Life is Strange | Spoiler Thread

Fuck Warren
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Fuck Warren, after learning those little details I wished I send it directly to the friendzone where he deserve to die, fucking prick, go with that Alissa bitch.
 
Lots of Warren the creeper stuff
Hah there's a lot of things there I missed in my first play through. Though I don't think Warren and Alyssa were a thing. No one else at the school seemed to know about it. And with how obsessed Brooke is with Warren you'd think she'd at least know. More likely Warren was just nice to Alyssa and she took it the wrong way. Much in the same way Warren takes Max's nice gestures.
 
Just finished this over the weekend. Amazing game, probably my retroactive GOTY for 2015.

I haven't dove down the YouTube hole yet but I'm interested to see how the game changes if you save Kate Marsh...I accidentally told her that her mom loved her even though I had read the nasty emails so she jumped on my first playthrough and her death is a huge part of the remaining episodes.
 
Finished the game last night. Love it overall but totally dissatisfied with my ending choice.

I sacrificed Arcadia Bay, and before even getting into the details, it just felt barren and unsatisfying. Absolutely no weight to the awful decision whatsoever, and super short.

Seeing the other ending, it is so much more developed and well told, I wish I had decided on that instead so that was my ending memory, not even for how it wrapped up the story, but just becuase it was presented so much better.

So why didn't I choose to sacrifice Chloe?

Well for one, Cheating death is a clichéd concept (Butterfly Effect, Final Destination, Charlie from LOST), so I felt that it played it too safe, plus the game was beating that concept into your head. I wanted to challenge that cliché, but it ended up being the barren choice.

Now the experiences with Chloe, even if you sacrifice her at the end, still would matter to Max because no matter what- she experienced that week with her even though no one else would remember it. So I kind of figured that the sacrifice Chloe ending would be satisfying. But I was curious to see how they would subvert the obvious ending with the other choice. They didn't. It was just, "okay that's what you decided, the end."

There is no real reaction by the characters in the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending. With the ending of Last of Us for example,
the final bittersweet decision made by the main character is sold by the acting and writing of the characters, and you keep pondering on what the main characters were really thinking because their reactions could be interpreted in many ways. I still wonder what Elle was really thinking when she said "Okay."
In LiS, they just kind of look at each other. There was no final thoughts, or even expressions that made you feel the weight of the decision.

I also have a hard time reconciling some of the other choices I made during that week. I talked Kate out of suicide. I uncovered the truth about Rachel, Jefferson, and Nathan. I made peace with Victoria. Max became a superhero, not because of her Super Max time powers, but because of the way she treated people during the adventure. Seeing that none of that mattered if Chloe died in the bathroom made me feel a little empty inside. The sacrifice Chloe ending shows us that Nathan would have been caught anyway and would have ratted out Jefferson, and people would have known the truth about Kate and thus not drove her to suicide, and so it just made my choices even less important. Seeing how much power the Prescotts had over Arcadia bay throughout my adventure, I felt it was kind of a stretch to see that everything worked out anyway as long as Chloe died. It's not a matter of "nothing I did mattered" because Max still experienced all these things, but its just kind of lame that if Max would have stayed home sick with a cold that day we'd still have the same end result.

And Max had the vision of the tornado before she even altered time. She didn’t ask for the ability, and she didn’t even know it was Chloe when she first rewound time and saved her, so for that to be the unraveling of reality put me off a little bit.

I think if I had experienced that Chloe ending first, though very telegraphed and cliche, I would have been more satisfied, and then watching the Arcadia ending after would still feel that it was very empty, but at least my experience would have ended on a more high note prior.

It's the only choice I regretted in the entire playthrough, and not because of the consequences of my decision (because I loved accepting my choices during the game), but the lack of any consequence, or at least it felt that way.

Still, love the overall game and can't wait for the sequel.
 
I thought the twist might be Max was going to have to die.
Like she was supposed to die by the light house, and changed time by rewinding for the first time then.

I played this with my wife, but enjoyed it alot.
I think it would have hit me harder if I played it alone..I help myself back from crying in front of her.

Finale song features Blue. :(
 
Just played this over the weekend and, uh, wow. That was pretty damn special and also devastating. I saw the buzz on the game throughout the year but I never would have guessed that this title would have been one of the best games of 2015 for me.

Chloe is one of my favorite video game characters in I don't know how long. Max was pretty awesome too. I have genuinely never seen a better realization of best friends in a game. LiS made me intensely nostalgic for hanging with my best friend growing up.

I loved how much effort was put into humanizing every single supporting character. Frank ended up being a surprisingly good guy, very devoted to Rachel, and I really felt for him (and his dog). Even with Max trying to shoot him they ended up being basically friends by the end.

David, though, really blew me away. Despite being a total asshole on numerous occasions he really came through in the end. I just kind of intrinsically trusted the guy starting in Episode 2 where he handled the whole pot thing surprisingly reasonably then especially in Episode 3 when I found out that he used the date he met Joyce as his password. Just didn't think a guy could ever be that bad if he had that kind of hidden romantic side. His anguish after saving Max and finding out about Chloe's death was heartbreaking, so much so that I immediately went back and hid the truth.

Will probably move onto Tales of the Borderlands (that other episodic game from last year I've heard so much about). Hope it's at least a little more upbeat...
 
Just played this over the weekend and, uh, wow. That was pretty damn special and also devastating. I saw the buzz on the game throughout the year but I never would have guessed that this title would have been one of the best games of 2015 for me.

Chloe is one of my favorite video game characters in I don't know how long. Max was pretty awesome too. I have genuinely never seen a better realization of best friends in a game. LiS made me intensely nostalgic for hanging with my best friend growing up.

I loved how much effort was put into humanizing every single supporting character. Frank ended up being a surprisingly good guy, very devoted to Rachel, and I really felt for him (and his dog). Even with Max trying to shoot him they ended up being basically friends by the end.

David, though, really blew me away. Despite being a total asshole on numerous occasions he really came through in the end. I just kind of intrinsically trusted the guy starting in Episode 2 where he handled the whole pot thing surprisingly reasonably then especially in Episode 3 when I found out that he used the date he met Joyce as his password. Just didn't think a guy could ever be that bad if he had that kind of hidden romantic side. His anguish after saving Max and finding out about Chloe's death was heartbreaking, so much so that I immediately went back and hid the truth.

Will probably move onto Tales of the Borderlands (that other episodic game from last year I've heard so much about). Hope it's at least a little more upbeat...

Did you choose The Bay or Chloe?
 
Did you choose The Bay or Chloe?

Saved The Bay. Gutted to make that decision but it only seemed right.

Not only was that funeral montage absolutely amazing (the song was incredible) but, thinking on it, that choice really felt like it made the most sense. My initial reaction when given the choice was "yeah, it might stop the Tornado but what about taking care of Kate, Nathan, and Jefferson? None of that would have happened." Then, when Nathan got busted I was like "Of course, he's going to squeal on Jefferson. And that will also reveal what happened to Kate so she won't feel like committing suicide." It just kind of all clicked into place.

I just felt so bad for Chloe though, dying on the bathroom floor without either of her best friends, Rachel and Max. This sounds morbid but it kind of feels like a missed opportunity not to have her die slower and give max a chance to be with her in the final moments.
 
Saved The Bay. Gutted to make that decision but it only seemed right.

Not only was that funeral montage absolutely amazing (the song was incredible) but, thinking on it, that choice really felt like it made the most sense. My initial reaction when given the choice was "yeah, it might stop the Tornado but what about taking care of Kate, Nathan, and Jefferson? None of that would have happened." Then, when Nathan got busted I was like "Of course, he's going to squeal on Jefferson. And that will also reveal what happened to Kate so she won't feel like committing suicide." It just kind of all clicked into place.

I just felt so bad for Chloe though, dying on the bathroom floor without either of her best friends, Rachel and Max. This sounds morbid but it kind of feels like a missed opportunity not to have her die slower and give max a chance to be with her in the final moments.

Yep, that's the choice I made. I sat at the screen and thought about it and realized that the best way to honor Chloe was to save the town with all the people we cared about in it. Definitely not an easy choice. And yeah, I wish Max had gone to her after she was shot, but that may have made it too difficult to not rewind time once more.
 
Finished up the final two episodes last night and man what an amazing game. Playing both episode 4 and 5 on the same day and it completely emotionally wrecked me. I was blubbering away after making the choice to sacrifice Chloe.
Ended up making that choice though as I just couldn't go through and let the tornado destroy Arcadia Bay and countless innocent people (people that i've grown to know throughout the game and care about) to save one even though it was such a tough choice.
The music selection/score for the game was also so good. It really elevated the game and made certain scenes so much more impactful.
 
I'm a little surprised with the way LIS has stuck with me. Although I finished it a couple weeks ago I still find myself thinking about it daily.

I wasn't sure what to make of it at first. I never would have tried it had the GiantBomb East staff not praised the first three episodes during their 2015 Game of the Year deliberations. A game with a goofy title and a teenage girl on the cover art? High school drama and teen angst? I think I'll pass. And when I first started playing, I almost wished I had. The dialogue got a little weird on occasion, and some of the drama seemed forced and manufactured. It was as if the writers knew where they wanted to go but couldn't always find an elegant way to get there, so they just plowed forward regardless of whether it made sense. That I wasn't a fan of Chloe in the beginning didn't help. I didn't realize the developers intentionally tried to make Chloe not very likeable at first so the player could warm up to her over time. Risky move, but I think it paid off.

Despite my initial misgivings, I was hooked by the beginning of Episode 3. Although the time manipulation was a neat hook, LIS was ultimately all about the characters for me. I liked seeing the different “versions” of Chloe throughout the episodes, and thought the first part of episode 4 was well done and not manipulative. In another thread someone commented that LIS shows how you can love someone who is a complete mess, and that sums up the relationship between Chloe and Max perfectly.

Although the ending depressed the hell out of me (I sacrificed Chloe), it didn't feel cheap or unearned. When taken within the context of the rules the game had built up over 5 episodes, the ending made sense and was seemed appropriate. Considering how dark the game eventually became, and how most of the "important" decisions you made revolved around selecting from a list of bad options, choosing between "Kill x" and "Kill everyone" wasn't a surprise. When the diner scene from the nightmare ended and I found myself walking past vignettes highlighting moments with Chloe and Max I figured things were about to go real bad. I just wasn't prepared for how dark DontNod was going to get.

It's not just that Chloe dies--that's bad enough--it's when. The Chloe at the start of the game is in a dark place. She's selfish, angry, alone, and feeling abandoned by everyone--her father, her mother, Rachael, and her best friend Max who hasn't been in touch for years. And that's the Chloe that we're going to let die. None of the personal growth she experiences over the course of the game will ever happen. She'll never know what happen to Rachel. She'll never reunite with Max. She'll die alone and scared on a cold tile bathroom with only Nathan for company. It's heartbreaking.

I know some people complained that the ending made all your decisions pointless because you're effectively undoing every action you made in the game up to that point. While this is partly true, everything you did still happened at one point, and Max has the memories of all those moments. As Chloe says before Max goes back, "Wherever I end up after this ... in whatever reality ...all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours." While that may not be true for Chloe, it's still true for Max, and for you, the player.

So to the developers, well done, guys. Thanks for the memories.
 
I am probably going to be in the minority but I didn't like Chloe as much as the other characters (I get they have this history between them and are BFFs but apart from one scene of them baking stuff together, it's narrated to me 80% of the time. Idk, feels forced, much less considering her as a romantic possibility), so I had zero hesitation when it came down to the final choice. I understood why Max was going through shit to save her, but I wasn't feeling it. On the other hand, Max's interferences with Kate (and even conversations with Dana and David/Frank!) touched me.

Overall a great game though. I am glad I pulled through despite ep 1's cheesy dialogue. And for once, a game I don't have to load multiple save files or constantly restart to check out the different consequences of my choices (well at least most of them). I found this, unintentionally I guess, a poke at most PnCs completists.

And why so much hate for Warren? He's just an awkward teenage dork, whose heart is in the right place. Chloe is just as flawed, but I don't see the same amount of vitriol towards her.

Max x Kate/Warren/Dana ftw
 
I am probably going to be in the minority but I didn't like Chloe as much as the other characters (I get they have this history between them and are BFFs but apart from one scene of them baking stuff together, it's narrated to me 80% of the time. Idk, feels forced, much less considering her as a romantic possibility), so I had zero hesitation when it came down to the final choice. I understood why Max was going through shit to save her, but I wasn't feeling it. On the other hand, Max's interferences with Kate (and even conversations with Dana and even David/Frank!) touched me.

Overall a great game though. I am glad I pulled through despite ep 1's cheesy dialogue. And for once, a game I don't have to load multiple save files or constantly restart to check out the different consequences of my choices (well at least most of them). I found this, unintentionally I guess, a poke at most PnCs completists.

And why so much hate for Warren? He's just an awkward teenage dork, whose heart is in the right place. Chloe is just as flawed, but I don't see the same amount of vitriol towards her.

Max x Kate/Warren/Dana ftw

That's how I felt about Chloe too. I liked Chloe but not nearly to the degree the game expects you to by the end. It made the final decision a non-choice for me which kinda sucked.

And as you can see by my fine, high-quality Kate avatar, I too thought Kate was amazing. Max and Kate's friendship was nice and pulled me into the story in a way few games have. I really, genuinely wanted to help her, to let her know she wasn't alone out there. It was awesome that you get the payoff for saving her in the form of the incredibly sweet hospital scene between them.

(Side Note: Yet another reason to save everyone and let Chloe die, no way in hell am I killing Kate. Sorry Price, that ain't happening.)

I also liked Warren. His behavior seemed like a normal dorky teenager who likes a girl. He's smart when it comes to academics but not in the social arena. It especially makes sense when you think about that he's only 16 as opposed to Max's 18. I ended up going for Max/Warren in my game, and I was happy with the turnout.
 
Anyone care to share their opinions on wether it was necessary or not to know the origins of Max's powers?

A friend of mine insists it felt cheap to have her powers not be explained and that it seemed like they conveniently left that information out of the game, so as to not even bother making sense of it in any reasonable way.

I think it wasn't really important to the story they were conveying, that it wasn't and didn't need to be the focus. It just serves the purpose of pushing the narrative forward in a more unique way, while adding some player agency to a story that would otherwise be very straightforward and run of the mill.
 
That's how I felt about Chloe too. I liked Chloe but not nearly to the degree the game expects you to by the end. It made the final decision a non-choice for me which kinda sucked.

And as you can see by my fine, high-quality Kate avatar, I too thought Kate was amazing. Max and Kate's friendship was nice and pulled me into the story in a way few games have. I really, genuinely wanted to help her, to let her know she wasn't alone out there. It was awesome that you get the payoff for saving her in the form of the incredibly sweet hospital scene between them.

(Side Note: Yet another reason to save everyone and let Chloe die, no way in hell am I killing Kate. Sorry Price, that ain't happening.)

I also liked Warren. His behavior seemed like a normal dorky teenager who likes a girl. He's smart when it comes to academics but not in the social arena. It especially makes sense when you think about that he's only 16 as opposed to Max's 18. I ended up going for Max/Warren in my game, and I was happy with the turnout.

Yeah, same for me... it was a non-choice for me as well. Had they allowed Max to jump back to another time when they were kids/how they met each other etc, perhaps I would have liked her more?

As a supposed best friend, I actually found Chloe insufferable at times, tbh. I am on my second playthrough and I was annoyed to find out that if you didn't hide in the closet when David's back home, she almost instantly tells him that the weed is yours. In my first playthrough, she was constantly giving me crap for "not standing up for her". Like uh, okay?

So Kate, you rock, I would/may have sacrificed Arcadia Bay for you. I went with Warren too (a small of it was also because I felt game was trying to force Max x Chloe down my throat... but all I got was misguided hero worship and guilt on Max's part)
 
Max and Chloe forever! Having to repeatedly see someone you care about suffer like that, it seems unfair to just let them go. Plus, the universe can't always get its way.

Y'all are heartless monsters.
Anyone care to share their opinions on wether it was necessary or not to know the origins of Max's powers?

A friend of mine insists it felt cheap to have her powers not be explained and that it seemed like they conveniently left that information out of the game, so as to not even bother making sense of it in any reasonable way.

I think it wasn't really important to the story they were conveying, that it wasn't and didn't need to be the focus. It just serves the purpose of pushing the narrative forward in a more unique way, while adding some player agency to a story that would otherwise be very straightforward and run of the mill.
Nah, it's not necessary. I think it'd be good if the writers had something in mind, but LiS isn't weakened or lessened by lacking an overt explanation for everything--and in some cases, it only makes what it does more powerful. By this I mean, the theorycrafting and speculation that arises from the ambiguity of it all, investing fans into the world of LiS.

Like, the theorycrafting is part of what I love about LiS. There's so much to think about! I'd also go further, and say that it's fine for LiS2 to follow in the same path.
 
Anyone care to share their opinions on wether it was necessary or not to know the origins of Max's powers?

A friend of mine insists it felt cheap to have her powers not be explained and that it seemed like they conveniently left that information out of the game, so as to not even bother making sense of it in any reasonable way.

I think it wasn't really important to the story they were conveying, that it wasn't and didn't need to be the focus. It just serves the purpose of pushing the narrative forward in a more unique way, while adding some player agency to a story that would otherwise be very straightforward and run of the mill.

Nah, unless they find some way to include it organically. Either way, there was too much going on.

I am totally fine with "the universe works in mysterious ways, life is... weird" thing they were going for.

Is LiS most definitely getting a S2? I am fine with a new cast but please let the S1 cast have cameo roles...
 
FWIW, there were quite a few signs that Chloe was going to bite it. So by the time the alt timeline came up, I was fully ready to pull the plug. Much less what, an episode and a half later?
 
Nah, unless they find some way to include it organically. Either way, there was too much going on.

I am totally fine with "the universe works in mysterious ways, life is... weird" thing they were going for.

Is LiS most definitely getting a S2? I am fine with a new cast but please let the S1 cast have cameo roles...

Most likely. Though, it seems even more certain because SE is going ahead with a LiS TV series (by the worst company possible). They definitely see it as a franchise with potential, even now.

I imagine we'll hear more about it once DONTNOD's next game, Vampyr, gets closer to release. Or perhaps after release. (It's published by a different company, not SE).
 
Anyone care to share their opinions on wether it was necessary or not to know the origins of Max's powers?

A friend of mine insists it felt cheap to have her powers not be explained and that it seemed like they conveniently left that information out of the game, so as to not even bother making sense of it in any reasonable way.

I think it wasn't really important to the story they were conveying, that it wasn't and didn't need to be the focus. It just serves the purpose of pushing the narrative forward in a more unique way, while adding some player agency to a story that would otherwise be very straightforward and run of the mill.

I like that the game didn't try to explain it. This is a case where I was completely fine with the mystery.
 
Reading through this page reminded me of the ending of the game :(
So I started listening to the soundtrack again :(

:(
 
Finished it, loved it. Sacrificed Chloe, even though it felt like the wrong choice in doing so, it seemed like the point the game was building up to.

So... if Max never got those powers, nothing would have changed? Chloe would have been killed, Nathan would have been arrested and ratted out Jefferson anyway, no tornado because no time travel shenanigans. Kinda sadistic of the powers that be that gave Max those abilities only to not be able to change anything in the end.
I guess it would be seen as kind of a gift as well maybe? Like, Max could spend one last week with her best friend and say goodbye properly. A blessing and a curse.
 
Finished it, loved it. Sacrificed Chloe, even though it felt like the wrong choice in doing so, it seemed like the point the game was building up to.

So... if Max never got those powers, nothing would have changed? Chloe would have been killed, Nathan would have been arrested and ratted out Jefferson anyway, no tornado because no time travel shenanigans. Kinda sadistic of the powers that be that gave Max those abilities only to not be able to change anything in the end.
I guess it would be seen as kind of a gift as well maybe? Like, Max could spend one last week with her best friend and say goodbye properly. A blessing and a curse.

Nah you still saved Kate (right?) and helped Alyssa innumerable times. Maybe Victoria too? I forget what the timeline in Ep 5 actually settled on. But yeah, that last paragraph is ultimately my reading of it.
 
Finished it, loved it. Sacrificed Chloe, even though it felt like the wrong choice in doing so, it seemed like the point the game was building up to.

So... if Max never got those powers, nothing would have changed? Chloe would have been killed, Nathan would have been arrested and ratted out Jefferson anyway, no tornado because no time travel shenanigans. Kinda sadistic of the powers that be that gave Max those abilities only to not be able to change anything in the end.
I guess it would be seen as kind of a gift as well maybe? Like, Max could spend one last week with her best friend and say goodbye properly. A blessing and a curse.

In a lot of ways, the time travel power is a vehicle for regret. Why does Max go back in time? Because she regrets a choice she made. Ultimately, the "natural path" is the one that happens but the time travel stuff allows her to come to terms with her grief and exercise some control over circumstances. I love how perfect that ending is even as it is heartbreaking. I view it as the "acceptance" stage of grief.
 
Finished it last Wednesday with the "Sacrifice Chloe" ending.
When does the hurting end? I've actually been feeling somewhat.. paralyzed since finishing the game and I can't stop listening to the soundtrack. Fucking Obstacles gets me every time.


I started replaying it last night (not even going for different choices, I'm doing the exact same decisions as I did my first time) and it just makes me so happy.
 
Does anyone else think that there's a major plot hole? It's heavily stated that Max messing with time is what made storm happen and that Chloe is meant to die. Yet, initially what happens in episode 1 is a vision. When she sees Chloe getting shot, she goes back to the classroom. We know that her powers make her stay in place, so this is either a vision or some one time only power. After this apparent vision, she saves Chloe. So was that really messing with time?
 
Does anyone else think that there's a major plot hole? It's heavily stated that Max messing with time is what made storm happen and that Chloe is meant to die. Yet, initially what happens in episode 1 is a vision. When she sees Chloe getting shot, she goes back to the classroom. We know that her powers make her stay in place, so this is either a vision or some one time only power. After this apparent vision, she saves Chloe. So was that really messing with time?

I'm not sure what you mean by "stay in place"? There were multiple puzzles where you did something and then rewound time behind a locked door. Which always messed me up because I forgot you could do that
 
This is the spoiler thread btw, no need to tag your discussion :)

Also spoiler tagging like that (without any hints) is pretty useless, as people can't tell -what- you're spoilering until they click it. Now again, in this thread, no problem, but in other threads do use things like:

Spoilers for chapter 3
this is a spoiler
.
 
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