Life is Strange 2 (PC)

Wastelands ist die dritte von insgesamt fünf geplanten Episoden und setzt die Geschichte sehr spannend fort.

Rules setzt das Abenteuer sehr gelungen fort. Die Handlung ist etwas entschleunigt, ruhiger und setzt mehr auf Dialoge und die Charaktere. Trotzdem bleiben emotionale Momente nicht aus.

Die erste Episode von Life is Strange 2 ist definitiv ein sehr gelungener und würdiger Auftakt. Das Spiel schafft es schön und traurig zur selben Zeit zu sein, stellt euch vor Entscheidungen, die gleichzeitig richtig und falsch sind und steht damit den anderen Spielen der Reihe in Nichts nach. Die folgenden Episoden werden zeigen, wie sich die Geschichte weiterentwickelt, jedoch legt diese Episode bereits den Grundstein für ein großes emotionales Abenteuer.

Saying goodbye to the Diaz brothers is as difficult as it was to leave Chloe and Max in the original Life Is Strange, which is a testament to the extraordinary strength of the game's character building.

Life Is Strange 2 isn’t some pleasant walk in the park, but a perilous slog across the country, staring adversity in the face and overcoming it in search of freedom and a fresh start. It’s not always comfortable to watch, but it’s a journey well worth taking for fans of the series, and narrative-driven experiences in general.

Over the last year, Life is Strange 2 has been quietly weaving a powerful and sincere narrative experience that admirably carries on the series’ legacy.

Life is Strange 2 represents a sophistication of Dontnod's storytelling capabilities because it effectively adds up and weighs moral decisions to truly influence the narrative outcome. Every ending comes with some degree of complication -- that much was to be expected -- but it's satisfying because they're all befitting of the characters you molded.

Wastelands is the third of a total of five planned episodes and continues the story in a very exciting way.

aith serves a few important purposes within the Life is Strange 2 story. It shores up some loose ends from the brothers' past, it proves the lengths Sean is willing to go to in order to protect Daniel, and it gives Daniel further autonomy by letting him make his own decisions. It's an exciting chapter that leaves everyone worse for the wear.

Your Sean can be kind or standoffish, thieving or righteous, but your actions don't change the love and adoration between the Diaz brothers--and that love is still the heart and soul of Life Is Strange 2.

Rules continues the adventure very successfully. The plot is a bit decelerated, calmer and focuses more on dialogues and characters

Life Is Strange 2 Episode 3 has a thrilling conclusion but its core conflict and new characters never fully make a connection.

Despite its supernatural themes, Life Is Strange almost always delivers an honest moment instead of a sensationalized one. There's something far more relatable about a teenager mumbling apologies after their "first time" instead of dancing down the street to the tune of "You Make My Dreams Come True," and it's these moments that truly solidify your investment in Sean.

There's no question that Sean and Daniel leave Life is Strange 2's third episode with more scars than they began with. Scars have a way of robbing innocence and dispiriting the spirited. It's no wonder Daniel is disillusioned. But that headstrong attitude leaves Wastelands feeling like an episode without much development. Deep in the California forest, the weed is growing but that's about it.

Rules is bookended by some heartrate-spiking sequences, but the majority is spent relatively comfortably. Music has crescendos and decrescendos because they're dynamic. Loud has more impact when everything was soft just moments ago. Rules is a decrescendo. It's quiet and it's retrained. But all indications are that Life is Strange 2 won't stay quiet much longer.

The larger consequences of how you've chosen to guide Daniel are still to come, but the cracks are starting to show and the pressure is heightening. That said, no matter how you leave Daniel and Sean at the end of this chapter, there is the palpable sense of hope, of a new way forward, and of the unconditional love between two brothers.

Developer Dontnod used this first episode as an opportunity to get right at the themes of Life is Strange 2. There's no time wasted and that's an effective way to get our attention. This is going to be a roadtrip that's worth looking forward to, even if it's born out of some of the most tragic circumstances imaginable.

The first episode of choose-your-own-adventure drama Life is Strange 2 is an ambitious sequel that succeeds in its quietest moments.

Dontnod retains its expertise in depicting a teenager's unique struggles with their identity, relationships, and the way they fit into their world, while adding new gameplay mechanics that lend a stronger emotional investment to your decision-making. Life Is Strange 2: Episode 1 is a triumphant first chapter, featuring a narrative that fearlessly reflects the lives of two Latino brothers living in our politically-charged climate.