Shaun Munro reviews Life is Strange: Before the Storm – Episode 2 ‘Brave New World’…
Though the middle chapter of Life is Strange‘s prequel series doesn’t feel hugely eventful in terms of the story’s bigger picture (and what exactly that is still remains pretty unclear), it does a mostly stellar job of deepening the characters of Chloe and Rachel, not to mention setting the stage for the finale.
Following on from her ditching school and starting a wildfire with Rachel in the previous episode, Chloe finds herself having one hell of a busy day. She not only has to deal with the fallout of her truant behaviour, but she ends up taking part in a drug deal, performing in a school play and even having a dinner with Rachel and her milquetoast parents.
Again, though most of these scenarios don’t really do much to shape the overall direction of the narrative, they nevertheless put solid paid to the characters, furthering audience investment ahead of a climactic revelation that’ll surely leave fans on tenterhooks for the final episode, presumably due in December.
Brave New World is a potent reminder of just how well-assembled the Life is Strange games are compared to other episodic fare; the direction feels decidedly more cinematic and ambitious throughout, with an almost David Lynch-esque dream sequence serving up arguably the most entrancing visuals of the entire franchise to date.
The use of music from English indie folk band Daughter is meanwhile mostly terrific, even if you can certainly argue that it verges on overly saccharine and emotionally manipulative at times. At least developer Deck Nine knows when to scale the music back and just let poignant moments breathe on their own without any backing.
In terms of gameplay, the series’ problems do still persist, though, with this episode being weighed down by several bloated puzzle and collectathon sequences. They’re as easy as ever, but also woefully dull and feel like nothing more than perfunctory padding in an episode that would still clock in at almost two hours even without them. Whether you’re figuring out a way to get inside a dorm building or painstakingly setting a dinner table, it feels so rote and pointless.
The Backtalk feature introduced this season continues to be a mixed bag too, for as intriguing an idea as it is, the execution is ultimately too shallow for it to be particularly compelling. It’s not a chore by any means, but just lacks the necessary ambiguity in its dialogue choices, and there’s rarely if ever any danger of actually screwing things up.
The voice acting and general writing also feels a little less assured than last time; in the opening scene, Principal Wells sounds almost comically robotic, and several other characters give stilted line readings on occasion which suggests the actors weren’t given the correct direction during recording.
While relatively low on the cringe-inducing dialogue that made sections of the original series tough to get through, the writing lacks the overall import of the previous episode, enhancing the feeling that this is a slightly awkward second act that doesn’t always know what to do with itself.
But when it works, it really works. The episode’s easy highlight is a sequence in which Chloe reluctantly takes part in a school play with Rachel, and Chloe’s totally-not-fussed performance is surely the funniest that Life is Strange has ever been. No, it doesn’t amount to much in terms of the story’s overall picture, but it adds enjoyable shading to the characters and provides some welcome levity all the same.
Much like the previous episode, Brave New World can easily clock in at around the three-hour mark depending on your curiosity to explore, again proving that Deck Nine isn’t just cheaply churning these prequel installments out for an easy buck. There’s a lot of content here for your money, and even though the second episode is mostly focused on its characters rather than incidents, it is a compelling lead-in to the impending finale all the same. Fingers crossed that Deck Nine sticks the landing.
Pros:
+ Rich characterisation
+ Some of the series’ best visuals to date
+ Great use of music
+ Terrific comic relief
Cons:
– Some ropey writing and wooden voice acting
– Puzzle sequences are incredibly boring
Rating: 7/10
Reviewed for PS4 (also available on Xbox One and PC)
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more video game rambling.
