Decisions, decisions
Tough choices may come back to haunt players
French developer Dontnod is good at muddying the heroic arcs in which so many traditional games traffic. Its Life is Strange series is notably attuned to human shortcomings, including those of people graced with supernatural abilities. Days after I completed Life is Strange 2, I found myself still emotionally stung by the ending that resulted from my decisions.
Like the first title in the series, Life is Strange 2 is a game about loss.
At the start, players assume the role of Sean Diaz, a teenager who lives in Seattle with his younger brother Daniel (a preadolescent) and father Esteban.
One afternoon, while playing outside by himself, Daniel upsets a neighbour when he accidentally spills fake blood on him. From his bedroom, Sean overhears the neighbour berating his brother. Rushing outside to see what’s going on, he ends up getting into a fight with the other teenager. A police officer pulls up to the scene and rashly assumes that Sean is a menace so he pulls his gun. The confrontation is meant to be viewed through the prism of race.
Things take a tragic turn after the Diaz brothers’ father comes outside and pleads with the cop to de-escalate the situation.
The already anxious cop warns Esteban to stay back, then shoots him. Daniel screams and an instant later the officer is hurtling through the air as though caught in an explosion — the first manifestation of the younger brother’s telekinetic powers.
When Sean, who was knocked unconscious by the blast, comes to, he sees the lifeless bodies of the officer, his neighbour and his father and hears the sound of approaching sirens. After dashing into his house to get a backpack, he picks up his unconscious brother and flees the scene.
All of this happens within the first hour of the game which, to me, felt a little rushed.
Sean persuades Daniel that they should go to Puerto Lobos, their father’s former hometown, in Mexico. One of the first important decisions players will make is to tell Daniel how free he should be with the use of his powers. Your conversational choices will affect how Daniel interacts with others down the line, and how he decides to use his powers on his own. No matter how consciously you try to steer Daniel in the right direction, consequential mistakes are unavoidable.
Eventually, the brothers’ trek leads them to a border wall separating the United States and Mexico. Life is Strange 2 reflects the racist and anti-immigrant tides that have roiled the U.S. in recent years. Statements along the lines of “Go back to where you came from” are hurled at Sean at different points in the story.
Life is Strange 2 shines in its presentation of the characters who help the Diaz brothers along the way. Most of these individuals have glaring character failings; whether they’re narrow-minded, narcissistic, alcoholic or what have you, they come across as works-in-progress. This game doesn’t celebrate winners but those who persevere and endure.