Inspired by the ideas you’ve mentioned in this livestream, I have a theory I’d like to share! SPOILERS Safi is the shapeshifter, and she got her powers around the time of the meteor shower and her death. With Safi dead in this universe, no evil doppelgangers have appeared, but in the "alive" world, strange occurrences have been happening ever since Safi became a shapeshifter. She’s abusing her newfound power to take vengeance on the people she hates-Lucas and Gwen-by making them do evil things that will ruin their reputations and lives (Lucas claiming it was Safi who said those things to his son might be true after all). Regarding Vinh, she might have wanted to access his phone to delete their photos together (she is said to be secretive so maybe she didn't want evidence of them being together), or maybe she was jealous and wanted to find something on his phone, regarding other girlfriends etc. I believe that the Vinh who is outside searching for his phone is the real one-he's flirty and frustrated that he can't find his phone. But when we go inside he's somehow there as well. It might be game logic, but considering how quickly he found his phone and brushed it off when asked, how he is much more tense, not flirty, cussing Abraxas, and most importantly-unable to remember his passcode, it's most likely Safi. And since Vinh is Safi's ex, he might have mentioned it to her that his passcode is related to a magician scientist's year of death, but she doesn't know who he is or when he died, so she's frustrated that she's unable to unlock his phone. Vinh mentioned having issues with her, so she probably plans to take revenge on him too eventually. In fact, maybe accessing his phone was the first step of that plan. Reggie’s doppelganger didn’t do anything evil, so (as you mentioned) Safi probably didn’t shapeshift into him. Instead, Reggie saw his actual self from another universe-perhaps because the veil between worlds is thinnest at the outlook, or because strange things happen when you mess with parallel universes, similar to how the natural disasters in LiS1 occurred as a result of Max messing with time. I believe that originally Safi doesn’t die, and things continue as they do in the "alive" world: Safi’s shapeshifting keeps ruining people’s lives while she acts normal and continues hanging out with Moses and Max. As time goes on, Max takes Polaroid photos of moments of them together (the collectibles!). Over time, Safi may become increasingly evil, and Max eventually discovers the truth about her. Max decides she must stop Safi before she ever gains her powers. So, she travels back in time through the rooftop selfie (which is why "killer Max" looks the same as Max from the rooftop selfie) and reluctantly kills Safi, creating a parallel universe-the "dead" world. Max is crying while killing her because she’s heartbroken and feels betrayed by her best friend. In the first game (I think during the nightmare sequence when Max was speaking to Max), it was mentioned that each time Max rewinds, a new parallel universe is created, so it’s not strange to assume that rewinding to kill Safi created a second universe. Since Max hasn’t used her rewind powers in a long time, this is the only parallel world the game focuses on, as it’s the most recent one, created by her rewind. The Max we play as might indeed be the one who killed Safi but now in "autoMax" version, which is why she doesn’t remember killing Safi, the truth about Safi, or taking those Polaroids in the future. To expand on the Polaroids being from the future: the photos don’t show any dates (so we don’t know when they were taken) or faces (so as not to reveal that the characters look older than they do now). One exception is the Diamond and Reggie Polaroid, but it might have been taken in the near future, which is why they don’t look different. When Max collected the Polaroid of the trio having a movie night (which only showed their legs, not their faces!), she mentioned that Max and Moses seem really close in that universe, while he’s just an acquaintance in this one. I think they got closer over time (probably years). Another Polaroid in Snapping Turtle has audio of Moses’ boyfriend not showing up for Krampus for yet another year, and Moses is disappointed because he was looking forward to his boyfriend finally meeting Max (and Safi). But Moses and Max have only known each other for a short time, so the wording "finally" seems odd-it suggests that they’ve known each other for longer, implying that Polaroid is from the future. Similarly to how Max’s handwriting is later found on the Polaroids (proving they belong to her), I think one Polaroid will eventually show a future date or a character looking older, hinting they are from the future. This clue would help attentive players catch on to the truth more quickly, while still keeping these optional collectibles from being crucial to the main story, as it will eventually be revealed that future Max kills Safi anyway. As to why the Polaroids from the future still exist after Max rewinds time, I would have said it’s because Max had the Polaroids on her when she rewound, but (in my theory) she rewound through a photo, which changes her form but doesn’t allow her to keep things currently on her (as far as I know). So, maybe it’s a plot hole, a new variation of her power, or my theory could be completely wrong. :D Also, these Polaroids are scattered between both universes, which makes sense because they were taken when there was only one universe, i.e. before Max rewound time, killed Safi, and split the world into two. And where is the Max from the other universe? Maybe when she split the universe by killing Safi and changing fate, only one Max remained, similar to how when she rewinds, others move backward, but she stays where she was. She isn't affected by rewinding or universe splitting like the rest of the people. I’ve probably missed many details that either support or contradict my theory, but I was excited and wanted to share it as quickly as possible. And thank you so much for this livestream! Your theories and discussions excited me and brought back the feelings I had during the release of LiS1. There was so much excitement, suspense, and a lot of theories circulating while we waited for a new episode. It’s a big part of what made LiS1 so special to me. I love that we have a bit of time to think and theorize before our questions are answered. I agree with you that it would have been great if each episode had been released weekly, so we could think more deeply about each one and make more theories.
I think that WAS max who killed safi. Thats gonna be the final choice. We will see who safi really is in the endgame, and we will need to choose either stopping safi by going through a photo to kill her or let her go. That’s my theory at least. Sounds kinda corny writing it out but I think it’s cool. It also explains the tears in the episode 2 picture
1:12:26 ALSO don’t forget guys, rhianna devries was hired for a mocap thing a while ago, that was a small tidbit of news i heard a while back, SO hold you’re guys’ heads up high for Chloe.
Im on board with the theory of safi being a shape shifter. And i reckon she shape shifted into max and held the gun to the camera to maybe frame max. I also believe we will see chloe again, i get the feeling that theyll reunite or that theyll be together in another timeline which would give us the optjon to choose between which timeline we want. ALSO about max remembering the nightmare sequences from the first game, it tells me that that is deep in her conscious. Which could have played with her too much which could be another reason why her and chloe brokeup. And then you see chloe and victoria flirting in double exposure too. Its almost like her nightmares came true.
I think it would be a little funny in a sense that if whatever the decision boils down to either a meteor hits the college or not. Like maybe it’s just boils down Safi dies or everyone dies and in a sense Max is stuck in this traumatic loop of she can never have true happiness staying in a place for to long. Also I feel like Abraxus could be a red herring but idk as the set up so far does feel very similar to LIS 1. Shady school group, professor “everyone” is obsessed with, murder mystery, cop/security that seemingly is a jerk. You can just keep going on with the similarities. Now I think it’s possible that Safi just hit the camera when “Max” shoots as she panics but that can definitely not be the case. Also idk if this happened in all play through but in my play through but ‘Max’ in the photo at the end of chapter I swear a different jacket on then the one I was wearing in chapter 1. So I wonder if A. It is a doppelgänger or shapeshifter. Or B Max did kill Safi (for X reason) and that is the Max we are playing as just she is from the future and came back because for some reason Safi has to die. So we are just seeing a future self. Then for Chloe I do hope her and Max get some sort of justice and I hope what little of the supposed leaks I’ve seen isn’t true. Either way yes there are 3 more chapters still but I feel like they could have still given us something in chapter 2. Like maybe at the end when the seen is going down with Moses and he leaves it could pan to Max’s phone and it’s ringing either for a call or text and it says Chloe. Or even when you are in the house before looking at the picture and you’re in the “alive” reality she could have gotten a text from Chloe. I just have my fingers crossed that whatever route D9 goes with Chloe that they can stick the landing.
I missed this live, due to work. I am interested to know where the "other" Max is, or even if there is one and is it just one Max in both and some time reverse powers. It's also worth noting that there is no actual evidence that Max shot Safi, or indeed shot anyone - there is a photo of Max (or someone looking like Max) pointing a gun at a camera. Yes, who is holding the camera, it could be Max Was Safi the target or was the shooter trying to it Max - the visual of the bullet "passing" you was a bit confusing. If Max can move the cat between timelines, then can we assume she can also move people
Hello! I also really enjoyed the first two episodes, though that obviously isn’t a guarantee that I’ll enjoy the rest of the game ;) My only major critique, obviously, is how Chloe was handled in the Bae route - I was absolutely heartbroken when it was revealed that they actually broke up T_T To be fair, I don’t think it’s THAT unrealistic, and I’m curious to know how it’ll play out in the future, but for the love of Pricefield, let them get back together! As a Bayer who loves Chloe, she deserves her happy ending with Max in the Bae route. My favorite choices were the Gwen and Lucas ones - I stood by Gwen and deleted the photo, but the first choice in particular was SO difficult. I just hope that there will be another way to find out what it shows (like asking Yasmin) and that destroying the footage also means no one else can steal and use it. I think one of the trailers showed Max’s place getting ransacked, and it would really suck if someone stole that footage! I think I was the only one who wasn’t shocked by the Episode 2 ending XD Mostly because my first thought was basically: “Oh. Nice photoshop.” XD I just think it looks WAY too staged and not like a picture you would take naturally, so I didn’t believe for a second it was real. Not to mention, I don’t think the devs would reveal the real killer THAT early, so I immediately thought it was a misdirect XD I hope Moses realizes it too, since Max has no reason to show him a picture that frames her as the killer. The polaroids you can find confuse me a lot, so I’m curious to know if there is a deeper meaning behind them. I really hope so, especially because I love collectibles with a deeper purpose :) When it comes to choices, the illusion of choice will probably come into play, but I also think they could influence the ending for particular characters. Maybe Gwen’s outcome will change depending on whether or not you sided with her or not? Stuff like that, since it was also used in Before the Storm and True Colors. But yeah, other choices definitely sound more meaningless XD Related, the romance choices are certainly interesting. While I agree that the romance as an option was introduced WAY too quickly, I was happily surprised by Amanda, who turned out to be very likable :) And because I’m curious to know what happens if you romance anyone during Max’s and Chloe’s breakup, I set up my Bae file exactly like that, so I’m already preparing for more heartbreak ^^” But hey, maybe they will find a way to respect the Bae ending either way? (I hope my future self can answer this question positively.) Thanks for this podcast, I really loved your insights and discussions :)
Inspired by the ideas you’ve mentioned in this livestream, I have a theory I’d like to share!
SPOILERS
Safi is the shapeshifter, and she got her powers around the time of the meteor shower and her death. With Safi dead in this universe, no evil doppelgangers have appeared, but in the "alive" world, strange occurrences have been happening ever since Safi became a shapeshifter. She’s abusing her newfound power to take vengeance on the people she hates-Lucas and Gwen-by making them do evil things that will ruin their reputations and lives (Lucas claiming it was Safi who said those things to his son might be true after all).
Regarding Vinh, she might have wanted to access his phone to delete their photos together (she is said to be secretive so maybe she didn't want evidence of them being together), or maybe she was jealous and wanted to find something on his phone, regarding other girlfriends etc. I believe that the Vinh who is outside searching for his phone is the real one-he's flirty and frustrated that he can't find his phone. But when we go inside he's somehow there as well. It might be game logic, but considering how quickly he found his phone and brushed it off when asked, how he is much more tense, not flirty, cussing Abraxas, and most importantly-unable to remember his passcode, it's most likely Safi. And since Vinh is Safi's ex, he might have mentioned it to her that his passcode is related to a magician scientist's year of death, but she doesn't know who he is or when he died, so she's frustrated that she's unable to unlock his phone. Vinh mentioned having issues with her, so she probably plans to take revenge on him too eventually. In fact, maybe accessing his phone was the first step of that plan.
Reggie’s doppelganger didn’t do anything evil, so (as you mentioned) Safi probably didn’t shapeshift into him. Instead, Reggie saw his actual self from another universe-perhaps because the veil between worlds is thinnest at the outlook, or because strange things happen when you mess with parallel universes, similar to how the natural disasters in LiS1 occurred as a result of Max messing with time.
I believe that originally Safi doesn’t die, and things continue as they do in the "alive" world: Safi’s shapeshifting keeps ruining people’s lives while she acts normal and continues hanging out with Moses and Max. As time goes on, Max takes Polaroid photos of moments of them together (the collectibles!). Over time, Safi may become increasingly evil, and Max eventually discovers the truth about her. Max decides she must stop Safi before she ever gains her powers. So, she travels back in time through the rooftop selfie (which is why "killer Max" looks the same as Max from the rooftop selfie) and reluctantly kills Safi, creating a parallel universe-the "dead" world. Max is crying while killing her because she’s heartbroken and feels betrayed by her best friend.
In the first game (I think during the nightmare sequence when Max was speaking to Max), it was mentioned that each time Max rewinds, a new parallel universe is created, so it’s not strange to assume that rewinding to kill Safi created a second universe. Since Max hasn’t used her rewind powers in a long time, this is the only parallel world the game focuses on, as it’s the most recent one, created by her rewind. The Max we play as might indeed be the one who killed Safi but now in "autoMax" version, which is why she doesn’t remember killing Safi, the truth about Safi, or taking those Polaroids in the future.
To expand on the Polaroids being from the future: the photos don’t show any dates (so we don’t know when they were taken) or faces (so as not to reveal that the characters look older than they do now). One exception is the Diamond and Reggie Polaroid, but it might have been taken in the near future, which is why they don’t look different. When Max collected the Polaroid of the trio having a movie night (which only showed their legs, not their faces!), she mentioned that Max and Moses seem really close in that universe, while he’s just an acquaintance in this one. I think they got closer over time (probably years). Another Polaroid in Snapping Turtle has audio of Moses’ boyfriend not showing up for Krampus for yet another year, and Moses is disappointed because he was looking forward to his boyfriend finally meeting Max (and Safi). But Moses and Max have only known each other for a short time, so the wording "finally" seems odd-it suggests that they’ve known each other for longer, implying that Polaroid is from the future. Similarly to how Max’s handwriting is later found on the Polaroids (proving they belong to her), I think one Polaroid will eventually show a future date or a character looking older, hinting they are from the future. This clue would help attentive players catch on to the truth more quickly, while still keeping these optional collectibles from being crucial to the main story, as it will eventually be revealed that future Max kills Safi anyway.
As to why the Polaroids from the future still exist after Max rewinds time, I would have said it’s because Max had the Polaroids on her when she rewound, but (in my theory) she rewound through a photo, which changes her form but doesn’t allow her to keep things currently on her (as far as I know). So, maybe it’s a plot hole, a new variation of her power, or my theory could be completely wrong. :D Also, these Polaroids are scattered between both universes, which makes sense because they were taken when there was only one universe, i.e. before Max rewound time, killed Safi, and split the world into two.
And where is the Max from the other universe? Maybe when she split the universe by killing Safi and changing fate, only one Max remained, similar to how when she rewinds, others move backward, but she stays where she was. She isn't affected by rewinding or universe splitting like the rest of the people.
I’ve probably missed many details that either support or contradict my theory, but I was excited and wanted to share it as quickly as possible. And thank you so much for this livestream! Your theories and discussions excited me and brought back the feelings I had during the release of LiS1. There was so much excitement, suspense, and a lot of theories circulating while we waited for a new episode. It’s a big part of what made LiS1 so special to me. I love that we have a bit of time to think and theorize before our questions are answered. I agree with you that it would have been great if each episode had been released weekly, so we could think more deeply about each one and make more theories.
I think that WAS max who killed safi. Thats gonna be the final choice. We will see who safi really is in the endgame, and we will need to choose either stopping safi by going through a photo to kill her or let her go. That’s my theory at least. Sounds kinda corny writing it out but I think it’s cool. It also explains the tears in the episode 2 picture
What if what Reggie saw was his other timeline self what if they can sort of cross over between both timelines because max broke some sort of barrier
1:12:26 ALSO don’t forget guys, rhianna devries was hired for a mocap thing a while ago, that was a small tidbit of news i heard a while back, SO hold you’re guys’ heads up high for Chloe.
Im on board with the theory of safi being a shape shifter. And i reckon she shape shifted into max and held the gun to the camera to maybe frame max. I also believe we will see chloe again, i get the feeling that theyll reunite or that theyll be together in another timeline which would give us the optjon to choose between which timeline we want. ALSO about max remembering the nightmare sequences from the first game, it tells me that that is deep in her conscious. Which could have played with her too much which could be another reason why her and chloe brokeup. And then you see chloe and victoria flirting in double exposure too. Its almost like her nightmares came true.
I think it would be a little funny in a sense that if whatever the decision boils down to either a meteor hits the college or not. Like maybe it’s just boils down Safi dies or everyone dies and in a sense Max is stuck in this traumatic loop of she can never have true happiness staying in a place for to long. Also I feel like Abraxus could be a red herring but idk as the set up so far does feel very similar to LIS 1. Shady school group, professor “everyone” is obsessed with, murder mystery, cop/security that seemingly is a jerk. You can just keep going on with the similarities.
Now I think it’s possible that Safi just hit the camera when “Max” shoots as she panics but that can definitely not be the case. Also idk if this happened in all play through but in my play through but ‘Max’ in the photo at the end of chapter I swear a different jacket on then the one I was wearing in chapter 1. So I wonder if A. It is a doppelgänger or shapeshifter. Or B Max did kill Safi (for X reason) and that is the Max we are playing as just she is from the future and came back because for some reason Safi has to die. So we are just seeing a future self.
Then for Chloe I do hope her and Max get some sort of justice and I hope what little of the supposed leaks I’ve seen isn’t true. Either way yes there are 3 more chapters still but I feel like they could have still given us something in chapter 2. Like maybe at the end when the seen is going down with Moses and he leaves it could pan to Max’s phone and it’s ringing either for a call or text and it says Chloe. Or even when you are in the house before looking at the picture and you’re in the “alive” reality she could have gotten a text from Chloe. I just have my fingers crossed that whatever route D9 goes with Chloe that they can stick the landing.
I think it's a good thing I agreed to work with the cop especially after the twist at the end
I missed this live, due to work.
I am interested to know where the "other" Max is, or even if there is one and is it just one Max in both and some time reverse powers.
It's also worth noting that there is no actual evidence that Max shot Safi, or indeed shot anyone - there is a photo of Max (or someone looking like Max) pointing a gun at a camera. Yes, who is holding the camera, it could be Max
Was Safi the target or was the shooter trying to it Max - the visual of the bullet "passing" you was a bit confusing.
If Max can move the cat between timelines, then can we assume she can also move people
Hello!
I also really enjoyed the first two episodes, though that obviously isn’t a guarantee that I’ll enjoy the rest of the game ;) My only major critique, obviously, is how Chloe was handled in the Bae route - I was absolutely heartbroken when it was revealed that they actually broke up T_T To be fair, I don’t think it’s THAT unrealistic, and I’m curious to know how it’ll play out in the future, but for the love of Pricefield, let them get back together! As a Bayer who loves Chloe, she deserves her happy ending with Max in the Bae route.
My favorite choices were the Gwen and Lucas ones - I stood by Gwen and deleted the photo, but the first choice in particular was SO difficult. I just hope that there will be another way to find out what it shows (like asking Yasmin) and that destroying the footage also means no one else can steal and use it. I think one of the trailers showed Max’s place getting ransacked, and it would really suck if someone stole that footage!
I think I was the only one who wasn’t shocked by the Episode 2 ending XD Mostly because my first thought was basically: “Oh. Nice photoshop.” XD I just think it looks WAY too staged and not like a picture you would take naturally, so I didn’t believe for a second it was real. Not to mention, I don’t think the devs would reveal the real killer THAT early, so I immediately thought it was a misdirect XD I hope Moses realizes it too, since Max has no reason to show him a picture that frames her as the killer.
The polaroids you can find confuse me a lot, so I’m curious to know if there is a deeper meaning behind them. I really hope so, especially because I love collectibles with a deeper purpose :)
When it comes to choices, the illusion of choice will probably come into play, but I also think they could influence the ending for particular characters. Maybe Gwen’s outcome will change depending on whether or not you sided with her or not? Stuff like that, since it was also used in Before the Storm and True Colors. But yeah, other choices definitely sound more meaningless XD
Related, the romance choices are certainly interesting. While I agree that the romance as an option was introduced WAY too quickly, I was happily surprised by Amanda, who turned out to be very likable :) And because I’m curious to know what happens if you romance anyone during Max’s and Chloe’s breakup, I set up my Bae file exactly like that, so I’m already preparing for more heartbreak ^^” But hey, maybe they will find a way to respect the Bae ending either way? (I hope my future self can answer this question positively.)
Thanks for this podcast, I really loved your insights and discussions :)