TheLife is Strangeseries is an iconic narrative adventure franchise known for tackling deep, emotional topics through the lens of its relatable characters, the use of gameplay mechanics to help widen the world view of its story and consequences, and accolades such as a Games for Impact award from TGA 2015, among many more. Now, just as the series is about to celebrate its tenth anniversary, the original protagonist, Max Caulfield, is set to return in another time-related adventure inLife is Strange: Double Exposure.
While many fans are happy to see Max return after the heartbreaking final choice in the original game, some fans have reservations as the originalLife is Strangegame told the story it needed to tell at the time, which makes many potential players wonder ifLife is Strange: Double Exposurewill respect its legacy and the impressions it left on fans for almost a decade. At Gamescom, Game Rant had the chance to discuss this with game director Jon Stauder and writer Aysha Farrah, andDouble Exposureis being made with care towards the past while also learning from the franchise’s other installments at the same time.
Deck Nine Respects Life is Strange’s Original Ending
One of the reasons thatLife is Strangehas stuck with fans for as long as it has is due to the damning choice it forces Max and the player to make at the very end - to save Arcadia Bay from a natural disaster brought on by Max’s time rewinding powers or save Chloe Price, the person she used her powers to save in the first place.Life is Strangehas gone on to feature multiple endingsin future installments, but the first game stands out in the way that neither ending has been considered canon in the grand scheme of things. Not evenDouble Exposureitself decides that, as players decide which ending happened for Max as they go through the sequel. Stauder even stated this affects the dynamic of Max’s new tale as he spoke with Game Rant, saying,
“[The ending choice] definitely affects things in the game. One core conceit is that, no matter which ending you got, Max has this trauma she has to process. What flavor of trauma it is is specific to which choice players make and that informs so much about where Max needs to grow as a character and very much how she moves past it. It affects the way you’re going to experience the story.”
It remains to be seen how much that ending changesLife is Strange: Double Exposurechanges the overall story remains to be seen, but it keeps the precedent thatplayer choices inLife is Strangedo matter, no matter how old those choices may be. Deck Nine isn’t making any steps forward with Max’s story without paying tribute to what came before, and writer Aysha Farrah has stated that, as a fan of the original game in her own right, she understands why making one ending more definitive than the other would upset fans. Players will be able to choose which ending Max has gone through in her journal and other interactions as they go through the newer story.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure Uses Lessons Learned Over The Past 10 Years
As critically acclaimed asLife is Strangewas when it first came out, there’s been a decade of new games for lessons as well, includingLife is Strange 2andLife is Strange: True Colors. Perhaps the animation quality of the first one has aged in this time, but this is also an area where the franchise has only grown stronger, withLife is Strange: Double Exposurebenefiting from lessons learned by Deck Nine over this time. Stauder explained thatLife is Strange: True Colors' approach to character actinghas made its way toDouble Exposure, saying:
“One of the biggest things that Deck Nine did on True Colors to evolve the series was push performance acting. It was the first performance capture installment in the franchise, and we push that further [with Double Exposure]. Our characters look and react better than True Colors, which is already fantastic, and that just allows us a greater medium to tell our story better because our characters can realistically reflect the performances of our actors.”
Stauder also made sure to give credit to the animators working onDouble Exposureas well, who no doubt helped the game take shape with the same attention to detail that Stauder and Farrah have said went into honoringLife is Strange’s original endings. There are plenty of reasons forLife is Strangefans, both old and new, to be excited aboutwhenLife is Strange: Double Exposurereleasesthis October.
