LIFE IS STRANGE: DOUBLE EXPOSURE

Spot the difference

FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 29 OCT / PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV DECK NINE GAMES / PLAYERS 1

Superpowered teen protagonist Max Caulfield is back, voiced by Hannah Telle once more, in a new Life Is Strange game not developed by Don’t Nod Entertainment. Square Enix owns the rights to this teen drama series, and

Deck Nine has been steering the ship development-wise since 2021’s emotional rollercoaster Life Is Strange: True Colors.

Double Exposure takes place years after the first game. At the end of that story, Max made an impossible choice, with consequences so traumatic she vowed never to use her time rewinding powers again. When this game starts, she’s become photographer-in-residence at Caledon University – but time is running out and tragedy threatens to strike again.

GHOSTING THE PAST

One night, Max finds the body of her close friend Safi lying in the snow. With no weapon, no footprints, and almost no leads to be found at the scene of the crime, it’s far from a

straightforward case – but Max, awakening to a strange new ability, is far from an average investigator. Instead of reeling time backwards, Max can now peek into an alternate timeline – one where Safi is alive and well but nowhere near out of the woods. By hopping between now and then, Max can gather clues and stop Safi’s killer before they leave another body out in the cold in either timeline. Every character is affected differently by Safi’s fate, essentially offering a cast that doubles up on characterisation while also introducing a veritable yarn ball of narrative threads to untangle.

As you may have already guessed, choice still plays a major role in this chapter-based sequel. For instance, in one timeline Safi teases Max about the picture of the ‘blue-haired girl’ she keeps in her wallet, and it’s up to you to explain just what she meant to you (we’re not crying, you’re crying). This is a narratively ambitious step up for the series, and we’re intrigued to see how Max’s investigation, ahem, develops.