Life is Strange: Double Exposure – a return to basics or an attempt to flirt with fans?

The Life is Strange series, created by the French studio Don’t Nod Entertainment, is known for its emotional narrative, unusual characters, and mechanics that influence the plot. It has become one of the most influential games in the interactive movie genre. From the very beginning, each part of it brought something unique to the table: from deep emotional stories to moral choices that leave a mark on the players’ hearts.

History of the series

Before Double Exposure, each installment of the series told the story of new characters. Even the spin-off Before the Storm told the story of new characters.

The first Life is Strange of 2015 introduces us to Max Caulfield, a photography student who discovers the ability to rewind time. This allows her to change some horrific events, but every choice has its consequences. The climax of the game puts the player in front of the most difficult decision: to save Chloe’s friend or to save all the inhabitants of Arcadia Bay. This small town in the Pacific Northwest of the United States has become a beautiful setting for the story and filled it with a unique atmosphere that will become the hallmark of the series in the future. Thanks to its sincerity, realistic characters, and small-town atmosphere, the game has gained cult status. And the great music by indie artists became a playlist of many fans for a long time. The characters remained in the memory, and players wanted to continue their stories.

It wasn’t planned, but the success of the original game led to the release of a prequel/spinoff about the protagonist’s friend Chloe. The first game had 5 episodes, the spinoff Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (2017), which was already made by Deck Nine, received only 3 parts. Chloe doesn’t have super powers, and she uses her verbal skills to fight. It suits the character of the heroine very well. And this “not super” ability changes the gameplay quite a bit, which, together with an interesting story and new characters, gave Deck Nine a good credit of trust.

Just like the first game, Life is Strange 2 (2018) consisted of 5 episodes that were released gradually as a series. The original developers from Don’t Nod Entertainment returned to continue the series. The new story introduces two new protagonists – brothers Sean and Daniel, who have lost their father and are forced to go on the road. Interestingly, the protagonist, who is controlled by the player, has no powers, while his younger brother has telekinetic abilities. The player has to influence their use with his decisions.

Unlike the small-town detective story with thriller elements of the first part, the second has a road movie format. It focuses on revealing the drama of loss and rejection by society, the problems of racism and social injustice against the backdrop of constantly changing scenery in a very interesting, but often dangerous journey to the south. Shortly before the release of the first episode, Don’t Nod released a small demo of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, which was actually an interactive teaser about a minor character. For those who played this demo, the character’s story in the main game leaves a lasting impression. Some players saw the plot of the second part as a “summons,” but the game reveals social and political topics that are acute for the United States, which may not be close to everyone. Nevertheless, the drama experienced by the main characters, the dilemmas and decisions to be made will leave few people indifferent.

Life is Strange: True Colors (2021), developed again by Deck Nine, returns to a small mining town. After years of separation and a difficult past, the new heroine Alex comes to visit her brother in Haven Springs. This time, the protagonist’s power affects the world not directly, as it did with Max or Daniel, but through empathy and influence on the emotions of other characters. This works very well in revealing Alex’s personal problems and her perception of the world. This unusual strength becomes a good basis for presenting the relationships between the characters from different angles. And the wonderful visual aesthetics and atmospheric locations of the provincial town immerse you in the game. The comfortable pace of the narrative can drag you into completing the game in one go. Especially since Life is Strange: True Colors was released as a whole, not in parts like the previous series (after the Telltale Games disaster, developers are afraid of episodic games).

With each installment in the series, the narrative part evolved, but the gameplay basis remained the same. It’s a “walking simulator” with a search for clues, evidence, and solving simple puzzles. However, the level of interactivity of the game world was gradually developing. Interactions with the environment and characters outside of the main storyline gave the feeling that it affected the characters and events. There were mini-stories, reactions from characters to the player’s actions with comments and additional information that allowed using it in dialogues or as a hint in solving simple puzzles.

The Return of Max Caulfield and the Multifaceted Reality

Fans could meet Max again in the Life is Strange 2022 remaster. However, some wanted to continue her story, even though they realized that the adventure was already over. The story of Life is Strange: Double Exposure takes place a few years after the events of the first game. Max Caulfield has left Arcadia Bay and settled in Vermont, where she teaches photography. At the beginning of the game, in dialogues with the characters, the player chooses how the events of the first part developed, which will set the tone for memories of the past. However, her quiet life is shattered after the tragic death of her colleague and friend Safi. In an effort to find out the causes of the tragedy, Max discovers a new ability – to move between parallel realities.

This element makes the game multilayered: players can see how different choices affect the fate of the characters in each of the realities. The story is centered on reflections on loss, self-acceptance, and the consequences of past decisions. Despite the interesting concept, the plot sometimes seems overloaded with additional details that are not always fully revealed.

It’s hard to talk about the plot in a narrative-oriented game without spoilers. So, to put it simply, the story is quite interesting, even though it has a simple plot. But it reveals the characters very well and shows who Max has become over the years. And the ending of the story hints at a sequel… . It is not yet known whether this will be a new part of the game, or whether it will be comics again, as it was with the first part.

New mechanics in a familiar wrapper

Life is Strange: Double Exposure retains the format characteristic of the series: quiet exploration, dialogues, choices with consequences. However, Max’s new ability brings a fresh breath to the gameplay. No more rewinding time, now players can switch between realities to solve puzzles or find clues. This mechanic adds intrigue and opens up new opportunities for exploring the world. The tasks related to the use of parallel realities help to dive deeper into the story and better understand the motives of the characters or find out additional information. However, some elements of the puzzles seem somewhat predictable, but this does not spoil the overall impression of the game.

One of the key features of the Life is Strange series has always been the emphasis on story and emotion rather than gameplay complexity. Double Exposure, continuing this tradition, also provides the player with a relaxed pace with a minimum number of complex mechanics. However, in this part, the simplification of some elements became too obvious.

The main innovation of Life is Strange: Double Exposure is Max’s ability to switch between parallel realities. At first glance, this mechanic promises to add interest and novelty to puzzle solving and storytelling. But in practice, its use often does not look deep enough. First, the puzzles are too obvious. In most cases, the player needs to find an object in one reality and move to another to use it.

It looks somewhat repetitive and does not evoke a sense of achievement. Second, there is a limited impact of reality selection. Although the mechanic has the potential for serious plot ramifications, its impact on the story seems minimal. The results of actions in different realities often boil down to cosmetic changes without affecting the main narrative. Perhaps if you completely change the decisions made for a level when you replay it, this will lead to new plot changes. However, I don’t think it will work that way anyway.

The series has always had elements of interaction with the world that allowed you to get to know the characters or the environment better. You can still find clues or unlock additional options in dialogues while exploring locations. In Double Exposure, these moments are mostly preserved, but they have also been simplified: there are no complex moral dilemmas, only moments at the end of the story that make the player doubt his or her choice.

More complicated puzzles would also be beneficial. For example, you could add multi-level tasks that would require switching between realities several times and combining the clues you find. This would complicate the structure of the tasks somewhat, but it would add new depth and justification to Max’s power.

Visual style, atmosphere and music

I would like to pay special attention to the audiovisual part. The events of Life is Strange: Double Exposure takes place in the fictional town of Lakeport and Caledonian University in Vermont, which brings New England locations, aesthetics, and visual style to the game. Like the previous installments of the series, Double Exposure impresses with its artistic stylization. The developers have successfully conveyed the contrast between cozy places in Vermont and tense scenes in alternative realities. Each location has been carefully crafted: the warm colors of the tranquil town are replaced by the cold and muted tones of the parallel reality, often with colder weather, emphasizing the drama of the events.

Atmospheric music, as always, plays an important role, emphasizing the key points of the plot. The selection of compositions successfully complements the emotional tone of the game, creating a deep connection between the player and the events on the screen. The game’s soundtrack skillfully combines licensed tracks by indie artists and original compositions. The set of tracks still falls short of the original game, but it has a number of contenders to get into the playlist for a long time.

Has Double Exposure succeeded in bringing fans back to the roots?

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a game that tries to return to the roots of the series while maintaining familiar themes and characters. It has its strengths, particularly in terms of atmosphere and style, but at the same time it seems to be underdeveloped in terms of new ideas. The plot, while simple and raising some questions about the logic of the events, works well to bring us closer to the characters and increase our empathy for Max. Although it can be difficult for newcomers to fully appreciate it without knowing the previous installments, for fans of the series, this game will be a pleasant return to the familiar world and to their favorite heroine. Let’s see where the Life is Strange series will go from here.