I need to vent about Life is Strange (Spoilers)

[dskzero]

I'm not sure this is the place in this forum for this. Let me know if it isn't. And yes, spoilers ahoy, so if you haven't played it to the ending, you should probably head back.

I've just finished it. I never really gave it a second look, though my girlfriend once tried to play it on Android and gave up and some point, so I figured since we had a few days off we could play it together.

I'm a 35 year old guy. But I was once 18. And I don't think I've ever felt as identified with a character as I was with Max. I was shy, for sure, but I was a nerd into computers and video games but hearing her philosophically pondering about random items (that dish washer? how many generations of fashion went through it? That car? how many people fucked in there?) instantly threw me back to the time I was 18 and spent so much thinking and over thinking stuff, meandering, and wandering in my own thoughts, how I forged some everlasting friendships and how others were lost in time forever, how life seemed so damn strange. Granted, I never caused a giant ass tornado to save my best friend (love?) but I do remember being confused and distraught about everyone else's life, what secrets they had, and what they wanted to do with their own lives.

I did not kiss any guy on a dare, but a guy did kiss me. He's a close friend, who did it to freak me out. Didn't work. I was too drunk to care.

But I digress. I was impressed by how well written the characters were. I was impressed by how much I felt while playing. I was impressed by the game.

I really disliked Chloe. I'm not sure if there is any official ending and I'm not sure if I'm ready to go through the rest of the series, but I thought she really did not get over Rachel and it annoyed me how attached she was to her. I was jealous, as dumb as it might be. I also didn't feel like the rest of the town needed to suffer because of Max's personal quest to save Chloe, who had proven would readily throw her to the wolves to save herself. I just couldn't trust her. But i still felt guilty, despite her always being close to dying and having to save her ass every day. I was ready to give up on her at the end of the four episode. Turns out I still had to choose.

It wasn't easy anyway.

How did you guys feel about the games? Are the rest of the series worth playing?

 

[Pilgrimzero]

Fantastic game. Play the prequel.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

Sounds like you need to play Before the Storm.

 

[Dandy]

I adored it. Season 2 is even better, though a very different story.

 

[Osu 16 Bit]

Love it. Literally wearing a butterfly LiS necklace right now.

 

[Reedirect]

And I don't think I've ever felt as identified with a character as I was with Max.

Click to shrink...

Right there with you, OP. I was in my very early twenties when I first played it, so the identification was perhaps a bit easier. Still get a bit annoyed when people describe her as a "blank slate" character. It felt to me like calling an introverted person boring. Just dig a little deeper.

Also, you should play the prequel and the sequel. While I didn't find either of them as strong as the first one, they both have their own qualities definitely worth seeking out.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I found Chloe elementally unlikeable as well. It was really hard to stay invested in a story that was focused so hard around such a jerk. She makes life worse for basically everyone around her and blamed everyone but herself for her problems, and it reminded me A LOT of my extremely toxic brother.

 

[jph139]

I played through a few weeks ago and also really, really didn't like Chloe. I don't hold it against her - she's a dumb kid who's been dealt a shit hand by life and still has some growing up to do - but like, damn, so obnoxious. I knew people like her in college and didn't have much patience for them then. Interestingly, I remember when my girlfriend at the time was playing it, she really loved Chloe... I think it reminded her of her roommate at the time. She had always had an affection for those "strong personality" types.

But at the very end when, the tornado came and Chloe's like: this is all my fault, you need to just let me die, I pretty much rolled my eyes. There's no logic to that, even in this goofy illogical time traveling universe, it's just more of her self-centered histrionics. With the information I had, I let the damn tornado come - because that was the lesson I took from the series. Specifically, stop fucking time travel you just keep making things worse. But in a more general sense, you have to learn to live with your decisions and let come what may. There's no destiny, there's just things that happen, and you do your best and hope those things are good.

I found the Chloe ending pretty unsatisfying though, as it didn't really shed ANY light on what the consequences of that choice were. Who knows. Max should have just run away with Kate at the end either way.

 

[Detail]

Great game and I agree about Chloe, very unlikeable because of how she chose to treat others.

 

[OmegaX]

I really disliked Chloe.

Click to shrink...

That's all you needed to say. We are now best friends.

I found Chloe elementally unlikeable as well. It was really hard to stay invested in a story that was focused so hard around such a jerk. She makes life worse for basically everyone around her and blamed everyone but herself for her problems, and it reminded me A LOT of my extremely toxic brother.

Click to shrink...

You too.

 

[Deleted member 2761]

I loved LiS because it was so similar and yet so different from my own experience. Playing the game, I felt a sense of...longing, I suppose? Like I was nostalgic for a life I never got to live.

Anyway, I saw Chloe as a friend that I needed to keep grounded. She wasn't a good person, but she was there for you when you needed her, and that should count for something.

 

[alpha]

I found Chloe elementally unlikeable as well. It was really hard to stay invested in a story that was focused so hard around such a jerk. She makes life worse for basically everyone around her and blamed everyone but herself for her problems, and it reminded me A LOT of my extremely toxic brother.

Click to shrink...

Yup.

That final choice was much easier for me because I had no strong attachment to Chloe and the game asked me to make the call. To their credit though, Before the Storm Chloe is much more likeable IMO.

 

[FallenGrace]

I'm not sure this is the place in this forum for this. Let me know if it isn't. And yes, spoilers ahoy, so if you haven't played it to the ending, you should probably head back.

I've just finished it. I never really gave it a second look, though my girlfriend once tried to play it on Android and gave up and some point, so I figured since we had a few days off we could play it together.

I'm a 35 year old guy. But I was once 18. And I don't think I've ever felt as identified with a character as I was with Max. I was shy, for sure, but I was a nerd into computers and video games but hearing her philosophically pondering about random items (that dish washer? how many generations of fashion went through it? That car? how many people fucked in there?) instantly threw me back to the time I was 18 and spent so much thinking and over thinking stuff, meandering, and wandering in my own thoughts, how I forged some everlasting friendships and how others were lost in time forever, how life seemed so damn strange. Granted, I never caused a giant ass tornado to save my best friend (love?) but I do remember being confused and distraught about everyone else's life, what secrets they had, and what they wanted to do with their own lives.

I did not kiss any guy on a dare, but a guy did kiss me. He's a close friend, who did it to freak me out. Didn't work. I was too drunk to care.

But I digress. I was impressed by how well written the characters were. I was impressed by how much I felt while playing. I was impressed by the game.

I really disliked Chloe. I'm not sure if there is any official ending and I'm not sure if I'm ready to go through the rest of the series, but I thought she really did not get over Rachel and it annoyed me how attached she was to her. I was jealous, as dumb as it might be. I also didn't feel like the rest of the town needed to suffer because of Max's personal quest to save Chloe, who had proven would readily throw her to the wolves to save herself. I just couldn't trust her. But i still felt guilty, despite her always being close to dying and having to save her ass every day. I was ready to give up on her at the end of the four episode. Turns out I still had to choose.

It wasn't easy anyway.

How did you guys feel about the games? Are the rest of the series worth playing?

Click to shrink...

I hated Chloe but the prequel really changed my mind, highly re ommend you play Before the Storm. The one with the extra episode preferably.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

Finding out people dislike Chloe. *shakes head* Yeah, she's a bit of an asshole but you have to look at her in context of everything she's been through and the fact that she is still growing up. As someone with deep seated abandonment issues, I relate to her a lot. An observation is that is seems that mostly men in this thread don't like her. >_> Also Before the Storm fleshes her out more, even if it isn't canon to DONTNOD.

Also how can people not find Chloe charismatic, if only thanks to Ashly Burch's performance?

 

[Balphon]

The prequel is quite good and gives more insight into Chloe.

 

[ClickyCal']

Before the storm explains a lot about chloe.

 

[Multiverse Moo]

Being from California and with friends from all over the west coast, it was really weird just how much some of the characters felt based off some of my own friends in my past 15+ years. Which is also extra funny when I saw some reviewers claim the characters don't seem to match any sort of "human" at all, heh.

Anyway, yeah, Chloe got on my nerves at first but like the rest of the cast, I've had some really REALLY close people in my life who were basically her, in nutshell sort of way... and she grew on me, as I learned about her past and present circumstances. The prequel though...

...you should absolutely play Life is Strange: Before the Storm. The "deluxe" edition too, for the bonus "farewell" episode (directly related to season 1).

 

[ClickyCal']

Finding out people dislike Chloe. *shakes head* Yeah, she's a bit of an asshole but you have to look at her in context of everything she's been through and the fact that she is still growing up. As someone with deep seated abandonment issues, I relate to her a lot. An observation is that is seems that mostly men in this thread don't like her. >_> Also Before the Storm fleshes her out more, even if it isn't canon to DONTNOD.

Also how can people not find Chloe charismatic, if only thanks to Ashly Burch's performance?

Click to shrink...

It doesn't matter what dontnod says, it's ultimately a square IP. Bts is still canon.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

It doesn't matter what dontnod says, it's ultimately a square IP. Bts is still canon.

Click to shrink...

I'm with you there, with how LiS1 ended I don't give a crap what the original creators think. Though Before the Storm in some ways was a cash grab by SE to make more money off of LiS1's fanbase before LiS2 was announced.

 

[UshiromiyaEva]

All of my friends who insist how bad this game is always talk about how the dialogue is unrealistic and Chloe is completely unlikable and I've never been able to relate to either of those. Saving Chloe was such an easy decision for me and I actually felt that the game didn't have enough net incentive to save the entire town in comparison, it's hard to quantify I know I would make a similar "irrational" decision with my own loved one as well.

if anyone's unlikable in the game it's Warren.

 

[alpha]

I didn't even know Dontnod doesn't count BtS as canon, that's super weird as it fleshes out why Chloe is the way she is a lot, and gives you insight into Rachel.

if anyone's unlikable in the game it's Warren.

Click to shrink...

That's a weird way to spell Mr. Jefferson but okay.

Seriously though, I didn't hate Warren. He's awkward as hell but it helps when you understand that he's like two years younger than Max on top of his lack of social skills.

 

[Pilgrimzero]

All of my friends who insist how bad this game is always talk about how the dialogue is unrealistic and Chloe is completely unlikable and I've never been able to relate to either of those. Saving Chloe was such an easy decision for me and I actually felt that the game didn't have enough net incentive to save the entire town in comparison, it's hard to quantify I know I would make a similar "irrational" decision with my own loved one as well.

if anyone's unlikable in the game it's Warren.

Click to shrink...

Its even dumber when you find out it seems that everyone is fine after the storm anyways. So no reason not to save Chloe

 

[FluxWaveZ]

Its even dumber when you find out it seems that everyone is fine after the storm anyways. So no reason not to save Chloe

Click to shrink...

No they're not, where did you get that from?

 

[Couscous]

I'm 20 so I was 18 two years ago, but my situation is completely different compared to Max. The game still resonated with me really well though. The only things that keeps it from being a masterpiece is some of the dumb dialogue and the execution of the endings.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

I didn't even know Dontnod doesn't count BtS as canon, that's super weird as it fleshes out why Chloe is the way she is a lot, and gives you insight into Rachel.

Click to shrink...

SE made it without their blessing or input, I believe. BtS contradicts a few, mostly minor, facts in LiS1. The biggest contradiction is

Spoiler

Max stayed in contact with Chloe longer than was previously established.

 

[Couscous]

Its even dumber when you find out it seems that everyone is fine after the storm anyways. So no reason not to save Chloe

Click to shrink...

How do you know this?

 

[alpha]

Its even dumber when you find out it seems that everyone is fine after the storm anyways. So no reason not to save Chloe

Click to shrink...

No, a very small amount of people survive if you pick Chloe. It's cool if you made that choice but you do so with the full knowledge that you sent a lot of uninvolved people to their death.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

No, a very small amount of people survive if you pick Chloe. It's cool if you made that choice but you do so with the full knowledge that you sent a lot of uninvolved people to their death.

Click to shrink...

This is hogwash guilt tripping, the ending of LiS1 is not the trolley problem. Regardless of that, the town (presumably) gets destroyed in most if not all the other timelines. The final "choice" is about which timeline you want (player) Max to stay in, it doesn't fix the other timelines that were created.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

This is hogwash guilt tripping, the ending of LiS1 is not the trolley problem. Regardless of that, the town (presumably) gets destroyed in most if not all the other timelines. The final "choice" is about which timeline you want (player) Max to stay in, it doesn't fix the other timelines that were created.

Click to shrink...

Right, a timeline in which Chloe lives and Arcadia Bay gets destroyed and a bunch of people get killed, or a timeline in which Chloe dies and Arcadia Bay and its people remain. It's still that same choice.

 

[alpha]

This is hogwash guilt tripping, the ending of LiS1 is not the trolley problem. Regardless of that, the town (presumably) gets destroyed in most if not all the other timelines. The final "choice" is about which timeline you want (player) Max to stay in, it doesn't fix the other timelines that were created.

Click to shrink...

I'm only going by what's presented. If you select the Chloe ending, in LiS2 you see the results and the entire town is decimated.

if you pick the other ending, the town survives and the people living there are fine. Now, you can argue that it's a multiple timeline thing and they all still happen but LiS2 directly changes based on your choice in the first game.

 

[Lukar]

I really disliked Chloe.

Click to shrink...

As someone who wasn't a huge fan of her after the first game (I didn't dislike her though), I urge you to play Before the Storm.

 

[InASnowBoundLand]

Chloe is da bomb. She's amazing. The world needs more Chloe.

 

[alpha]

As someone who wasn't a huge fan of her after the first game (I didn't dislike her though), I urge you to play Before the Storm.

Click to shrink...

I would say this too. I really disliked Chloe in LiS (my sister did too lol), but I like her in BtS.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

Right, a timeline in which Chloe lives and Arcadia Bay gets destroyed and a bunch of people get killed, or a timeline in which Chloe dies and Arcadia Bay and its people remain. It's still that same choice.

Click to shrink...

You missed my point, the storm is going to hit the town in that timeline (and many others) regardless. Max hoping back to her body in the prime(ish) timeline still leaves a version of herself with Chloe at the lighthouse and events unfold. Then again, the logic behind how Max's powers work is incredibly incoherent and flawed.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

You missed my point, the storm is going to hit the town in that timeline (and many others) regardless. Max hoping back to her body in the prime(ish) timeline still leaves a version of herself with Chloe at the lighthouse and events unfold. Then again, the logic behind how Max's powers work is incredibly incoherent and flawed.

Click to shrink...

Right, but why do we care about what happens in these other timelines? They're irrelevant to us as the audience. Or as the Max we're playing as.

 

[Jimnymebob]

I still don't know what was so wrong with Chloe that makes her such a decisive character for players.
I mean, I'd choose Bay any day of the week, but she was cool.

 

[Taruranto]

I never got why Before the Storm made Choe more likeable to people. Her issues are clearly already laid out in the main game.

 

[ZeroX]

Basically every cast member in the series is anywhere from annoyingly flawed to a monstrously shitty person. The excuse for most of them is that they're young I guess, but the selfishness for most of them is through the charts. BTS makes Chloe better but hoo boy Rachel sure is something. Joyce is basically the only good person in Arcadia Bay. The true hero of Life is Strange.

And yeah, you're definitely causing massive death if you don't pick Bay. Bay is the correct choice.

 

[Deleted member 2761]

So, while I didn't like the hamfisted logic of "you used your powers on someone who should have died" to justify the final decision, one thing that did factor into my choice is the survivor's guilt you'd eventually saddle Chloe with if you chose to save the Bay. I think the choice to keep her alive, much like the one in Episode 4, is one borne of a very understandable, but selfish sentiment.

 

[Buttonbasher]

Life is Strange 2 was such a breath of fresh air as a fan of the original, after absolutely loathing Before the Storm. Definitely give 2 a shot.

 

[Antony]

It would be so interesting to have your first experience be in chronological order. So:

Farewell - Before the Storm - Life is Strange

I'd imagine your read on the characters would be vastly different.

We need a guinea pig to try them this way and make a thread!

 

[CJCW?]

I didn't like Chloe much either, but playing Before the Storm made her grow on me a bit. Specifically in regards to her seeming obsession with Rachel, that game does a good job of showing why that is and getting across the relationship they had. Give it a shot, and definitely play Life is Strange 2, which while not as good as the first is still a very good game and standalone story in its own right.

Also people talking about the implications of the different endings should give the sequel comic a look. I'm not sure exactly how "canon" it is but it explores the effects of Max's decisions and her abilities in more depth.

 

[Azriell]

I loved the game and I loved Max. Hated Chloe so much that it made me like Max a little less for being friends with her and being sucked into her chaotic bullshit.

Skipped the prequel because of how I felt about Chloe. I'm going to play LiS 2 soon, since (I believe) it's all on Game Pass now.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

Skipped the prequel because of how I felt about Chloe.

Click to shrink...

I think that's a mistake. I disliked Chloe, but BtS did a lot to flesh her out and explain why she is how she is. It made me like her more as a character and, clearly, it did the same for many others.

 

[Kazaam]

This might seem like a strange recommendation but if you're interested in games that share similar themes and are built around well written characters, I wholeheartedly recommend Night in the Woods.

Given the reasons you share in the OP, I think you might really enjoy it. It has a very different aesthetic and gameplay that I know might put off some people (especially if you prefer the third person telltale adventure game style) , but (while I'm not trying to come in a praise thread for a game to shit on it) Night in the Woods is infinitely superior, especially in the writing department.

 

[Pirate Bae]

Play Before the Storm, it really helps to flesh out Chloe and Rachel as individual characters and sheds light on their relationship.

I'm assuming you picked bay over bae?

LiS 2 is different but it's pretty good. I need to catch up and play the rest of it, but what I did play was awesome.

 

[Luminish]

I just finished before the storm because it has 2 days left on game pass. The series is so good.

I dont really like to look at it as part of life is strange 1 just because it cheapens it all to know how it all ends badly for a reason completely separate from anything in BtS.

Truly good romances are too rare in game.

 

[Meows]

I loved Before the Storm, wonderful soundtrack and it gives a lot of perspective as to why Chloe is the way she is and it helps develop her family a little more. I was worried about playing it at first because it makes Rachel Amber a major character and considering we only hear about her in the first game, I was worried it would ruin that illusion. It didn't.

 

[Luminish]

I loved Before the Storm, wonderful soundtrack and it gives a lot of perspective as to why Chloe is the way she is and it helps develop her family a little more. I was worried about playing it at first because it makes Rachel Amber a major character and considering we only hear about her in the first game, I was worried it would ruin that illusion. It didn't.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, its existence only improves the first game. I just don't think the existence of the first game helps BtS.

 

[carlsojo]

Felt the same way as you about Chloe initially.

You need to play Before the Storm.