I feel like if they'd fleshed it out moreif they'd really played up the idea that Max and Chloe were resolute about getting over their survivor guilt, and finally driving to Big Sur to have the adventure Chloe has been talking about since the start, and showed a few survivors plus the fact that the Prescotts have been destroyed with the townit would've felt like a more balanced choice. Even some more dialogue between the two of them after the decision is made would have made it better.
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Life is Strange | Spoiler Thread
- Thread starter Dr. Buni
- Start date
I feel like if they'd fleshed it out moreif they'd really played up the idea that Max and Chloe were resolute about getting over their survivor guilt, and finally driving to Big Sur to have the adventure Chloe has been talking about since the start, and showed a few survivors plus the fact that the Prescotts have been destroyed with the townit would've felt like a more balanced choice. Even some more dialogue between the two of them after the decision is made would have made it better.
Yes, all of this. Just because we don't see the ramifications of every choice we've made make an appearance in the final ten minutes of the game doesn't mean they didn't happen. Trying to show the results of every one of our choices in that little finale would make it feel contrived. They happened, but they're not all the focus in the ending, which instead gives us closure on the Chloe story specifically. I suppose we could have had a Return of the King ending that just keeps on going and shows us what happens with every single little aspect of the story, but I don't think that's really necessary.
QuickSilverD
Member
Like always I refer people to Steamspy http://steamspy.com/app/319630 not official I know, but from what we have heard quite accurate, from this we can determinate they sold nearly 600k copies of episode 1 on PC, now we don't have data about how well it did on consoles, but I know at least the first two episodes did well enough to chart in the PlayStation Blog top 20 selling games for the month, I presume the game also did well on Xbox.
Now they did announce they sold 1 million copies 40% of which came from PC, if you trust Stemspy numbers and we extrapolate, they have probably sold about 1.4 million units
Please don't do this, the Save Chloe ending was contrived because they ran out of budget money, you're basically saying "so what if this visual medium didn't show you the results, just use your imagination"
80s Bad Guy
Banned
Wrapped it up last night. Really loved the final episode. Overall easily one of the best games I've played this year. The only one to make me almost cry on multiple occasions.
Everyone tells Max so many times she always does the right thing, so only one ending choice makes sense. But it is incredibly sad, because in the end the right thing to do was nothing at all.
I agree. Just watched is on youtube (my ending is canon and done!) but it does leave them feeling like, we really didn't do the right thing, did we? If they're going to give you the choice it should be a little more ambiguous.
Everyone tells Max so many times she always does the right thing, so only one ending choice makes sense. But it is incredibly sad, because in the end the right thing to do was nothing at all.
I agree. Just watched is on youtube (my ending is canon and done!) but it does leave them feeling like, we really didn't do the right thing, did we? If they're going to give you the choice it should be a little more ambiguous.
Sorry, I was talking more about the Save Arcadia Bay ending there. I don't think there's any question that the Save Chloe ending should have been more fleshed out. My issue is that a lot of people seem to want all of their choices from throughout the game to be somehow represented in the ending sequence, which just isn't practical, and for a lot of the choices it wouldn't even make sense to do that.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
Didn't she predict the storm before she used her powers? The more questions I ask the more confusing and dumb this all seems. Also, the city could evacuate pretty fast. It's not as if the tornado was created on the town.
I don't think they had a solid way of explaining the tornado bit or anything that seemed out of their control so they just chalked it up to "kill Chloe and save the town because of reasons".
I don't think they had a solid way of explaining the tornado bit or anything that seemed out of their control so they just chalked it up to "kill Chloe and save the town because of reasons".
Shit probably gets messed up in one's mind when they're the focal point of time travel and they're basically shifting timelines every minute, so it was just a byproduct of that.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
Which doesn't make good story telling if not properly shown.
matrixman92
Member
So apparently in the original files, there were supposed to be 8 episodes. I feel like that would have been better. Episode 5 seemed extremely cramped
Square enix is to blame for all issues it seems
Square enix is to blame for all issues it seems
Subpar Spatula
Banned
Wait, so I just did a re-watch of the ending on YouTube. The video I'm watching shows Max and Chloe only hug. In my ending Max kisses Chloe. WHY
Eh, I don't think I agree with that. Putting aside ambition and budget, there wasn't nearly enough presented from LiS as we know it now to stretch it out for 3 more episodes. Episode 5 didn't seem cramped to me at all; the segments were clearly delineated and there wasn't really any I could see expanding upon.
Spending some more time in some of the alternate timelines would be nice, and some of that did feel rushed, but there's not enough of importance there to create whole new story sequences out of.
I remember this being brought up before and somebody pointed out that Remember Me had eight episodes, so they probably just reused certain files/code.
It seems to depend on a lot of factors regarding how you interact with Chloe throughout the game.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
My choices led to whether or not I hug or kiss Chloe and then choose between 2 set endings? I feel more ripped off than Mass Effect 3. What was the whole point in being nice to Victoria or trying 100% to bang Warren? I was wondering why zero choices made in the final didn't have a butterfly logo and now I know why: nothing matters.
80s Bad Guy
Banned
Did you kiss Chloe in her room? I did, also saw them kiss. Wonder if that was it.
Well, being nice to Victoria leads to her believing your warning in the Vortex Club party, so Jefferson kidnaps her too and she'll be in the dark room with you.
Leading Warren on romantically gives you the option to kiss him after he gives you the photo in Episode 5.
Every choice you made about a character made an impact on your relationship with that character on every episode. It was never about building toward something greater, it was about how every player related to these characters in a different, meaningful way.
And in a way, that affects the actual ending as well. The weight of sacrificing Chloe or Arcadia Bay is influenced by your own feelings regarding Chloe and the people in the town. So, in a way, the way you built a connection with these characters through five episodes did matter.
Nah, that definitely wasn't it. It's an accumulation of all your actions towards Chloe and Warren.
I did a lot of pro-Chloe things but also kissed Warren so I got a hug. Others kissed Chloe and Warren but still got the kiss.
Well no, your choices affect a lot of things throughout the game. That's just one specific example.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
These types of games or stories need to have your decisions matter in the end or else your decisions didn't matter at all. There's no closure except a funeral or they drive out of the city. We don't get to see what became of our choices after all is said and done.
I kissed Warren and Chloe at the end and then sacrificed Chloe. Will I be with Warren? Is Victoria a good person now? Is David less aggressive and controlling? I honestly have no idea because it doesn't show. The developers, probably based on budget, want you to think for yourself and I find that dumb. It's similar to Mass Effect 3.
If your problem with Mass Effect 3's ending was just that it didn't reflect your choices up to that moment and that it was based on a limited number of choices then, yes, this was like Mass Effect 3.
And a whole bunch of people in this thread disagree with you. I don't care about some culmination point of all my decisions. I care about how my decisions were reflected up to that moment. and LiS did it very well.
Double Donut
Member
what the fuck ._.
I played this game doing everything I can to push Max and Warren together. Didn't kiss Chloe. Did all the optional Warren things.
Yet I decided to go back and read the last few diary entries and despite all this, the final entry still goes on about Chloe and "is it friendship or LOVE?!?!".
So I guess Warren is barely even a romantic option at the end? The game will always somewhat have Max fall for Chloe...
Hella lame. Extremely hella lame.
I played this game doing everything I can to push Max and Warren together. Didn't kiss Chloe. Did all the optional Warren things.
Yet I decided to go back and read the last few diary entries and despite all this, the final entry still goes on about Chloe and "is it friendship or LOVE?!?!".
So I guess Warren is barely even a romantic option at the end? The game will always somewhat have Max fall for Chloe...
Hella lame. Extremely hella lame.
No, there's been people in here saying they just get a friendly ending with Chloe, so there's some stuff that clearly triggers just being friends. I mean you can give Warren a kiss and end as friends with Chloe so I'd take that as the Warren "romance" route.
chrominance
Member
Though I mostly agree that your choices do matter in the sense that you saw their ramifications throughout the game, I would also say that your choices have a lasting impact ONLY if you pick Sacrifice Arcadia Bay. The whole point of the Sacrifice Chloe ending is that you refuse the option to make any of those choices by letting Chloe die. So I do think those criticisms have some backing, even if seeing how characters change around you during the story is more important to me than seeing those changes stick at the end of the story.
(aside: I'm surprised at how many people care about Max kissing or not kissing Chloe, but: I got the hug, and I didn't kiss Chloe back in Episode 2/3. I feel like that's probably the trigger but who knows.)
toastyToast
Member
Let's be real. It's not an ending unless there's a montage with Don't You (Forget About Me) playing
AlphaDragoon
Member
Did you sacrifice Chloe and see a hug at the end? If so, you got friend Chloe ending. Read the journal more thoroughly and you'll see she says she's her best friend and like family.
Exactly. That was your experience, which led to the best ending in your journey. If there was a bigger discrepancy between both, you could argue that the most chosen one was the "real" ending. But right now the statistics prove how well-written and satisfying both are.
Yeah. Actually, it surpassed one million sales with episode 4. That's without huge discounts throughout the year. "The publisher describes the milestone as a "huge achievement" for developer Dontnod, adding that it's "incredibly proud" of the episodic game's success."
For those of you where Chloe doesn't end up having a gun when she gets killed by Jefferson:
What does Jefferson say why he killed her?
Chloe actually had TWO guns in my run-through (one from Frank and one from... David? Nathan? I don't remember) , so Jefferson was like "it was self-defense, everyone will believe me! She pulled a gun on me"
what does he say if Chloe doesn't have a gun?
What does Jefferson say why he killed her?
Chloe actually had TWO guns in my run-through (one from Frank and one from... David? Nathan? I don't remember) , so Jefferson was like "it was self-defense, everyone will believe me! She pulled a gun on me"
what does he say if Chloe doesn't have a gun?
TheBlackMarvel
Member
Doesn't Chloe always wind up with a gun? Pretty certain the reason she takes Nathan's is so she has one regardless of what you did in previous chapters...
ah, makes sense. Wasn't sure. My Chloe collected all the guns :lol
and still didn't shoot Frank or Pompadou, HOW COULD YOU PEOPLE
Day 3 of me having finished the game, still depressed.
The Save Chloe ending is a tricky balancing act. Showing survivors make it seems like Max didn't sacrifice anything at all. At the same time, showing death would just scream that this is the bad ending. I'm actually ok with the townsfolk being in Schrodinger's Bay. It's probably depressing to dig through the rubble, but there's the hope that maybe it isn't. However, I do feel like they could have done much more interesting shots and montages than what we had without revealing any more than they did. Especially compared to sacrificing Chloe, it's a bit of an emotionless ending.
As for my headcanon,
I'm just going to pretend it's like dropping a rock into a river, a big splash at the beginning only to settle down afterward.
TheBlackMarvel
Member
Well, they do show at least one dead body...
They should have AT LEAST looked for Joyce. I mean, it's her mom after all. or Warren, after all he's done.
If not show them looking for them, show their funeral or something. But it's unrealistic they wouldn't even CHECK if Chloe's mom is alive. Budget constraints...
I'll just pretend they DID look.3 more episodes of reused assets and setpieces? I think it was a good decision to make it 5 episodes.
I don't think any of the issues would be made better just by having more episodes at all.
WaitwaitwaitawitiwatiaI WAIT
What is this last few diary entries thing? WAIT
WAAAAAAAAIT
Can't believe I fucking missed this, I checked that shit all the time. When did I have to read it to get that?
Let me install this game again.
Don't be depressed, now it's the time to replay the entire game with different decision, time to see what affect you the most.
I.... I... I don't think I can emotionally handle that. I don't wanna have it be over again. This is like finishing a great book and it just rips your heart out that you won't ever experience the characters again.
So she would go to the washroom and save Chloe. And as a warning of what it would cost to save her.
/my head-canon
Manny Calavera
Member
I agree. I'm happy they found two choices in the end that both carry a weight and are not easy to make.
Same for me. That ending was just too damn sad. I guess it's time to replay the game from beginning.
Manny Calavera
Member
I.... I... I don't think I can emotionally handle that. I don't wanna have it be over again. This is like finishing a great book and it just rips your heart out that you won't ever experience the characters again.
Well you can only play till the point in episode 4 when Max and Chloe are still happy..After that it kinda goes downhill fast.
I don't get why people are so hung up about Max having a vision of the storm before she used her power. Its foreshadowing and a warning about some shit thats gonna go down. Bunches of stories have employed this very same plot device and usually the characters figure it all out as they progress through the narrative...which is pretty much what happened here.
toastyToast
Member
No more excitedly booting up the game every few months listening to be theme song while you rub your hands vigorously enough to start a firestorm
... that's actually not a terrible idea!
But... then I'll never get over it... living in the past...
this game is too meta
They should have AT LEAST looked for Joyce. I mean, it's her mom after all. or Warren, after all he's done.
If not show them looking for them, show their funeral or something. But it's unrealistic they wouldn't even CHECK if Chloe's mom is alive. Budget constraints...
Yeah, it would be more realistic. However, I can't really see how they could do that without pushing people more towards sacrificing Chloe. Even if they end it prior to reveal, digging through the rubble is a depressing note to end on compared to the bittersweet alternate ending. Of course, all this is assuming that the developers actually wants to balance the two choices.
GTS300Coupe
Banned
just finished this and I love this game! the last episode did feel a little rushed but was intense.
it's cool that the option to sacrifice arcadia bay was available but silly. I felt like it was always going to be that chloe had to die no matter what. I predicted that ever since the second episode. in fact chloe either dies or almost dies in every episode which basically leads on that it is her fate no matter what timeline.
it's cool that the option to sacrifice arcadia bay was available but silly. I felt like it was always going to be that chloe had to die no matter what. I predicted that ever since the second episode. in fact chloe either dies or almost dies in every episode which basically leads on that it is her fate no matter what timeline.
Hey, sacrificing the girl/your love who you spent an entire week repeatedly trying to save, experiencing all sorts of hell inbetween and knowing for the rest of her life she'll always be remembered as a punk by everyone else and will have died not knowing what happened to Rachel....
that's not really bittersweet to me. :/
I just wish the two endings would've had an equal amount of work done for them, and not one being the obviously more fleshed-out version. I mean they don't even really have to SHOW Joyce - they could've chosen to show a mourning Chloe&David together, too.
We are waiting... what are we supposed to wait for anyway???
They should have AT LEAST looked for Joyce. I mean, it's her mom after all. or Warren, after all he's done.
If not show them looking for them, show their funeral or something. But it's unrealistic they wouldn't even CHECK if Chloe's mom is alive. Budget constraints...
Yeah. My headcanon (for that ending - my REAL headcanon is the sacrifice Chloe ending) is that Max and Chloe spent a few days helping to look for survivors, found some, mourned over those who died, and then after maybe a week or so decided to leave town together.
Man, I don't know if I can do that. What happened for me is just...what happened. It would almost feel wrong to play through again and make different choices.
And even if I do play through again with different choices I'm sure as hell not doing anything differently regarding Kate.
-holds Steamlord-
I feel exactly the same way about everything.
Except that's the real ending to me.
Didn't think about it while playing it, but ZA WARUDO was unfortunately missing from this episode. Best power.
I need to read the final pages. When do I have to do this? After I come back from the nightmare?
I need to read the final pages. When do I have to do this? After I come back from the nightmare?
just read it as you're going through the nightmare, and after. Just open the journal every few minutes?