Life is Strange: Episode 1 – Chrysalis

Genres interactive cinema, adventure, quest are very similar to each other. All of them can be combined into the conditional category „Soul games“. In such games I want to get a beautiful story and a fascinating gameplay in the spirit of a wonderful Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. However, after ordinary products, like Beyond: Two Souls And Game of Thrones from Telltale, skepticism begins to take its own, and is no longer treated with “sincere games”, as something unique or special. Before its exit Life is Strange It was presented as a girl’s game with an admixture of mysticism, and the promises of developers about philosophical motives in the narrative was hard to believe. But the release put everything in its place.

Dontnod Entertainment – The company is young, but already widely known in 2013 in 2013 of a futuristic action Remember Me. The game received restrained reviews of critics and turned out to be quite successful for the debut project. Against the backdrop of the popularization of episodic stories, Dontnod was not lost and announced their interactive drama called Life Is Strang.

As you work on the game, the guys found a new publisher, Square Enix, And the time to the release of intriguing video days was painful – in a word, they thoroughly prepared to surprise the visited by the Itan Mars and Lee Everett Game Community. But this time, not cyberpunk stylistics and seductive forms of the main character, but a beautiful story in the spirit Quantic Dream.

„Not all those who wander are lost“.
History begins with the return of eighteen-year-old Max Caulfield to the native town of Arkady-Bay, after five years of life in Seattle. The heroine immediately gets out of the fire and in the driving and becomes a witness to the murder of a bluish girl. But, after, after, Max is some time before the time. She changes the course of events and saves the girl. A little later it turns out that the blue -haired is a Chloe, once the best friend Max.

The girl is very saddened by the disappearance of Rachel Amber, the leaflets with the loss of which are hung throughout the city. During the absence of Max, Chloe not only changed a lot, but also made friends with Rachel, who replaced her max. Now friends have to find the missing.

A key role in the investigation will play the newly acquired ability of Max to turn the time back, thereby changing the events that occurred. You can use it both for good and in order to be crawled over someone.

Without a doubt, to create Noaccount-casinos.co.uk deep images of the characters, immerse the player in the setting and make him the main participant in what is happening is the main task of interactive cinema. In this regard, Dontnod tried to glory. Despite the identification of characters with a certain cliche, each of them has its own dark side, which will sooner or later be disclosed.

“From now on I can do everything. Until they arrest me „.
The main character, Max Collfield is a shy girl in love with her teacher. Despite its shyness, it is very smart, prone to non -standard thinking and at times quotes Edgar for. Passionate fan of photography. Max writes all his thoughts and events taking place in the diary.

The exact opposite of Max is her childhood girlfriend Chloe. The blue -haired torn off with a cigarette in a tattooed hand – this is her new image. However, the girl has changed a lot and internally. She does not hesitate to behave cheekily and even impudently, not as an example of a restrained max.

Friend Max – Warren, witty computer genius. A faithful and reliable friend who is not averse to overcoming the boundaries of friendship, but Max is very cold to him.

Another antipode Max is Victoria Chase, the first beauty, the founder of the club for major. If the heroine has a good relationship with Chloe, then she is in a tense confrontation with a squabble fashionista. Victoria, as Max correctly noted, „lives like in her own reality show“.

Despite certain role, reproaching the developers of poor study of images would be a serious mistake. Radical changes in the character of Chloe occurred as a result of the death of her father, with whom the girl was very close, and the departure of the best friend. The motives of her stepfather-paranoid can be explained by the harsh army past and t.p.

“When you still begin to realize that you have grown?“
As usual in interactive stories, the decision made during the passage will have various consequences. There are quite a lot of such decisions in the first episode of varying degrees of importance: from the signature for the ban on the installation of surveillance cameras throughout the university campus to elementary care for the indoor flower.

The gameplay, as noted before the release, resembles Gone Home from a third party with an emphasis on the study of the world. Max can leave his comment about almost any subject in the location. Nothing prevents strict advance on the storyline, but the observations made will clarify the details of history. To be careful, you can find out about the heroine’s love for October and the work of Bradbury, and find the photo of Andy Warhol in the cabinet.

Another important detail of the gaming process is an old polaroid with an instant seal. It will be used both in the plot and additionally. True, you can not photograph any object, but only those that will steal in the soul of Max. The game is replete with various references to popular creative personalities and cultural phenomena. Dontnod made a curtsy towards the publisher, Square Enix, mentioning the series Final Fantasy And Lara Croft.

A little attention should be paid to graphics. Yes, the picture is pretty outdated, but in the course of the game you simply do not pay attention to it. Sound accompaniment is represented by a melancholy pop-music with an admixture of a folk. It organically fits into the narrative, creating a special dramatic atmosphere.

Play Chrysalis pleasant and very lamp, and the impression remains like from a pilot series of a good series. But do not forget that this is only the first episode. If Dontnod keep the brand throughout the season, at the exit we will get a solid product that can serve as a worthy example of game interactivity. In the end, in what other game you can just sit down by the tree and, looking at the gray-blue sky, reflect on the pressing?

Grade: Booking
Pros: exciting and beautiful story; interesting characters; Good sound accompaniment.
Cons: outdated engine; There are small bugs.