I think the problem is with Life is Strange series that it became way more about the powers and less and less about the actual characters and emotions coming with them that is the whole point this game got such a huge fanbase in the first place the powers were just a means for max to overcome her introvertive state were we meet her since the choices and consequences do not matter until they do and that was an amazing massage same as the mystery around it nobody needs to know were the powers come from or why they even exists in the first place that is the whole thing it does not need to be explained since Life is already strange enough.
Agreed. I still hope that the end of chapter 5 is at last also used as a staging ground for bringing some of that back. Like characters from previous games and how they develped since then. At least then you could introduce powers as well as exploring the characters paths that fans are familiar with. It seems there are hints dropped here and there throughout the game but its unlcaer yet if its just some fan service on something they intend to build on for further chapters and games.
@@HangandHung It's weird because D9 gave us Before the Storm, so they can make an emotional game and be true to Dontnod's characters. Maybe they have completely different staff now? "nobody needs to know were the powers come from" Oh god, they are going to midichlorian the powers, aren't they. 😐
@@poett8875 I agree. With true colors though, Gabe's death was pretty emotional. I gotta give major credit to Alex's voice actress Erika Mori. Her screaming was heartbreaking. She did such a great job.
I was very disappointed with chapters 4-5. It felt like when a writer has started a story with intention, but gets tired of their work so they starts checking off a checklist of what should happen without including careing how the story will reach the points. I also hoped Max would cross a parallel universe where Rachel lived (refers to the Comics) - just for fanservice :)
@@bluz374 *BUSTED* Yes (Hello!) kinda. I like the way I wrote it so copyed myself 'Life Is Strange Double Exposure: Simply Disappointing' by The Hidden One
The start of the avengers bullshit is what pisses me off, safi just walking off like nick fury to go, assemble the avengers with all the powers, and save the world in the future like what the fuck is this what the actual fuck life is strange is not a superhero game deck nine
Can someone explain the detective plot line to me? He shows up, gets super sus of Max, confronts her and Moses, sees an alt universe verion of himself, touches it and dies. Then its just, never talked about? Moses does investigate him later on, and reveals that he isnt supposed to exist, but what did that even mean? Did I completely miss something or did his entire plot thread just end out of nowhere in a confusing way?
It's showing that when the timelines collide (him touching himself) it literally erases you from existence which I think is VERY cool but aside from Moses texts and Max being afraid for a second that Other Max will touch her, it's completely forgotten about. Super super cool idea, that they did nothing with
@@PodcastNow But it's not detective Alderman from the other timeline. Safi didn't die in the other timeline, he wouldn't be investigating at Caledon. It's a memory of Alderman from the day prior in the same dead timeline. Except it's sentient and can break from the memory and react to other entities around it for some reason and it only happens the one time ever just with Alderman and none of it is ever explained.
I would say the game was okay until the end if chapter 3, where they played their hands and had nothing to show for, making the game and writing taking a hard drip down in quality. And like yoy said and the more i think about it this is the best way to explain it: Its like a writer on the team cared about the past events and lore of Max and put in these little nuggets to hint at them, but the rest if the team didnt so they just did nothing with it only to basically show "hey look, we remember this too". I liked the idea of Max getting PTSD from her time in the basement, even if it didnt happen in this timeline, max still lived though it, so i loved they were doing something eith it, but all you get is push e and q a few times and your out of it and then its gone frok the game. Why wasnt this drama hinted at in her mind before? Why didn't they have Jeff there but some other character speaks from him, showing her scared and vulnerable self being confronted by maybe her evil self like in the first game or Chole or someone she is scared of or the dream thinks will fuck eith her, but no we get nothing interesting. Thats basically the game.
@@altera1236 that’s fair. I was never a huge fan of max (unpopular opinion I know🫣). I just loved how Lis 2 is the only game in the series that actually does something different and took risks.
To go with what you said around the 12 minute mark, at some point there's a conversation in ch.5 between Max and Safi where Safi is talking about going away and accuses Max/Max admits to running away at the end of LiS 1 ("when your home town got whirlwinded what did you do?" - "I ran away") and like... in the Bae timeline the whole town was destroyed, was she supposed continue living there?? Even at the end, Max's last line of the game is "this time I'm not going anywhere" GIRL when was that 'other time' you went away?! Again, in the bae route the town was IN PIECES lmao
O SHOOT that's such a good point lol!! I will say I liked the idea that Max somewhat learned from how she handled the guilt and trauma of the first game, but that specifically yeah like she had to run away. I'll mention it in the spoilercast later tonight, but I didn't like Max REALLY putting everything on herself, almost blaming herself for this storm too when she didn't cause it, and just some of her lines of like taking responsibility, she puts the storm squarely on her back, when we still don't know what caused the storm in 1, could have been Rachel. I Talk about this a lot more in the next video!
I don't know how to write it right, but to me LIS DE feels like just misleading after misleading and end with desapointing SPOILERS They said respect both LIS 1 ending but they end up make Bae people feel desapointed. Murder Mistery but end up not Murder Mistery at all, we don't solve the murder mistery they just let us know who Safi's killer in Episode 3 and after chapter 5 when both timelines combined to 1 timeline, Safi alive. At the end of the day it's like she never get killed. Also compare to LIS 1, This LIS DE lack of major consequence that really gives big impact And finally i don't get it how Max took Picture of her self when Safi in her make the Tornado suddently desapear and both timelines combined into 1 timeline, also people in both Alive and Dead Timeline become 1 and they have momeries of both timelines? Like how that even works? I end up refun
spoiler : i feel like it should just have ended when the second timeline got to the point when max has to shoot safi that would have been a good deponia doomsday like ending
@@TeddieSage1987 makes sense. I stopped reading fanfiction too many years ago because of the bad writing problem and ended up never really reading a good fanfiction at all. Anyway. What I meant is that it doesn't feel original, but a really bad copy from the first game that tries to substitute Chloe for Safi.
I’m just gonna say it, Square Enix should’ve let this series die once DON’T NOD left. Deck 9 has gotta be one of the most uncreative and unimaginative studios I’ve ever seen. Nothing they’ve done even comes close to Lis 1 or 2 if you ask me.
What they REALLY need to do now is to get Don'tNod back asap yo unfuck this entire franchise. Distance themselves from this absolute farce and pretend it doesn't exist, and get Don'tNod to give us a proper sequel with Max and Chloe that has nothing whatsoever to do with this manure.
@@creationguy3871dontnot left square enix bc they wouldnt let them do what they wanted creatively with the franchise! go check out lost records bloom and rage thats dontnods new release
Dontnod is working on lost records so be sure to check that out. D9 and SE has a lot of shit going on, this game is just unfortunate being handled by wrong ppl. It wasnt too bad, its just that lis set the bar too high and the new writers does not have good understanding on the characters
@@KingOfBlades it’s fine if you think that. I disagree, it’s the best in the series for me. But you can’t deny that it’s the only game in the franchise where your choices actually matter and as a whole does something different while taking risks.
After chapter 3 it went downhill, and they ruined Max and Chloe, if they made a 5th game with Max again as the playable character, which they probably will. They have to do DLC to fix the messing mistakes with the ending and fixing Max and Chloe. Since Max and merge timelines, I believe she can try to merge timelines with the 2 endings with bay and bae. I know this is something I want can I just dream about it?
Nah. There's no fixing this mess. It's unfixable garbage. The only damage control that is viable to for Square Enix to apologise profusely and pretend this crap doesn't exist. Absolutely no DLC will fix the trash.
Great summary. The first 3-4 chapters were very good, the final decision with Safi was an absolute shocker. Choosing to "team up" with her makes no sense for Max's character.
There was so much they could've done, I was so excited for this game, excited to play it, then...started hearing things about it, and to find out that Deck 9 didn't actually make this game with a true purpose in mind, I could think of 10 things they could've done to make this game equally compelling all the way through to the end of episode 5, to name a few: SPOILERS AHEAD: 1. Having Safi be the shapeshifter, but, have her take form of Chloe, WITH Ashly Burch as Chloe, and challenge Max that way, (without ruining the mythos of this world, we don't need the powers to be explained how did this person get these powers, in this world certain people just have these abilities, don't explain how or why they have them, as it ruins the story, instead focus on the characters, the storyline, and everything else surrounding it will work). 2. Don't reveal Safi is the primary antagonist, instead have it played off as someone else entirely, maybe the officer, and the last shot of the game, show someone transforming from one character, to another, in shadows, with no clue of who ot could be, and they say 1 line, game ends. 3. Bring back Chloe, have Max and her reconnect, Chloe helps Max save someone, maybe all ger college friends from an ASTEROID that's gonna hot the city due to the powers being used between the shape shifter and Max, they end up sticking together, the story ends with them apologizing for the past traumas, hugging and FINALLY giving each other confirmation of the relationship between them, they desert a happy ending. I could go on, but they could've done so much more, glad I didn't pre order like I planned to. 😞
I agree that the first episodes were really strong, but with a resolution like this, with so many unanswered questions left... i just cant enjoy it the way i want to. Maybe someone can help me answer them. SPOILERS Why did the timelines combine? Are there any consequences outside of the university? Why did the storm appear when Max only did one time travel in the whole game? Did Max really prevent shooting Safi? Since when can you outwit destiny so easily in a LiS-Game? What was the point of Abraxas and the puzzle box? Why did Safis body turn into flowers? Where did the polaroids come from? Is there even another Max? Was Reggie freaked out by a time echo (like Alderman) or by Safi disguised as him? Why was there only one time echo (Alderman) in the game? What is the reason of it existing in the first place? I wouldve unterstood that the two timelines are overlapping, but why did this ghost from the past appear? Why didnt Max show any guilt after Alderman got obliterated? Isnt that another death caused by her powers? Why did the two moons from the first game return? What did Lucas say to Safi in Episode 4 after he got exposed? What did he say to Vinh to threaten him?
For me the game start to go down right at episode 3, is there that start the hole X- man stuff and show us that they were going in a wrong path, and the moment she focus the photo it was so ridiculous because it just spoiled basicaly the end of the game for us and that safi was possibily evil.
To add, the nightmare sequence is all about Max putting her traumas behind her, which leads to her development. It wasn't a rehash of the first, but a counterpoint. Notice in the original game, Max never deals with her trauma, it was Chloe that had to resolve the story for her. The problem with Polarized is that they added trauma to Max in the last minute like Jefferson and never really dealt with it other than inflicting Max with this trauma. Its Decoherence where Max finally overcomes her trauma of the first game.
Very very fair, and I think she did learn and grew from it and you can see it, I did like some of those realizations. Even her saying like she was 18 but not anymore, those lines were very good.
I feel the same way. Episode 5 was a little disappointing to me. I sided with Safi because I thought there would be a choice to pull her back a little more from the "evil" road she was on.
I'll never buy this horse shit. I wouldn't play it if I was given it for free. The absolute disrespect from DeckNine is utterly mind blowing a honestly unforgivable. This franchise is now dead to me. The ONLY Life is Strange game that is cannon is the original. This will be a financial failure, and thank God for it. The ONLY way to salvage this is to fire D9 immediately, retcon this garbage, rehire Don'tNod and have them give us an actual sequel to the original LiS. Otherwise I'm done with this franchise and will never buy another Square Enix game in my life.
I agreed with Safi at the end but tbh... I had no freaking clue what I was even agreeing to?? it was super unclear to me what the whole ending sequence was all about
100% I disagreed bc I thought she was asking me to be a supervillain but the ending choices card makes it sound like you're just agreeing to stand by your friend? I still don't fully understand what that ending choice was.
I do agree, eps 1-4 got me hooked on the game, but eps 5 just dissapointing and what a let down. Why do i feel like Safi kinda have the attitude of "i dont give af about consequences, i will let Max handle this type of shit". Safi kinda reminds me of the character Trish Walker (Jessica Jones best friend/ sister) in S3 of Jessica Jones [MARVEL]. "OMG having powers is so cool", BISH no... it is somewhat a burden and you have to be responsible to use it. But it does makes sense why she act like that way (comes from her helicopter mother who controls everything and every parts of Safi's life >>> WHICH IS THE SAME AS TRISH WALKER OMG). But yeah, just hate the plot of eps 5... but hopefully we got to play Safi as the first person perspective instead of Max in the next Life is Strange game(?). Even though i don't really like her, but she needs to face the consequences + have character growth.
Glad you were able to enjoy it dude! It was a struggle for me to get through it. I'm not the biggest fan of the mechanics let alone what they did lore wise
It's a really good game - the question is, is that enough? Life Is Strange double exposure has three problems. 1. is far too similar to the first plot from the original, only more complex. 2. the problem of over-complexity 3. the structure of the characters and the attachment to them The absence of Chloe is a really big problem because whether you want to admit it or not Max alone is likeable but boring because Life is Strange lives from the dynamic between Chloe and Max. I assume that there will be more chapters from the time after the stream as fan DLC "or something like that 😉!" I assume that the creators deliberately wanted to go one step further, but unfortunately they didn't succeed because the endings of the chapters themselves should have been staged much better. In addition, Safi is too much like Chloe, even when it comes to the past, except that Safi has superpowers. When the player is suddenly faced with a storm again and the same dialog is repeated line after line, it almost seems sobering. Max should have met Chloe in the last chapter at the latest to create a dignified ending. Life is strange Double exposure gets lost in an overly complex storyline that leaves no time to bond with the characters. Far too many new characters who are not given enough time to develop and, above all, to develop empathy. We simply need an absolute shocker in the game, which only happened once when Max revealed himself as the killer. And the last thing to mention is that the final decision should have been much more epic. It seems like a lot of thought was put into the whole concept and it was executed very well, but sometimes less is more!
Its not the worst thing ever crated but would it be a good game for the price and would it stand alone like the devs say witout playing the other games? No in that chase No. Max is in it to promote their cinematic universe thats it.
I didn’t like ch 1 at first tbh it felt way too slow but things pick it up after ch 2 to ch 4 but then ch 5 is just weird it ruined the game ending for me.
At the end of chapter 2, I was psyched at the photograph of Max shooting Safi because it felt like the movie Minority Report. It kinda made me wish there was another ending where Max is actually forced to do it because of how sick Safi is. I will say that I do agree that the save Arcadia Bay ending seems way more canon since Chloe is barely mentioned nor interacted with throughout all 5 chapters but all you see is her past texts and social media posts which kinda felt out of place.
Here is the thing, Safi turns kinda dark at the end because she really believes Max and her can fix everything. It wasn't a hard turn, it was understandable. Max did say she used her powers to fix the problem. I may not have wanted the ending, but it isn't poorly done. Pay attention to the dialogue again. There is even a case where Max could have said the wrong things to Safi in the storm and now it bounced back at her. The writing is far more subtle and deep than people give it credit for. And the developers in the inverse interview have said they will not do an Avengers superhero story.
@11:37 As a someone who also played this picking the bae ending, I took Max saying that not as her saying on the chance of a do-over, she would sacrifice Chloe, but that she would’ve maybe tried other things so she could save both (like how in the direct aftermath of LiS1’s ending, fans speculated Max could’ve just told everyone to get out of town/to the lighthouse after stopping Chloe’s death in the bathroom.) Like even if that is flawed thinking (which I think is the point; Max has to come to terms with the fact that she can’t save everyone) and most people probably wouldn’t heed her warning anyways, I don’t think she meant she made the wrong choice picking Chloe.
I honestly agree so much with all your points, at the end I also refused to stand with Safi because like, WHY WOULD MAX EVER DO THAT??? Literally not her, other thing is what even tf happened to the detective? He just disappeared and they only brought him up once in a text afterwards and then just never brought him up again. Like what even in the world happened there? I’ve just got really mixed emotions about this game. I love this franchise, maybe that’s why I excuse so much that went wrong in this game.
5:09 so so so agree with this - 3 of my favourite artists (chloe moriondo, matilda mann, and dodie) being on this game makes it even more special too! and god, i hadn‘t heard of her before but tessa rose jackson is super talented too wow. such a good soundtrack as always - it‘s gotta be my favourite so far :)
i agree with this video tile i really liked the part of the game where we had to switch the timelines to find out that happened if the Game stayed that way i would have loved it but the last chapter was so confusing i don't know what the plot is now and how everything worked with the timelines
I agreed to help her, yes it seemed marvel villain speech before the choice was given and yes I completely agree that it isn’t an option that max will ever choose but we have to see that she has matured and with her poweres changing with her the best out come was to agree. My thinking was we would want to keep her on good terms to try and keep her rained in so to speak because we see how her mind actually fractured so it was a better idea to keep her trust and hopefully from what we saw at the end we’ll hopefully see the Diaz brothers and Alex and see how they’ll interact with each other since I can see them going down that route but we don’t need to know where or how they’ll interact got their powers or why. What would be best for them to go forward is to have all superpowerd people solving cold cases or even prevent them now that would be great since all of the powers we’ve seen so far can be used to help others but responsibly since from what we know about the storm is the over use of their powers and emotions but each power should have a different event for each when they lose control
I really really hope that we get more Hannah Tell. I'm hoping that Deck Nine call pull this out of the storm that was ch. 5. Would be cool to kind of bring all of the main characters from all of the life is strange games into one (yes i would include Tyler and Alyson from Tell Me Why) and let all the chips fall where they may.
I agree with everything you said...also Safi was sus from the start when she basically confessed about the snooping through Maxs wallet, ALSO Safi (in the form of Max) was trying to kill Max by pushig her down a cliff, not even talking or trying to have an explanation to what Max knows etc...when Max combined that world and yes they hugged I thought this was going to end in a good term, and maybe she wasnt as crazy and they can go on, but how can you be on a side of your so called friend that wanted you literally dead and now wants Max to join in a group of so called "god like humans"?! alsoooo after she saw what happens when she uses her powers to the extreme and telling her about the consequences prior(!) what is thissss also i hope more people saw the end credit cut scene? 😵💫 gosh i really hope the sequel is going to explain this madness.
Tbh they don’t even need like a storm, what if it was something like someone important dies like Moses or safis mom, they don’t need to copy LIS 1 come up with something original
I felt like the last two episodes were A bit rushed than the first 3, the final episode it seems that they didn't know where to go with the story. Give justice to life is strange:DE, Remake it!! #remakeLISDE !!
I think the game is trying to show that LGBT+ is its "prime" and major theme, and the "time powers" theme is just a way to make the game promotable to a bigger audience. The interest they have shown in highlighting sexuality and the LGBTQ+ community in the game is 10 times more the one they put in the "time power" storyline. As if the power exist for us to eavesdrop on others conversations and go on investigations only to know that all the guys have interest in guys (Reggie & Vinh, Moses & Tony), the bartender is lesbian, Hunter is trans, and Lucas seem to have in his office a magazine of a man with unbuttoned shirt as its cover with "best dressed men" as its title and a story of being in love with slug, which might be implying something just like LiS 1 did with the dustman and the women's fashion magazine, and wig in his place beside and Max's peanuts comment about him. So basically it is LGBTQ exclusive , specially with the flag as a major thing in the main events place. Yeah, not a serious game for the market and international audience.
also...I think when Max said she would have "saved more lives" if she could, she didn't mean it in the way that saving Chloe was a mistake, she meant it as she could've figure out a way to save everyone INCLUDING Chloe. there's even proof to that...she didn't k!ll Safi in the end even though it seemed the only one of THE choices, she chose to go in into that storm together with her and it really did save everyone...even though she didn't know how it'll turn out...
I chose Safi not because I want the two to be “gods” together, but because when she returns, there’s a chance Max can try to steer Safi in the right direction. She needs help and never got to the root of the issue with Yasmin; she lost control when they had the chance to. If I rejected Safi, giving her the help she needs, not the help she wants, would be much more difficult. Now, we’ll just see if they really make Safi full-blown atomic evil. I can see it going either way.
SPOILER: I choose bay over bae, and in my playthrough Max also said that she wanted to save more lives. But I think she meant if she was faced in the same situation again she would've made better choices and she would've tried to save everyone. The town, Chloe, etc..
I think they put her nightmare sequence in the game to really force Max to forgive herself and to heal after what happened.Because this entire game she just basically avoided her pain and almost made it seem non existent. So I think the nightmare in this game really just helped Max move forward and make her open up.
But yeah other than that I completely agree wit you. I think it would've made more sense if it was an astreoid and not a storm. There were a lot of hints : Meteor shower, astrology stuff and also one NPC at some points in the game points out that there might be a time vortex ( not sure that was the name) that was happening, like the earth's magnetism was being weird and also other stuff. And also the owl just kinda disapeared? I don't know at some point it was really mysterious and then poof gone. Also personally, I think Safi going out to find more people like her kind of makes sense. Because her entire life she felt alone. But I also would've loved if the developper explored more of Safi's ability to shapeshift, like what if she can also "shapeshift" the powers of others? And aslo what is Diamond's power, I am utterly confused. And finally I was also dissapointed how at first in chapter 5 Safi and Max were a team and it seemed like Safi was gonna make a redemption arc but all of a sudden she's a villain again? Other than that it was I must say a pretty good game!
That wasn't an alternate universe Alderman, as in the "Living" universe there would be no reason for him to be at the university investigating Safi's death because she was alive. It seems to be an echo of his past self, though it's never explained why. I also have a problem with Alderman being wiped out of existence in the past, as it would inevitably cause countless more ripples through time than Max saving Chloe did. It was a cool visual, but just made no sense. Actually, most of the game could be described like that.
SPOILERS!!!! Was a little baffled when Chloe didn't show up at all. Butttt Moses does say something at the end about Chloe and how Max is running from her and needs to stop running and then Max agrees. So still hope maybe? Idk overall I enjoyed it I really did. The ending, episode 5 as a whole was just very confusing. So the timelines became 1 because Max snapped photos of people to get Safi out of them and that caused it? or the storm swallowing the entire campus which then merged them? Is Max's powers now obselete cause theres not another timeline? Can she still do that? Is rewind going to come back like it should? I mean the going back in time with a photo still works so I mean? Also not even having Jeffersons voice is just idk, I wanted to enjoy that section so badly but I was so taken out of it, the only thing that was worth while was the photos and seeing the red binders but no voice over from Jefferson or a physical version just was confusing, its a nightmare scene regardless if hes dead or alive its a nightmare you can USE HIM! Same with any of the characters from the past. but they went the dumbest route they could've and its insanity on there behalf, they did not respect my BAE ending. I hope a DLC comes out or just anything to flesh out more. I have so many more thoughts but I'll save it for the live stream.
I actually thought episode 5 was my favorite in the game. E4 was the more messy one for me. But I can see where you're coming from. I really loved having Max go back to her past and come to a greater sense of closure. But at the same time, tonally it felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be at times. Also thought that it was odd how many people accepted Safi, it just didn't make much sense to me, and like you said, it's very unlike Max, who has understood the consequences of utilizing such devastating powers. Overall, I thought it was a good game but I think more time in the oven could've made it one of the best in the franchise.
Agree with the points and also want to shout out how beautiful the game is visually and sound wise. However I feel so scammed by the cat content. About 6 minutes of gameplay , if that 😭
Just cleared it and agree totally. Massive let down. I genuinely had no relationship with Safi. The ending is totally pointless. Same with diamond, Vinh and Amanda. Max is the only strength in this game. The fact that there is two timelines they missed a huge opportunity to drop in Rachel or Chloe. Even just for a short clip. They also introduced the podcast character and your cat, and both never appear after that. Shocking
completely agree with this video, i think chapter 4 and 5 are very unfinished, and its hard to call the ending an ending, its more of a tune in next time
@angelwingsbsn Ya so many just dumb decisions. Whole gun decision was bad. The way we blindly trust safi and help her bad ideas out. And how everything spirals out of control out of nowhere with no build up. It felt so rushed and no way do i believe max thinks it's a smart idea to give safi the girl who's been unstable on revenge a gun and again cool with her going to talk to lucas alone with a gun.....
i would say that the ending of the first game was like bittersweet, while the ending of this game was just kind of frustrating. and i feel so bad for moses because even at the end, his dead world half really did never get to see safi again, even though safi is still alive no matter what choice you made
I think some of Double Exposure's issues are because Life is Strange 1 wasn't originally intended to get a sequel. When LiS1 was released, Dontnod was gambling with both their finances and future, and I assume they didn't expect it to garner as much popularity as it did. While I enjoyed playing through Double Exposure, I also have to agree that, at the end of the day, it feels like a glorified DLC that almost came out of nowhere.
I guess most people (including myself) chose to agree with Safi because she is unpredictable and wanted to be on her good side, instead of being against her
I did got finish with this game recently at last and well It straight up a mixed bag with only the music and graphics along with a few character I thought were alright the positive here other than that most of the game I really didn’t like with the story direction during it and some big weird dialogue that got me very uncomfortable and also some characters plot going all over the place throughout the whole game overall my honest thought of the game as my last Life is Strange games I will play from here
I'm going to be controversial and say this one is in the same tier as life is strange 2 if I'm being honest. Does everything the first game does but even worse and the first game had it's flaws and issues too 🤣
@@TheFIame I disagree. Lis 2 I feel surpasses the first game when it comes to the choices. In Lis 2 every decision you make affects how your journey will come to a close, whereas with Lis 1 only your last choice is the one that matters. Which made the choice throughout the game pointless. Lis 2 gets a lot of hate for how different it was, but that’s what makes it the best in the series to me.
@poett8875 Valid points, but I still feel the overall package of LIS 2 is worse than the first even if it does better in the choices aspect. I put DE in the same category as LIS2 because they both are just underwhelming and rely on characters being stupid.
The endings in 2 are for the most part logical and varied the choices have massive impacts the psychological ramification for daniel of every actions you do as Sean are still really well implemented. The reasons why people hate 2 is because it's literally mexican dustborn. And literally every white person is evil in it (except for one guy working for buzzfeed, a bunch of punks and family) and the trump references got very boring after a while. There's also no way to romance your korean bff who clearly has feelings for you. And some paths lead to a forced romance with cassidy. Shit like this made this game mid.
SPOILERS: SO FUCKING REAL! I watched it all on YT, and it was fine (when Max was revealed as the killer, ans Moses learning about her powers was peak) but after Safi was showed to be the "Other Max", everything fell apart imho. I ❤️ Vinh though, BUT he's actually kind of a creep 💀... Actually, he's very creepy. I mean, both are adults, but the power imbalance is... 🥶
I would have preferred the killer to be Maya in that picture 👀 idk her and safi are both writers competing for book deals so maybe there could have been something there
I feel like i couldnt connect very much with the emotions in this game when the original lis made me shed a little. Avengers theory really arent my thing, i do like it when max tried to use her rewind power again, it brings back that old feelings but kinda went downhill once you see where the story is leading to. It is still enjoyable in its own way but the whole game feels unpolished and messy narratively. They really shouldnt have this kind of direction but you cant undo the damage unfortunately. Knowing where we are heading after this, dlc is definitely coming but i am not too keen unless we have a proper closure for max’s story. While watching through DE however, i do miss chloe at few times but yeah, it is what it is. It is totally okay to enjoy this game Also i needed to add how well Hannah played max, some other good things aside is how we can see more of max’s expressions through the new model
I liked the beginning even tho I would have liked more worldbuilding. But the story went off the rails in EP4 and 5 and has so many lost opportunities, no real choices, many open ends/ themes and the ending itself just left me confused. Cant they right a good story on the levels of the OG LiS anymore, does nobody playtest games on focus groups anymore?
Great review Alex I glad you enjoyed both of the game even if you don’t like how it ended and certain choices that happened in the game and Alex I love it was you rant about things you don’t like Alex
The cop is actually from the past, cause he's investigating the place where Safi died, which is extremly weird since we have no idea how or why that happens, and they don't do anything with it. What did Lucas tell Safi that got her so pissed at Yasmin? We also don't know, they didn't even bothered with it. And that ending is just bad, seriously. I already saw all X-men movies, i know how it goes for Professor X and Magneto, why do we need this ending here too?... Wait, no, right, it's LIS game, not X-men. Sorry, got confused for a moment because of this bulshit ending. Also, most of the characters are blend and boring af, like it was in true colors, which seems to be a D9 problem. And i actually disagree on the facial animations, cause when some characters smile or make some weird face, it feels like i'm watching a horror movie. Especially, it's noticeable with Gwen and Reggie.
Lucas Told Safi That her mother gave the order to Cancel the Book to save her own butt. When Safi was trying to Respect her friend & tell everyone what happened the issue with Safi is she likes to hide & not face her problems Head on Shapeshifting gives her that ability. Like Really Her Mother, Amanda & Vihn why do you want to know about my Friend. Yes it's easy to throw away a Coffee cup & turn into someone else. This right here why I didn't Date anyone you really can't know Who the real person is & who Safi. Vihn having trouble getting into his Cellphone? & The Vihn who lost his Cellphone are not the same person.
@mattstansbeary3068 ok yeh, i forgot about that. But still feels weird, like he should have said something else to get her that mad. And how does he even know Yasmine did it?
@@ОлексійКондратюк-ф5ч The whole College Knew She was making a book & Her Mother had Early Copies of that Book which Detailed what Lucas did & That he was Touring saying He wrote it so every little Detail was in Safi book even her friend trying to Stop Lucas but failing. when it was time Safi Friend Died & the Whole School buried the Truth. Safi & her mother didn't always get along as is. You can get what went down. Plus when you favor your Father more then your Mother & your Mother stops you at every chance to see him. Safi had a mess up Life & her friend was all she had & they killed her.
@@mattstansbeary3068 still any of this doesn't explain how Lucas specifically new that Yasmine killed Safi's book. Maybe I'm just searching for deeper meaning where there's none. But still feels awfully convenient that Lucas is aware.
Deck 9 is garbage. Just copy and paste two huge aspects of LiS ......the storm again? a nightmare sequence again? They should have made their own LiS and let Max be. Super unoriginal plus trying to shame players who chose Bae........Nah, hard pass.
That part confused the hell out of me. Lucas whispers to Vinh, and he suddenly flips. Then I "assume(?)" He said the same thing to Safi moments later, and then she goes ballistic and starts blaming her mom for XYZ. That part lost me completely because I don't understand how the two events are connected. Safi says that it was her mom behind everything in how shit her life is, but what did that have to do with the Lucas and Maya plot line? (Disregarding how bland and uninteresting Maya's plot even was.) This game left me feeling confused as hell over 80% of the story because it wasn't just in this moment, but in various other moments in the game. It felt like some of the plot lines didn't connect to one another, yet the characters talked to Max as IF X had something to do with Y, but I was completely lost on the story threads.
I think Her Mother was Trying to Keep her Job & Safi going to see her Dad would mess that up & Safi Book would mess that up. As for Vihn well He was Hired by Safi Mother. So yes they are link through Her. So Lucas told them Both what he need to tell them to Back them off or Drive them Crazy as what happen to Safi. This is why Lucas should of been the Bad guy not Safi.
@mattstansbeary3068 This could just be a me thing, but the other games were pretty easy to understand as far as plot and message goes. This one just confused me. I understand what you're saying, that helps it make more sense for me, but I still think it was poorly handled. Thank you for the explanation!
Totally depends on who you are lol. It's a game that for me had a lot going for it and then really really fumbled the end. But it's also the sequel to one of my favorite games ever made.
@Kurniawan21-d5j Yeah, if Nick Fury was evil and trying to take over society. I don't get the Nick Fury references. Plus, I thought the writing was really good, and a great direction to expand the LIS universe.
I finished the game and can finally watch this..I declined Safi's offer, just didn't feel right. I do wonder though..is this gonna for sure lead to like, max meeting Alex, and Daniel etc
Im so ready to play it over, because I felt like there was a lot of choices that I missed and it felt like Amanda believed I took advantage of living world instead which is bothersome . I accepted Safi's offer because it seems like she has no one , shes alone and depressed why would you lie in the storm and then brush her off no way I definitely believe that its important to have that bond regardless. I dont understand a few things tho at the very end, where Was Living timeline Max ? Is Max somehow a Nexus being where she can only exist in one fragmented timeline ? This wasnt answered in the comics either that theres these other timelines but Max exists in each one but where is that MAX in the living timeline. Why they didnt include not one moment of Chloes character model or even bring her in at the end. What happened to Erase Alderman from all of existence. I can totally see missed plotlines because why did Safi get this furious about the bookdeal falling through ? I felt like they edited out part of the storyline like what if Safi was actually Maya or why not take her visage at all that could have been really cool to have seen her as Maya like what if her mom knew of her power and Safi had taken up to having multiple personalities and Her mother had to cover it up when she broke out of the Maya character and had to basically kill her book deal to avoid safi finding out the real reason behind Mayas death and her book being stolen. It felt like they started this mystery off so strong then ended the mystery so quickly . I want more and id love to see maybe like an RPG based storyline where they do gather the protaganist across the series to solve this big mystery to come or a fight off against Safi being more of a misunderstood supervillain character.
I liked this game as well but I did have two problems with it. One a guy blips out of existence and no one cares or really explains why that happened. Two the ending it just wasn't it because Sofi faces zero consequences and gets away with it. I also hate that Diamond goes with her as I feel that goes against her character and feels like a major betrayal to Max.
I think the problem is with Life is Strange series that it became way more about the powers and less and less about the actual characters and emotions coming with them that is the whole point this game got such a huge fanbase in the first place the powers were just a means for max to overcome her introvertive state were we meet her since the choices and consequences do not matter until they do and that was an amazing massage same as the mystery around it nobody needs to know were the powers come from or why they even exists in the first place that is the whole thing it does not need to be explained since Life is already strange enough.
This comment deserved to be on the top
exactly D9 and SE completely missed the point of the game i hope they can get don’tnod back to making the next game but i doubt it
Agreed. I still hope that the end of chapter 5 is at last also used as a staging ground for bringing some of that back. Like characters from previous games and how they develped since then. At least then you could introduce powers as well as exploring the characters paths that fans are familiar with. It seems there are hints dropped here and there throughout the game but its unlcaer yet if its just some fan service on something they intend to build on for further chapters and games.
And it went too far with the gay stuff, it was very subtly in the first game.
@@HangandHung It's weird because D9 gave us Before the Storm, so they can make an emotional game and be true to Dontnod's characters. Maybe they have completely different staff now?
"nobody needs to know were the powers come from"
Oh god, they are going to midichlorian the powers, aren't they. 😐
Yeah, I would tend to agree. One other thing I'd add is that it lacked gut wrenching hard hitting moments that make you ugly cry.
All of the games made my cry or a least tear up except this one and true colors.
Ummm Hannah's acting in the conversation with Safi at the start of Episode 4?
@@poett8875 I agree. With true colors though, Gabe's death was pretty emotional. I gotta give major credit to Alex's voice actress Erika Mori. Her screaming was heartbreaking. She did such a great job.
I was very disappointed with chapters 4-5. It felt like when a writer has started a story with intention, but gets tired of their work so they starts checking off a checklist of what should happen without including careing how the story will reach the points.
I also hoped Max would cross a parallel universe where Rachel lived (refers to the Comics) - just for fanservice :)
OMG i would have absolutely loved to see that
I’m sure you posted this comment somewhere else 😭
@@bluz374 *BUSTED*
Yes (Hello!) kinda. I like the way I wrote it so copyed myself
'Life Is Strange Double Exposure: Simply Disappointing' by The Hidden One
Ah yes! Especially because I find Rachel way more interesting than safi
The start of the avengers bullshit is what pisses me off, safi just walking off like nick fury to go, assemble the avengers with all the powers, and save the world in the future like what the fuck is this what the actual fuck life is strange is not a superhero game deck nine
Can someone explain the detective plot line to me? He shows up, gets super sus of Max, confronts her and Moses, sees an alt universe verion of himself, touches it and dies. Then its just, never talked about? Moses does investigate him later on, and reveals that he isnt supposed to exist, but what did that even mean? Did I completely miss something or did his entire plot thread just end out of nowhere in a confusing way?
It's showing that when the timelines collide (him touching himself) it literally erases you from existence which I think is VERY cool but aside from Moses texts and Max being afraid for a second that Other Max will touch her, it's completely forgotten about. Super super cool idea, that they did nothing with
Ohhhhh okay, that makes more sense now, thank you!
@@PodcastNow But it's not detective Alderman from the other timeline. Safi didn't die in the other timeline, he wouldn't be investigating at Caledon. It's a memory of Alderman from the day prior in the same dead timeline. Except it's sentient and can break from the memory and react to other entities around it for some reason and it only happens the one time ever just with Alderman and none of it is ever explained.
The “Max Caulfield will return” like it’s the MCU they dropped the ball unfortunately set up some great stuff execution horrendous
I would say the game was okay until the end if chapter 3, where they played their hands and had nothing to show for, making the game and writing taking a hard drip down in quality.
And like yoy said and the more i think about it this is the best way to explain it: Its like a writer on the team cared about the past events and lore of Max and put in these little nuggets to hint at them, but the rest if the team didnt so they just did nothing with it only to basically show "hey look, we remember this too". I liked the idea of Max getting PTSD from her time in the basement, even if it didnt happen in this timeline, max still lived though it, so i loved they were doing something eith it, but all you get is push e and q a few times and your out of it and then its gone frok the game. Why wasnt this drama hinted at in her mind before? Why didn't they have Jeff there but some other character speaks from him, showing her scared and vulnerable self being confronted by maybe her evil self like in the first game or Chole or someone she is scared of or the dream thinks will fuck eith her, but no we get nothing interesting. Thats basically the game.
I really like the game, but I don't like what they done to Chloe in the Bae part. And I feel in the end of the game most choices has no impact.
Which is a big reason why I love Lis 2 so much. It’s the only game in the franchise where your choices actually have impact in the end.
@poett8875 Yes, it was really well written, sadly I never warmed up to the brothers so much😅
@@altera1236 that’s fair. I was never a huge fan of max (unpopular opinion I know🫣). I just loved how Lis 2 is the only game in the series that actually does something different and took risks.
Chloe is old news. Move on.
@@sharkiealami7817 faire, you have your one opinion on it. But half the fan base is '' old news'' and has to move on than.
To go with what you said around the 12 minute mark, at some point there's a conversation in ch.5 between Max and Safi where Safi is talking about going away and accuses Max/Max admits to running away at the end of LiS 1 ("when your home town got whirlwinded what did you do?" - "I ran away") and like... in the Bae timeline the whole town was destroyed, was she supposed continue living there??
Even at the end, Max's last line of the game is "this time I'm not going anywhere" GIRL when was that 'other time' you went away?! Again, in the bae route the town was IN PIECES lmao
O SHOOT that's such a good point lol!! I will say I liked the idea that Max somewhat learned from how she handled the guilt and trauma of the first game, but that specifically yeah like she had to run away. I'll mention it in the spoilercast later tonight, but I didn't like Max REALLY putting everything on herself, almost blaming herself for this storm too when she didn't cause it, and just some of her lines of like taking responsibility, she puts the storm squarely on her back, when we still don't know what caused the storm in 1, could have been Rachel. I Talk about this a lot more in the next video!
I don't know how to write it right, but to me LIS DE feels like just misleading after misleading and end with desapointing
SPOILERS
They said respect both LIS 1 ending but they end up make Bae people feel desapointed.
Murder Mistery
but end up not Murder Mistery at all, we don't solve the murder mistery they just let us know who Safi's killer in Episode 3 and after chapter 5 when both timelines combined to 1 timeline, Safi alive.
At the end of the day it's like she never get killed.
Also compare to LIS 1, This LIS DE lack of major consequence that really gives big impact
And finally i don't get it how Max took Picture of her self when Safi in her make the Tornado suddently desapear and both timelines combined into 1 timeline,
also people in both Alive and Dead Timeline become 1 and they have momeries of both timelines? Like how that even works?
I end up refun
Yep
spoiler : i feel like it should just have ended when the second timeline got to the point when max has to shoot safi that would have been a good deponia doomsday like ending
To be honest, it felt like a fanfiction after all, due to the bad writing, unfortunately.
No, I disagree. It just felt like bad writing. People need to stop using fanfiction as an insult as there are plenty of fanfictions that are good.
@@TeddieSage1987 Yes this is correct, bad writing is bad writing. Period
If this was fan fiction Chloe would have been in it, and more fan service would of been attempted, so I respectfully disagree with that statement.
@@TeddieSage1987 makes sense. I stopped reading fanfiction too many years ago because of the bad writing problem and ended up never really reading a good fanfiction at all. Anyway. What I meant is that it doesn't feel original, but a really bad copy from the first game that tries to substitute Chloe for Safi.
I’m just gonna say it, Square Enix should’ve let this series die once DON’T NOD left. Deck 9 has gotta be one of the most uncreative and unimaginative studios I’ve ever seen. Nothing they’ve done even comes close to Lis 1 or 2 if you ask me.
What they REALLY need to do now is to get Don'tNod back asap yo unfuck this entire franchise.
Distance themselves from this absolute farce and pretend it doesn't exist, and get Don'tNod to give us a proper sequel with Max and Chloe that has nothing whatsoever to do with this manure.
@@creationguy3871dontnot left square enix bc they wouldnt let them do what they wanted creatively with the franchise! go check out lost records bloom and rage thats dontnods new release
Dontnod is working on lost records so be sure to check that out.
D9 and SE has a lot of shit going on, this game is just unfortunate being handled by wrong ppl. It wasnt too bad, its just that lis set the bar too high and the new writers does not have good understanding on the characters
Life is strange 2 is complete trash.
@@KingOfBlades it’s fine if you think that. I disagree, it’s the best in the series for me. But you can’t deny that it’s the only game in the franchise where your choices actually matter and as a whole does something different while taking risks.
After chapter 3 it went downhill, and they ruined Max and Chloe, if they made a 5th game with Max again as the playable character, which they probably will. They have to do DLC to fix the messing mistakes with the ending and fixing Max and Chloe. Since Max and merge timelines, I believe she can try to merge timelines with the 2 endings with bay and bae. I know this is something I want can I just dream about it?
Nah. There's no fixing this mess. It's unfixable garbage. The only damage control that is viable to for Square Enix to apologise profusely and pretend this crap doesn't exist.
Absolutely no DLC will fix the trash.
Great summary. The first 3-4 chapters were very good, the final decision with Safi was an absolute shocker. Choosing to "team up" with her makes no sense for Max's character.
8:55 I was wondering why way more people accepted as well . Around 65%
There was so much they could've done, I was so excited for this game, excited to play it, then...started hearing things about it, and to find out that Deck 9 didn't actually make this game with a true purpose in mind, I could think of 10 things they could've done to make this game equally compelling all the way through to the end of episode 5, to name a few:
SPOILERS AHEAD:
1. Having Safi be the shapeshifter, but, have her take form of Chloe, WITH Ashly Burch as Chloe, and challenge Max that way, (without ruining the mythos of this world, we don't need the powers to be explained how did this person get these powers, in this world certain people just have these abilities, don't explain how or why they have them, as it ruins the story, instead focus on the characters, the storyline, and everything else surrounding it will work).
2. Don't reveal Safi is the primary antagonist, instead have it played off as someone else entirely, maybe the officer, and the last shot of the game, show someone transforming from one character, to another, in shadows, with no clue of who ot could be, and they say 1 line, game ends.
3. Bring back Chloe, have Max and her reconnect, Chloe helps Max save someone, maybe all ger college friends from an ASTEROID that's gonna hot the city due to the powers being used between the shape shifter and Max, they end up sticking together, the story ends with them apologizing for the past traumas, hugging and FINALLY giving each other confirmation of the relationship between them, they desert a happy ending.
I could go on, but they could've done so much more, glad I didn't pre order like I planned to. 😞
I agree that the first episodes were really strong, but with a resolution like this, with so many unanswered questions left... i just cant enjoy it the way i want to.
Maybe someone can help me answer them.
SPOILERS
Why did the timelines combine? Are there any consequences outside of the university?
Why did the storm appear when Max only did one time travel in the whole game? Did Max really prevent shooting Safi? Since when can you outwit destiny so easily in a LiS-Game?
What was the point of Abraxas and the puzzle box?
Why did Safis body turn into flowers?
Where did the polaroids come from? Is there even another Max?
Was Reggie freaked out by a time echo (like Alderman) or by Safi disguised as him?
Why was there only one time echo (Alderman) in the game? What is the reason of it existing in the first place? I wouldve unterstood that the two timelines are overlapping, but why did this ghost from the past appear? Why didnt Max show any guilt after Alderman got obliterated? Isnt that another death caused by her powers?
Why did the two moons from the first game return?
What did Lucas say to Safi in Episode 4 after he got exposed? What did he say to Vinh to threaten him?
The comics did a better writing than this ep 5 BS whoever wrote ep 5 should be fired
For me the game start to go down right at episode 3, is there that start the hole X- man stuff and show us that they were going in a wrong path, and the moment she focus the photo it was so ridiculous because it just spoiled basicaly the end of the game for us and that safi was possibily evil.
To add, the nightmare sequence is all about Max putting her traumas behind her, which leads to her development. It wasn't a rehash of the first, but a counterpoint. Notice in the original game, Max never deals with her trauma, it was Chloe that had to resolve the story for her. The problem with Polarized is that they added trauma to Max in the last minute like Jefferson and never really dealt with it other than inflicting Max with this trauma. Its Decoherence where Max finally overcomes her trauma of the first game.
Very very fair, and I think she did learn and grew from it and you can see it, I did like some of those realizations. Even her saying like she was 18 but not anymore, those lines were very good.
@@PodcastNow This had to be done. I really did feel that Max never really resolved her story in the first game. They did not overdo it either.
I saw it this way too. She's coming to terms with the lingering trauma from her past, and in a way it was closing a chapter for her
I feel the same way. Episode 5 was a little disappointing to me.
I sided with Safi because I thought there would be a choice to pull her back a little more from the "evil" road she was on.
Just proves why a good ending is always important.
I'll never buy this horse shit. I wouldn't play it if I was given it for free. The absolute disrespect from DeckNine is utterly mind blowing a honestly unforgivable.
This franchise is now dead to me. The ONLY Life is Strange game that is cannon is the original. This will be a financial failure, and thank God for it.
The ONLY way to salvage this is to fire D9 immediately, retcon this garbage, rehire Don'tNod and have them give us an actual sequel to the original LiS. Otherwise I'm done with this franchise and will never buy another Square Enix game in my life.
For me it's the original game + The graphic novel series (which follows the "Bae" ending).
You’re so overdramatic lol. It’s still a fine game tbh.
@@sharkiealami7817 It's dog shit.
I agreed with Safi at the end but tbh... I had no freaking clue what I was even agreeing to?? it was super unclear to me what the whole ending sequence was all about
100% I disagreed bc I thought she was asking me to be a supervillain but the ending choices card makes it sound like you're just agreeing to stand by your friend? I still don't fully understand what that ending choice was.
I do agree, eps 1-4 got me hooked on the game, but eps 5 just dissapointing and what a let down. Why do i feel like Safi kinda have the attitude of "i dont give af about consequences, i will let Max handle this type of shit". Safi kinda reminds me of the character Trish Walker (Jessica Jones best friend/ sister) in S3 of Jessica Jones [MARVEL]. "OMG having powers is so cool", BISH no... it is somewhat a burden and you have to be responsible to use it. But it does makes sense why she act like that way (comes from her helicopter mother who controls everything and every parts of Safi's life >>> WHICH IS THE SAME AS TRISH WALKER OMG). But yeah, just hate the plot of eps 5... but hopefully we got to play Safi as the first person perspective instead of Max in the next Life is Strange game(?). Even though i don't really like her, but she needs to face the consequences + have character growth.
Glad you were able to enjoy it dude! It was a struggle for me to get through it. I'm not the biggest fan of the mechanics let alone what they did lore wise
It's a really good game - the question is, is that enough?
Life Is Strange double exposure has three problems.
1. is far too similar to the first plot from the original, only more complex.
2. the problem of over-complexity
3. the structure of the characters and the attachment to them
The absence of Chloe is a really big problem because whether you want to admit it or not Max alone is likeable but boring because Life is Strange lives from the dynamic between Chloe and Max. I assume that there will be more chapters from the time after the stream as fan DLC "or something like that 😉!"
I assume that the creators deliberately wanted to go one step further, but unfortunately they didn't succeed because the endings of the chapters themselves should have been staged much better. In addition, Safi is too much like Chloe, even when it comes to the past, except that Safi has superpowers. When the player is suddenly faced with a storm again and the same dialog is repeated line after line, it almost seems sobering. Max should have met Chloe in the last chapter at the latest to create a dignified ending.
Life is strange Double exposure gets lost in an overly complex storyline that leaves no time to bond with the characters.
Far too many new characters who are not given enough time to develop and, above all, to develop empathy. We simply need an absolute shocker in the game, which only happened once when Max revealed himself as the killer.
And the last thing to mention is that the final decision should have been much more epic. It seems like a lot of thought was put into the whole concept and it was executed very well, but sometimes less is more!
Its not the worst thing ever crated but would it be a good game for the price and would it stand alone like the devs say witout playing the other games? No in that chase No. Max is in it to promote their cinematic universe thats it.
I didn’t like ch 1 at first tbh it felt way too slow but things pick it up after ch 2 to ch 4 but then ch 5 is just weird it ruined the game ending for me.
We did NOTHING with abraxas
That annoyed me too. I didn't want a copy past of the vortex club but I thought they'd at least do something with it...
At the end of chapter 2, I was psyched at the photograph of Max shooting Safi because it felt like the movie Minority Report. It kinda made me wish there was another ending where Max is actually forced to do it because of how sick Safi is. I will say that I do agree that the save Arcadia Bay ending seems way more canon since Chloe is barely mentioned nor interacted with throughout all 5 chapters but all you see is her past texts and social media posts which kinda felt out of place.
Here is the thing, Safi turns kinda dark at the end because she really believes Max and her can fix everything. It wasn't a hard turn, it was understandable. Max did say she used her powers to fix the problem. I may not have wanted the ending, but it isn't poorly done. Pay attention to the dialogue again. There is even a case where Max could have said the wrong things to Safi in the storm and now it bounced back at her.
The writing is far more subtle and deep than people give it credit for.
And the developers in the inverse interview have said they will not do an Avengers superhero story.
They literally wrote "Max Caulfield will return" like it's an Avengers movie.
Which interview is that with the developers?
@@igorbrandao6735 Inverse, Oct 29th
@@txgoldrush I couldn't find any recent interview with them. The latest public moment with the developers was NYCC
@@igorbrandao6735 Try Inverse.
@11:37 As a someone who also played this picking the bae ending, I took Max saying that not as her saying on the chance of a do-over, she would sacrifice Chloe, but that she would’ve maybe tried other things so she could save both (like how in the direct aftermath of LiS1’s ending, fans speculated Max could’ve just told everyone to get out of town/to the lighthouse after stopping Chloe’s death in the bathroom.) Like even if that is flawed thinking (which I think is the point; Max has to come to terms with the fact that she can’t save everyone) and most people probably wouldn’t heed her warning anyways, I don’t think she meant she made the wrong choice picking Chloe.
I honestly agree so much with all your points, at the end I also refused to stand with Safi because like, WHY WOULD MAX EVER DO THAT??? Literally not her, other thing is what even tf happened to the detective? He just disappeared and they only brought him up once in a text afterwards and then just never brought him up again. Like what even in the world happened there? I’ve just got really mixed emotions about this game. I love this franchise, maybe that’s why I excuse so much that went wrong in this game.
I think it goes downhill at chapter 4 and 5. It just seemed like they sorta lost the plot with the whole Maya part
5:09 so so so agree with this - 3 of my favourite artists (chloe moriondo, matilda mann, and dodie) being on this game makes it even more special too! and god, i hadn‘t heard of her before but tessa rose jackson is super talented too wow. such a good soundtrack as always - it‘s gotta be my favourite so far :)
i agree with this video tile
i really liked the part of the game where we had to switch the timelines to find out that happened
if the Game stayed that way i would have loved it
but the last chapter was so confusing i don't know what the plot is now and how everything worked with the timelines
I really get the vibe that Eps 1-3 and Eps. 4-5 were written by totally different people, and that the latter team had little regard for the former.
I agreed to help her, yes it seemed marvel villain speech before the choice was given and yes I completely agree that it isn’t an option that max will ever choose but we have to see that she has matured and with her poweres changing with her the best out come was to agree. My thinking was we would want to keep her on good terms to try and keep her rained in so to speak because we see how her mind actually fractured so it was a better idea to keep her trust and hopefully from what we saw at the end we’ll hopefully see the Diaz brothers and Alex and see how they’ll interact with each other since I can see them going down that route but we don’t need to know where or how they’ll interact got their powers or why. What would be best for them to go forward is to have all superpowerd people solving cold cases or even prevent them now that would be great since all of the powers we’ve seen so far can be used to help others but responsibly since from what we know about the storm is the over use of their powers and emotions but each power should have a different event for each when they lose control
I really really hope that we get more Hannah Tell. I'm hoping that Deck Nine call pull this out of the storm that was ch. 5. Would be cool to kind of bring all of the main characters from all of the life is strange games into one (yes i would include Tyler and Alyson from Tell Me Why) and let all the chips fall where they may.
I agree with everything you said...also Safi was sus from the start when she basically confessed about the snooping through Maxs wallet, ALSO Safi (in the form of Max) was trying to kill Max by pushig her down a cliff, not even talking or trying to have an explanation to what Max knows etc...when Max combined that world and yes they hugged I thought this was going to end in a good term, and maybe she wasnt as crazy and they can go on, but how can you be on a side of your so called friend that wanted you literally dead and now wants Max to join in a group of so called "god like humans"?! alsoooo after she saw what happens when she uses her powers to the extreme and telling her about the consequences prior(!) what is thissss also i hope more people saw the end credit cut scene? 😵💫 gosh i really hope the sequel is going to explain this madness.
chapter 5 is complete mess and violated foto jump and storm rules
Tbh they don’t even need like a storm, what if it was something like someone important dies like Moses or safis mom, they don’t need to copy LIS 1 come up with something original
I felt like the last two episodes were A bit rushed than the first 3, the final episode it seems that they didn't know where to go with the story. Give justice to life is strange:DE, Remake it!! #remakeLISDE !!
glad to hear your thoughts, was waiting for it as someone from the outside
I went with her because Max strikes me as the type to put her loyalty to loved ones above all else
I think the game is trying to show that LGBT+ is its "prime" and major theme, and the "time powers" theme is just a way to make the game promotable to a bigger audience. The interest they have shown in highlighting sexuality and the LGBTQ+ community in the game is 10 times more the one they put in the "time power" storyline. As if the power exist for us to eavesdrop on others conversations and go on investigations only to know that all the guys have interest in guys (Reggie & Vinh, Moses & Tony), the bartender is lesbian, Hunter is trans, and Lucas seem to have in his office a magazine of a man with unbuttoned shirt as its cover with "best dressed men" as its title and a story of being in love with slug, which might be implying something just like LiS 1 did with the dustman and the women's fashion magazine, and wig in his place beside and Max's peanuts comment about him. So basically it is LGBTQ exclusive , specially with the flag as a major thing in the main events place. Yeah, not a serious game for the market and international audience.
also...I think when Max said she would have "saved more lives" if she could, she didn't mean it in the way that saving Chloe was a mistake, she meant it as she could've figure out a way to save everyone INCLUDING Chloe. there's even proof to that...she didn't k!ll Safi in the end even though it seemed the only one of THE choices, she chose to go in into that storm together with her and it really did save everyone...even though she didn't know how it'll turn out...
Just finished the whole review, you're awesome bro. Very nice inputs
Did they ran out of writers and money by episodes 4-5? The ending was a mess like using leftovers to eat from a bowl of shit.
I chose Safi not because I want the two to be “gods” together, but because when she returns, there’s a chance Max can try to steer Safi in the right direction. She needs help and never got to the root of the issue with Yasmin; she lost control when they had the chance to.
If I rejected Safi, giving her the help she needs, not the help she wants, would be much more difficult.
Now, we’ll just see if they really make Safi full-blown atomic evil. I can see it going either way.
SPOILER: I choose bay over bae, and in my playthrough Max also said that she wanted to save more lives. But I think she meant if she was faced in the same situation again she would've made better choices and she would've tried to save everyone. The town, Chloe, etc..
I think they put her nightmare sequence in the game to really force Max to forgive herself and to heal after what happened.Because this entire game she just basically avoided her pain and almost made it seem non existent. So I think the nightmare in this game really just helped Max move forward and make her open up.
But yeah other than that I completely agree wit you. I think it would've made more sense if it was an astreoid and not a storm. There were a lot of hints : Meteor shower, astrology stuff and also one NPC at some points in the game points out that there might be a time vortex ( not sure that was the name) that was happening, like the earth's magnetism was being weird and also other stuff.
And also the owl just kinda disapeared? I don't know at some point it was really mysterious and then poof gone.
Also personally, I think Safi going out to find more people like her kind of makes sense. Because her entire life she felt alone. But I also would've loved if the developper explored more of Safi's ability to shapeshift, like what if she can also "shapeshift" the powers of others? And aslo what is Diamond's power, I am utterly confused.
And finally I was also dissapointed how at first in chapter 5 Safi and Max were a team and it seemed like Safi was gonna make a redemption arc but all of a sudden she's a villain again?
Other than that it was I must say a pretty good game!
That wasn't an alternate universe Alderman, as in the "Living" universe there would be no reason for him to be at the university investigating Safi's death because she was alive. It seems to be an echo of his past self, though it's never explained why.
I also have a problem with Alderman being wiped out of existence in the past, as it would inevitably cause countless more ripples through time than Max saving Chloe did. It was a cool visual, but just made no sense. Actually, most of the game could be described like that.
SPOILERS!!!!
Was a little baffled when Chloe didn't show up at all. Butttt Moses does say something at the end about Chloe and how Max is running from her and needs to stop running and then Max agrees. So still hope maybe? Idk overall I enjoyed it I really did. The ending, episode 5 as a whole was just very confusing. So the timelines became 1 because Max snapped photos of people to get Safi out of them and that caused it? or the storm swallowing the entire campus which then merged them? Is Max's powers now obselete cause theres not another timeline? Can she still do that? Is rewind going to come back like it should? I mean the going back in time with a photo still works so I mean? Also not even having Jeffersons voice is just idk, I wanted to enjoy that section so badly but I was so taken out of it, the only thing that was worth while was the photos and seeing the red binders but no voice over from Jefferson or a physical version just was confusing, its a nightmare scene regardless if hes dead or alive its a nightmare you can USE HIM! Same with any of the characters from the past. but they went the dumbest route they could've and its insanity on there behalf, they did not respect my BAE ending. I hope a DLC comes out or just anything to flesh out more. I have so many more thoughts but I'll save it for the live stream.
I actually thought episode 5 was my favorite in the game. E4 was the more messy one for me. But I can see where you're coming from. I really loved having Max go back to her past and come to a greater sense of closure. But at the same time, tonally it felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be at times. Also thought that it was odd how many people accepted Safi, it just didn't make much sense to me, and like you said, it's very unlike Max, who has understood the consequences of utilizing such devastating powers. Overall, I thought it was a good game but I think more time in the oven could've made it one of the best in the franchise.
Agree with the points and also want to shout out how beautiful the game is visually and sound wise. However I feel so scammed by the cat content. About 6 minutes of gameplay , if that 😭
Just cleared it and agree totally. Massive let down. I genuinely had no relationship with Safi. The ending is totally pointless. Same with diamond, Vinh and Amanda.
Max is the only strength in this game. The fact that there is two timelines they missed a huge opportunity to drop in Rachel or Chloe. Even just for a short clip. They also introduced the podcast character and your cat, and both never appear after that.
Shocking
completely agree with this video, i think chapter 4 and 5 are very unfinished, and its hard to call the ending an ending, its more of a tune in next time
I liked it until chapter 4 lol
Same. Chapter 4 it started to really slide for me.
@angelwingsbsn Ya so many just dumb decisions. Whole gun decision was bad. The way we blindly trust safi and help her bad ideas out. And how everything spirals out of control out of nowhere with no build up. It felt so rushed and no way do i believe max thinks it's a smart idea to give safi the girl who's been unstable on revenge a gun and again cool with her going to talk to lucas alone with a gun.....
i would say that the ending of the first game was like bittersweet, while the ending of this game was just kind of frustrating. and i feel so bad for moses because even at the end, his dead world half really did never get to see safi again, even though safi is still alive no matter what choice you made
I think some of Double Exposure's issues are because Life is Strange 1 wasn't originally intended to get a sequel. When LiS1 was released, Dontnod was gambling with both their finances and future, and I assume they didn't expect it to garner as much popularity as it did.
While I enjoyed playing through Double Exposure, I also have to agree that, at the end of the day, it feels like a glorified DLC that almost came out of nowhere.
13:00 man that scenes just disrespectful after what theyve done
Thank you for calling it out how many people accepted it. For me it was the easiest choice to refuse her. I really didnt get it...
I guess most people (including myself) chose to agree with Safi because she is unpredictable and wanted to be on her good side, instead of being against her
Honestly it is the same if you saved arcadia bay. In some scenes max really does regret not saving chloe.
I accepted Safi's offer because I didn't know what was going on and just clicked a random option
Whatever they paid Hannah I guarantee it was nowhere near enough considering she carried this entire game on her back.
This video is a great opinion and I honestly couldn’t agree more I had fun playing through the game but chapter 5 left me disappointed
I did got finish with this game recently at last and well It straight up a mixed bag with only the music and graphics along with a few character I thought were alright the positive here other than that most of the game I really didn’t like with the story direction during it and some big weird dialogue that got me very uncomfortable and also some characters plot going all over the place throughout the whole game overall my honest thought of the game as my last Life is Strange games I will play from here
On a side note, how's this game selling?
That's what I'd like to know. I'm hoping this will be a massive financial disaster so they disown this bollocks.
I'm going to be controversial and say this one is in the same tier as life is strange 2 if I'm being honest. Does everything the first game does but even worse and the first game had it's flaws and issues too 🤣
@@TheFIame I disagree. Lis 2 I feel surpasses the first game when it comes to the choices. In Lis 2 every decision you make affects how your journey will come to a close, whereas with Lis 1 only your last choice is the one that matters. Which made the choice throughout the game pointless. Lis 2 gets a lot of hate for how different it was, but that’s what makes it the best in the series to me.
@poett8875 Valid points, but I still feel the overall package of LIS 2 is worse than the first even if it does better in the choices aspect. I put DE in the same category as LIS2 because they both are just underwhelming and rely on characters being stupid.
The endings in 2 are for the most part logical and varied the choices have massive impacts the psychological ramification for daniel of every actions you do as Sean are still really well implemented. The reasons why people hate 2 is because it's literally mexican dustborn. And literally every white person is evil in it (except for one guy working for buzzfeed, a bunch of punks and family) and the trump references got very boring after a while. There's also no way to romance your korean bff who clearly has feelings for you. And some paths lead to a forced romance with cassidy. Shit like this made this game mid.
Tell Me Why did the "unalive oneself" mystery of a character better than DE.
if i never played any life is strange before will i like this?
Episode 5 is like if they ran out of episode and had to finish everything quickly
The final chapter in furst game was nuts so i saw it coming
Little fun fact, I can't find it on steam.
SPOILERS:
SO FUCKING REAL! I watched it all on YT, and it was fine (when Max was revealed as the killer, ans Moses learning about her powers was peak) but after Safi was showed to be the "Other Max", everything fell apart imho. I ❤️ Vinh though, BUT he's actually kind of a creep 💀... Actually, he's very creepy. I mean, both are adults, but the power imbalance is... 🥶
I would have preferred the killer to be Maya in that picture 👀 idk her and safi are both writers competing for book deals so maybe there could have been something there
Could've taken a few more years to actually make a good story. But hey, maybe the next one will actually be completely thought through
I feel like i couldnt connect very much with the emotions in this game when the original lis made me shed a little. Avengers theory really arent my thing, i do like it when max tried to use her rewind power again, it brings back that old feelings but kinda went downhill once you see where the story is leading to. It is still enjoyable in its own way but the whole game feels unpolished and messy narratively. They really shouldnt have this kind of direction but you cant undo the damage unfortunately. Knowing where we are heading after this, dlc is definitely coming but i am not too keen unless we have a proper closure for max’s story.
While watching through DE however, i do miss chloe at few times but yeah, it is what it is. It is totally okay to enjoy this game
Also i needed to add how well Hannah played max, some other good things aside is how we can see more of max’s expressions through the new model
I liked the beginning even tho I would have liked more worldbuilding.
But the story went off the rails in EP4 and 5 and has so many lost opportunities, no real choices, many open ends/ themes and the ending itself just left me confused.
Cant they right a good story on the levels of the OG LiS anymore, does nobody playtest games on focus groups anymore?
I had a decent time but definitely some short comings.
The life is strange community would like to thank Dragon age: the veilguard for its selfless sacrifice for worst game of the year @1:00
Great review Alex I glad you enjoyed both of the game even if you don’t like how it ended and certain choices that happened in the game and Alex I love it was you rant about things you don’t like Alex
The cop is actually from the past, cause he's investigating the place where Safi died, which is extremly weird since we have no idea how or why that happens, and they don't do anything with it. What did Lucas tell Safi that got her so pissed at Yasmin? We also don't know, they didn't even bothered with it. And that ending is just bad, seriously. I already saw all X-men movies, i know how it goes for Professor X and Magneto, why do we need this ending here too?... Wait, no, right, it's LIS game, not X-men. Sorry, got confused for a moment because of this bulshit ending. Also, most of the characters are blend and boring af, like it was in true colors, which seems to be a D9 problem. And i actually disagree on the facial animations, cause when some characters smile or make some weird face, it feels like i'm watching a horror movie. Especially, it's noticeable with Gwen and Reggie.
Lucas Told Safi That her mother gave the order to Cancel the Book to save her own butt. When Safi was trying to Respect her friend & tell everyone what happened the issue with Safi is she likes to hide & not face her problems Head on Shapeshifting gives her that ability. Like Really Her Mother, Amanda & Vihn why do you want to know about my Friend. Yes it's easy to throw away a Coffee cup & turn into someone else. This right here why I didn't Date anyone you really can't know Who the real person is & who Safi. Vihn having trouble getting into his Cellphone? & The Vihn who lost his Cellphone are not the same person.
@mattstansbeary3068 ok yeh, i forgot about that. But still feels weird, like he should have said something else to get her that mad. And how does he even know Yasmine did it?
@@ОлексійКондратюк-ф5ч The whole College Knew She was making a book & Her Mother had Early Copies of that Book which Detailed what Lucas did & That he was Touring saying He wrote it so every little Detail was in Safi book even her friend trying to Stop Lucas but failing. when it was time Safi Friend Died & the Whole School buried the Truth. Safi & her mother didn't always get along as is. You can get what went down. Plus when you favor your Father more then your Mother & your Mother stops you at every chance to see him. Safi had a mess up Life & her friend was all she had & they killed her.
@@mattstansbeary3068 still any of this doesn't explain how Lucas specifically new that Yasmine killed Safi's book. Maybe I'm just searching for deeper meaning where there's none. But still feels awfully convenient that Lucas is aware.
This was shaping up to be my favorite LIS game but episode 4&5 are the worst story resolution I've ever seen
I still wonder where the cop is? the Game ended and didnt care about this character
It's so bad, never thought the writing would be this bad
I don't think D9 hates Chloe as a character like some people think,I just think they don't know what to do with her post LIS1.
Life is strange 2 will always be the best love it 😊😊😊
Deck 9 is garbage. Just copy and paste two huge aspects of LiS ......the storm again? a nightmare sequence again? They should have made their own LiS and let Max be. Super unoriginal plus trying to shame players who chose Bae........Nah, hard pass.
Game started good then flopped at the end.
I finsh it myself knew the way it was going to be honest
*spoilers*
What did Lucas say to Safi in Ep 4 after the bar?? That’s what I’m still hung up on…like did I miss something???
I’m wondering that too. Because if it’s that she kept safi from her dad I’m kinda confused why he knew that.
That part confused the hell out of me. Lucas whispers to Vinh, and he suddenly flips. Then I "assume(?)" He said the same thing to Safi moments later, and then she goes ballistic and starts blaming her mom for XYZ. That part lost me completely because I don't understand how the two events are connected. Safi says that it was her mom behind everything in how shit her life is, but what did that have to do with the Lucas and Maya plot line? (Disregarding how bland and uninteresting Maya's plot even was.)
This game left me feeling confused as hell over 80% of the story because it wasn't just in this moment, but in various other moments in the game. It felt like some of the plot lines didn't connect to one another, yet the characters talked to Max as IF X had something to do with Y, but I was completely lost on the story threads.
I think Her Mother was Trying to Keep her Job & Safi going to see her Dad would mess that up & Safi Book would mess that up. As for Vihn well He was Hired by Safi Mother. So yes they are link through Her. So Lucas told them Both what he need to tell them to Back them off or Drive them Crazy as what happen to Safi. This is why Lucas should of been the Bad guy not Safi.
@mattstansbeary3068 This could just be a me thing, but the other games were pretty easy to understand as far as plot and message goes. This one just confused me. I understand what you're saying, that helps it make more sense for me, but I still think it was poorly handled. Thank you for the explanation!
I like the game but I don't understand the chole part of it does not make sense because she was not in it
Podcast now I'm thinking of getting it is it worth the 50 dollars
Totally depends on who you are lol. It's a game that for me had a lot going for it and then really really fumbled the end. But it's also the sequel to one of my favorite games ever made.
not worth it at all, very disappointing
I always wanted the super powered characters to meet eventually, but I guess I'm in the minority.
Me too. But not with cheap writting like this, that make Safi suddently become the Nick Fury of LiS Universe
@Kurniawan21-d5j Yeah, if Nick Fury was evil and trying to take over society. I don't get the Nick Fury references.
Plus, I thought the writing was really good, and a great direction to expand the LIS universe.
Always thought it would be interesting to see Alex Chen and Max meet up. It’s why I told Safi to count me in.
I finished the game and can finally watch this..I declined Safi's offer, just didn't feel right. I do wonder though..is this gonna for sure lead to like, max meeting Alex, and Daniel etc
Podcast "whitewashing for squenix money" now
@@Dark_Brandon_2024 Alex is not getting paid for this lol and if he was, why would square pay him to say he doesn't like the game lol.
What 😅
Im so ready to play it over, because I felt like there was a lot of choices that I missed and it felt like Amanda believed I took advantage of living world instead which is bothersome . I accepted Safi's offer because it seems like she has no one , shes alone and depressed why would you lie in the storm and then brush her off no way I definitely believe that its important to have that bond regardless. I dont understand a few things tho at the very end, where Was Living timeline Max ? Is Max somehow a Nexus being where she can only exist in one fragmented timeline ? This wasnt answered in the comics either that theres these other timelines but Max exists in each one but where is that MAX in the living timeline. Why they didnt include not one moment of Chloes character model or even bring her in at the end. What happened to Erase Alderman from all of existence. I can totally see missed plotlines because why did Safi get this furious about the bookdeal falling through ? I felt like they edited out part of the storyline like what if Safi was actually Maya or why not take her visage at all that could have been really cool to have seen her as Maya like what if her mom knew of her power and Safi had taken up to having multiple personalities and Her mother had to cover it up when she broke out of the Maya character and had to basically kill her book deal to avoid safi finding out the real reason behind Mayas death and her book being stolen. It felt like they started this mystery off so strong then ended the mystery so quickly . I want more and id love to see maybe like an RPG based storyline where they do gather the protaganist across the series to solve this big mystery to come or a fight off against Safi being more of a misunderstood supervillain character.
I liked this game as well but I did have two problems with it. One a guy blips out of existence and no one cares or really explains why that happened. Two the ending it just wasn't it because Sofi faces zero consequences and gets away with it. I also hate that Diamond goes with her as I feel that goes against her character and feels like a major betrayal to Max.