To answer a few questions I've been asked: 58:31 - The idea has been illustrated: th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nAIipzksYvw5T2YX 1:07:35 - Tristan is a character from the Life is Strange comics that can turn invisible. 1:09:52 - The reason Vanessa was able to use her powers on Trey is because earlier when she bumped into Darcy's gang, Lucas flirted with her. Disgusted, Vanessa flirts with Trey in an attempt to fracture Lucas' obvious ego. Vanessa asks who he is and, trying to be suave, Trey introduces himself "Trey...Trey Eagles". The gang doesn't know she's a cop because she's off duty. Later Trey will have to wear a blindfold to prevent Vanesa from using her powers on him. Vanessa cannot be romanced by anyone. She's aromantic.
@@cyphi474Srsly someone needs to make an indept review ab it.I am so tempted just to start a channel just becuz no else wants to do it.When did the story start going downhill for you?
One thing that fucks me up is the insane amount of trauma Max will have from all this. No matter which playthrough, but sacrificing Chloe does the most because... nothing ever happened. Max was never in the dark room in the chosen timeline but she remembers her terrifying experience. Do you know how difficult it would be to explain to a therapist her feelings on this? She made all these new friends/worked on them over that week. That's all gone. She had to talk Kate down from suicide OR watch her plummet to her death. If you do choose to sacrifice the town, her and Chloe have to live with the fact that you killed everyone in it. And Chloe has to come to terms with the idea that she killed her mum. There are no good endings and whilst I get that's sort of the point, the game all about trauma forgets that it's inflicting the most on it's main protagonist.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 fam yes, like no the town was literally destroyed no way anyone outside of the dark room or an actual shelter would have survived. People were taking shelter in the diner 🤦🏾♀️ everyone in the story is likely dead.
I think the issue is that Rachel is what makes Life is strange interesting. Her ambiguity and the mystery around her make me think that even the writers don’t know a lot about who she is and isn’t. They didn’t dare to make her the lead because she’s so intimidating.
She's their Laura Palmer, and Fire Walk With Me was controversial- Now, everyone appreciates it, but portaying that kind of character is incredibly hard
I always thought about that. if she’s in a conversation with someone face to face and she rewinds, they’ll see her sort of snap to a different position
Chloe see it as teleportation since Max is on the other side of the office door but the door is locked because we unlocked the door before we... Suicide machine
I'm glad we didn't this game just made me hate her and if i had to play as her I wouldn't finish it. They were better off not doing this game. Hell this game ruined Chloe, david and rachel
LIS 2 still resonates with me as an older sibling. Not to mention being less cringe and changing up the setting constantly. My only true complaints were how episode 4 is so out there compared to the rest of the game and the romance options. It's also much slower.
agree! me personally i love LIS2 to the point of owning merch, but some stuff from the game i just HATE like ep 4 and the way it goes or the romantic options we had.
@@theoutsiderjess1869youre leaving so many negative comments under this video about LIS. maybe you should stop watching something that you clearly don’t like. no one cares that you don’t like something, you don’t need to announce it to everyone
Nah the way ppl will make videos on life is strange without bothering to read max's journal and always have the same take on the love interests. Warren isn't a love interest, because max isn't romantically interested in him. Each time Warren makes a romantic gesture towards her, max talks about how she doesn't want anything to do with him romantically in her journal, he's in her nightmare along with other characters that are against her, shouting at her to "get in the car", and there's a doll of her in his locker. It's blatantly hinting at you that max is uncomfortable with his advances, and for the kiss, she writes in her journal that she felt he DESERVED a kiss after what he's done for her, which is just unfortunate. Not a Warren hater but I hate the way the game makes you want to wife him up even though max isn't even interested in him
additionally, after Warren beats the shit out of Nathan and (if you have been friendly to Warren prior) he says he will do anything to help. Chloe tells Max "he is so in love with you," and max laughs kind of uncomfortably and says "yeah I know," which further solidifies the lack of interest and one-sided nature.
@@SeinIshamiadothis not 1850 love is love period but max do not want Warren so what she wants is important to me when I play so I choose Chloe because deep down max want her she is bisexuality but only emotionally attached to Warren but romantically she into Chloe if there was other men and woman that was her type she pick any of them not Warren period she is not interested in him and I wanted to vomit pushing his wants on her
@@SeinIshamiado Chloe is a narcissistic brat and a toxic friend. If a male character acted like she does, no one would even argue this. Max is better off without either of them. It isn't homophobia. If Chloe seems like a good option, seriously, get help from a therapist. You're going to be a punching bag for abusers if you overlook all those red flags.
35:55 About "good" representation, there is a bad habit media picked up these years, making every queer character a saint, not every queer person is a "good" person, and if you want to talk about representation, I think there is something postive in introducing a gay character who isn't lawful good
Very true. I just thought it was interesting that Chloe, Rachel, & Finn all guilt trip the protagonist into doing dangerous things. But yeah, I see your point.
I feel like the devs were biased by favoring the female options more than male options. Unlike Telltale the Walking Dead the Final Season, the devs balanced the romance options better for the main character.
Hmm, they may hold for media aimed at Americans. It has to do with movement with being politically correct versus being authentic or not writing a character that relies on their “queer” trait. Killing Eve is a queer example with a villain, AHS (American Horror Story), and there are more, but those are ones I can think of.
@@drunkenqueen3077 Have to agree with this, except S2 didn't do this. A lot of people felt like Finn got that over Cassidy. In True Colors, the romance is slower, possibly due to maturity. But there’s a word for ambiguous characters in sexuality which was happening in LIS, S2, and partially BTS. Cause at that point it was up to what the character chose. Tbh, True Colors had the healthiest romances out of the entire series.
@@alexwilliams2276 I still feel like the devs wanted you to romance with Steph more than Ryan. Steph sides with Alex no matter what, but Ryan doesn't by determinant. Thankfully, the devs didn't give Ryan treatments like Warren & Finn had.
The reasons Sean didn't wait for police are 1) he's right about how nobody would belive that Daniel has superpowers, even tho they can show it, it doesn't mean they will be allowed to. They could just choose not to believe and not even let them show it. Or even if they show Daniel lifting something with his powers they can still choose to be in denial 2)the kind of explosion that happens in the opening is something Daniel is not just capable of doing when told, he needs to be VERY angry or sad or both. Not to mention showing it would be dangerous 3) the reason Sean runs off in the first place is bc of shock and once u do that it can feel like there's no turning back bc you've already made it so much worse for urself 4)he can't know what they would do to Daniel if he shows his powers and proves it that way. They wouldn't let him have a normalish life, that's the most likely outcome if he did that 5)Sean himself doesn't even know what happened exactly, just that it looks very bad for them and that something happened with Daniel that caused the explosion. He also doesn't believe the cops would be fair and trustworthy bc of his experiences with racism
6) He just saw his innocent father gunned down by police who were threatening Daniel and Sean himself, despite their being innocent and his father being non-confrontational. Why would he want to wait for the same thing to happen to him and Daniel with the next bunch of cops, who have actual police casualties and a dead civilian to encourage them to escalate rapidly and take care of any witnesses who might want to claim police brutality...
@@abhilashlr9259 not from the start but eventually on the later chapters yes. Sean and Daniel are stated to have family in Puerto Lobos, a fictional place in Mexico, so that's why they were headed there
There were at least 3 times in-game when we could see Sean telling the wolf story to Daniel, so I'd say it was already more than a framing device. And the line before the final choice is "So, how does the story of the wolf brothers end?" I'm not sure why you expected a more concrete book.
I was kind of hoping we’d see that Sean turned their Wolf Brother story into a full comic book at the end, using the options we chose(if you did) in his drawings to add some story plots. If Sean made it to Mexico on his own, maybe Brody hooked him up with an online publishing deal for some extra money. If he’s in prison, maybe Daniel gets in published in his name and it’s a way for them to bond during that time. If they make it to Mexico together it might just be a comic they work on together and use to reminisce their adventures, or they re-write it in a way to be a warning to gangs around them. If Daniel is on his own, he has Sean’s journal and uses it to recreate the story for himself, learning some comic art even though he’ll never feel it can compare to Sean’s artwork, but it still a nice way to pass time and remember his brother.
@@MaryLoveJanein my ending Sean went to prison and when it was showing Daniel's life in pictures along a corkboard or something there was a comic about super wolf! Idk if it was just a drawing, like daniel following Sean's footsteps but I thought it was a comic. I also saw that ending on youtube but instead it showed a news paper about a school bus miraculously not crashing (daniel). The comic was called "Super Wolf Saves the School Bus!!" Or something
I was more attached to the Diaz Brothers than any other character in the series. Chloe was annoying and self-centered, and Max was a boring hipster. And Alex had no personality at all.
The very first episode, until the end, specially when Brody helped them, it was so warm, touching. Average hearthfelt experience you feel in the Life is Strange universe
DontNod hire Jay because I love this idea! It has Detroit Become Human vibes where you have a chance to either do Conner’s job right and capture the other protagonists or successfully keep the others from getting caught by him.
LIS2 definitely has its fault but the timing of that release and the impact it had on a lot of people (including me) is still felt. I simply cannot forget the emotions I had when watching it the first time and although Daniel was annoying sometimes it made sense because of how young he was. Not all kids are chill and cool lmao most get annoying over time. The analysis here was nice!
I got the worst ending to Life is Strange 2 on the first playthrough and even know I wrote over the same with another ending, I have not gotten past it. Mind you, it's only been about a month. I was in the bottom 8% of players who got that ending. Turns out I'm unhinged as hell, I guess 🙃
The cops would've assumed Sean planted a bombing in his house (since that's where the incident took place in) when he didn't and that's why he had to run. Knowing the system will falsely accused him of doing so. But now, it's more about keeping Daniel safe from the government experimentation. Which is why I have Blood Brothers in my first playthrough.
If you read Sean’s journal it tells you everything him and Daniel have been through between episodes. Also I don’t think Cassidy being at the end of the game has to be romantic lol it’s not like they’re kissing in the picture. You can friend zone her when in the woods and they remain friends unless you make her feel like you took advantage of her with one of your choices.
Thats actually rather interesting. I never really thought about how people would perceive Max's power before. In episode 2 or 3, Max "teleports" into the schools main office while chloe is trying to picklock the door.
Rachel played everybody except Chloe. She was vulnerable around her in a way that she wasn't with the others. Also, she was just using Frank and the others for money. If you remember, Jefferson, Nathan and Frank all thought that Rachel loved them. Nope. She wanted to escape with her, that's why she was trying to hustle all these guys and get their money. Notice that the deer only disappeared when Chloe found out what happened to her. Her spirit remained only to serve as a guide, so that the person she cared for the most, Chloe, would know what happened to her.
Well, the only person we know Rachel truly loved was Jefferson. It was hinted throughout LiS, and even confirmed by the devs. Ashly Burch herself said that the devs of LiS gave her an impression that Chloe´s feelings for Rachel were just unrequited love. It´s quite telling how in LiS Jefferson knew about both Chloe and Frank, but they didn´t know anything about him. Chloe didn´t even know about Frank, and the game clearly suggests Rachel was lying to her somehow ("Rachel straight up lied to my face! Why didn´t she say anything?" "Because she knew how you would react.") One of the themes of LiS is that your first impression of most people is wrong (Jefferson, Victoria, Taylor, David, Nathan, etc.), including Rachel. And it´s quite obvious in BtS. I don´t think all the multiple references and metaphors of Rachel being really good at tricking/manipulating people were added to BtS for no reason (“The raven is to be respected but never trusted”, Jedi Mind Trick, acting, her father making her good at lying/spotting lies, Chloe´s role as Ariel who is at the mercy of Prospera/Rachel, and Rachel/Prospera saying that she doesn´t grant Chloe/Ariel her freedom, etc). James and Sera´s story parallels Chloe and Rachel, and even William warns Chloe in her dreams. Of course, this doesn´t mean that Rachel, who after all was just a 15-18 year old school girl, wasn´t a victim of both Frank and Jefferson, both 30/40+ men, or that her death in the hands of Nathan wasn´t tragic.
@@foxial5358 I completely agree that this was the intention. One of my biggest problems with BtS is that it felt like it romanticized Rachel and Chloe far too much. It told us a lot about how shifty Rachel could be without showing us (Or when it tried to, it did a really poor job. Like the Scene with her drugging Victoria or stealing the wine) Rachel's character as a concept is a great idea. In the original game you piece together that Rachel was a charming but dangerous girl with the world around her finger, a girl who thinks the world is a stage and its people are just props for her to play with. And her downfall being when she thinks she gets outplayed at her own game. Jefferson did to Rachel what Rachel was doing to everyone else in her life, Chloe included. And I would've loved more moments of this in BtS. But the problem feels like BtS didn't want to use the original games Rachel. They wanted to tell a love story between Chloe and Rachel. It's mostly because the game was essentially made by a fan studio, so the game is closer to fanfiction than a genuine prequal. BtS's devs constantly talk about the dynamic between Chloe and Rachel like its real, like its a beautiful love blossoming between friends. They do the bare minimum of implying Rachels true nature so it doesn't sour their romance plot, and its honestly a bit dissapointing. I would've loved a story where you play as a still broken Chloe recovering from her dads passing. She wouldn't be the rebel we just yet, instead closer to the Chloe we see in Max's flashbacks, and slowly over the course of the game, she gets pulled in and used by Rachel for her own excitement. That would've been great, to make Rachel the antithesis of everything that made Chloe and max work. Rachel taking advantage of a vulnerable girl to make into her plaything, maybe encouraging Chloes more reckless behavior so she can reap the benefits. What if we learned it was Rachel who got Chloe into drugs because she wanted them but didnt wanna risk damaging her reputation, so instead she has her cool new best friend get it for her. Things like that. Show us that Rachel had a direct selfish benefit from her and Chloe's relationship, then drop hints of her already looking elsewhere for more. Like her going after frank without Chloe ever realizing it. BtS just felt like they wasted what could've been a great antagonistic parallel to max and Chloes genuine love for one another.
disagree, rachel is supposed to be the mystery thats why we couldn't play as her. We're supposed to understand chloe in before the storm while also learning a bit more about rachel. We still have questions about rachel why did she leave chloe when they're bond in before the storm was strong etc thats what makes rachel rachel her mystery
I kinda wish max's personal life and family dynamics were better explored in the first game, apart from occasional text messages and the odd diary entry. Like we know the detailed family history to everyone except our main character max. Like what is their opinion on chloe or kate or jefferson?
Petition for JayniacJr to write the next LIS game starting now 🤣 Seriously though, why do you have so many better ideas?! As always you made me think about a lot of things I never would have and slightly changed my opinion on certain things. Alex's backstory should have been more throughly explored, definitely. She is such an interesting character to me and could have been way more fleshed out. Okay, so this one is my new favorite video of yours!
The thing that always bothered me about the first game was that you could just choose your ending, so your choices really didn’t matter apart from a few changes in details. Based on your video, though (I haven’t seen anything after BtS so idk), it seems the company also saw this and fixed it so that your choices actually determine the ending.
I was more upset because the choice at the end was very shallow and predictable. There were literal fan theories prior to the release of the last episode that pitched better endings. Also, the mr. Jefferson plot twist was set up very poorly, and everyone I've known who played the game also thought it felt random.
@@hue.main1Except it didn’t matter there either. Regardless of who stands up for Alex at the council meeting, you still get the same ending regardless (Jed is arrested, Typhon gets shut down). 😊
LIS2 had the best endings, not only did your past choices affect them but they were also all very cinematically well done (except the one where Sean stays in Mexico and Daniel stays with his grandparents that one was underwhelming) bc the one where he goes to jail is so thematically beautiful bc he sacrificed everything for his little bro, and the one where they both go to mexico is where daniel sacrifices everything for sean, and the one where sean dies is very powerful bc daniel just wanted to do the right thing, he made a promise to his brother that everything would be okay and then it turned into disaster it was a beautiful and complex tragedy
Still to this day Life is Strange 2 speaks a lot to me. The best game for me even though LiS 1 was perfect for the me who was fresh in college. The responsibility of taking care of a younger sibling and the weight of what they are running away from is all highstakes. Never played it on release but just a few years ago for a random sale. Best decision ever
I loved Life is Strange 2 personally. It hit close to home since it was about family ties and I'm an older sibling myself, and it was a very timely and relevant piece about the climate regarding immigration and police brutality. Life is Strange 1 wasn't as compelling to me because I couldn't relate to most of the circumstances that max and especially chloe ended up in and it wasn't as grounded compared to life is strange 2 which really boils down to family and loyalty
EXACTLY i think what made LIS2 so powerful is that it’s about ur family and bloodlink, i’m always gonna care more about my little brother over my friend also my family’s Asian and we related to the stuff sean went through
My favorite game is LIS 2 even if I doesn’t have siblings I feel connected with the characters the story ,I love the changing atmospheres in every moments of these episodes and the gameplay is really good, the fact that the MC doesn’t have a power but instead he kinda helps his brother to use his powers make him very powerful, also I cried a lot
This should be interesting! I love hearing peoples opinions and analysis of things I like. I have a slightly less common opinion than most people. A lot of people prefer the original game, but I vastly prefer the second, with the third as a close second
I thought you were talking about BTS for a second, but if you are, I found BTS boring. This I why I only spent money on True Colors Ultimate Edition. LIS is nice too, but I bought S2 on sale and wasn't interested in the prequel. S2 doesn't get that much love from the fandom, even though Square Enix tries its best to promote it. I found more minorities in race connecting to True Colors and S2 But my biggest proven with the series is releasing the game or episodes with bugs... And it's drastic enough that it'll need a patch update again and again..
I think a lot of, let's just say gamers from more privileged groups, are a bit put off by LIS 2's political commentary which makes them give it wayyy more hate than it deserves. Let's be real, a lot of the dialogue around immigration was sloppy and like a primary schooler's understanding of racism (as though it's just a bunch of mean people running around beating up minorities), but people act like all of the scenarios were very unrealistic when I would see a lot of POC people in comments of people's playthrough praising the game for exposing these issues and depicting the tragic reality of things that they, and their loved ones, have experienced. In short LiS 2 deserves wayy more love than it gets.
@@thatqueenG True, I saw gamers calling it out too. Because it is simplified, but sometimes, when you see yourself represented, you can forgive everything. Neither of the games are unique in storytelling & the Diaz bros could've had better pacing. But it's still a game that many pretend had no sales or wasn't political like the other ones.
The moments where you just sit and listen to the soundtracks are my favorites, which (to my memeory) were lacking in the second game. Which is why one of my favorite part is when in episode 1 ,in the woods, you can just sit on a bench and just look out to the river as a peaceful soundtrack plays in the background
I may not agree with everything you said, but it's a well-made essay. And, oh man, your idea for the next game alone is enough for me to applaud you! That seriously got me hooked, good job.
I’m giving my opinion on LIS2 as a brazilian, bc I immediately had to pause when I heard you say that racism is way over the top and in your face in the game, as if it’s not how it happens in real life. I can’t assume your ethnicity, but I can talk based on my experiences and say: it can be even worse than that. The reason I connected most with LIS2 was how badly latin-american people are seen in the rest of the world and how we’re used as scapegoats. It made me cry and get angry and, even tho the setting was all over the place, I related way more to the wolf brothers than to Max, or Chloe, or Rachel. The game sure has its problems, but I the political aspect of it - especially in it’s release time - wasn’t it.
Thank you for respectfully sharing your personal experience with racism. I think you should consider writing a book about this because it genuinely warms my heart. As a Black Canadian (this is my ethnicity) I've noticed many disagree with my take on Life is Strange 2, so maybe it didn't resonate with me because my experience with racism has been much more subtle and underhanded. Again, thank you for sharing your experience, I think many others should hear this too.
I don't think not being able to tell if the dad had a lot of wisdom or if she was just romanticizing his past is a continuity error I think it's actually a really realistic depiction of someone experiencing loss.
Ive always saw Max's powers as being teleportation, and the ability simply allows her to teleport through time. Which makes sense to me because just as you're somewhat limited in how you teleport, youre limited in how far you van turn back time. And it makes even more sense when you realize that shes teleporting miles and miles when she goes back in time through a photo. The photos allow her to extend the range of her abilities. I feel they didnt convey it super well in that way, but based in everything shown i feel that was their intention. U less they just didn't think it through very well and this is all just headcanon. That being said, death of the author.
so here's my thing, LiSTC feels extremely real to me. i don't think that necessarily makes it a compelling game in terms of gameplay but when i played i found it so refreshing to play a game where we are trying to bond ourselves with a community after a tragedy. the lack of story details about gabe and alex's relationship makes sense to me cause the foster care system splits people up so drastically that, by the time we meet them, they're different people entirely from who they were as kids. maybe its just me but i would have loved even less of the corporation plotline and more of the jed conflict and interpersonal story beats because unlike some of the other installments of the franchise, the acting and dialogue of these characters were consistently engaging and well done. idk I just love this game but I do understand its criticisms. glad we can all agree the soundtrack rocks tho thats non-negotiable
I thought Alex's emotion power should be more proactive, choice-based and empowering. Howabout this: You have different emotional 'meters' that indicate the growth of your powers based on CHOICES. So if you encourage people toward anger, you get 'anger' choices/powers, etc. This would make a GREAT choice-influenced branching storyline based totally on how you play the game and treat people. Can you imagine replaying the game so you can really try different things and do things totally differently? Magic.
Life is strange 2: Sean when he gets sent to jail. His sentence isn’t picked at random. He gets his sentence from GTA, and escaping police and FBI custody. Each of which carries an up to five year sentence. Given the multiple state spree it kicks it to a felony charge and which usually kicks it to max sentences.
This video must’ve been a big project for you. You did a great job! I think Rachel being the protagonist of before the storm would be cool. I think her powers would be subtle manipulation/charm. Nothing too questionable/noticeable. I wish there was a better story for Before the Storm in general… or just show Rachel and Chloe’s relationship without any weird story. And the idea at the end really shows off your story writing idea. Idk if you want to develop it or not but it’s quite cool
Ngl, I didn’t even know Life is Strange had games past the initial story’s prequel. Tho LIS2 does sound interesting to me, as an older sister that helps take care of my younger siblings
You should definitely play it. Having younger siblings seems to be the dealbreaker for if you will fully deeply connect with the game. For me as an only child, i thought the story was touching but i just couldnt relate. Most of the big lis 2 fans are always talking about how their relationships with their siblings gave them such a strong connection to the game
I just can't think of any other piece of media that's ruined by a single character. If Chloe was written better, I would really love this game. Like if there was anything redeeming about her, any kind of character development, anything, I would love this game so much
Thank you for making this video! I’ve been waiting for an analysis video on the entire LiS series (not just LiS1 and BtS) for awhile now and this one certainly didn’t disappoint.
Maaan, now I wanna have the full version of your story as a game. I've never thought about it, but having it as a game with two protagonist which both of them have superpowers would be so freaking awsome! Also how they are two diffrent sides of the same coin (of the law), it was a really nice touch!
@@mashashomee I did try to watch a plathrough of it. But quickly disliked it with the way it was written. It wasn't for me. But ideas for it were interesting at least.
I think the reason for us only seeing bits of Alex's past (true colors) near the end of the last episodes is because they are not meant to add to the narrative but actually show a fully new narrative and view on this situation. It's what her brothers voice tells her she needs to see and sheds another light on the people around Alex: Alex never had powers. She would be traumatized by the death and later abandonment in her life and has started seeking a reason behind everyone's actions. Becuase of her trauma she feels like she needs to be in control of what's going on, to see when and why people act like they do becuase she can't stand that some things just happen. She's scared of conflict so is highly affected when it happens around her and all the things she hears are just her inner monologue comming up with the to her most likely scenario and reflections of her own self-hatred (best seen in the scene where the foster families all look at her trough the windows all saying different but also similar things. This is her own explenation for why she never found a stable home and the windows are litteraly walls between Alex and reality. Visable but never felt)
What I got from all of this is... surface games, they have this shining idea that translates into a pretty game with good potencial (super powers, relationships with interesting characters, choices, intriguing conflict or mysteries...) but everything it's left half baked, not knowing how to unite the concept, the aesthetic and the gameplay, left with choices that are often missleading, useless or unreasonable as a mean to create conflict or insert a "lesson". The characters go 50-50 between relatable teens and clichés to reinforce an idea or advance plot. It's something that you can perhaps get away with in a film, as it's usually shorter and the audience doesn't have any control over it to look around the corner, but not with a game.
(Really, this section of the video is my favorite. I wish I could describe how much I liked this concept more but my English is not good enough for that hehe)
Your LIS idea is amazing I NEED that game. Also playing Rachel would have made way more sense. It would have made Rachel a better character in general, we don’t learn a lot about her in BTS besides the fact that she’s manipulative, she doesn’t seem interesting or kind. We already know about Chloe’s home life from LIS so we didn’t really need to play her for a backstory.
I really enjoyed Captain Spirit. It was a little slow at first, but that gut punch ending where you find out where Chris got the supervillain name really stuck with me.
Life is Strange is a wild memory for me. I felt very connected to Max when I played the first game cuz I was also in my final year of high school. So I played all the dlcs and side stories and enjoyed them even if I couldn't really relate to Chloe's romantic struggles. So I was hyped for LIS2 only to be underwhelmed by how the first episode ended and then didn't even end up playing the final episode and still haven't to this day. Then got excited for 3 only for it to be buggy n underwhelming. Sad 😔
i really enjoyed this video!! i’m a big fan of the series and love all the games, and i only hope that lis4 manages to improve on past mistakes. i also love your lis game concept!! i hope one day you’ll feel like sharing more of it. the idea of finding the past lis protagonists and what they’re doing now (likely based on the endings) is so interesting!!
I have so many questions about your idea. Have you thought of a name yet? I actually like the concept of Darcy and Vanessa having opposing but complementary powers: one who finds freedom outside of themselves, and another who is restricted to only what can be sensed inside of someone else. Vanessa would need some seriously solid motivation, though. Why is she compiling a database on super-powered individuals when she herself is one? Has she considered the implications of revealing these secrets to the police, to the government, maybe eventually the world? Would Darcy and Vanessa naturally be immune to each other's powers, or maybe they'd interact? Like what if Vanessa can see Darcy's spirit with her own eyes, while if Darcy's spirit touches/phases through someone Vanessa is "peeking" through, it cuts off Vanessa's connection?
@@munkayttaja6913 well i think it's because if u chose "sacrifice chloe" jefferson and nathan would be caught, therefore rachel got her "revenge" that way
@@xiphosofficial maybe and now that I think about it Max saw the tornado even before her powers so I don't know if it can be bc if her powers bc it wouldn't then make sense that she sees the tornado before she even has the power
@@munkayttaja6913 So maybe Max had the vision of the tornado because she was supposed to prevent it (so her powers are somewhat connected to Rachel's rage or restlessness, which is fitting with the deer following her around and vanishing after they discover Rachel). And in solving Rachel's murder using her time powers, and getting Jefferson and Nathan arrested after sacrificing Chloe, she did? Wouldn't that mean that Max could've prevented the storm by clearing up who committed the murder and assaults, keeping Chloe alive, and nobody would've died? In that case, the story is even more tragic, since in the end, what kept her from a perfectly happy ending was a misunderstanding... She thought she had to make a choice, when in reality she could've had both Chloe and Arcadia Bay. I haven't played this game in years, so if I forgot something blatantly contradictory, that's no surprise. For example, I can't remember how much time passed between her escaping Jefferson and the storm, and if she outed him and they storm happened anyway? 😅
@@emdove the storm was going on already when she escaped from Jefferson, but I don't know about the rest, I replayed it a while back tho. Maybe there was another option if she could've proved what Jefferson and Nathan were doing, without getting Chloe killed. It would've been very hard to do that tho, she would have to travel through pictures and all that while keeping Chloe alive. It did seem like no matter what Max did, Chloe would die, like it was destiny. She had to save her over and over again
I really love your analysis videos Jay! Even though I only really know the story of the first game and kinda Before The Storm and have no clue about the plots of the rest of the games you really make the whole video interesting and fun to watch nonetheless.
Loved this video! I only played Life is strange 1 and 2 so far (including before the storm and adventures of captain spirit) and I must say I agree I still want to play the 3rd one though. Also I love your life is strange idea. It sounds awesome. I really hope it'll get made into an actual game because I would buy it immediately
I adore the first game. One of my favorites of all time even with its flaws. I wish I could go back and replay it for the first time again. But I’ve never had any desire to play any of the other games. I wish I could keep spending time back with Max, just immersed in the world the game made, but for all my affection for the first game, I’ve never cared to play the other entries, or even replay the original much. I stand by my choices from my first playthrough so I don’t feel a need to replay it and experience the other choices I could make… especially when the game funnels me into the same last choice anyway :/ And the sequels with their new locations, characters, situations, and powers don’t catch my eye. Anyways great video! Really enjoy listening to essays about LIS that take me down memory lane every now and then.
I thought the entire point of making a prequel was to answer some questions we asked during the first game about some character's background. But “Before the Storm” isn’t really doing that and instead does its own thing. Ironically, “Before the Storm” just gives us even more questions. I completely agree that “Before the Storm” could have been far better if we played as Rachel. Maybe even playing as both Rachel and Chloe.
Captain Spirit was kinda boring but great in story telling. You don’t have freedom in this story cause it feels like you get to either choose to make Chris enjoy his fantasy or ground himself in reality to appease his father. It’s like walking on eggshells and it’s hard. And I like Chris not having powers because Life Is Strange is about grounded in reality characters with powers as a crutch to further explore those themes, we all wished to have powers to escape reality and or feel like there’s a purpose to our pain or life, but in the end we still are just human and life can be cruel but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in your life and that’s why it’s important for kids to have a good childhood.
Captain spirit was kind of boring but really emotional, it’s such an accurate depiction of abusive parents. The lashing on their kids and then acting like nothing happened later. Very accurate
Now I am actually sad that I won't get to play your game! Seriously, that sounds like such an insanely good idea for the next LIS installment, I want to play it so bad already
I like this deep-dive into the LIS series! Just wanted to add my two-cents, It is very interesting to see that LIS2 was not well received by others. I played LIS2 after having finished every game before it and it actually connected with me the most. As an older sibling, I saw a lot of myself in Sean and I see a lot of my two younger brothers in Daniel. I'll always remember the experience and feelings felt when I played this for the first time and finished it without looking up anything to influence my thoughts on the game. People say it's cringe, maybe I have rose-colored glasses on about the whole thing, but none of that mattered to me. I love LIS2 and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
I loved true colors, I liked the story but at times I did feel like the ep's felt rushed with the story, I kind of wished they were longer, and I wish you got to spend more time with gabe. Mainly I wish there was more time
Rachel is the one who gave max her powers to take revenge on Arcadia Bay and their is a comic book series about what max and Chloe after you choose sacrifice Arcadia bay
i’d love to see your idea in motion !! i’ve seen a lot of “here’s my idea” that end up being really flat, but yours was actually intriguing. powers that aren’t seen very often in media, mixed with the opposing view points, the possibility of death, etc, it’s the best idea since the original LiS. I rarely like videos, like leave likes, but i did here bc it was an amazing idea. i hope it gets made someday.
I thought life is strange 2 was the best of the series and have played all of them. I love the dynamic between trying to be a good brother Vs a good parent replacement to make sure the little brother comes out as good
and the choices mattered a LOT in the game, i didn’t realize it until i replayed and picked different options, the way your brother treats you, the dialogue, and even your/Sean’s internal monologue is different depending on your choices
I know it's not technically in the life is strange lineup because it was released by Xbox instead of square enix and was released when deck nine was taking over the life is strange games, but don't nod's Tell Me Why is honestly my favorite of any of these games and should have been a part of the series.
I so buy into the fan theory that it originally was supposed to be an LiS title, but square shot them down. Wouldnt surprise me especially with the trans element. Just cuz square is down with palatable white girl on girl queerness doesnt mean that they wouldnt draw the line at a trans character. Though this is all speculation and im not familiar enough with square to know if any of their other published games have ever had a trans character.
Completely agree, that BtS should be trough eyes of Rachel, not Chloe. Its never said, at least literally, what kind of relationship those two had and it wouldnt distrub bigger picture, if you wouldnt follow strictly romantic path. It could be moreless platonic, maybe more than that in Chloe's eyes than in reality. Rachel deserved better exploration. That "human chameleon" as some describe her, but also "light that cast shadow, both at same time" as Samuel describes her. There was so much potential to tell compelling story, but i think they got simply fixed on Chloe, which was understandable from success of the first game and safe bet. Seeing Rachel struggle with expectations would have same depth, as Max's uncertainity. I wouldnt mess it with adding Rachel any powers, that would only distrub already complicated fiction(unless you want go deep into this 'Rachel's spirit gave power to Max' rabbit hole). Navigating well written dialogues to help people around her, while questioning her own identity would be good enough theme. You can still have consequences, just without allmighty rewind. Rewind power was just plot device anyway, you could replace it with checkpoints and be done with it. Some would be disappointed its pretty much same without all that mystery surrounding it, but it wouldnt really hurt anything a kept gameplay element close to the first game.
Although the themes of this franchise are heavy enough, even on glimpes, I think they don't want to show too much graphical disturbance. Something so psichologically triggering you see in Silent Hill 2 and 4, when it comes to psychological abuse. The main nature of the Dark Room, Rachel and the other missing girls in Arcadia Bay may imply bad things happened, more than the game wants to show.
In my head canon, jeffersons victims were definitely sexually assaultedby him. Honestly the whole drug them up but just photograph them thing with no assault always seemed… weird. And it seemed dontnod wanted to tiptoe around that idea without having to actually go there. I hate thinking about that happening to these characters but its what makes most sense to me
@@Allgloss312I think DontNod probably intended for sexual assault to be a theme in the Jefferson story line but since they were dealing with high schoolers they were being really careful about it
Weirdly, the only videos I’ve seen with negative critiques on Life is Strange 2 being “too political” are videos by white American men… it’s just a strange coincidence… No shade at all, I enjoyed the video and this is a great channel. I just think it’s just important to remind ourselves to view the world and media through a lens other than the one we grew up with. That’s really the whole point of LiS 2. For racial minorities (& with recent events-women as well), politics actually ARE everything because it impacts our day-to-day more than it would impact most white American males. The idea of “I don’t like to think/talk about politics” is really a privileged saying that I’ve never heard from another colored American. On another note, as an educator, I also think the twist of NOT being the superhero in a video game, but rather it being your little brother, is a pretty interesting one. It’s commendable they were able to pull this off as I don’t think it’s ever been done by another video game before. This twist in storytelling emphasizes how important our choices are as parents, older siblings, and role models because they impact how the children in our lives are molded by them. Also: I never picked up on Alex being a s*xual assault survivor… that’s some good attention detail and brings a lot of clarity to her character. Dang… Good video tho 🙂
right ! in real life AMERICA everything is fucking political especially for people of color ! personally i think the second one is the best one bc of just how unique it is. i think the first is a close second ! and the third one idk what was going onnnnn at all i don’t like alex at all. but can you tell me how she was assaulted i don’t get it ? but anyways i agree sm wit ur comment omg
very well said. as a black woman, these “too political” comments really bothered me because that’s just life for some people. a boy has telekinesis but they think the unreal part is racism…
I'm a little late to this comment, but I don't know if you actually finished the video or not or maybe looked away. Jayniac is literally a black man. Not all of us are going to walk away with the same impression of these narratives, black people are not a monolith. I will say that as a black man who played LiS2 as the episodes dropped during the peak of the "what horrifying overnight legislation did Cheeto Man and his army of Gremlins drop now?" era, especially when those midterm elections came up and we were finally seeing the average person begin to question the purpose of ICE, I was on the fence with how the game portrayed these issues. Witnessing and experiencing actual racism irl every day, in its most extreme forms to its most passive forms, I do remember feeling like the way it was portrayed in LiS2 was overhanded and oversimplified. And maybe it's just me, but if anyone is going to broach the topic of racism and xenophobia in their story, I need them to be on point and tighten up. A clumsy fictional approach can be as harmful to the movement as the bigotry itself by making our real experiences with oppression seem unreal to the people who don't experience that. LiS2 definitely could've use some Americans on the writing team, specifically brown-skinned Hispanic Americans, for input.
I'm not sure if True Colours felt short because it was short, or because I never got screwed over by the controls. That fucking bring-the-photo-into-focus bit did not want to cooperate with my Switch's sticks!
Well, 2 and half years later, they were still in Arcadia Bay, even if they promised each other to run together under that lamp. Yes im in theory section, but one who couldnt move was Chloe, because that would mean leave everything behind, leaving Max("You make me feel like i have a reason for still being in AB" - pool scene). Rachel was pretty sensitive, she could see Chloe has feelings for Max and didnt push her, but she had also doubts if Chloe is honest. Thats why she grew closer to Frank. Behind Chloe's back, because she was affraid to tell her. Chloe would see her as another person who abandoned her. Her letters to Frank shows that relationship wasnt that great, so she fell in love for Jefferson(i strongly doubt they had sex, unless Jefferson would be that stupid to sleep with student of his(and if anyone want to pull out letter again, read it first)). Jefferson couldnt give her what she was looking for either. Ultimatelly, she made choice to run, with Chloe or without her, asking trucker if he takes her to L.A. Sadly, she was murdered weeks before it could happen. If you think about it, it gives lots of sense(imo). Thats what makes LiS so great. They didnt have to shovel it right into your mouth, just keep believable. Let you connect dots by your self and your imagination.
I know it's not an official LiS game, but "Tell Me Why" really fits right in with the rest of these. And is better than a few of 'em... On the whole, I agree that everything after Life is Strange 1 just hasn't come close to matching it. But if I had to rank them: 5. Really good call on how *True Colors* would be further enticing if it utilized Alex's powers more to solve the mystery. But personally, I just didn't find the "evil corporation" all that interesting of a conflict, nor did I find Empathy all that interesting a power. A lot of that had to do with NPC's thoughts and emotions being so basic and "safe". What people are ~really~ thinking, should have been so much more, for lack of a better term... "colorful" than this. The only time this remotely has some bite is Gabe's widow's anger. Nothing about True Colors has any edge to it, compared to how dark LiS1 often gets. It's all so affable and soft. And it seems to have no understanding of what it really means to take an emotion away. Outside of the soundtrack, this is the weakest one imo. 4. I have a lot of issues with *Before the Storm* The Talkback mechanic sucks, the single romance option feels like the game is pushing it on the player, rather than developing organically from my choices, the storytelling is a mess in the last chapter, and Rachel Amber as a character is a complete psycho that doesn't coalesce with the person discussed in the first game. She should have remained a mysterious figure. Or just been written more consistently. This prequel reeked of fan fiction, which it kind of was. Deck Nine, were basically fans who got permission from Dontnod to turn their fanfic into an official game. On a positive note, I actually liked the material with Chloe and her dad, and in an interesting reversal, she fills the Max role, with Rachel being her "Chloe." 3. I also preferred Lyla to Finn or Cassidy and it's frustrating she's left outside of *Life is Strange 2's* story. A lot of LiS2 is frustrating because it's got some great ideas. It sucks NOT playing the person with powers, but as it goes on, I began to appreciate how my choices mattered in a different sort of way. The road trip structure was a nice change of pace, but by design, I never got attached to any characters I meet since they won't stick around, and each episode feels rushed, ESPECIALLY Daniel ending up with some "evil" Church. Along with the heavy-handed racism and how it handles the absentee mom, the story needed more work. Sitting on a weed farm? Exploring grandma's house? It doesn't help that the moment to moment gameplay is. So. Boring. 2. The idea of Chris being a villain origin story in *Captain Spirit* is something that never crossed my mind once, but it's a pretty cool idea. Nevertheless, I guess I would rank this second-best from an enjoyment standpoint. I liked the concept of playing as a kid and his active imagination, and I saw a lot of potential in the relationship with his father. And not for nothing, but the little bits of info we get about his mom, is more than can be said about either of Max's parents. Captain Spirit is bite-sized, so it doesn't overstay it's welcome, and the ending matched the excitement of some of the first game's best cliffhangers. My biggest regret is that he's nothing more than a cameo in LiS 2, rather than a major character. The sequel really should have stuck with this kid. And the next game should have everyone with powers team up!
I think my favourite LiS is True Colors. All the games have flaws but I feel like Alex is the character I connected most with. I also loved the setting and characters (especially Steph who was a super fun character in Before the Storm.) The great thing about these games is that they all have something that connects with someone.
I really enjoyed this video and i realised i never bothered to check wavelengths because i didn't buy true colours. I loved your next game idea and it actually sounds pretty cool, it reminded me a bit of Beyond Two Souls and Heavy Rain
![Ranting About Terrible Characters for 46 Minutes [Life is Strange VS No More Heroes]](/img/n.gif)
To answer a few questions I've been asked:
58:31 - The idea has been illustrated: th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nAIipzksYvw5T2YX
1:07:35 - Tristan is a character from the Life is Strange comics that can turn invisible.
1:09:52 - The reason Vanessa was able to use her powers on Trey is because earlier when she bumped into Darcy's gang, Lucas flirted with her. Disgusted, Vanessa flirts with Trey in an attempt to fracture Lucas' obvious ego. Vanessa asks who he is and, trying to be suave, Trey introduces himself "Trey...Trey Eagles". The gang doesn't know she's a cop because she's off duty. Later Trey will have to wear a blindfold to prevent Vanesa from using her powers on him.
Vanessa cannot be romanced by anyone. She's aromantic.
Dudddee I LOVE THIS IDEAAAAAA
I love the idea too.
omg finally someone else who read the comics too,honestly i feel like most of the fans don't even know about it
@@zoipapadaki3320 I did. Its pretty good, at least first half.
@@cyphi474Srsly someone needs to make an indept review ab it.I am so tempted just to start a channel just becuz no else wants to do it.When did the story start going downhill for you?
One thing that fucks me up is the insane amount of trauma Max will have from all this. No matter which playthrough, but sacrificing Chloe does the most because... nothing ever happened.
Max was never in the dark room in the chosen timeline but she remembers her terrifying experience. Do you know how difficult it would be to explain to a therapist her feelings on this?
She made all these new friends/worked on them over that week. That's all gone.
She had to talk Kate down from suicide OR watch her plummet to her death.
If you do choose to sacrifice the town, her and Chloe have to live with the fact that you killed everyone in it. And Chloe has to come to terms with the idea that she killed her mum.
There are no good endings and whilst I get that's sort of the point, the game all about trauma forgets that it's inflicting the most on it's main protagonist.
There's a comic book that continues the story after they leave Arcadia and honestly it solidifies how selfish the decision was
@@Tuskbumper Especially the writers trying to retcon the deaths and Max being unbearable.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 fam yes, like no the town was literally destroyed no way anyone outside of the dark room or an actual shelter would have survived. People were taking shelter in the diner 🤦🏾♀️ everyone in the story is likely dead.
@@Tuskbumperin the other games you see the ruins of the town and find out like only one person survived
@@leahdavis9434 checked and it's David and Victoria probably more
I think the issue is that Rachel is what makes Life is strange interesting. Her ambiguity and the mystery around her make me think that even the writers don’t know a lot about who she is and isn’t.
They didn’t dare to make her the lead because she’s so intimidating.
She's their Laura Palmer, and Fire Walk With Me was controversial- Now, everyone appreciates it, but portaying that kind of character is incredibly hard
People seeing Max powers as teleportation is genius
I always thought about that. if she’s in a conversation with someone face to face and she rewinds, they’ll see her sort of snap to a different position
Chloe see it as teleportation since Max is on the other side of the office door but the door is locked because we unlocked the door before we... Suicide machine
I thought we should have played Rachel, too! It might have given meaning and closure to the character.
So glad we agree.
I'm glad we didn't this game just made me hate her and if i had to play as her I wouldn't finish it. They were better off not doing this game. Hell this game ruined Chloe, david and rachel
@@theoutsiderjess1869 can u shut up
Honestly Rachel worked fine as a Laura Palmer. Not as she was in the spin off game.
@@falconeshieldyes!
LIS 2 still resonates with me as an older sibling. Not to mention being less cringe and changing up the setting constantly. My only true complaints were how episode 4 is so out there compared to the rest of the game and the romance options. It's also much slower.
agree! me personally i love LIS2 to the point of owning merch, but some stuff from the game i just HATE like ep 4 and the way it goes or the romantic options we had.
2 was honestly the cringiest for me and I ha e siblings I stopped playing after episode 1 and just watched other people play it
@@theoutsiderjess1869youre leaving so many negative comments under this video about LIS. maybe you should stop watching something that you clearly don’t like. no one cares that you don’t like something, you don’t need to announce it to everyone
@@sunday.444nah he’s right lol
@@TheInfinityOwl cool. no one care’s still :)
Nah the way ppl will make videos on life is strange without bothering to read max's journal and always have the same take on the love interests. Warren isn't a love interest, because max isn't romantically interested in him. Each time Warren makes a romantic gesture towards her, max talks about how she doesn't want anything to do with him romantically in her journal, he's in her nightmare along with other characters that are against her, shouting at her to "get in the car", and there's a doll of her in his locker. It's blatantly hinting at you that max is uncomfortable with his advances, and for the kiss, she writes in her journal that she felt he DESERVED a kiss after what he's done for her, which is just unfortunate. Not a Warren hater but I hate the way the game makes you want to wife him up even though max isn't even interested in him
THANK YOU‼️‼️‼️
And yet people will still choose him because "chloe is no more different. She's just as a bad romantic interest" and if not that "ew lesbian"
additionally, after Warren beats the shit out of Nathan and (if you have been friendly to Warren prior) he says he will do anything to help. Chloe tells Max "he is so in love with you," and max laughs kind of uncomfortably and says "yeah I know," which further solidifies the lack of interest and one-sided nature.
@@SeinIshamiadothis not 1850 love is love period but max do not want Warren so what she wants is important to me when I play so I choose Chloe because deep down max want her she is bisexuality but only emotionally attached to Warren but romantically she into Chloe if there was other men and woman that was her type she pick any of them not Warren period she is not interested in him and I wanted to vomit pushing his wants on her
@@SeinIshamiado Chloe is a narcissistic brat and a toxic friend. If a male character acted like she does, no one would even argue this. Max is better off without either of them. It isn't homophobia. If Chloe seems like a good option, seriously, get help from a therapist. You're going to be a punching bag for abusers if you overlook all those red flags.
As much as I loved Life is Strange, all the choices and the bond between Sean and Daniel truly scarred me and I still think about it
35:55 About "good" representation, there is a bad habit media picked up these years, making every queer character a saint, not every queer person is a "good" person, and if you want to talk about representation, I think there is something postive in introducing a gay character who isn't lawful good
Very true. I just thought it was interesting that Chloe, Rachel, & Finn all guilt trip the protagonist into doing dangerous things. But yeah, I see your point.
I feel like the devs were biased by favoring the female options more than male options.
Unlike Telltale the Walking Dead the Final Season, the devs balanced the romance options better for the main character.
Hmm, they may hold for media aimed at Americans. It has to do with movement with being politically correct versus being authentic or not writing a character that relies on their “queer” trait. Killing Eve is a queer example with a villain, AHS (American Horror Story), and there are more, but those are ones I can think of.
@@drunkenqueen3077
Have to agree with this, except S2 didn't do this. A lot of people felt like Finn got that over Cassidy. In True Colors, the romance is slower, possibly due to maturity.
But there’s a word for ambiguous characters in sexuality which was happening in LIS, S2, and partially BTS. Cause at that point it was up to what the character chose.
Tbh, True Colors had the healthiest romances out of the entire series.
@@alexwilliams2276 I still feel like the devs wanted you to romance with Steph more than Ryan. Steph sides with Alex no matter what, but Ryan doesn't by determinant.
Thankfully, the devs didn't give Ryan treatments like Warren & Finn had.
The reasons Sean didn't wait for police are
1) he's right about how nobody would belive that Daniel has superpowers, even tho they can show it, it doesn't mean they will be allowed to. They could just choose not to believe and not even let them show it. Or even if they show Daniel lifting something with his powers they can still choose to be in denial
2)the kind of explosion that happens in the opening is something Daniel is not just capable of doing when told, he needs to be VERY angry or sad or both. Not to mention showing it would be dangerous
3) the reason Sean runs off in the first place is bc of shock and once u do that it can feel like there's no turning back bc you've already made it so much worse for urself
4)he can't know what they would do to Daniel if he shows his powers and proves it that way. They wouldn't let him have a normalish life, that's the most likely outcome if he did that
5)Sean himself doesn't even know what happened exactly, just that it looks very bad for them and that something happened with Daniel that caused the explosion. He also doesn't believe the cops would be fair and trustworthy bc of his experiences with racism
6) He just saw his innocent father gunned down by police who were threatening Daniel and Sean himself, despite their being innocent and his father being non-confrontational. Why would he want to wait for the same thing to happen to him and Daniel with the next bunch of cops, who have actual police casualties and a dead civilian to encourage them to escalate rapidly and take care of any witnesses who might want to claim police brutality...
Genuine question, is the plan in LiS2 to illegally cross the border into Mexico?
@@abhilashlr9259yes, they want to get to their fathers home town in Mexico called puerto lobos
@@abhilashlr9259 not from the start but eventually on the later chapters yes. Sean and Daniel are stated to have family in Puerto Lobos, a fictional place in Mexico, so that's why they were headed there
puerto lobos is actually real! there's even a Reddit post about it :D it even has a lighthouse, kinda like Arcadia Bay @@grantexticulo
There were at least 3 times in-game when we could see Sean telling the wolf story to Daniel, so I'd say it was already more than a framing device.
And the line before the final choice is "So, how does the story of the wolf brothers end?"
I'm not sure why you expected a more concrete book.
True!
I was kind of hoping we’d see that Sean turned their Wolf Brother story into a full comic book at the end, using the options we chose(if you did) in his drawings to add some story plots.
If Sean made it to Mexico on his own, maybe Brody hooked him up with an online publishing deal for some extra money.
If he’s in prison, maybe Daniel gets in published in his name and it’s a way for them to bond during that time.
If they make it to Mexico together it might just be a comic they work on together and use to reminisce their adventures, or they re-write it in a way to be a warning to gangs around them.
If Daniel is on his own, he has Sean’s journal and uses it to recreate the story for himself, learning some comic art even though he’ll never feel it can compare to Sean’s artwork, but it still a nice way to pass time and remember his brother.
@@MaryLoveJanein my ending Sean went to prison and when it was showing Daniel's life in pictures along a corkboard or something there was a comic about super wolf! Idk if it was just a drawing, like daniel following Sean's footsteps but I thought it was a comic. I also saw that ending on youtube but instead it showed a news paper about a school bus miraculously not crashing (daniel). The comic was called "Super Wolf Saves the School Bus!!" Or something
I honestly really liked Life is Strange 2. It felt refreshing
I was more attached to the Diaz Brothers than any other character in the series. Chloe was annoying and self-centered, and Max was a boring hipster. And Alex had no personality at all.
@@abellabarbieFINALLY SOMEONE SAYS IT 😭
The very first episode, until the end, specially when Brody helped them, it was so warm, touching. Average hearthfelt experience you feel in the Life is Strange universe
I hated 2 so much went from excited to this feel forced and badly written
@@abellabarbieAlex has no personality for a reason look at her powers how does she know what is her actual feelings and what she is forced to feel
DontNod hire Jay because I love this idea! It has Detroit Become Human vibes where you have a chance to either do Conner’s job right and capture the other protagonists or successfully keep the others from getting caught by him.
Dontnod no longer Has the franchise anymore.
@@joshuap81 wait really? then who does? Wait, is it Square Enix?
@@cherami-nox-fleuretDeck Nine and Square Enix
@@cherami-nox-fleuretdeck nine is developing them for square enix now
Here is an illustrated version of the idea - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
LIS2 definitely has its fault but the timing of that release and the impact it had on a lot of people (including me) is still felt. I simply cannot forget the emotions I had when watching it the first time and although Daniel was annoying sometimes it made sense because of how young he was. Not all kids are chill and cool lmao most get annoying over time. The analysis here was nice!
i still wish for an nathan prescott dlc, his character is perfect for another depressiv deep game
I got the worst ending to Life is Strange 2 on the first playthrough and even know I wrote over the same with another ending, I have not gotten past it. Mind you, it's only been about a month. I was in the bottom 8% of players who got that ending. Turns out I'm unhinged as hell, I guess 🙃
that ending made me cry so hard
It's fine, everyone tries their best in these kinds of games. Plus, it's cool you went back to change things for them
Was it lone wolf?
I feel you..
it’s a bad ending but it’s also a tragic masterpiece it was so darkly ironic
The cops would've assumed Sean planted a bombing in his house (since that's where the incident took place in) when he didn't and that's why he had to run. Knowing the system will falsely accused him of doing so.
But now, it's more about keeping Daniel safe from the government experimentation. Which is why I have Blood Brothers in my first playthrough.
If you read Sean’s journal it tells you everything him and Daniel have been through between episodes.
Also I don’t think Cassidy being at the end of the game has to be romantic lol it’s not like they’re kissing in the picture. You can friend zone her when in the woods and they remain friends unless you make her feel like you took advantage of her with one of your choices.
Thats actually rather interesting. I never really thought about how people would perceive Max's power before. In episode 2 or 3, Max "teleports" into the schools main office while chloe is trying to picklock the door.
She revereses time around her but she stays where she is. That contradicts the opening but it seems to be that way
Rachel played everybody except Chloe. She was vulnerable around her in a way that she wasn't with the others. Also, she was just using Frank and the others for money. If you remember, Jefferson, Nathan and Frank all thought that Rachel loved them. Nope. She wanted to escape with her, that's why she was trying to hustle all these guys and get their money.
Notice that the deer only disappeared when Chloe found out what happened to her. Her spirit remained only to serve as a guide, so that the person she cared for the most, Chloe, would know what happened to her.
Well, the only person we know Rachel truly loved was Jefferson. It was hinted throughout LiS, and even confirmed by the devs. Ashly Burch herself said that the devs of LiS gave her an impression that Chloe´s feelings for Rachel were just unrequited love. It´s quite telling how in LiS Jefferson knew about both Chloe and Frank, but they didn´t know anything about him. Chloe didn´t even know about Frank, and the game clearly suggests Rachel was lying to her somehow ("Rachel straight up lied to my face! Why didn´t she say anything?" "Because she knew how you would react.")
One of the themes of LiS is that your first impression of most people is wrong (Jefferson, Victoria, Taylor, David, Nathan, etc.), including Rachel. And it´s quite obvious in BtS. I don´t think all the multiple references and metaphors of Rachel being really good at tricking/manipulating people were added to BtS for no reason (“The raven is to be respected but never trusted”, Jedi Mind Trick, acting, her father making her good at lying/spotting lies, Chloe´s role as Ariel who is at the mercy of Prospera/Rachel, and Rachel/Prospera saying that she doesn´t grant Chloe/Ariel her freedom, etc). James and Sera´s story parallels Chloe and Rachel, and even William warns Chloe in her dreams.
Of course, this doesn´t mean that Rachel, who after all was just a 15-18 year old school girl, wasn´t a victim of both Frank and Jefferson, both 30/40+ men, or that her death in the hands of Nathan wasn´t tragic.
there is an intimate note to chloe in the junkyard in episode 2, from Rachel describing her "true love" and it was confirmed it's about jeffersom
@@miauczuśexactly Rachel was groomed and feel deeply it was obvious in BTS more
And then Chloe dies regardless
@@foxial5358 I completely agree that this was the intention. One of my biggest problems with BtS is that it felt like it romanticized Rachel and Chloe far too much. It told us a lot about how shifty Rachel could be without showing us (Or when it tried to, it did a really poor job. Like the Scene with her drugging Victoria or stealing the wine)
Rachel's character as a concept is a great idea. In the original game you piece together that Rachel was a charming but dangerous girl with the world around her finger, a girl who thinks the world is a stage and its people are just props for her to play with.
And her downfall being when she thinks she gets outplayed at her own game. Jefferson did to Rachel what Rachel was doing to everyone else in her life, Chloe included. And I would've loved more moments of this in BtS.
But the problem feels like BtS didn't want to use the original games Rachel. They wanted to tell a love story between Chloe and Rachel. It's mostly because the game was essentially made by a fan studio, so the game is closer to fanfiction than a genuine prequal. BtS's devs constantly talk about the dynamic between Chloe and Rachel like its real, like its a beautiful love blossoming between friends. They do the bare minimum of implying Rachels true nature so it doesn't sour their romance plot, and its honestly a bit dissapointing.
I would've loved a story where you play as a still broken Chloe recovering from her dads passing. She wouldn't be the rebel we just yet, instead closer to the Chloe we see in Max's flashbacks, and slowly over the course of the game, she gets pulled in and used by Rachel for her own excitement. That would've been great, to make Rachel the antithesis of everything that made Chloe and max work.
Rachel taking advantage of a vulnerable girl to make into her plaything, maybe encouraging Chloes more reckless behavior so she can reap the benefits.
What if we learned it was Rachel who got Chloe into drugs because she wanted them but didnt wanna risk damaging her reputation, so instead she has her cool new best friend get it for her.
Things like that. Show us that Rachel had a direct selfish benefit from her and Chloe's relationship, then drop hints of her already looking elsewhere for more. Like her going after frank without Chloe ever realizing it.
BtS just felt like they wasted what could've been a great antagonistic parallel to max and Chloes genuine love for one another.
I agree that Rachel should've been the playable character in Before the Storm. Chloe should always have been an unplayable mystery
disagree, rachel is supposed to be the mystery thats why we couldn't play as her. We're supposed to understand chloe in before the storm while also learning a bit more about rachel. We still have questions about rachel why did she leave chloe when they're bond in before the storm was strong etc thats what makes rachel rachel her mystery
The marketing for Captain Spirit contains vital information to understanding the state of the fanbase at time of release
I kinda wish max's personal life and family dynamics were better explored in the first game, apart from occasional text messages and the odd diary entry. Like we know the detailed family history to everyone except our main character max. Like what is their opinion on chloe or kate or jefferson?
I disagree, the purpose of a story is not to dump as much lore as possible on you.
Petition for JayniacJr to write the next LIS game starting now 🤣
Seriously though, why do you have so many better ideas?! As always you made me think about a lot of things I never would have and slightly changed my opinion on certain things.
Alex's backstory should have been more throughly explored, definitely. She is such an interesting character to me and could have been way more fleshed out.
Okay, so this one is my new favorite video of yours!
I remember when you realized you and Steph are twins 🤣 funny moment
I'll sign
Good times!
Here is an illustrated version of the idea - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
The thing that always bothered me about the first game was that you could just choose your ending, so your choices really didn’t matter apart from a few changes in details. Based on your video, though (I haven’t seen anything after BtS so idk), it seems the company also saw this and fixed it so that your choices actually determine the ending.
I was more upset because the choice at the end was very shallow and predictable. There were literal fan theories prior to the release of the last episode that pitched better endings. Also, the mr. Jefferson plot twist was set up very poorly, and everyone I've known who played the game also thought it felt random.
That’s what True Colors improved on. It mattered how you dealt with others so by the end you’ll see who takes your side or not.
@@hue.main1Except it didn’t matter there either. Regardless of who stands up for Alex at the council meeting, you still get the same ending regardless (Jed is arrested, Typhon gets shut down). 😊
LIS2 had the best endings, not only did your past choices affect them but they were also all very cinematically well done (except the one where Sean stays in Mexico and Daniel stays with his grandparents that one was underwhelming) bc the one where he goes to jail is so thematically beautiful bc he sacrificed everything for his little bro, and the one where they both go to mexico is where daniel sacrifices everything for sean, and the one where sean dies is very powerful bc daniel just wanted to do the right thing, he made a promise to his brother that everything would be okay and then it turned into disaster it was a beautiful and complex tragedy
Still to this day Life is Strange 2 speaks a lot to me. The best game for me even though LiS 1 was perfect for the me who was fresh in college.
The responsibility of taking care of a younger sibling and the weight of what they are running away from is all highstakes.
Never played it on release but just a few years ago for a random sale. Best decision ever
I loved Life is Strange 2 personally. It hit close to home since it was about family ties and I'm an older sibling myself, and it was a very timely and relevant piece about the climate regarding immigration and police brutality. Life is Strange 1 wasn't as compelling to me because I couldn't relate to most of the circumstances that max and especially chloe ended up in and it wasn't as grounded compared to life is strange 2 which really boils down to family and loyalty
EXACTLY i think what made LIS2 so powerful is that it’s about ur family and bloodlink, i’m always gonna care more about my little brother over my friend also my family’s Asian and we related to the stuff sean went through
“He’s still to dead to tell anybody else”
Why make me laugh over his tragic death!
My favorite game is LIS 2 even if I doesn’t have siblings I feel connected with the characters the story ,I love the changing atmospheres in every moments of these episodes and the gameplay is really good, the fact that the MC doesn’t have a power but instead he kinda helps his brother to use his powers make him very powerful, also I cried a lot
This should be interesting! I love hearing peoples opinions and analysis of things I like.
I have a slightly less common opinion than most people. A lot of people prefer the original game, but I vastly prefer the second, with the third as a close second
Nice, I prefer the second game too with the True Colors as a second
I thought you were talking about BTS for a second, but if you are, I found BTS boring. This I why I only spent money on True Colors Ultimate Edition. LIS is nice too, but I bought S2 on sale and wasn't interested in the prequel. S2 doesn't get that much love from the fandom, even though Square Enix tries its best to promote it.
I found more minorities in race connecting to True Colors and S2
But my biggest proven with the series is releasing the game or episodes with bugs...
And it's drastic enough that it'll need a patch update again and again..
I think a lot of, let's just say gamers from more privileged groups, are a bit put off by LIS 2's political commentary which makes them give it wayyy more hate than it deserves. Let's be real, a lot of the dialogue around immigration was sloppy and like a primary schooler's understanding of racism (as though it's just a bunch of mean people running around beating up minorities), but people act like all of the scenarios were very unrealistic when I would see a lot of POC people in comments of people's playthrough praising the game for exposing these issues and depicting the tragic reality of things that they, and their loved ones, have experienced. In short LiS 2 deserves wayy more love than it gets.
@@thatqueenG
True, I saw gamers calling it out too. Because it is simplified, but sometimes, when you see yourself represented, you can forgive everything. Neither of the games are unique in storytelling & the Diaz bros could've had better pacing. But it's still a game that many pretend had no sales or wasn't political like the other ones.
The moments where you just sit and listen to the soundtracks are my favorites, which (to my memeory) were lacking in the second game. Which is why one of my favorite part is when in episode 1 ,in the woods, you can just sit on a bench and just look out to the river as a peaceful soundtrack plays in the background
I may not agree with everything you said, but it's a well-made essay. And, oh man, your idea for the next game alone is enough for me to applaud you! That seriously got me hooked, good job.
Thank you
Here is an illustrated version of the idea - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
I already know this is going to be a good video
Life is strange 2 is my favorite out of all them. I felt so connected to them the whole game
same. i just got finished replaying it and i cried several times. i will always have so much love for the wolf brothers 🥺
I’m giving my opinion on LIS2 as a brazilian, bc I immediately had to pause when I heard you say that racism is way over the top and in your face in the game, as if it’s not how it happens in real life. I can’t assume your ethnicity, but I can talk based on my experiences and say: it can be even worse than that. The reason I connected most with LIS2 was how badly latin-american people are seen in the rest of the world and how we’re used as scapegoats. It made me cry and get angry and, even tho the setting was all over the place, I related way more to the wolf brothers than to Max, or Chloe, or Rachel. The game sure has its problems, but I the political aspect of it - especially in it’s release time - wasn’t it.
Thank you for respectfully sharing your personal experience with racism. I think you should consider writing a book about this because it genuinely warms my heart. As a Black Canadian (this is my ethnicity) I've noticed many disagree with my take on Life is Strange 2, so maybe it didn't resonate with me because my experience with racism has been much more subtle and underhanded. Again, thank you for sharing your experience, I think many others should hear this too.
@@mochicinno_that’s valid, everyone has different experiences and either relating to Sean or not relating to him at all are both valid
@@mochicinno_ Oxi, por que cê tá falando inglês? Ambos são brasileiros.
I don't think not being able to tell if the dad had a lot of wisdom or if she was just romanticizing his past is a continuity error I think it's actually a really realistic depiction of someone experiencing loss.
Jay, you're life is strange game idea is IMMACULATE and I want to play it so bad 😤♥️
Thank you!
Ive always saw Max's powers as being teleportation, and the ability simply allows her to teleport through time. Which makes sense to me because just as you're somewhat limited in how you teleport, youre limited in how far you van turn back time. And it makes even more sense when you realize that shes teleporting miles and miles when she goes back in time through a photo. The photos allow her to extend the range of her abilities. I feel they didnt convey it super well in that way, but based in everything shown i feel that was their intention. U less they just didn't think it through very well and this is all just headcanon. That being said, death of the author.
so here's my thing, LiSTC feels extremely real to me. i don't think that necessarily makes it a compelling game in terms of gameplay but when i played i found it so refreshing to play a game where we are trying to bond ourselves with a community after a tragedy. the lack of story details about gabe and alex's relationship makes sense to me cause the foster care system splits people up so drastically that, by the time we meet them, they're different people entirely from who they were as kids. maybe its just me but i would have loved even less of the corporation plotline and more of the jed conflict and interpersonal story beats because unlike some of the other installments of the franchise, the acting and dialogue of these characters were consistently engaging and well done. idk I just love this game but I do understand its criticisms.
glad we can all agree the soundtrack rocks tho thats non-negotiable
Praying Square Enix picks up your game idea! You're such a good storyteller just put out any kind of game at this point 🤗
Thank you so much for commenting this! Means a lot!
I thought Alex's emotion power should be more proactive, choice-based and empowering. Howabout this: You have different emotional 'meters' that indicate the growth of your powers based on CHOICES. So if you encourage people toward anger, you get 'anger' choices/powers, etc. This would make a GREAT choice-influenced branching storyline based totally on how you play the game and treat people. Can you imagine replaying the game so you can really try different things and do things totally differently? Magic.
Life is strange 2: Sean when he gets sent to jail. His sentence isn’t picked at random. He gets his sentence from GTA, and escaping police and FBI custody. Each of which carries an up to five year sentence. Given the multiple state spree it kicks it to a felony charge and which usually kicks it to max sentences.
yeah he was lucky he only got 15 years tbh if u let lisbeth and the other cops die then he should’ve gotten way more years
This video must’ve been a big project for you. You did a great job!
I think Rachel being the protagonist of before the storm would be cool. I think her powers would be subtle manipulation/charm. Nothing too questionable/noticeable. I wish there was a better story for Before the Storm in general… or just show Rachel and Chloe’s relationship without any weird story.
And the idea at the end really shows off your story writing idea. Idk if you want to develop it or not but it’s quite cool
Thank you so much!
Ngl, I didn’t even know Life is Strange had games past the initial story’s prequel. Tho LIS2 does sound interesting to me, as an older sister that helps take care of my younger siblings
You should definitely play it. Having younger siblings seems to be the dealbreaker for if you will fully deeply connect with the game. For me as an only child, i thought the story was touching but i just couldnt relate. Most of the big lis 2 fans are always talking about how their relationships with their siblings gave them such a strong connection to the game
you should play LIS2 it’s an incredible game and the original music is the best i’ve heard in a game
It's the best game in the series imo, def worth a playthrough
i LOVED LIS2. i cry every time not matter what ending i get.
crying bc rachel as the main character would have been so good
right 😭
I just can't think of any other piece of media that's ruined by a single character. If Chloe was written better, I would really love this game. Like if there was anything redeeming about her, any kind of character development, anything, I would love this game so much
Thank you for making this video! I’ve been waiting for an analysis video on the entire LiS series (not just LiS1 and BtS) for awhile now and this one certainly didn’t disappoint.
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome you are covering this I didn’t think you would do anything gaming related
I'd love to do more down the road.
@@JayniacJr Character power is just to read people's feeling and read their mind too
Maaan, now I wanna have the full version of your story as a game. I've never thought about it, but having it as a game with two protagonist which both of them have superpowers would be so freaking awsome! Also how they are two diffrent sides of the same coin (of the law), it was a really nice touch!
If they ever decide to make another like is strange, I hope they do this
@@LueLue_2763 isn't one in the works at the moment?
you should play Tell Me Why it’s about twins who both have powers it was made by DontNod
@@mashashomee I did try to watch a plathrough of it. But quickly disliked it with the way it was written. It wasn't for me. But ideas for it were interesting at least.
I think the reason for us only seeing bits of Alex's past (true colors) near the end of the last episodes is because they are not meant to add to the narrative but actually show a fully new narrative and view on this situation. It's what her brothers voice tells her she needs to see and sheds another light on the people around Alex: Alex never had powers. She would be traumatized by the death and later abandonment in her life and has started seeking a reason behind everyone's actions. Becuase of her trauma she feels like she needs to be in control of what's going on, to see when and why people act like they do becuase she can't stand that some things just happen. She's scared of conflict so is highly affected when it happens around her and all the things she hears are just her inner monologue comming up with the to her most likely scenario and reflections of her own self-hatred (best seen in the scene where the foster families all look at her trough the windows all saying different but also similar things. This is her own explenation for why she never found a stable home and the windows are litteraly walls between Alex and reality. Visable but never felt)
wow!
What I got from all of this is... surface games, they have this shining idea that translates into a pretty game with good potencial (super powers, relationships with interesting characters, choices, intriguing conflict or mysteries...) but everything it's left half baked, not knowing how to unite the concept, the aesthetic and the gameplay, left with choices that are often missleading, useless or unreasonable as a mean to create conflict or insert a "lesson". The characters go 50-50 between relatable teens and clichés to reinforce an idea or advance plot. It's something that you can perhaps get away with in a film, as it's usually shorter and the audience doesn't have any control over it to look around the corner, but not with a game.
I would love to read your LiS idea as an original project of some kind, like a book or a comic! You're very good at storytelling!
(Really, this section of the video is my favorite. I wish I could describe how much I liked this concept more but my English is not good enough for that hehe)
Thank you so much!
Here is an illustrated version of the idea - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
Your LIS idea is amazing I NEED that game. Also playing Rachel would have made way more sense. It would have made Rachel a better character in general, we don’t learn a lot about her in BTS besides the fact that she’s manipulative, she doesn’t seem interesting or kind. We already know about Chloe’s home life from LIS so we didn’t really need to play her for a backstory.
Thank you so much
Here is an illustrated version of the idea - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
I really enjoyed Captain Spirit. It was a little slow at first, but that gut punch ending where you find out where Chris got the supervillain name really stuck with me.
Life is Strange is a wild memory for me. I felt very connected to Max when I played the first game cuz I was also in my final year of high school. So I played all the dlcs and side stories and enjoyed them even if I couldn't really relate to Chloe's romantic struggles. So I was hyped for LIS2 only to be underwhelmed by how the first episode ended and then didn't even end up playing the final episode and still haven't to this day. Then got excited for 3 only for it to be buggy n underwhelming. Sad 😔
i really enjoyed this video!! i’m a big fan of the series and love all the games, and i only hope that lis4 manages to improve on past mistakes. i also love your lis game concept!! i hope one day you’ll feel like sharing more of it. the idea of finding the past lis protagonists and what they’re doing now (likely based on the endings) is so interesting!!
Here is an illustrated version of the idea - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
I dont get to see good videos like this often
this is definitely worth the watch
I have so many questions about your idea. Have you thought of a name yet? I actually like the concept of Darcy and Vanessa having opposing but complementary powers: one who finds freedom outside of themselves, and another who is restricted to only what can be sensed inside of someone else. Vanessa would need some seriously solid motivation, though. Why is she compiling a database on super-powered individuals when she herself is one? Has she considered the implications of revealing these secrets to the police, to the government, maybe eventually the world? Would Darcy and Vanessa naturally be immune to each other's powers, or maybe they'd interact? Like what if Vanessa can see Darcy's spirit with her own eyes, while if Darcy's spirit touches/phases through someone Vanessa is "peeking" through, it cuts off Vanessa's connection?
The name I thought of was "My Life is Strange"
Here is the concept illustrated - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
@@JayniacJr Oop I’m about to watch, my fries got 7 min left in the air fryer!
The Alex/Issac relationship never really came to my mind, that's a very good analysis!!
I absolutely adored Life Is Strange 2.
Some people say Maxs power mess up doesn’t cause the tornado but Rachel’s rage is the tornado
But the tornado doesn't happen if u let chloe die in the beggining so it is tied to that moment
@@munkayttaja6913 well i think it's because if u chose "sacrifice chloe" jefferson and nathan would be caught, therefore rachel got her "revenge" that way
@@xiphosofficial maybe and now that I think about it Max saw the tornado even before her powers so I don't know if it can be bc if her powers bc it wouldn't then make sense that she sees the tornado before she even has the power
@@munkayttaja6913 So maybe Max had the vision of the tornado because she was supposed to prevent it (so her powers are somewhat connected to Rachel's rage or restlessness, which is fitting with the deer following her around and vanishing after they discover Rachel). And in solving Rachel's murder using her time powers, and getting Jefferson and Nathan arrested after sacrificing Chloe, she did? Wouldn't that mean that Max could've prevented the storm by clearing up who committed the murder and assaults, keeping Chloe alive, and nobody would've died? In that case, the story is even more tragic, since in the end, what kept her from a perfectly happy ending was a misunderstanding... She thought she had to make a choice, when in reality she could've had both Chloe and Arcadia Bay.
I haven't played this game in years, so if I forgot something blatantly contradictory, that's no surprise. For example, I can't remember how much time passed between her escaping Jefferson and the storm, and if she outed him and they storm happened anyway? 😅
@@emdove the storm was going on already when she escaped from Jefferson, but I don't know about the rest, I replayed it a while back tho. Maybe there was another option if she could've proved what Jefferson and Nathan were doing, without getting Chloe killed. It would've been very hard to do that tho, she would have to travel through pictures and all that while keeping Chloe alive. It did seem like no matter what Max did, Chloe would die, like it was destiny. She had to save her over and over again
I really love your analysis videos Jay! Even though I only really know the story of the first game and kinda Before The Storm and have no clue about the plots of the rest of the games you really make the whole video interesting and fun to watch nonetheless.
Loved this video!
I only played Life is strange 1 and 2 so far (including before the storm and adventures of captain spirit) and I must say I agree
I still want to play the 3rd one though.
Also I love your life is strange idea. It sounds awesome. I really hope it'll get made into an actual game because I would buy it immediately
Here is an illustrated version of the idea - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
I adore the first game. One of my favorites of all time even with its flaws. I wish I could go back and replay it for the first time again. But I’ve never had any desire to play any of the other games. I wish I could keep spending time back with Max, just immersed in the world the game made, but for all my affection for the first game, I’ve never cared to play the other entries, or even replay the original much. I stand by my choices from my first playthrough so I don’t feel a need to replay it and experience the other choices I could make… especially when the game funnels me into the same last choice anyway :/ And the sequels with their new locations, characters, situations, and powers don’t catch my eye.
Anyways great video! Really enjoy listening to essays about LIS that take me down memory lane every now and then.
I thought the entire point of making a prequel was to answer some questions we asked during the first game about some character's background. But “Before the Storm” isn’t really doing that and instead does its own thing. Ironically, “Before the Storm” just gives us even more questions.
I completely agree that “Before the Storm” could have been far better if we played as Rachel. Maybe even playing as both Rachel and Chloe.
Captain Spirit was kinda boring but great in story telling. You don’t have freedom in this story cause it feels like you get to either choose to make Chris enjoy his fantasy or ground himself in reality to appease his father. It’s like walking on eggshells and it’s hard. And I like Chris not having powers because Life Is Strange is about grounded in reality characters with powers as a crutch to further explore those themes, we all wished to have powers to escape reality and or feel like there’s a purpose to our pain or life, but in the end we still are just human and life can be cruel but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in your life and that’s why it’s important for kids to have a good childhood.
Captain spirit was kind of boring but really emotional, it’s such an accurate depiction of abusive parents. The lashing on their kids and then acting like nothing happened later. Very accurate
Drawing anthropomorphic animals doesn't make you a furry
this entire thing & the comments are just so much blabbing.. so upsetting
Now I am actually sad that I won't get to play your game! Seriously, that sounds like such an insanely good idea for the next LIS installment, I want to play it so bad already
Here is an illustrated version of the idea - th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ADHJQrp2kMKHqC-H
I like this deep-dive into the LIS series!
Just wanted to add my two-cents, It is very interesting to see that LIS2 was not well received by others. I played LIS2 after having finished every game before it and it actually connected with me the most. As an older sibling, I saw a lot of myself in Sean and I see a lot of my two younger brothers in Daniel.
I'll always remember the experience and feelings felt when I played this for the first time and finished it without looking up anything to influence my thoughts on the game. People say it's cringe, maybe I have rose-colored glasses on about the whole thing, but none of that mattered to me. I love LIS2 and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
I loved true colors, I liked the story but at times I did feel like the ep's felt rushed with the story, I kind of wished they were longer, and I wish you got to spend more time with gabe. Mainly I wish there was more time
I love that this was actually an elaborate job application😂😂😂
Rachel is the one who gave max her powers to take revenge on Arcadia Bay and their is a comic book series about what max and Chloe after you choose sacrifice Arcadia bay
13:33 anyone can argue that rachel's disappearance made her angsty
i’d love to see your idea in motion !! i’ve seen a lot of “here’s my idea” that end up being really flat, but yours was actually intriguing. powers that aren’t seen very often in media, mixed with the opposing view points, the possibility of death, etc, it’s the best idea since the original LiS. I rarely like videos, like leave likes, but i did here bc it was an amazing idea. i hope it gets made someday.
Hello, so far this is what we came up with for the idea: th-cam.com/video/qErp5YCgrNE/w-d-xo.html
It's an illustration of each part.
I liked Life is Strange 2 the most. Never felt so connected and cried so much in any other video game
Upset I couldn't be here for the premiere but oh man it's finally here
SAAAAAAAMMMME
I thought life is strange 2 was the best of the series and have played all of them. I love the dynamic between trying to be a good brother Vs a good parent replacement to make sure the little brother comes out as good
and the choices mattered a LOT in the game, i didn’t realize it until i replayed and picked different options, the way your brother treats you, the dialogue, and even your/Sean’s internal monologue is different depending on your choices
That intro to Life is Strange 2 is diabolical lmaoo. 90s babies iykyk 😂
Glad someone noticed that
I had the same realization when playing wavelengths about myself. Steph’s inner monologue reminds me of my own far too much.
We need to get you hired as a lead story director for the next game. Your idea sounds amazing!
I know it's not technically in the life is strange lineup because it was released by Xbox instead of square enix and was released when deck nine was taking over the life is strange games, but don't nod's Tell Me Why is honestly my favorite of any of these games and should have been a part of the series.
I so buy into the fan theory that it originally was supposed to be an LiS title, but square shot them down. Wouldnt surprise me especially with the trans element. Just cuz square is down with palatable white girl on girl queerness doesnt mean that they wouldnt draw the line at a trans character. Though this is all speculation and im not familiar enough with square to know if any of their other published games have ever had a trans character.
I really like your idea for a life is strange game, I feel it would make for an interesting and fun story
Completely agree, that BtS should be trough eyes of Rachel, not Chloe. Its never said, at least literally, what kind of relationship those two had and it wouldnt distrub bigger picture, if you wouldnt follow strictly romantic path. It could be moreless platonic, maybe more than that in Chloe's eyes than in reality.
Rachel deserved better exploration. That "human chameleon" as some describe her, but also "light that cast shadow, both at same time" as Samuel describes her. There was so much potential to tell compelling story, but i think they got simply fixed on Chloe, which was understandable from success of the first game and safe bet. Seeing Rachel struggle with expectations would have same depth, as Max's uncertainity.
I wouldnt mess it with adding Rachel any powers, that would only distrub already complicated fiction(unless you want go deep into this 'Rachel's spirit gave power to Max' rabbit hole). Navigating well written dialogues to help people around her, while questioning her own identity would be good enough theme. You can still have consequences, just without allmighty rewind. Rewind power was just plot device anyway, you could replace it with checkpoints and be done with it. Some would be disappointed its pretty much same without all that mystery surrounding it, but it wouldnt really hurt anything a kept gameplay element close to the first game.
Life is strange 2 is my favorite game.
Although the themes of this franchise are heavy enough, even on glimpes, I think they don't want to show too much graphical disturbance. Something so psichologically triggering you see in Silent Hill 2 and 4, when it comes to psychological abuse.
The main nature of the Dark Room, Rachel and the other missing girls in Arcadia Bay may imply bad things happened, more than the game wants to show.
In my head canon, jeffersons victims were definitely sexually assaultedby him. Honestly the whole drug them up but just photograph them thing with no assault always seemed… weird. And it seemed dontnod wanted to tiptoe around that idea without having to actually go there. I hate thinking about that happening to these characters but its what makes most sense to me
@@Allgloss312I think DontNod probably intended for sexual assault to be a theme in the Jefferson story line but since they were dealing with high schoolers they were being really careful about it
I love the original life is strange idea, it seems really cool like a cat and mouse type of game
Weirdly, the only videos I’ve seen with negative critiques on Life is Strange 2 being “too political” are videos by white American men… it’s just a strange coincidence…
No shade at all, I enjoyed the video and this is a great channel. I just think it’s just important to remind ourselves to view the world and media through a lens other than the one we grew up with. That’s really the whole point of LiS 2. For racial minorities (& with recent events-women as well), politics actually ARE everything because it impacts our day-to-day more than it would impact most white American males. The idea of “I don’t like to think/talk about politics” is really a privileged saying that I’ve never heard from another colored American.
On another note, as an educator, I also think the twist of NOT being the superhero in a video game, but rather it being your little brother, is a pretty interesting one. It’s commendable they were able to pull this off as I don’t think it’s ever been done by another video game before. This twist in storytelling emphasizes how important our choices are as parents, older siblings, and role models because they impact how the children in our lives are molded by them.
Also: I never picked up on Alex being a s*xual assault survivor… that’s some good attention detail and brings a lot of clarity to her character. Dang… Good video tho 🙂
right ! in real life AMERICA everything is fucking political especially for people of color ! personally i think the second one is the best one bc of just how unique it is. i think the first is a close second ! and the third one idk what was going onnnnn at all i don’t like alex at all. but can you tell me how she was assaulted i don’t get it ? but anyways i agree sm wit ur comment omg
very well said. as a black woman, these “too political” comments really bothered me because that’s just life for some people. a boy has telekinesis but they think the unreal part is racism…
I'm a little late to this comment, but I don't know if you actually finished the video or not or maybe looked away. Jayniac is literally a black man. Not all of us are going to walk away with the same impression of these narratives, black people are not a monolith. I will say that as a black man who played LiS2 as the episodes dropped during the peak of the "what horrifying overnight legislation did Cheeto Man and his army of Gremlins drop now?" era, especially when those midterm elections came up and we were finally seeing the average person begin to question the purpose of ICE, I was on the fence with how the game portrayed these issues.
Witnessing and experiencing actual racism irl every day, in its most extreme forms to its most passive forms, I do remember feeling like the way it was portrayed in LiS2 was overhanded and oversimplified. And maybe it's just me, but if anyone is going to broach the topic of racism and xenophobia in their story, I need them to be on point and tighten up. A clumsy fictional approach can be as harmful to the movement as the bigotry itself by making our real experiences with oppression seem unreal to the people who don't experience that. LiS2 definitely could've use some Americans on the writing team, specifically brown-skinned Hispanic Americans, for input.
I'm a black Canadian man...
@@JayniacJr That part!! 👆🏽
LiS2 is the best one and Sean is the best protagonist
I'm not sure if True Colours felt short because it was short, or because I never got screwed over by the controls. That fucking bring-the-photo-into-focus bit did not want to cooperate with my Switch's sticks!
love this video, i often fall asleep to your longer videos because i love the sound of your voice! great analysis as always!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Well, 2 and half years later, they were still in Arcadia Bay, even if they promised each other to run together under that lamp. Yes im in theory section, but one who couldnt move was Chloe, because that would mean leave everything behind, leaving Max("You make me feel like i have a reason for still being in AB" - pool scene). Rachel was pretty sensitive, she could see Chloe has feelings for Max and didnt push her, but she had also doubts if Chloe is honest. Thats why she grew closer to Frank. Behind Chloe's back, because she was affraid to tell her. Chloe would see her as another person who abandoned her.
Her letters to Frank shows that relationship wasnt that great, so she fell in love for Jefferson(i strongly doubt they had sex, unless Jefferson would be that stupid to sleep with student of his(and if anyone want to pull out letter again, read it first)). Jefferson couldnt give her what she was looking for either. Ultimatelly, she made choice to run, with Chloe or without her, asking trucker if he takes her to L.A. Sadly, she was murdered weeks before it could happen.
If you think about it, it gives lots of sense(imo). Thats what makes LiS so great. They didnt have to shovel it right into your mouth, just keep believable. Let you connect dots by your self and your imagination.
I know it's not an official LiS game, but "Tell Me Why" really fits right in with the rest of these. And is better than a few of 'em...
On the whole, I agree that everything after Life is Strange 1 just hasn't come close to matching it. But if I had to rank them:
5. Really good call on how *True Colors* would be further enticing if it utilized Alex's powers more to solve the mystery. But personally, I just didn't find the "evil corporation" all that interesting of a conflict, nor did I find Empathy all that interesting a power. A lot of that had to do with NPC's thoughts and emotions being so basic and "safe". What people are ~really~ thinking, should have been so much more, for lack of a better term... "colorful" than this. The only time this remotely has some bite is Gabe's widow's anger. Nothing about True Colors has any edge to it, compared to how dark LiS1 often gets. It's all so affable and soft. And it seems to have no understanding of what it really means to take an emotion away. Outside of the soundtrack, this is the weakest one imo.
4. I have a lot of issues with *Before the Storm* The Talkback mechanic sucks, the single romance option feels like the game is pushing it on the player, rather than developing organically from my choices, the storytelling is a mess in the last chapter, and Rachel Amber as a character is a complete psycho that doesn't coalesce with the person discussed in the first game. She should have remained a mysterious figure. Or just been written more consistently. This prequel reeked of fan fiction, which it kind of was. Deck Nine, were basically fans who got permission from Dontnod to turn their fanfic into an official game. On a positive note, I actually liked the material with Chloe and her dad, and in an interesting reversal, she fills the Max role, with Rachel being her "Chloe."
3. I also preferred Lyla to Finn or Cassidy and it's frustrating she's left outside of *Life is Strange 2's* story. A lot of LiS2 is frustrating because it's got some great ideas. It sucks NOT playing the person with powers, but as it goes on, I began to appreciate how my choices mattered in a different sort of way. The road trip structure was a nice change of pace, but by design, I never got attached to any characters I meet since they won't stick around, and each episode feels rushed, ESPECIALLY Daniel ending up with some "evil" Church. Along with the heavy-handed racism and how it handles the absentee mom, the story needed more work. Sitting on a weed farm? Exploring grandma's house? It doesn't help that the moment to moment gameplay is. So. Boring.
2. The idea of Chris being a villain origin story in *Captain Spirit* is something that never crossed my mind once, but it's a pretty cool idea. Nevertheless, I guess I would rank this second-best from an enjoyment standpoint. I liked the concept of playing as a kid and his active imagination, and I saw a lot of potential in the relationship with his father. And not for nothing, but the little bits of info we get about his mom, is more than can be said about either of Max's parents. Captain Spirit is bite-sized, so it doesn't overstay it's welcome, and the ending matched the excitement of some of the first game's best cliffhangers. My biggest regret is that he's nothing more than a cameo in LiS 2, rather than a major character. The sequel really should have stuck with this kid.
And the next game should have everyone with powers team up!
Why I liked each Life is Strange game:
LiS 1: tragic lesbians
BTS: tragic lesbians
LiS 2: tragic les- brothers
Captain Spirit: childhood nostalgia
TC: funny
I think my favourite LiS is True Colors. All the games have flaws but I feel like Alex is the character I connected most with. I also loved the setting and characters (especially Steph who was a super fun character in Before the Storm.) The great thing about these games is that they all have something that connects with someone.
Your idea is like a mix of "Beyond Two Souls" and "Detroit Become Human"
Life is strange 2 will forever have a place in my heart
Rachel was like that in before the storm because she thought her dad was cheating in her mom. That feeling of betrayal drove her actions...
I really enjoyed this video and i realised i never bothered to check wavelengths because i didn't buy true colours. I loved your next game idea and it actually sounds pretty cool, it reminded me a bit of Beyond Two Souls and Heavy Rain
11:20 lmao I first heard this song in a weed farming app I had on my phone. Total surprise hearing it here!