Life is Strange is my absolute favorite game. I love it to pieces. But...this episode just felt so off. It didn't feel real. I felt like I was playing a totally different game.
One of my biggest problems with the episode, is that Jefferson went from creepy sociopath pervert, to generic psycho. It was really disappointing. I felt like Dontnod could do so much better with his character.
After I finished the episode, I didn't feel anything but confusion. I wasn't sad. I wasn't happy. I was just...greatly confused. I couldn't figure out what had just happened.
And the fact that they totally disregarded Grahamfield in the end, really pissed me off. Pricefield shippers get the perfect Max and Chloe ending, while those who ship Max and Warren, don't get anything other than a little kiss in an alternate timeline.
Overall, I felt pretty let down by this episode. So much for an incredible finale
The only things I am disappointed about is that Dontnod pulled a Josh from Until Dawn on Nathan.. think about it.. depending on your choices.. him and Chloe are one of the only ones of the main cast that can die... he gets bashed by warren then either dead and in the ground by getting shot by Jefferson or in Prison if you sacrifice Chloe. the thing that sucks is that you don't really get an opportunity to make amends with him other than his apology...
I agree.. this episode had a very different tone from the others.. It was very dark and unsettling especially with Jefferson and the fucked up dream... but i think that was intended.
I was also surprised how similar Jefferson's dialogue was to my fan fiction of episode 5 xd. His swearing and outbursts seemed to come out of nowhere and were a little Cliche.. but it was just how I imagined it to be.
Yeah, me too. I felt like they could so much better. I don't like how barely anything was explained and we traveled between realities way too much, and the whole nightmare sequence, I don't get why it is even there ;-;. Here hoping Tales' finale is better, 6 hrs and 30 mins left! BTW how long did the episode take you?
Something tells me that Life is Strange is not over yet.
That butterfly in the 'Sacrifice Chloe' ending is there for a reason. It showed up right in the beginning of Episode 1 in the bathroom before Chloe was accidentally killed by Nathan and Max gained her time powers, so the chances of it being Chloe's 'spirit animal/insect' is rather low considering how she was still alive at the time. I suspect that the butterfly is another message to Max that she still has her powers and can still try to save Chloe again, hence why she smiles at the end.
The rumours about the DLC content and the yet-to-be-unlocked areas from her journal likely means that Max will rewind one more time to say 'screw you destiny, I'm going to save everyone in the town, and that includes Chloe who you've been trying to kill since the very beginning, and you're not going to stop me this time'. Not to mention that it will address all the side-stories that has been left abandoned and time powers origins that has been left unexplained.
I'm probably grasping at straws here, but there's a chance that we can still get a happy ending, right? Not every story has to end in a bittersweet note, especially for those who worked so hard to get the best outcome possible.
Yeah, me too. I felt like they could so much better. I don't like how barely anything was explained and we traveled between realities way to… moreo much, and the whole nightmare sequence, I don't get why it is even there ;-;. Here hoping Tales' finale is better, 6 hrs and 30 mins left! BTW how long did the episode take you?
Why did Max have the vision of the tornado before she first saved Chloe and received her powers? Doesn't that kind of contradict the complete point of the ending?
Why does saving Chloe cause a huge storm?
Why don't Chloe and Max look for survivors after the storm is over?
Why does Warren immediately accept the fact that Max can bend time?
Why does Warren immediately offer a witty explanation for the tornado that happens to be the right one?
How does David find the way to the Dark Room? He was kicked out of the house in my playthrough.
Why did Jefferson burn Max's diary?
Why does he listen to everything Max says in the Dark Room while fighting Jefferson? He is a trained soldier, after all!
Why does rewinding back to the bathroom stop the tornado if rewinding time is what started the whole thing in the first place? Max rewound a shit ton of times at that point, nature should still act crazy!
What is the matter with Samuel, his weird magazines and the silk scarf and what does he have to do with anything?
If Chloe is supposed to die, then why did her death trigger Max's powers? What was the point of the universe giving her those posers if she was going to be punished for using them?
If Max saving Chloe is what caused the tornado, then why was the parallel universe in which Max never saved Chloe still hit by the tornado?
Why didn't Max saving William years back cause a tornado much earlier?
Why didn't Max rewind to the classroom and chose not to submit a photograph so she would have time to warn everybody about the storm? They all could have lived, for fucks sake!
How was David helping Nathan? What does "David always helps me follow those he follows" even mean?
Why was David working for the Prescotts?
What is the matter with the spirit doe?
What is the matter with the blue butterfly?
How did Max get her powers and why?
Does Max keep her powers after the story is over?
What happens to Max and Chloe after they leave Arcadia?
Why didn't Max just rewind to the classroom, stop Jefferson but instead of submitting a photo warned everybody about the tornado? Everybody could have survived?
Why do Max and Chloe kiss when you sacrifice her, but not when you chose to save her? Is that not even more a proof of true love?
Well that was a damned good ending, I really hope it ends there because it just fit perfectly.
Anyway I really laughed when the game pointed out that I was a two-timing asshole that was trying to date both Warren and Chloe, geez game can't a I be a bisexual slut and get away with it?
Actually yes, as it's heavily implied that I ended up with Warren after I chose to sacrifice Chloe, sorry Chloe but as much as I love you (And trust me I was ready to dump Warren any second after I realized you were bi) I just can't kill a whole town for you.
Underwhelming. That is the word that comes to mind. When I got to the stealth section with all the flashlights, I just didn't care. After that, I just lost all interest. It's a shame really. I doubt I will ever play this game again.
8/10 or lower. The episode was good, but it felt like it was a bit rushed. A lot of sidestories and questions are just left unexplained, and a specific scene is way too long (and felt like filler to add time to the episode). It just felt like the episode is incomplete.. EP4 is the best episode so far, IMO.
8.5/10 good but very confusing at some point, one of the best thing is that your previous choices do really matter. I still prefer ep 4 though, much more "focused" and easier to understand.
First I would say that the episode wasn't as conclusive as I have hoped. Like, we was never told why Max got her time traveling powers and the story felt rather rushed and poorly paced. I know this is time travel story, so there has to be a lot of confusion with the pacing.
So the bad first. I personally didn't like that mind screw sequence. There are a lot of puzzles, confusing time travel and that dark hiding sequence. I have a hard time noticing where I am going and it was far too long. I do like the concept, that Max screw up the time so much that everything just seems like it is breaking apart. However, it really mess with the pacing and the time traveling jumps here and there really hurts the narrative. It makes it hard to get everything and follow everything.
As for the endings. I do like it. My first choice is the sacrifice Chloe. It was a sad choice, but it was ultimately how everything can be put back to how it was before. I like how Chloe's death was the reason why Jefferson and Nathan got arrested and thus bringing justice to Rachel. Max can finally move on, having grown more mature and thus becoming an adult. This felt most conclusive to me, as I feel the story has been about Max having to grow up and learn that Life is Strange.
As for the sacrifice Arcadia Bay. It was a more, fan service ending. Max stays together with Chloe and they depart, maybe back to Max's town and live with Max's parents for now? Their future is uncertain, but Max has learned her lesson and decided to live with her consequences. Which also show that Max has grown. At least, that's how I see it. I do wish that this ending was as conclusive as the other ending.
However there are a lot of questions still in need of an answer. Why does Rachel keep appearing before Max? Why does Max have these powers? And as well as other stuff that people has pointed out. The game did ended with calling Life is Strange Season 1. So I do feel that there will be more.
In the end, I'm glad that I played this game, despite the unanswered questions and how things could have been improved, it wasn't bad.
The one theory that says that Chloe has to die, because if she lives, all the weird shit happened because Max messed with time and that you have to go all the way back to the beginning just to stop it. It's the one theory that to makes the whole thing feel like a waste of time for me. Like why would she even be given powers in the first place if it's just going to cause problems? Why does one person's life determine a storm's going to hit? It sounds so stupid and it's been done too many times. Plus it would make everything I do meaningless, all my choices would mean diddly squat (even more so that Telltale's TWD S2 Ep4, and that's saying something). I'd rather the Tobanga being messed with to cause the craziness over THAT and have Max freeze time where the tornado is so everyone can evacuate the damn shitpit. >_>
That's the reason I hate the theory, plus I like Chloe so it doesn't help.
They have said that they are going to make another game that are set in the same world and will explore similar themes. I hope they will and maybe the next one will be improved.
Not going to bother putting the spoiler tag since anyone smart enough who doesn't want to get spoiled wouldn't be here in the first place.
Anyways, who else thought that the ending was predictable? I figured out all the phenomenons (dead birds/whales, 2 moons, storm) was caused since the thread of time was unraveled by Chloe being alive since Ep 3. And didn't Dontnod say they were going to be multiple endings, or was I misinformed?
Another thing, I like the aesthetic of the beginning of the episode, really creepy tone. Another thing that bothered me is how hard Dontnod tried to make you feel bad for the most hated characters in the game (David & Nate) but it did work, I did regret throwing David out of the house and letting Warren "destroy" Nathan. Oh! Didn't the other Max imply that Rachel also had rewind powers? I'll have to rewatch that part.
I also found it funny how Dontnod really wanted to you to get emotional while going down memory lane and remember all those times with Chloe. but once again it worked cause I cried like a bitch when I sacrificed Chloe ; -; and they had to rub the salt on the wound with that funeral scene.
But hands down, the best part of the episode was when Pompidou sent Max a text message calling her a bitch and then asking for a treat.
I understand that Max made a huge mistake by starting to rely on her power when things didn't went like she wanted them to go.
However not enough information was given if it truly is Max's own fault and that something another Max said was actually true and not just an evil Max or something. Although story paints "our" Max as a villain.
I've got a question for the people who played the game: How long did it take for you to complete it? (I wanted to know if I can play it non-stop during the week or keep episode 5 untouched until the weekend).
Disclaimer: I find some things in fictional works funny that I don't find funny in a real life. I fully believe that someone like Nathan and that photographer dude deserves to be removed from the living society.
Episode 5 was okay, but I found if somewhat funny.
This whole guilt trip idea doesn't work on me as I don't see myself as a character I control when they have personality of their own. So I perceived dialogue spoken as spoken to Max, not me who controls her.
That doesn't mean I don't want to save Chloe etc but you gotta understand, end of the day I lean back and accept that it's more than a video game, an art piece, but still also a video game. This means that the characters are purely fictional and you can decide implications by yourself.
The playthrough I watched took 2 hrs and 20 mins with no skips, and the guy also failed multiple times in puzzles. When he replayed it and he knew what to do in certain parts he got exactly 2 hrs, so don't worry I guess.
I've got a question for the people who played the game: How long did it take for you to complete it? (I wanted to know if I can play it non-stop during the week or keep episode 5 untouched until the weekend).
This has been one helluva ride. No way was I about to sacrifice Chloe after everything we'd been through.
Riding off into the sunset with my best gal by my side. I couldn't have asked for a better ending. Well... maybe if everyone else hadn't have been viciously killed by the terrible hurricane that I'd caused... BUT STILL! Great ending.
Welp. That's one episodic masterpiece down to sadly break part of my heart. Now I wait for Tales from the Borderlands to break the other.
Yeah my mind was blown too, I mean Hella I let Chloe die and this ending felt to bitter but still the game really impressed me, still if not for quite crappy voice acting I would enjoy it much more still 7/10
Yeah, me too. I felt like they could so much better. I don't like how barely anything was explained and we traveled between realities way to… moreo much, and the whole nightmare sequence, I don't get why it is even there ;-;. Here hoping Tales' finale is better, 6 hrs and 30 mins left! BTW how long did the episode take you?
Masterpiece? That lazy writing at the end, and the fact that literally none of your choices mattered at the end blew pretty hard. A good 70% of the episode was pretty good, but that last act lasted for way too long and the endings came down to just picking 1 of two choices, so much for what the Steam store description said.
Comments
She took it from Max in her house back in Episode 1.
I...I don't know what to say.
Life is Strange is my absolute favorite game. I love it to pieces. But...this episode just felt so off. It didn't feel real. I felt like I was playing a totally different game.
One of my biggest problems with the episode, is that Jefferson went from creepy sociopath pervert, to generic psycho. It was really disappointing. I felt like Dontnod could do so much better with his character.
After I finished the episode, I didn't feel anything but confusion. I wasn't sad. I wasn't happy. I was just...greatly confused. I couldn't figure out what had just happened.
And the fact that they totally disregarded Grahamfield in the end, really pissed me off. Pricefield shippers get the perfect Max and Chloe ending, while those who ship Max and Warren, don't get anything other than a little kiss in an alternate timeline.
Overall, I felt pretty let down by this episode. So much for an incredible finale
The only things I am disappointed about is that Dontnod pulled a Josh from Until Dawn on Nathan.. think about it.. depending on your choices.. him and Chloe are one of the only ones of the main cast that can die... he gets bashed by warren then either dead and in the ground by getting shot by Jefferson or in Prison if you sacrifice Chloe. the thing that sucks is that you don't really get an opportunity to make amends with him other than his apology...
I agree.. this episode had a very different tone from the others.. It was very dark and unsettling especially with Jefferson and the fucked up dream... but i think that was intended.
I was also surprised how similar Jefferson's dialogue was to my fan fiction of episode 5 xd. His swearing and outbursts seemed to come out of nowhere and were a little Cliche.. but it was just how I imagined it to be.
The more I think about Episode 5 the more I realize how much of the episode sucked because of lazy writing, Heh.
Very bitter... Nathan was screwed over. I was surprised David had it in him to kill Jefferson.
Yeah, me too. I felt like they could so much better. I don't like how barely anything was explained and we traveled between realities way too much, and the whole nightmare sequence, I don't get why it is even there ;-;. Here hoping Tales' finale is better, 6 hrs and 30 mins left! BTW how long did the episode take you?
Something tells me that Life is Strange is not over yet.
That butterfly in the 'Sacrifice Chloe' ending is there for a reason. It showed up right in the beginning of Episode 1 in the bathroom before Chloe was accidentally killed by Nathan and Max gained her time powers, so the chances of it being Chloe's 'spirit animal/insect' is rather low considering how she was still alive at the time. I suspect that the butterfly is another message to Max that she still has her powers and can still try to save Chloe again, hence why she smiles at the end.
The rumours about the DLC content and the yet-to-be-unlocked areas from her journal likely means that Max will rewind one more time to say 'screw you destiny, I'm going to save everyone in the town, and that includes Chloe who you've been trying to kill since the very beginning, and you're not going to stop me this time'. Not to mention that it will address all the side-stories that has been left abandoned and time powers origins that has been left unexplained.
I'm probably grasping at straws here, but there's a chance that we can still get a happy ending, right? Not every story has to end in a bittersweet note, especially for those who worked so hard to get the best outcome possible.
You're right. Felt like a whole lot of filler and not much story which saddens me.
Why did Max have the vision of the tornado before she first saved Chloe and received her powers? Doesn't that kind of contradict the complete point of the ending?
Why does saving Chloe cause a huge storm?
Why don't Chloe and Max look for survivors after the storm is over?
Why does Warren immediately accept the fact that Max can bend time?
Why does Warren immediately offer a witty explanation for the tornado that happens to be the right one?
How does David find the way to the Dark Room? He was kicked out of the house in my playthrough.
Why did Jefferson burn Max's diary?
Why does he listen to everything Max says in the Dark Room while fighting Jefferson? He is a trained soldier, after all!
Why does rewinding back to the bathroom stop the tornado if rewinding time is what started the whole thing in the first place? Max rewound a shit ton of times at that point, nature should still act crazy!
What is the matter with Samuel, his weird magazines and the silk scarf and what does he have to do with anything?
If Chloe is supposed to die, then why did her death trigger Max's powers? What was the point of the universe giving her those posers if she was going to be punished for using them?
If Max saving Chloe is what caused the tornado, then why was the parallel universe in which Max never saved Chloe still hit by the tornado?
Why didn't Max saving William years back cause a tornado much earlier?
Why didn't Max rewind to the classroom and chose not to submit a photograph so she would have time to warn everybody about the storm? They all could have lived, for fucks sake!
How was David helping Nathan? What does "David always helps me follow those he follows" even mean?
Why was David working for the Prescotts?
What is the matter with the spirit doe?
What is the matter with the blue butterfly?
How did Max get her powers and why?
Does Max keep her powers after the story is over?
What happens to Max and Chloe after they leave Arcadia?
Why didn't Max just rewind to the classroom, stop Jefferson but instead of submitting a photo warned everybody about the tornado? Everybody could have survived?
Why do Max and Chloe kiss when you sacrifice her, but not when you chose to save her? Is that not even more a proof of true love?
Well that was a damned good ending, I really hope it ends there because it just fit perfectly.
Anyway I really laughed when the game pointed out that I was a two-timing asshole that was trying to date both Warren and Chloe, geez game can't a I be a bisexual slut and get away with it?
Actually yes, as it's heavily implied that I ended up with Warren after I chose to sacrifice Chloe, sorry Chloe but as much as I love you (And trust me I was ready to dump Warren any second after I realized you were bi) I just can't kill a whole town for you.
Wow, that ending was so "meh" everything felt rushed. The final episode should be the best, but episode 4 outshines this in anyway possible.
Disappointed
you spoiled it with the spoiler tag...
You could say I've been Mass Effect 3ed.
Soo, how would you rate the episode? No spoilers please, haven't played it yet. :P
6.5/10
My apologises. I fixed it now.
Most reviews up so far are giving it full marks.
8.5/10 good but very confusing at some point, one of the best thing is that your previous choices do really matter. I still prefer ep 4 though, much more "focused" and easier to understand.
Yeah. Maybe they can improve upon season 1 in every aspect.
I really hope they make a second game, I don't care if Max and Chloe aren't in it, I just want another game ;-;
Well, that was the finale.
First I would say that the episode wasn't as conclusive as I have hoped. Like, we was never told why Max got her time traveling powers and the story felt rather rushed and poorly paced. I know this is time travel story, so there has to be a lot of confusion with the pacing.
So the bad first. I personally didn't like that mind screw sequence. There are a lot of puzzles, confusing time travel and that dark hiding sequence. I have a hard time noticing where I am going and it was far too long. I do like the concept, that Max screw up the time so much that everything just seems like it is breaking apart. However, it really mess with the pacing and the time traveling jumps here and there really hurts the narrative. It makes it hard to get everything and follow everything.
As for the endings. I do like it. My first choice is the sacrifice Chloe. It was a sad choice, but it was ultimately how everything can be put back to how it was before. I like how Chloe's death was the reason why Jefferson and Nathan got arrested and thus bringing justice to Rachel. Max can finally move on, having grown more mature and thus becoming an adult. This felt most conclusive to me, as I feel the story has been about Max having to grow up and learn that Life is Strange.
As for the sacrifice Arcadia Bay. It was a more, fan service ending. Max stays together with Chloe and they depart, maybe back to Max's town and live with Max's parents for now? Their future is uncertain, but Max has learned her lesson and decided to live with her consequences. Which also show that Max has grown. At least, that's how I see it. I do wish that this ending was as conclusive as the other ending.
However there are a lot of questions still in need of an answer. Why does Rachel keep appearing before Max? Why does Max have these powers? And as well as other stuff that people has pointed out. The game did ended with calling Life is Strange Season 1. So I do feel that there will be more.
In the end, I'm glad that I played this game, despite the unanswered questions and how things could have been improved, it wasn't bad.
That's the reason I hate the theory, plus I like Chloe so it doesn't help.
This will be me for 6 more hours straight....
I played it way ahead of everybody.
I can say it's a good episode.
Not going to bother putting the spoiler tag since anyone smart enough who doesn't want to get spoiled wouldn't be here in the first place.
Anyways, who else thought that the ending was predictable? I figured out all the phenomenons (dead birds/whales, 2 moons, storm) was caused since the thread of time was unraveled by Chloe being alive since Ep 3. And didn't Dontnod say they were going to be multiple endings, or was I misinformed?
Another thing, I like the aesthetic of the beginning of the episode, really creepy tone. Another thing that bothered me is how hard Dontnod tried to make you feel bad for the most hated characters in the game (David & Nate) but it did work, I did regret throwing David out of the house and letting Warren "destroy" Nathan. Oh! Didn't the other Max imply that Rachel also had rewind powers? I'll have to rewatch that part.
I also found it funny how Dontnod really wanted to you to get emotional while going down memory lane and remember all those times with Chloe. but once again it worked cause I cried like a bitch when I sacrificed Chloe ; -; and they had to rub the salt on the wound with that funeral scene.
But hands down, the best part of the episode was when Pompidou sent Max a text message calling her a bitch and then asking for a treat.
I sacrificed Acardia Bay.
I understand that Max made a huge mistake by starting to rely on her power when things didn't went like she wanted them to go.
However not enough information was given if it truly is Max's own fault and that something another Max said was actually true and not just an evil Max or something. Although story paints "our" Max as a villain.
I've got a question for the people who played the game: How long did it take for you to complete it? (I wanted to know if I can play it non-stop during the week or keep episode 5 untouched until the weekend).
I really hope I hadn't read a spoiler.
Disclaimer: I find some things in fictional works funny that I don't find funny in a real life. I fully believe that someone like Nathan and that photographer dude deserves to be removed from the living society.
Episode 5 was okay, but I found if somewhat funny.
This whole guilt trip idea doesn't work on me as I don't see myself as a character I control when they have personality of their own. So I perceived dialogue spoken as spoken to Max, not me who controls her.
That doesn't mean I don't want to save Chloe etc but you gotta understand, end of the day I lean back and accept that it's more than a video game, an art piece, but still also a video game. This means that the characters are purely fictional and you can decide implications by yourself.
The playthrough I watched took 2 hrs and 20 mins with no skips, and the guy also failed multiple times in puzzles. When he replayed it and he knew what to do in certain parts he got exactly 2 hrs, so don't worry I guess.
Wow. What can I say? Just... wow.
This has been one helluva ride. No way was I about to sacrifice Chloe after everything we'd been through.
Riding off into the sunset with my best gal by my side. I couldn't have asked for a better ending. Well... maybe if everyone else hadn't have been viciously killed by the terrible hurricane that I'd caused... BUT STILL! Great ending.
Welp. That's one episodic masterpiece down to sadly break part of my heart. Now I wait for Tales from the Borderlands to break the other.
Yeah my mind was blown too, I mean Hella I let Chloe die and this ending felt to bitter but still the game really impressed me, still if not for quite crappy voice acting I would enjoy it much more still 7/10
It took me about 2 and half hours
Masterpiece? That lazy writing at the end, and the fact that literally none of your choices mattered at the end blew pretty hard. A good 70% of the episode was pretty good, but that last act lasted for way too long and the endings came down to just picking 1 of two choices, so much for what the Steam store description said.
I swear I'm not crying... I'M NOT CRYING.
Not sure if it worked first time as I made second edit to post just to make sure.