Life - Strange, Wonderful, and Heartbreaking

I haven't done a review in quite some time, but this needed one.

Over the last few months, I've been working through the game Life Is Strange; and following that, it's prequel, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm. The two games are story-driven RPGs (probably one of my favourite genres), each with female protagonists (something we need more of), and some really interesting mechanics. But more than that - great characters, writing, worldbuilding, sound, and art.

As a quick rundown of the games themselves - each one focusses on two main characters. The original has Max and Chloe, and the prequel has Chloe and Rachel. The first game has you playing as Max Caulfield, who you quickly discover has the power to rewind time - and thus, change it. But what will you change? Those are the choices that the game asks of you, and what it revolves around. Who will you trust? Who will you suspect? Who will you save? And why are these crazy events happening? It's a combination of adventure, mystery, and drama.
The prequel, Before The Storm, instead has you following the path of Chloe, as she navigates school life after the death of her father and the departure of her best friend Max. Chloe doesn't have any superpowers, so you only get one chance to make your choices this time! (Unless you cheat and go back to the previous save.) But the game still revolves around the choices you make, and how they affect you and the people around you.

Technically speaking, you've got some really interesting elements that each game plays with. First, there's the whole time rewind element, and figuring out how all of that works, which is quite an interesting process. Then there's an extra dimension where Max is a photographer, and so you're trying to go around and take these nice photos in each chapter of the story. Chloe, on the other hand, tries to argue her way through character interactions, and that's a mechanic that you have to learn as well; and she might not be a photographer, but she is a mean graffiti artist. The note of you having some choice in what the graffiti ends up being is a nice touch, and these graffiti and photo spots are great for completionists playing the game.
Art-wise, it's quite a beautiful game. There are a number of specific environments that you spend time in, and some that you'll come back to a number of times - but the game is good at making little changes each time to keep you interested. The menu is like a journal, which you actually have. And then, there are specific points in the game where you can't open it because of various physical restrictions - or perhaps your journal looks very different all of a sudden.
The music is a lovely underscore and background to what's happening. It's a wonderful combination of unobtrusive backdrop to the action, and also something that's at times directly referenced or chosen by the characters.
The only issue that came up for me with the game was in the original; the main way that you interact with items in the game is by clicking on them, and then dragging the mouse over to what you want to do (usually out of up to four options in the cardinal points). Depending on screen resolution, PC performance etc, this can get a little buggy at points and break you out of the immersive experience. Thankfuly, for the prequel, they elected instead to have you press W, A, S or D after clicking, which worked much better.

But the main player, by far and above, is the story. And that's what made me want to write this review, and get the prequel.
The story pulls you in very quickly. The game is played in chapters, each lasting about 1-2 hours (depending on how much of the detail you like to take in), and focusses on a couple of girls going through high school in America. (And, speaking as someone in Australia, it did a great job of reminding me why I'm glad I'm here rather than there.) It immerses you in the environment and the story fairly quickly. At the beginning of the story, I was making choices that I thought were honest - Max said that she might get in trouble, but I wasn't attached to her yet. Cut to half an hour later, and I was fully in her shoes.
The story is very good at going between light-hearted commentary and banter straight into heavy emotional gut-punches, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're not up for an emotional rollercoaster. But, it is a rollercoaster that is completely and totally worth it. It will leave you hurting, it may leave you shaking, it may cut you deeply - but it is also incredibly beautiful. It deals with issues like drug use, suicide, bullying, drinking, and even kidnapping and murder. It looks at difficult and deep emotional issues, makes you question the morality of the choices that you'll make (and perhaps even ones you've made in other games!), and make you wonder if this is really a "game", per se. It's not for the faint of heart, and it's not for people looking for an action-packed thriller. This is an intense emotional experience, but also an evolving story that you have a part in constructing.
The prequel fills in much of the backstory, and helps you understand the character of Chloe so much more - and also introduces you to the person you heard so much about, but never met, Rachel. Again, be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster - right until the very end. This game really doesn't pull any punches at all.

Parents - this game could be a great way to talk to your kids about a whole range of issues, experiences, and problems, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone below 13; and would probably say that 15 up would be better. But this is really going to depend on your kids and their maturity, and what they're dealing with. I'd definitely encourage you to go through the game yourself in advance, just to get an idea of what's coming, so that you can have a better idea of whether it's right for your child.

But I really can't recommend this game enough. If you love story, if you love RPGs that care about choices, if you love a bit of difficult morality and art that doesn't shy away from difficult issues, if you're okay with being taken on an emotional rollercoaster - then this is for you.