As the clock ticked down on this years most exciting and inventive episodic title, it was tough not to feel a sense of trepidation and fearfulness in the wake of its finale, and while Life is Strange hasn’t shirked the ending problems that were faced by other choice-based series like Mass Effect or The Wolf Among Us, it has certainly learned from their mistakes.
As much as every episode of Life is Strange has ended on an increasingly strong note thus far, The Dark Room has taken this series to a Return of the King level of resolutions, with a number of plot lines having come to their surprisingly pleasant, or seethingly uncomfortable, heads in this penultimate chapter.
Telltale’s Game of Thrones series continues to struggle as it passes its halfway point with the latest episode, Sons of Winter. What’s really unfortunate about this serialized gaming experience is how much the comparisons to both the HBO television series from which it takes its name, and Telltale Games’ previous titles like The Wolf Among Us, and The Walking Dead continue to hurt it rather than help it. Alas, even as a slight improvement on the previous installment, The Sword in the Darkness, it still falters nearly as often as it soars.
The latest episode of Life is Strange, Dontnod’s coming-of-age odyssey of a girl who discovers she can time travel, has dropped today, and it may have just changed gaming forever. Nobody saw that twist coming, and I would be amazed if anyone didn’t gasp audibly at the final curtain reveal. Chaos Theory is going to be talked about for the rest of the year as easily one of gaming’s most jaw-dropping moments…but let’s start back at the beginning, shall we?
New elements come in fast and heavy for the second of six planned parts in Telltale’s Game of Thrones series. First up is the introduction of Asher Forrester. Only vaguely referenced in the first chapter, Asher takes a central role here as the sole Forrester situated in the faraway land of Essos. Much like Daenerys Targaryen, though, his story seems to bear little effect on what is occurring in Westeros (at least for now). Still, it’s an intriguing introduction, and his task to find an army to take back to Westeros will be no easy one.
In many ways Life is Strange, the new serialized adventure title from Dontnod and Square-Enix, has set the benchmark pretty high for future episodic releases. With it’s gorgeous presentation, high production values, and tons of replayability, this is going to be a tough game for the format to top for a long time to come.