Life Is Strange is one of my favourite games. I've played it multiple times since it first came out. I've done every route and every option, but I can't recommend this "remaster." Aside from the eyes never looking in the right direction (I wish this was a joke; characters eyes will seem to look in the wrong direction a lot), The lighting being broken, There is a so disgusting amount of bugs, from game-breaking, soft-locking, visual, and audio desyncs, or just not playing, all the way to just things playing out of sequence. I've had characters start their animations from the wrong positions for the actions/cutscenes. Missing parts of textures that either only load in at one position or not at all. Loss of detail on any small textures (the ants in episode 4 are just a mess in this). The biggest issue is the Episode 4 soft lock; if you do a certain thing out of sequence, you can't progress. The game also does not run at all on Steam Deck since it is massively unoptimised when it should easily run on it. All the end of episode and start of episode cutscenes are just video files, so they are always going to play at the same resolution and look awful compared to gameplay. I love this game, but this is the worst way to play it. The original is cheaper, looks better due to fewer visual bugs, and the facial animations/eyes are less janky and have better lighting. It's really sad that a "remaster" is such a downgrade. The first episode of season 1 is free, and the rest are 4 pounds each. Give the game a try, but don't try this version even if you just want to replay the game with a fresh coat of paint like I did. This is sadly not worth it.

10/10

"Great concept, decent execution, and an absurdly terrible ending"

Advantages:
Interesting time-rewind mechanic:
Life is Strange offers a unique gaming experience with its time-rewind mechanic. It allows you to experiment with different outcomes, adding variety to the decision-making process. For a graphic adventure game, this is an impressive innovation.

Story and characters:
The story develops smoothly and highlights relevant teenage issues like bullying, self-esteem, loss, responsibility, overprotectiveness, and toxic relationships. At the same time, it manages to avoid going to extremes in addressing these topics, gradually revealing each one. The narrative is enriched by diverse characters whose stories and personalities are interesting to follow.

Occasionally powerful drama:
While all the issues touched on in the game are important, some moments stand out particularly:

- Chloe (from the alternative timeline, where she is disabled) asking you to end her life.
- Kate attempting suicide due to bullying.
- Nathan’s mental instability caused by his abusive father.
These moments give the game emotional depth.

Disadvantages:
Bugs and slow dialogues:
In games like this, the ability to skip dialogue is a must-have feature (especially if you're following subtitles). Life is Strange only allows this for dialogues you've already heard after using the rewind mechanic. As the episodes progress, this becomes increasingly frustrating.
The time-rewind mechanic also has bugs: sometimes it works too slowly, and you can't speed it up.
Another annoying issue was that the decisions displayed at the end of episodes didn’t always match the choices you actually made.

Chloe’s behavior:
While the game presents Chloe as an important person in Max’s life, her behavior often seems childish and contradictory (even for her age—18).
She repeatedly acts impulsively, complains about situations she herself causes, and still positions herself as the "more mature" of the two friends. This creates a disconnect that becomes increasingly hard to ignore and eventually just turns into irritation.

The ending—an absolute failure:
The fifth episode disappoints on multiple levels:
- Long and irrelevant dialogues: Even during the storm destroying the town, characters talk slowly and casually, as if nothing urgent is happening. This is especially noticeable in Max’s conversations with Warren or David, which completely kill the tension of the catastrophe.
- The "Hell and Doubts": In Max’s "hellish" trip, where familiar characters mock and humiliate her, the scene feels entirely ineffective. Most of the choices in the game are straightforward, so you don’t feel much conflict or doubt about your decisions. The sequence fails to create any emotional pressure or drama and instead feels superficial, relying on attempts to shake Max’s confidence.
- The final choice: Saving Chloe or the town—a decision that should have been morally challenging—feels far too obvious. Saving the town and its hundreds of lives is the logical choice, as the week-long connection with Chloe doesn’t feel significant enough to outweigh the fate of the entire town.

Conclusion:
Life is Strange starts off very promising: its unique time-rewind mechanic, great atmosphere, emotional moments, and a variety of characters create the impression of a deep and well-thought-out project. The game successfully addresses important teenage issues, making it relatable for a younger audience.
However, technical flaws, Chloe’s inconsistent character, and a poorly executed ending significantly diminish the overall experience. The final episode, in particular, fails to deliver the emotional impact the story seemed to build toward, leaving a sense of disappointment.

4/10