SABRINACHERRY TALK : LIFE IS STRANGE SERIES
05-08-2022
(Part of favorite PC Games (STEAM))

Hello everyone and welcome to my very first game series talk on my blog. Today I'm just going to talk about all the games you can play to date from the very popular game series: Life is Strange. I'm going to try to spoil things as little as possible, but what you should pay attention to. I will also tell you what the games are about. In this fun game series talk you will find out my number 1 favorite from all games to date and what I think of all games. I'm also going to share my favorite moments!

Life Is Strange arises from episodic, interactive adventure games developed by Dontnod Entertainment. In other words; these games give you a complete story. In the story you make choices as the main character. These choices ultimately bring you to an end which you have earned. So play the games seriously and think about how you as the main character would react in certain situations. You will also learn different life lessons in these games.

Correct order of playing the Life Is Strange games :

1) Life Is Strange (2015)
2) Life Is Strange : Before the Storm (2017)
3) Life Is Strange 2 (2018)
4) Life Is Strange : True Colors (2021)
5) Life Is Strange : True Colors : Wavelenghts (2021)

Tips:

1) Take your time with all these games. Look through everything in the games and look carefully for the things you can collect. Each game has a different kind of collection. In each episode it is advisable to check the "journal" every now and then. This way you get to know the main character better.

2) Do not play if you are under 18 years old. Violence, blood, and other adult themes feature in much of the Life Is Strange games.

3) Don't play if you're not feeling well mentally. A lot of these games work vigorously on your own emotions and mentality. These episodic games should be seen as serious and challenging. Are you ready to get to know yourself? Your choices in these games all have consequences. Good or bad....

4) There are both beautiful and less beautiful moments to be experienced in all these games. You may find yourself in a character from the game. All these games are made to appear as realistic as possible (despite the powers of the main characters). Obviously these games are not based on true events! Everything that looks like it is purely coincidental.

Life Is Strange + Life Is Strange : Before the storm

LIS Favorite moment | Max : "My powers might not last Chloe..." Chloe : "That's okay we will, forever ".
LIS Favorite song | Syd Matters - To All Of You  | Favorite lyrics: To all of you, American girls, it's sad to imagine a world without you.
LIS Character I'm most similar to in personality | None
LIS place I would visit if it existed in reality | Forest with lighthouse, so I can look over the sea (^.^)

The very first game in the Life Is Strange series with prequel (released later) is intense. I put it mildly with that. The story seriously hurts and it's going to hurt even more when you play "Before The Storm" next. I seriously cried over this story. Just not normal!

The story is about Maxine Caulfield, also known as Max for short. An 18-year-old photography student who discovers she has the ability to rewind time at any time, giving her every choice to perform the butterfly effect. The player's actions (you as Max) will modify the story as it unfolds, reshaping it once it is allowed to travel back in time. Retrieval commands and making changes to the environment represent the forms of solving puzzles, in addition to using branching choices for conversation.

The shy 18-year-old Max returns to Arcadia Bay to take photography classes at Blackwell Academy. Chloe, her old best friend, prefers to call the school Blackhell Academy, because it is a real Hell for her and a lot of bad things happen among the students. Chloe and Max haven't seen and/or spoken to each other for 5 years, but there hasn't been a single moment in those years that Chloe hasn't thought about Max. She always hoped that Max would return. The wounds Max left on Chloe heal as they investigate together to solve the disappearance of Rachel Amber, a popular Blackwell Academy student and friend of Chloe. Can you as Max uncover the truth about Rachel Amber's disappearance? Did she disappear on her own or is it someone else's doing? Who really was Rachel Amber and what were her biggest secrets?

I won't spoil the story except for one point, but I almost had a heart attack in the episode "Polarized". So be warned. Probably the craziest episode in the entire game. Max's nightmare is seriously not funny. When Jefferson started yelling "MAX" loudly, I apparently had my back to him. My heart was beating so fast and I thought : "Sh*t! Quick reverse that stuff!" XD
When you hear Nathan's dialogue you will most likely think.... That kid needs Jesus XD

But seriously, the last episode is creepy on many levels. It really takes you to the darkest part of Max's brain. It also shows a very good reflection of how crazy and dark true nightmares can be.

The story itself in general is very well put together, but the gameplay is strange. It took me a while to figure it out, because everything actually comes together a bit. Unlike all the games that have come after it, this game is the hardest one to play in my opinion. Since this game dates from 2015, I'm not too surprised about this, but it could have been made a bit easier, like in the other games. For example, the gameplay of Before The Storm is excellent and much easier!

LIS Before The Storm Favorite moment | Rachel : "You're not a problem, Chloe. You're a person".
LIS Before The Storm Favorite song | Daughter - Youth | Favorite lyrics: And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky ones. 'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone. We're setting fire to our insides for fun. Collecting pictures from a flood that wrecked our home.
It was a flood that wrecked this..
LIS Before The Storm Character I'm most similar to in personality | In terms of personality I can't really find myself in any character, but in terms of appearance, clothing style and interests I definitely see myself in Rachel Amber. Plaid shirts, feather earrings, rock 'n roll, and color hair. Take the glasses away from me and I could play a cosplay of her in no time. In terms of interests, it was really cool to see that she was interested in art, stars and astrology too. However, in terms of personality, I couldn't find myself in her at all, despite the fact that she was a fellow leo in terms of zodiac sign.
LIS Before The Storm place I would visit if it existed in reality | Old mill  (Only to see a rock band XD)

Life is Strange : Before the storm is the prequel to Life Is Strange and takes a closer look at the characters Chloe and Rachel. These prequel events take place 3 years before the first game. The game also takes a closer look at the story of Rachel and Chloe. You will learn how they met and how the friendship between the two came about. In this game, you can also choose to make Rachel a love interest, but you don't have to. I did make Rachel a love interest because I thought Chloe was drawn to Rachel as a character and thought it was only natural that things had to be natural between these two characters. Spread the women love!

Unlike the first part, Max doesn't appear in the game as a character, but in Chloe's journal, after every moment you can find a letter that she has prepared to send to Max (which she ultimately never does).

Chloe has the power to see her dead father. Her dead father speaks to her and seems to follow the events that take place well. He even warns Chloe of the danger that is coming her way. It doesn't make things any easier for Chloe when her mom gets on with life and brings a new man into the house. Chloe can't stand her new stepfather at all, but it's up to her to decide whether or not she'll eventually make amends for her mother. It's already hard for her mother to raise her alone.

Before the Storm features the "Backtalk" ability, which the player can use to summon Chloe to get out of certain precarious situations; "Backtalk" can also make a situation worse. A dialog tree is used when a conversation or comment is requested. Occasional decisions will change the results temporarily or permanently. The environment can be affected and changed, including marking walls with graffiti. So in this game you can start a collection by leaving graffiti in certain places. So keep an eye out for Chloe with her permanent marker! (^.^)

Life Is Strange 2

LIS 2 Favorite moments | Lyla to Sean: "Stop acting like I'm never gonna see you again... That's bullshit..." | Brody : "It's not as weird as it seems, though. These people, they only wanna live a normal life. Just... naked. I mean, if they're not harming anyone, who's to say they're wrong?"
LIS 2 Favorite song | Milk and Bone - Natalie | Favoriete lyrics : I did it all for you, don't say I never tried (Say I never tried) I wanna protect you so that you never die (So you never die) > I love how "So you never die" was repeated continuously at the end. Probably one of my favorite songs from the entire Life is Strange series! CRYING HARD IF YOU PLAY THIS GAME! The perfect song for the brothers.
LIS 2 Character I'm most similar to in personality  | Joan Marcus (Love a fellow artist)
LIS 2 place I would visit if it existed in reality | Arizona "away" and the canyon

Life is Strange 2 follows the story of two brothers who have had to leave their home after a tragic event. The brothers are also suspected of shooting a police officer. In this story, Sean takes care of his younger brother, Daniel, and together they embark on a long journey to reach the border of Mexico. They become fugitives. Sean has to say goodbye to his best friend, Lyla, whom he will miss very much. The two were already inseparable, but have to believe that their paths will cross again one day.

During the journey, Sean and Daniel learn together that Daniel has the power to move and destroy things. He can even kill someone if he wants to. The power is dangerous and Sean has to make it clear to the young Daniel that he should not use his power for unnecessary things. Unfortunately, this still happens occasionally and often leads to discussions.

You play as Sean in this game. It's up to you as Sean, to teach the little brother Daniel lessons, but also to get both of you safely to Mexico. Sean must make choices during pivotal moments of the game, which lead to various ramifications in the storyline. In particular, Sean's actions and interactions with Daniel influence Daniel's morality and the state of brotherhood between the two characters. For example, if you encourage Daniel to be rude, he'll swear more later in the game. Daniel will hate Sean if his actions are not in accordance with his advice and he may no longer follow Sean's lead if he is unable to maintain an adequate level of brotherhood with Daniel. Staying morally healthy and being a caring and trusting brother may not always be compatible with each other in the scenarios presented in the game. The game keeps track of how many players have selected which option and lets the player compare his choices with the rest of the player base. While the main events of the story remain the same regardless of the player's decision, the game has different endings.

I have discovered all the endings in the game and there are two endings that appealed to me. What is your first ending and which ones can you still discover?

In this game you have as a collection the drawings of Sean. Make sure to bring out the artist in Sean by letting him draw in different places.

I think the story is well put together, but in many parts I was immensely annoyed with Daniel. They really took the definition "annoying little brother" literally! Only problem I have with this story is the love interest you can create. You can choose between Finn and Cassidy, but both feel incredibly unnatural in my opinion. It doesn't matter how I've played this game on different saves and picks, but I see both Finn and Cassidy more as just friends for Sean. It's a shame they haven't developed Lyla's character more than Sean and her paths cross again when Sean chooses to go to jail and they meet again 15 years later. I'd rather make Lyla a love interest to Sean. Not because of the fact that they already knew each other and are each other's best friends, but her character fits Sean so much better and feels very natural.

Life Is Strange : True Colors + Wavelenghts (my number 1 favorite!)

LIS True Colors Favorite Moments | Gabe to Alex: "What's the protocol for reuniting with your long lost sister after 8 years?" | Gabe to Alex: "It's your life, the life you fought so hard to have. And for the first time in a long time, you just live." | Alex to Jed: I want to belong somewhere. I want to know that there's a place and a group of people who wouldn't be the same without me."
LIS True Colors Favorite song | Phoebe Bridgers - Scott Street | Favorite lyrics : "I asked you: How is your sister? I heard she got her degree. And I said: That makes me feel old. He said: What does that make me?"
LIS True Colors Character I am most similar to in personality | 100% Alex Chen! It was very easy for me to play as her. It actually seemed like I was in the game myself. Her character most closely resembles mine.
LIS True Colors place I would visit if it existed in reality | Much of LIS True Colors is set in Haven Springs. You don't go to different locations, like in the previous games. So I don't have a choice of location, but I'd really like to have Alex's apartment in Haven Springs. Why? You have a beautiful view not only over the village from the roof terrace, but also over the lake, through to the mountains.

Life Is Strange: True Colors follows the story of a young woman named Alexandra (Alex) Chen who, after 8 years, is reunited with her brother, Gabe Chen in Haven Springs, Colorado. Gabe does his utmost to make Alex feel at home and has her meet several of his friends and acquaintances. In this way she gets to know the best friends of Gabe, Stephanie (also known as Steph and yes, it is indeed THE Stephanie from Before the Storm, but much older ^^) and Ryan.

Her fun visit to Haven Springs is short lived when an angry Mac storms into the apartment. He accused Gabe of having an affair with his girlfriend, Riley. This is absolutely untrue, but Mac doesn't want to hear this and attacks Gabe. The altercation and fight cause Alex's "emotions" to flip, causing her to beat up Mac to defend Gabe. Ultimately, Alex is forced to reveal her ultimate power to Gabe, who accepts it.

Gabe and Alex are interrupted during the conversation by one of his very best friends, Ryan, who reports that Ethan is missing. The three decide to search the mountains together for Ethan and Gabe calls Typhon to cancel an explosion in the area. Alex, Ryan and Gabe manage to save Ethan, but the explosion goes off anyway and a resulting landslide kills Gabe instantly. Alex tries to free herself from the rope and pull Gabe up (assuming Gabe is still alive), but seems to be dragged off the mountain. At that moment she is rescued by Ryan, who cuts the rope and takes her away before she herself ends up under the boulders. Finally Alex looks down in horror and sees Gabe's lifeless body.

Unconvinced that this must have been an accident, both Alex and Ryan set out to investigate. With the help of Steph and Alex's powers, they all try to uncover the secrets of the village and everyone else. Who or what is responsible for Gabe's death? Why is everyone in the village scared? Who or what are they afraid of? Will you be able to find out the truth as Alex?

Alex has psychic empathic powers that allow her to read and manipulate emotions, which she perceives as colorful auras, to see physically how others feel around her, at the cost of being "infected" by their emotions. Some non-player characters will have more intense auras that indicate trauma or hardship they are going through. When Alex interacts with them, it creates a "nova" that appears to transform the world around Alex and the character to reflect elements of this trauma, giving the player the opportunity to find out what triggered his emotions and choose to Guide Alex in helping to comfort the character.

The collection in this game consists of memories. Make sure you use Alex's powers to find a particular item that brings back a memory of someone from Haven Springs. These items can appear anywhere in the game and in any chapter. It is recommended to walk or run with Alex's powers (activated). Don't let any secret pass you by.

Why is True Colors my number 1 favorite?
Not because of the fact that I completely find myself in Alex in terms of character, but for me the story of True Colors is completely right. It's fantastic! This game has great background music, characters and in my opinion the best story. Both Ryan and Steph were both interesting love interests for Alex. It was very difficult for me in the beginning to choose between Steph and Ryan for Alex, because both clicked well with her. In the end I chose Ryan to be with Alex because I felt Ryan and Alex had more chemistry together and Ryan took both Alex as character and her power seriously. He never made an obnoxious remark about her or was rude to her. I liked how normal Ryan stayed. Steph, on the other hand, ended up finding her more of a flirt. Besides the fact that I think both the plot and story are fantastic, I feel more connected to this game than the predecessors. That's why this is my favorite Life Is Strange game/story out of them all to date.

I did try to imagine myself in the characters of Max (shy), Chloe (rebellious) and Sean (someone who tried to set a good example for his little brother). Made my choices in those games mainly based on how the characters were put together, but I felt no connection at all with the previous main characters. I also didn't think the previous main characters had grown much as "persons". In LIS : True Colors we see the development, growth and changes of Alex, Steph, Ryan and other characters from the game. I missed this in the previous games. All the characters from the previous games remained the same, which I found very unfortunate.

After graduation, Steph finds a job as a DJ host for Haven Springs' KRCT radio station after lying about her work experience and manages the record store that contains the broadcast room. She remains in Haven after breaking up with her bandmate Izzie from Seattle, where she moved shortly after the events of the first Life Is Strange game. Steph is forced to take the job after losing a foosball game to Gabe, which prevented her from moving to Denver as she originally intended. In a year, Steph modernizes the radio show and record store, using her time to find a date and play a game with her former best friend Mikey North (also a character originally from Before the Storm).

If Chloe Price, her friend in the first game, was sacrificed by you, Steph mourns the deaths of Chloe and Rachel Amber. As Arcadia Bay was sacrificed, Steph mourns the death of her mother and Mikey's brother Drew as a result of the storm. Both endings culminate in her lashing out at Mikey on the fifth anniversary of the tumultuous events. When Mikey confesses how he needs her in his life as his best friend, Steph apologizes and admits that she keeps people from getting close because she is too traumatized by all the pain from the past.

Steph admits she needs Mikey too and vows to become a better friend to him. On New Year's Eve, she searches for a new job as a DJ in Seattle, follows her friends' quest and asks Gabe to contact his sister Alex. In April 2019, Steph sees Alex arrive at the record store where the True Colors story officially begins.