Shaun Munro reviews Life is Strange: Before the Storm – Episode 3 ‘Hell Is Empty’…
Maintaining the momentum of the previous episode’s scintillating cliffhanger, Life is Strange: Before the Storm‘s “season finale” brings Chloe and Rachel’s adventure to an understated crescendo in mostly satisfying – if occasionally detached – fashion. The snappy two-hour closer goes by in a flash, but places a refreshing premium on characterisation over tacked-on gimmickry.
Episode two, “Brave New World”, ended with the revelation that the woman Chloe and Rachel saw Rachel’s father canoodling with in a park was in fact Rachel’s biological mother, Sera. Much of this final instalment revolves around Rachel’s desire to meet her mother, and the obstacles that inevitably decide to get in her away.
For fear of not spoiling the litany of surprises players have awaiting them in “Hell is Empty”, we’ll leave the plot synopsis there, but rest assured that Rachel’s arc is resolved in heart-wrenching yet satisfying fashion, effectively confirming her to be this mini-series’ stealth protagonist. Her story has proved unexpectedly more compelling than Chloe’s, and knowing the final outcome of Rachel’s path naturally only makes her journey feel even more poignant.
If there’s any one aspect of the finale that fans might complain about, though, it’s the odd feeling of perfunctoriness the actual gameplay musters; the more involved puzzle set-pieces of previous episodes are nowhere to be found, and the finale is largely a series of conversations with some very limited interaction sprinkled throughout.
Furthermore, the few interactive scenes that do abound are both brief and uninteresting, namely an arbitrary mission for Chloe to fix her car in a junkyard (which amounts to no more than picking the blindingly obvious tool for each issue), and an uninspired scramble to locate some evidence inside a certain someone’s office. And even when mortal danger is presented, there’s an obvious ceiling on the potential tension due to the classic prequel problem; we know the characters aren’t going to die (yet).
When it comes to the moment-to-moment chit-chat, though, it’s terrifically consistent with the high quality of the last two episodes, again proving just how far the series has come in terms of dialling down the cringe-worthy humour and playing-up the Serious Drama as soul-stirringly real. That it can do this so convincingly without ever fleeting into unintentional comedy territory, a frequent problem in episodic drama games of this kind, is extremely impressive.
The direction is what continues to put Life is Strange leagues ahead of its episodic competition in this regard; scenes don’t sacrifice cinematic appeal in the name of storytelling, nor do they vice versa. The concluding sequence in particular is beautifully realised – at least in my version of the story – thanks to a soul-crushing cliffhanger you’ll legitimately want to spend time thinking about, as well as outstanding use of music partied with beautiful “cinematography”.
Though there are some surreal asides earlier on that only intermittently work, it overall feels less epic and ambitious than previous episodes and there’s a howlingly goofy use of the rather underwhelming talkback feature, Life is Strange: Before the Storm‘s finale takes a gamble on favouring dialogue and character development over incident, and when the episode truly hits its stride, it’s a gamble that mostly pays off. Its more spare approach might feel misguided to some, in particular those who especially enjoyed the aforementioned puzzle and exploration sections, but with so much well-wrought emotion on display, it’s hard to feel that disappointed by the clear linearity.
It’s all so deeply felt and sharply executed that fans are understandably on tenterhooks for confirmation that the planned Life is Strange sequel series is on the way soon. They won’t get that here – though there is a quick post-credits reminder of how the original series turned out – but you can probably expect it before long given the IP’s immense popularity. This world clearly has many more stories left to tell, regardless of who they involve, and so Before the Storm is hopefully just the beginning.
Pros:
+ It’s an emotionally resonant finale.
+ Excellent use of music.
+ Stellar voice work.
Cons:
– It feels incredibly linear.
– A few sequences are monotonous.
Rating: 7/10
Reviewed for PS4 (also available on Xbox One and PC)
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more video game rambling.
