.... that's it? oh boy.
Chapters 1 & 2 were, by FAR, my favourite. Great introduction to the characters, great music, just pure bliss. Good intro to her powers, great writing (Ryan's gotta be my fav NPC), and an amazing soundtrack.
Chapters 3+... it kind of goes downhill. There's a couple of main sticking points I have here
a) the LARP part, while fun, is WAY too long - especially for a game that's already way too short (and for full price)! I get that it's a throwback to the D&D part from the first LiS, but that one took a way smaller part of the game.
b1) The overall story just kind of... falls apart. It feels very contrived, if that's the correct word. There's no "mystery" to solve - you find everything on literally one USB stick, that's it. Mystery solved.
b2) The Jed villain reveal was nice, but it just feels very... made-up. Like I don't believe for a second that this old guy is suddenly a cold-blooded killer. He made a mistake 20 years ago that weighs heavy on him, but I don't think that would suddenly turn him into someone who'd just kill Alex in cold blood and shoot her in the face. There's just not enough story-support for that.
b3) The "you also killed my dad" part feels extremely unnecessary. The dad plays pretty much NO role in the main story, and suddenly he's ALSO a casualty of Jed? Why? What does this do to help... anyone? It also raises the question of how did SEVEN people die in the mines and there's zero record of them? It just falls completely flat as a "reveal".
b4) Mac just... disappears. He stuck around in Haven in my story, but he becomes a non-factor. In fact there's a TON of characters whose interactions with Alex I would have LOVED to have seen more fleshed out - Mac, Diana & Charlotte at the top, but even Riley, Eleanor and Dickie (who does get a small but sweet moment at the spring festival). The game is so short, so it just feels like there's so much... missing that would've built a better story.
b5) Her powers become... pretty much useless. Yes she can chose to "take someone's emotion away", but the consequences are so minor and don't feel like much of anything. Definitely a much weaker power than LiS, from a story-impact PoV.
b6) Her past in the foster system could've been elaborated much more. There's so many references to people & events (attack on Harley (?)) in her journal that never come up in the dream sequences that could've been explored more.
Overall, I think the game tries very, very hard to be LiS, with very similar story progression and story beats, but while it starts off strong, it just never gets there - in big part because the game just feels very short, and the story very... "short-cut" to get to the end. I wish this game was twice as long, with twice the world and character building, twice the mystery to solve, twice the powers to use and their effects, etc. As it stands, it's an enjoyable, short-story version of a LiS. I'd put it below BtS even - similar in scope and "weakness" of the power, but BtS benefited from heavy relation to the original LiS, while this one has to stand alone. Soundtrack is good though. Love Alex and most of the characters, wish it had been more fleshed out in every single aspect.
LiS >> BtS > LiS:TC >>>>>>> Captain Planet >> LiS 2.