My thoughts on Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 (Roads)

Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 was an experience that was so disappointing to me, and one that over its few-hour runtime I was eventually begging for to end. 

I say this as someone who really enjoyed the original Life is Strange; I’m bummed that I apparently never got around to reviewing it, but I found that its likable characters and their experiences in school and the surrounding town of Arcadia Bay worked well with a fantastic time travel mechanic to deliver a truly unique adventure. It was visually alluring, there was tons in the world to interact with, and the presentation was superb; the ending that I got at the completion of my journey still haunts me.

I’d had misgivings about Life is Strange 2 leading up to its release, mainly due to its emerging direction as more of a “road trip,” scenario starring two brothers, something that I didn’t see working well at all. The first episode sadly did little to prove me wrong, coming across as an uninspired Last of Us knockoff dominated by a surprisingly mishandled political storyline and a bunch of dull gameplay to boot.

Bear in mind that this isn’t a “true” review; I plan to offer my final thoughts on the game once I complete it, but after playing Episode, 1 I’m beginning to wonder if playing through all 5 episodes is something I’ll even manage to accomplish.  

Things get off to an alright start; the interactions Sean has with his little brother Daniel and his childhood friend Lyla are solid, if occasionally less-than-impressively acted, but after a series of events, which are quite dramatic if not entirely believable, the two brothers find themselves on the run through the wilderness on an adventure South. 

The gameplay through almost the entirety of Episode 1 consists of walking forward, collecting things, and bringing them to someone. The branching dialogue sequences that were so compelling in the original game evidently don’t have much of an impact on the chain of events in the sequel; despite opting not to steal anything from a convenience store that the two brothers find themselves in, the plot progresses forward as if I had regardless. The lively, ambient and NPC-filled settings of the original game are replaced by repetitive, empty wilderness, and a little brother who began to get on my nerves as the first episode neared its end. 

There’s as much to interact with as there was in the first Life is Strange as you move about many of these environments, but it isn’t nearly as satisfying since so little seems to mean or offer anything to your characters or their adventure. 

Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 also suffers from some clumsy writing and badly-handled political themes. The game’s heart’s in the right place and I agree with its message, with the story it tells involving two Mexican-American brothers living with their father who (I think? The game’s not entirely clear) may have come to the United States illegally many years ago. When the story focuses on them and their family, which is rife with love and a sense of humility, it’s done incredibly well, and I think would have more than served its purpose had they left it at that; a surprisingly necessary reminder that despite all our politics surrounding this issue, these are still human beings. And that’s a message that I think occasionally gets lost in the shuffle of our current political climate. 

Sadly, Life is Strange 2 makes sure this message has no hope of resonating beyond the choir by devoting a good deal of Episode 1 to the brothers encountering portrayals of openly racist and hostile Trump supporters at seemingly every turn, to the extent that it begins to feel a little ridiculous. Racism has been and remains a huge problem in the United States, but the notion that a teenager of Mexican descent can’t enter a convenience store in Washington state without being literally kidnapped by a racist shop owner and held against his will as ICE is called is far removed from any reality that I’m aware of. 

Between its uninspiring gameplay and its often farfetched story, Life is Strange 2 really struggles to get off the ground in its opening episode. If you aren’t wandering the woods collecting sticks or being forced to entertain your little brother, you’re watching storytelling that occasionally works, while at many other times becomes bogged down under its wildly mishandled political ambitions. I’m hopeful that future episodes change course, but after Episode 1 I just can’t say I’m especially eager to continue playing. The mishandled storyline is one thing, but the gameplay doesn’t offer much of interest, and the brothers move around too much to allow for the strong cast of supporting characters that helped propel the first game to develop.

Life Is Strange 2: Episode 1 still has developer Dontnod Entertainment’s trademark dialogue and quirky, stylistic presentation, and the moments that are effective are nice, but all in all I’m hoping that Episode 1 was just a fluke and that they course-correct as this sequel goes on. 

(Note; this is a preview, not a review, so there won't be a score. I'll preview each episode, while reviewing the entire game should I manage to complete all of them.)