friend die having never met you.

"Sorry you'll probably be in therapy the rest of your life because of this Max, GG The end!"

meh.

Its like if Twin Peaks would have ended with some goofy ass from season 2 bullshit, rather than the David Lynch out with a bang ending/episode we got.
 
ZombieSupaStar said:
Beat it, didn't like the ending. But I expected it. It kinda lowered the whole enjoyment of the game to me, not Indigo Prophecy level, but episode 5 just felt.... trying to wrap up too much, in too little time.

And the whole thing just feels unexplained. The universe gave you time powers because...... reasons. It's mad you used them because....... reasons. It was all for nothing, so don't use them to make sure nothing bad happens because...... reasons. Let your friend die having never met you.

"Sorry you'll probably be in therapy the rest of your life because of this Max, GG The end!"

meh.

Its like if Twin Peaks would have ended with some goofy ass from season 2 bullshit, rather than the David Lynch out with a bang ending/episode we got.
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I wouldn't say so. Its explicitly shown here in this episode. The more you uses forbidden power, the more undesired consequence occurs. You solved a problems in front of you, but the effect of this will send a ripple effect which may create a bigger problem.

Warren has already explained the Newton's third law. For every action force, there's an equal and opposite reaction force. You can't have the best of everything, its a life lesson to Max (and the gamer). Chloe was meant to die all the while, and you are muddling her fate. You can escape the problems you created (eg creating a new timeline) but you are just delaying the inevitable and you'll have to face them eventually, so its best you man up and face the problem head on before it swells.

Who or where the power came from is like a MacGuffins. Its the same as the briefcase in Pulp Fiction, or the spinning top in Inception ending, whereby the beauty lies in its ambiguity and lack of closure. The power exist only to drive the narrative forward.
 
ArtHands said:
I wouldn't say so. Its explicitly shown here in this episode. The more you uses forbidden power, the more undesired consequence occurs. You solved a problems in front of you, but the effect of this will send a ripple effect which may create a bigger problem.

Warren has already explained the Newton's third law. For every action force, there's an equal and opposite reaction force. You can't have the best of everything, its a life lesson to Max (and the gamer). Chloe was meant to die all the while, and you are muddling her fate. You can escape the problems you created (eg creating a new timeline) but you are just delaying the inevitable and you'll have to face them eventually, so its best you man up and face the problem head on before it swells.

Who or where the power came from is like a MacGuffins. Its the same as the briefcase in Pulp Fiction, or the spinning top in Inception ending, whereby the beauty lies in its ambiguity and lack of closure. The power exist only to drive the narrative forward.
Click to expand...

Yeah but it leaves me after playing the game with a well why bother, and not satisfied, maybe that was the idea, but meh, didn't like it.
 
To be fair, Warren is an 18 year old high school student, I would take everything he says about science with about 200 pounds of salt.

And that still doesn't explain why the universe would be mad about her using them - arguably, the universe could also decide not to care, like it didn't care much about saving William, that timeline was fine. So clearly it had something VERY specific to do with Chloe.

Also, someone brought this up on reddit - The butterfly picture is actually taken AFTER Max uses her powers for the first time (vision - bathroom - murder - wakes up in classroom again - bathroom - takes picture - prevents murder), so by the time Max takes the butterfly picture she already knows she can rewind time. So, Max travels back in time, lets Chloe die, then "temporary" Max leaves the body again. Now we know after temporary Max leaves, the left Max knows nothing that future Max will know (hence the "remind me to go to the lighthouse note for Chloe before the party), so past-Max will wake up, find Nathan and a dead Chloe and knows she can timetravel. She also has the butterfly photo.

Now given that actual Max saves Chloe by rewinding time, why wouldn't the Max that just finds the dead Chloe not do the same thing and rewind time to save her?

Because she'll save Chloe, when Max "wakes up" from her trip to the bathroom to sacrifice Chloe, she shouldn't be waking up sometime before Chloe's funeral, but actually should wake up right at the lighthouse after having teared the photo.

Which will make that a REALLY awkward moment. "so uh... I tried killing you... but uh... guess it didn't work... besties?"
 
ZombieSupaStar said:
Yeah but it leaves me after playing the game with a well why bother, and not satisfied, maybe that was the idea, but meh, didn't like it.
Click to expand...

It isn't possible to explain the time travel in this situation, because it is magic. If there is time travel, and it isn't hard sci-fi, best not to ask for an explanation. If you realize this going in, you are less likely to be disappointed.
 
NoPiece said:
It isn't possible to explain the time travel in this situation, because it is magic. If there is time travel, and it isn't hard sci-fi, best not to ask for an explanation. If you realize this going in, you are less likely to be disappointed.
Click to expand...

Max is a mage? Dark Mage or White? Or wait...a witch?
 
NoPiece said:
It isn't possible to explain the time travel in this situation, because it is magic. If there is time travel, and it isn't hard sci-fi, best not to ask for an explanation. If you realize this going in, you are less likely to be disappointed.
Click to expand...

Nah, I mean just the ending (either one) is unsatisfying. Sacrifice Chloe none of those people Kate, Warren, Victoria or even Max (if we go by the previous rewind memory wipes) would remember anything of her adventure/memory. So I'm guessing Jefferson got arrested because Nathan ratted him out.

So in the end the game didn't matter at all. That's why I'm meh over it. Oh well. At least it didn't go full Indigo Prophecy explaining things, so maybe its for the best.

The only winning move was not to play.
 
For those of you guys also continuously listening to the soundtrack, this person put up a couple really well-edited clips to go with the songs:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Bullet333/videos

for example:

Syd Matters - Obstacles

ZombieSupaStar said:
Nah, I mean just the ending (either one) is unsatisfying. Sacrifice Chloe none of those people Kate, Warren, Victoria or even Max (if we go by the previous rewind memory wipes) would remember anything of her adventure/memory. So I'm guessing Jefferson got arrested because Nathan ratted him out.

So in the end the game didn't matter at all. That's why I'm meh over it. Oh well. At least it didn't go full Indigo Prophecy explaining things, so maybe its for the best.
Click to expand...

Max would remember it AFTER she wakes up, so roughly a week later. And yes, Jefferson got arrested because of Nathan, that's visible in the pictures kind of.
 
Life is Strange was always a game about characters, never about the ins and outs of time travel. Here is my review of the EP5 + thoughts on the series (published here). I will just copy and paste the whole thing here as who clicks through to links nowadays...

It’s been a long road to see the end of Life is Strange. The series may take place over the course of one singular week, but for fans it will have taken 10 long months to soak in the full story of the life of pseudo-time-traveling super heroine Max Caulfield, and the intense re-kindled relationship with her close friend Chloe Price. In previous episodes time was reversed, realities were jumped, various sets of wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey tomfoolery was embarked on, but throughout the series Life is Strange always put its unique brand of storytelling, and diverse cast of characters at the forefront. It was this inimitable line-up that made the story grow to feel important, and something truly worth caring about.

Life is Strange may be a series about time travel, but it never once forgets that people are its most important facet. Episode Five is no different.

Even though Life is Strange has always been a series with time travel elements at its core, Episode Five is the least shy of all to use it as a starting point to propel its adventure forward. There is barely a chance to take a breath and process events before the episode begins to weave its complex story. As with all great narratives that dabble in science fiction and the supernatural, there is a human element at the shining center of this episode that keeps the would be madness grounded. Life is Strange needed elements of time travel and time jumping to tell the tale it wanted to tell, but it never gets obsessed with it. It is, and has always been consistently there to enhance the story that lay above.

What we are now playing with is no longer simply the conversational time travel the series had use to great effect previously, we are now deep in the serious bird and whale murdering type that Max has already learned will lead to ruin. We know that time hates to be rewritten, and because of this we know the road ahead will be dangerous, but it soon becomes apparent it is necessary to take this grievous path to see the story through.

If you are looking for a one line summary of what Episode Five contains, let’s just say it presents a selection of horrible choices, and forces a response with equally fucked up answers. It does not pull many of its punches either. It can go to dark places, and dwell in them long enough to be uncomfortable. People in this episode are vindictive and angry, and some can deliver obsessive psychopathic monologues that can be downright scary. Max is justifiably angry herself, and she should be. If the developer’s intention was to present an ominous tone, it is vividly apparent early on, and only grows clearer as the episode develops. If I was to hit on a slight downside, the villainous tones of some characters are almost a bit too forceful and in your face to be wholly believable, but they most certainly get their point across.

Over its three hour runtime, this episode does not share as many big playthrough altering choices as the last few outings of the series, but the ones that are there are more hard hitting than ever before. Progressing towards the end of the episode, it begins to get harder to make choices, let alone feel like you’re making the right one. If you are the kind of person that likes to jump onto Youtube to watch people both play and react to the series, Episode Five is the best concoction yet to give Let’s Players complete emotional breakdowns. Hopefully you will garner some entertainment from their dismay.

Without delving into specifics, Episode Five feels like an exciting hotpot of clever ideas. If you felt previous episodes lingered too long in some locations, Episode Five is constantly a changing kaleidoscope, always wanting to show something new. Arguably one of the more impressive events on show is an inventive mid-episode scene that can play out a huge number of ways. I won’t go too deep into its details, but it involves learning information and retaining it to use earlier – effect before cause. This slight time-puzzle element leads to action, drama and a tiny bit of musical based humour all getting presented in one highly effective ten minute gameplay chunk – and it’s great to be part of. I’d like to say more, but revealing too much would ruin what is impressive about it. What is perhaps even more special is that the episode is constantly brimming with such moments.

Steven Spielberg once said he could easily blow the shark up at the end of Jaws as he had the audience invested with a tense two-hour buildup. Life is Strange is one and the same. Due to the impressive growth of the series over four episodes, we can now begin to accept events in this world we would have rejected 12 short hours ago. We can laugh as Max almost breaks the fourth wall as she confronts her true nemesis again – green bottles. We can watch characters struggle as they try to avoid uttering the game’s titular line in conversation. We can get lost in seriously messed up hallucinogenic helltrips, that’s arguably one of the better horror moments of the year. If your reasoning led you to believe it was impossible for a video game to effectively showcase a teenager developing into an adult, and a girl becoming a woman, that is executed with aplomb here too. It’s such an impressive coming of age story it almost passes by without notice.

For all the various choices presented over the series, Life is Strange‘s story can only end in a couple of ways, and some may have a problem with that. However, in my opinion this decision works, as the endings on offer are justified, believable and definite. With this decision Dontnod do not have to chase red threads on sprawling whiteboards to find out what a player did in which parts of the game and why. They likely already know the ins and outs of this anyway, but displaying a long list of bullet points in visual form, and sloppily connecting one to the next does not bring closure. At best it rarely works.

Even if all decisions you made will not be miraculously represented in the game’s closing moments, that’s not to say they are lost to the world. The decisions are of course referenced, with bits and pieces inserted and removed from this very episode as it advances to suit. There is an early line spoken; “You brought yourself here by your own choice,” and that rings true as the episode develops. It is obvious all these choices are still relevant, as they come together to tell the tale of how each player approached the end of their respective journeys. It is not as if Dontnod have tossed them aside as if they never happened. They happened, they always will have happened, and if you enjoyed the road to get here they have always matter to you.

As the end approaches, it feels right to be alongside Max Caulfield in her effort to seek closure once and for all. Even though Episode Five may be a continuous torrent of truly dire situations, it is an experience that demands attention. Intense monologues – both venomous and heartbreaking – are its standout moments. Its clever narrative offers a sense of finality that can fill you with terror, happiness, and heartbreak in equal parts. Thank you for the year that was Life is Strange – it’s been emotional.
Click to expand...
 
Maybe the thing I'll miss the most is booting up the menu screen every time a new episode releases. The music is just so calming and serene, along with the image of gusting winds blowing over the town.

It's just a beautiful segue-way to transport the player to the place of Arcadia Bay.
 
Smiley90 said:
To be fair, Warren is an 18 year old high school student, I would take everything he says about science with about 200 pounds of salt.

And that still doesn't explain why the universe would be mad about her using them - arguably, the universe could also decide not to care, like it didn't care much about saving William, that timeline was fine. So clearly it had something VERY specific to do with Chloe.

Also, someone brought this up on reddit - The butterfly picture is actually taken AFTER Max uses her powers for the first time (vision - bathroom - murder - wakes up in classroom again - bathroom - takes picture - prevents murder), so by the time Max takes the butterfly picture she already knows she can rewind time. So, Max travels back in time, lets Chloe die, then "temporary" Max leaves the body again. Now we know after temporary Max leaves, the left Max knows nothing that future Max will know (hence the "remind me to go to the lighthouse note for Chloe before the party), so past-Max will wake up, find Nathan and a dead Chloe and knows she can timetravel. She also has the butterfly photo.

Now given that actual Max saves Chloe by rewinding time, why wouldn't the Max that just finds the dead Chloe not do the same thing and rewind time to save her?

Because she'll save Chloe, when Max "wakes up" from her trip to the bathroom to sacrifice Chloe, she shouldn't be waking up sometime before Chloe's funeral, but actually should wake up right at the lighthouse after having teared the photo.

Which will make that a REALLY awkward moment. "so uh... I tried killing you... but uh... guess it didn't work... besties?"
Click to expand...

Warren is 16
 
ZombieSupaStar said:
Yeah but it leaves me after playing the game with a well why bother, and not satisfied, maybe that was the idea, but meh, didn't like it.
Click to expand...

Well its not something that everyone can accept, so its totally fine if you don't like how it is because you prefer a clear cut explanation too.
 
Smiley90 said:
Also, someone brought this up on reddit - The butterfly picture is actually taken AFTER Max uses her powers for the first time (vision - bathroom - murder - wakes up in classroom again - bathroom - takes picture - prevents murder), so by the time Max takes the butterfly picture she already knows she can rewind time.
Click to expand...

That's not true, she took the photo the first time she entered the bathroom, right before Nathan came in.
 
Viridian6 said:
That's not true, she took the photo the first time she entered the bathroom, right before Nathan came in.
Click to expand...

but then she wakes up in the classroom again - without the photo. she then re-takes it back in the washroom.
 
Smiley90 said:
but then she wakes up in the classroom again - without the photo. she then re-takes it back in the washroom.
Click to expand...

Huh, you're right. Always strange how that initial rewind followed the rules of her "photo jump" rather than her standard rewind. Anyway this is likely just an oversight on the writers' part.
 
Viridian6 said:
Huh, you're right. Always strange how that initial rewind followed the rules of her "photo jump" rather than her standard rewind. Anyway this is likely just an oversight on the writers' part.
Click to expand...

the initial rewind wasn't a rewind as much as she was just "transferred" back into the classroom. Like she "willed it" into existence, without knowing that she could do it (because it was her first time doing it). after that she knew she could do it - hence the point future max goes back to, past Max already knows she can rewind time - so why wouldn't she have done that after finding a dead Chloe?
 
for all of you in the "save chloe" camp don't forget she's the asshole who took up two handicap spots in ep 1

f14b6a0af1.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Smiley90 said:
I live in Vancouver (BC, not OR, otherwise it'd be so close), so I see the kind of nature here too... and the kind of lifestyle. so it's close to home haha.

http://bluemoondinerpdx.com/

"welcome fellow time travelers"

LOL
Click to expand...

Jealous.

I seen that as well. I laughed. I wonder is they have a waitress named Joyce.

Smiley90 said:
006-225x300.jpg


YUP IT'S THE TWO WHALES FOR SURE
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YEP! Putting this place on my list of places I need to visit. Although I'm sure there are more dinners like this. But still.
 
GGNKovalski said:
Yeah. I got a good chuckle out of that.

Also, we are keeping this thread alive.
Click to expand...

JUST LIKE BAE

also, reddit is having me in stitches

"There is actually a THIRD ending where everyone in Arcadia AND Chloe lives.

1. Play the game from the start.
2. Save Kate, be nice to Victoria, Courtney, and Taylor
3. Put Warren in the friendzone every chance you get
4. Kiss Chloe. Then rewind and kiss her again.
5. Right before you enter the Vortex Party in EP4, hit ESC.
6. Exit the game.
7. Never play it again.
8. Pretend Nathan was alive, Max and Chloe bust him, he confesses to the police what Jefferson did, Max and Chloe fall in love and they start a detective agency called "CSI: Arcadia Bay" together. Did I mention they fall in love?
9. Happy music plays as Jefferson is sentenced to death by torture (also pretend that's legal in Oregon).
10. Also it turned out Rachel was in Los Angeles all along! She returns to Arcadia Bay and has a polyamourous relationship with Chloe, Max, Kate, and Victoria. Warren and Brooke are finally happy together.
11. Max becomes a famous photographer and Chloe is her photo model.
12. Everyone is happy.
13. I am in denial. Everything hurts.Take this pain away from me."
 
Smiley90 said:
JUST LIKE BAE

also, reddit is having me in stitches

"There is actually a THIRD ending where everyone in Arcadia AND Chloe lives.

1. Play the game from the start.
2. Save Kate, be nice to Victoria, Courtney, and Taylor
3. Put Warren in the friendzone every chance you get
4. Kiss Chloe. Then rewind and kiss her again.
5. Right before you enter the Vortex Party in EP4, hit ESC.
6. Exit the game.
7. Never play it again.
8. Pretend Nathan was alive, Max and Chloe bust him, he confesses to the police what Jefferson did, Max and Chloe fall in love and they start a detective agency called "CSI: Arcadia Bay" together. Did I mention they fall in love?
9. Happy music plays as Jefferson is sentenced to death by torture (also pretend that's legal in Oregon).
10. Also it turned out Rachel was in Los Angeles all along! She returns to Arcadia Bay and has a polyamourous relationship with Chloe, Max, Kate, and Victoria. Warren and Brooke are finally happy together.
11. Max becomes a famous photographer and Chloe is her photo model.
12. Everyone is happy.
13. I am in denial. Everything hurts.Take this pain away from me."
Click to expand...

Me right now
 
GGNKovalski said:
Me right now
Click to expand...

"[my version of an episode 6 is]Max gets a new power and is somehow able to send a message to her past self saying that letting Chloe die only delayed the tornado by a couple months. Something is still off with the time stream because Rachel had the same powers and fucked it up. Max has to go back even further and fix everything. EPISODE 6 TRUE ENDING ROUTE.

And then Max has to be the one to kill Rachel, which Chloe witnesses. Chloe lives, but hates Max forever.
GOD NO THIS IS WORSE"

LOL
 
Via Reddit:

If Life is Strange was a character in Life is Strange it would be

"... kind of like Jefferson.
Think about it, this game started off a high school drama, innocent as can be. It then warped to be about suicide, love, death, consequences, tough choices, revenge, sickos, and deep characters. Let's face it, the game itself is about loss of innocence.
And that's exactly what Mark Jefferson was capturing in his dark room.
So, basically, if Life is Strange was a Life is Strange character, it would be Jefferson."
 
One thing I'm still kind of disappointed by is the Prescotts/Nathan. I was SO sure they had something to do with the storm. I mean, they built bunkers, wanted to remodel the town (how CONVENIENT a storm would destroy it), Nathan had visions and they called it the Vortex Club and the end of the world party.

C'MON
 
GGNKovalski said:
Via Reddit:

If Life is Strange was a character in Life is Strange it would be

"... kind of like Jefferson.
Think about it, this game started off a high school drama, innocent as can be. It then warped to be about suicide, love, death, consequences, tough choices, revenge, sickos, and deep characters. Let's face it, the game itself is about loss of innocence.
And that's exactly what Mark Jefferson was capturing in his dark room.
So, basically, if Life is Strange was a Life is Strange character, it would be Jefferson."
Click to expand...

This is getting too meta for me.
 
Anyone have an answer for why Max can go back and save Chloe's father and there's no storm or constant death threats for him but save Chloe and in a matter of days everything goes to shit?
 
Smiley90 said:
One thing I'm still kind of disappointed by is the Prescotts/Nathan. I was SO sure they had something to do with the storm. I mean, they built bunkers, wanted to remodel the town (how CONVENIENT a storm would destroy it), Nathan had visions and they called it the Vortex Club and the end of the world party.

C'MON
Click to expand...

Yeah I wanted some closure on this as well.

They could do the MGS thing and just say "Nanomachines!"
 
I just finished a second playthrough of Life is Strange, making sure to pick the "best" choices for everything so that everyone ended up as happy and not-dead as possible. I still picked "Sacrifice Arcadia Bay" at the end and still have no regrets for picking the clearly superior and more interesting choice.

Conflict NZ said:
Anyone have an answer for why Max can go back and save Chloe's father and there's no storm or constant death threats for him but save Chloe and in a matter of days everything goes to shit?
Click to expand...

Because the story isn't exactly internally consistent about some things for the sake of playing up the main plot's melodrama. Like it's sort of a thing that Life is Strange operates similar to Steins;Gate, where someone who dies tends to keep dying...but that only seems to ever apply to Chloe. Kate never falls out of the hospital window or whatever and even Max can almost die in some places, only to save herself with the rewind power. I actually don't mind all that much since it's easy to ignore this aspect of the plot and just chalk it up to Chloe being a dumb teenager who threatens the dangerously mentally unstable, lies around on train tracks, and plays games with drug dealers. The storm I think is "intended" to be due to Chloe avoiding her fate or whatever, at least thematically. But again it's not really consistent and I'd rather just think of it as the fallout of Max's repeated rewinding fucking up stuff on a macroscopic scale despite her microscopic intentions with it.
 
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