It is she who replaces Maxine, in a sense, as the shoulder of the true star Chloe. He does not have blue hair as we have learned to know him, but all the rest of the features that made us love (or hate) are still and indeed, in these episodes we will find out how and why he became so cynical and disillusioned .She is angry with the world, a world that has taken her away from Max, away from her at a time to say the least difficult, or following the death of her beloved father, irreplaceable presence in the family.
That’s exactly why he hates David, his new mother-in-law partner, whom we already knew and whose character this time we will be able to deepen. Only, unfinished by all, and probably by himself, is impossible to be overwhelmed by the presence of Rachel Amber, like a lighthouse in the darkness of a stormy sea. The encounter between the two is in the early stages when the school’s queen draws Chloe away from a brawl in the middle of a punk-rock concert in an abandoned sawmill.
From here begins the first chapter of Life is Strange: Before the Storm, the encounter between Chloe and Rachel that will mark a very strong relationship, which we players already know the sad finale. Precisely for this Before the Storm works from the first minute.
It is a prequel that could be overwhelmed, play on the awareness of the fate of the protagonists to put the knife in the delicate heart and fall in love with the fans of the series.
Instead, writing the episode (and hopefully the other two) decides to travel stoically on its tracks, does not rely on the easy jacket and tells a story that, by direction, themes and dialogues, is deeply up to what we saw in Life is Strange.
So, first of all, I can tell you that if you like the series in five Dontnod chapters, you know that Deck Nine’s work is far more than respectful of the original material.
The only thing that the most intransigent will be able to twist the nose is the change of douche for the character of Chloe. No problem, though, because Rhianna DeVries replaces Ashly Burch (who has also won awards for her performance), and also succeeds in the difficult task of not overwhelming the character and maintaining tone and accents quite similar to her previous version.
For the rest, there is nothing missing from what Life had Strange had donesingle. The aesthetic is the same, as well as the attention to the soundtrack (which has not yet given the pearls as in the past, but we look forward to the last episode to judge it altogether) and details in the settings.
Symbolism is equally important in this new tale, where the deer of the previous series is replaced by a crow, for example, also embellished on one of the protagonist’s t-shirts. Arcadia Bay is even more alive thanks to the poster of the concerts, the SMS that Chloe receives, the diary that records his life (and where he struggles for Maxine’s disappearance), and the compilers, some known as Victoria Chase and Nathan Prescott, and others unpublished. Heartbreaking face and sharp tongue The iconic feature of the original Life is Strange
However, developers have confirmed that Arcadia Bay is a “special” place, and even in this new adventure there will be no supernatural shades. While not being able to rewire the time, in this first episode, Chloe has special moments where, through what seems to be a dream, he is able to “collect ideas” so to speak, re-composing the pieces of his life in order to understand something more what’s happening to her around.
In subsequent episodes, these dreamy moments are likely to come back, even if one has to understand how and what function they really will have. On the episode’s end, there is also a cue for what will be the cartoon of the series, presumably, tied to Rachel Amber’s family.
