Life Is Strange (video game)

Life Is Strange
Developer(s)Dontnod Entertainment[a]
Publisher(s)Square Enix[b]
Director(s)
  • Raoul Barbet
  • Michel Koch
Producer(s)Luc Baghadoust
Designer(s)
  • Baptiste Moisan
  • Sebastien Judit
  • Sebastien Gaillard
Artist(s)
  • Michel Koch
  • Kenny Laurent
  • Amaury Balandier
Writer(s)
  • Christian Divine
  • Jean-Luc Cano
Composer(s)Jonathan Morali
SeriesLife Is Strange
EngineUnreal Engine 3[c]
Platform(s)
Release
  • Episode 1: Chrysalis
  • 30 January 2015
  • Episode 2: Out of Time
  • 24 March 2015[1]
  • Episode 3: Chaos Theory
  • 19 May 2015[2]
  • Episode 4: Dark Room
  • 28 July 2015[3]
  • Episode 5: Polarized
  • 20 October 2015
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Life Is Strange is an episodic adventure game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix. The first installment of the Life Is Strange series, the game was released in five episodes periodically throughout 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It was ported to OS X and Linux in 2016, and iOS and Android in 2017 and 2018.

The plot focuses on Max Caulfield, an 18-year-old photography student who discovers that she has the ability to rewind time at any moment, leading her every choice to enact the butterfly effect. The player's actions can alter the narrative as it unfolds, and the player can in many cases rewind time to choose a different option and thus reshape the story. Fetch quests and making environmental changes represent the forms of puzzle solving in addition to using branching choices for conversation.

Development of the game began in April 2013. It was formed with an episodic structure in mind, for reasons both financial and creative. The developers conducted field research on the setting by traveling to the Pacific Northwest, and subverted known archetypes to make the characters. Player feedback influenced the adjustments made to the episodes. Story and character arc serve as the central point in the game.

Life Is Strange received critical acclaim and was commended for its character development, rewind game mechanic, emotional depth, and tackling of taboo subjects. Criticisms included the slang that was used, poor lip-syncing, and tonal inconsistencies in the story. The game garnered over 75 Game of the Year awards and listings, and has reached 20 million players as of November 2023. A prequel, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, was released in August 2017, while a remastered version of the game was released as part of the Life Is Strange Remastered Collection in February 2022. A direct sequel, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, was released in October 2024.

  1. ^ Phillips, Tom (14 March 2015). "Life is Strange: Episode 2 release date revealed". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  2. ^ Karmali, Luke (13 May 2015). "Life is Strange: Episode 3 – Chaos Theory Gets a Release Date". IGN. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  3. ^ Arif, Shabana (23 July 2015). "Life is Strange episode 4 release date announced as sales hit one million copies". VG247. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  4. ^ Gilyadov, Alex (13 December 2017). "Life Is Strange Coming to iOS This Week". IGN. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2020.


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