Episode 2 picks up shortly after where the amazing episode 1 left off. The brothers are now residing in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere with their puppy, Mushroom, living off stolen tins of ravioli. Daniel is learning to use his power to levitate objects with the help of his brother, but it’s not long before the story takes a turn for the worse and the two begin the next chapter on their journey.
As we move through the story, things start to get better for the brothers but the knowledge that it’s only temporary is made obvious throughout. The sense of dread that something is going to change everything again will make you question every choice you make, even though, inevitably, most of this journey is already mapped out. That’s probably the biggest flaw with Life Is Strange 2 – it has a story to tell and a cast of characters to tell it, so the choices and artificial sense of freedom always feel a bit limited. You make a decision that entering a certain place is a bad idea, but then another character talks you into it and you no longer get a say.
The main decisions you do make tend to affect Daniel’s actions. Discouraging him to use his powers throughout the course of the game may cause another character’s death and put a dint in your relationship. It’s a cool mechanic and an important reminder how, as role models, our actions and decisions affect the young minds that look up to us in ways we couldn’t even imagine.
The episode ties in nicely with the free game The Adventures of Captain Spirit, so if you haven’t played that yet, we’d definitely recommend checking it out first. How you see the world in that game will likely affect some of the choices you make relating to that family.
Overall, episode 2’s story is much tamer than the first. Although it starts off bad, things pick up and it’s a pretty chilled out ride. You play some games, look at some stuff and chat to some people. It just doesn’t feel quite as fleshed out as previous instalments. It’s probably the much-needed chillout episode to Daniel and Sean’s lives, but we expect it to be the low point for the series.
LIFE IS STRANGE 2: EPISODE 2 / DEVELOPER: DONTNOD ENTERTAINMENT / PUBLISHER: SQUARE ENIX / PLATFORM: PC, PS4, XBOX ONE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
