Life is Strange: Double Exposure review - A timeline-hopping triumph

When I typically write a review, the opening line forms in my head long before I sit down to put pen to paper. It’s whilst playing that the words begin to manifest in my thoughts, where I lock them away to memory for use at a later date. All of this is to say that I’ve had a very different experience with Life is Strange: Double Exposure. It’s not that there are no words to describe just how wonderful of a game this is, it’s that an action more succinctly reflects how I feel. When I play or think about Life is Strange: Double Exposure, I simply smile.

While Max Caulfield may be struggling against a fresh cacophony of tumultuous emotions, all I feel is bliss and joy. It’s with Max that many of us began our Life is Strange journey, falling in love with this transformative and comforting series, and thus reuniting with the character offers the most wondrous sense of warmth.

After the events of the original Life is Strange, which released back in 2015, a now-adult Max has joined Caledon University as the school’s artist-in-residence. After having to choose between saving Chloe or the town of Arcadia Bay, it’s clear that Max is throwing herself into her career in an attempt to leave the trauma of her time-rewinding days behind her. If only life was that simple. It’s not long before a freshly devastating event disturbs the newfound equilibrium of Max’s life, the death of her friend Safi. The death brings forth a new ability where Max can hop between two timelines, that in which Safi is dead and one where she’s alive. It’s up to you, as Max, to both solve Safi’s murder and prevent it from happening in the alternative timeline.

Take a look at Life is Strange: Double Exposure in action below.

In my preview of Life is Strange: Double Exposure, based on a segment of the second chapter I was able to play at this year’s Gamescom, I teased that the game “could be the most exciting instalment in the franchise to date”. I’m not one to toot my own horn, but I was right. Life is Strange: Double Exposure ticks every box, building upon the foundations that made the original game so successful, creating the homecoming that we’ve all been waiting for. While the story is as, well, strange as ever, Double Exposure feels extremely grounded so no, you won’t find a shaka brah here. It’s a complex tale but one that, in classic Life is Strange fashion, touches on so many universally-felt emotions - something that’s elevated by the dual set of experiences and outcomes Max’s timeline-hopping powers allow the game to convey.

Fair to say, Max’s powers were a little one-dimensional the first time around. You’d essentially rewind time, working through the various options presented by the game until you landed on the correct choice. As fun as this felt, it was glorified trial and error. In Life is Strange: Double Exposure though, Max’s ability to switch between timelines leads to a much more varied array of puzzles. For example, you may need to hop timelines in order to locate an object, or you may want to gather intel from a certain character - having to decide whether the iteration in the Safi ‘Living’ or Safi ‘Dead’ timeline is more likely to have what you need. In other cases, a path may be blocked in your current timeline, prompting you to venture over to the opposite one to find a route through to where you need to be.

As such, Life is Strange: Double Exposure feels far more active than its predecessor which somewhat allowed you to sit back as events unfolded. Here, you’re going to have to have your brain switched on, and the game felt all the more enjoyable for it. You see, the two timelines presented to you via the game are wholly different. In one, characters are mourning Safi’s death while in another, it’s business as usual, so you can see why this would result in different outcomes and demeanors across the wide cast of characters.

Square Enix

That being said, so too is it easy to get confused, but I want to make it clear that I mean that only as a compliment. In one instance, I spoke to a student known as Loretta in the ‘Living’ world, asking her a question that followed up on something she’d previously told me in the ‘Dead’ world. It quickly became apparent, judging by her response, that I’d totally fumbled, causing Max to style out my glaring timeline error. This is just one example of how Life is Strange: Double Exposure doesn’t hold your hand. Sure, there are no major consequences to such blunders and if you hang around forever and a day, Max may offer a handy little hint like, ‘Maybe someone in the Living world could help’, but there’s plenty of scope for you to work things out for yourself. This boosted sense of agency is exactly what the franchise needed for Max.

Max, wonderfully brought to life once again by Hannah Telle, is a delight to reunite with. This is very much a grown-up wisened version of the character and without the teenage melodrama abundant in that first game, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is able to much more clearly convey its subtle analogies. This isn’t the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We don’t need an origin story for Max’s powers or the lore behind Arcadia Bay’s storm. To me, the storm has always been far more of a symbolic event than a plausible one. It’s a physical manifestation of the chaos that is coming-of-age and all of the messy nuances that accompany that.

It’s a similar case in Double Exposure. The thing is, without delving into spoilers - which I am not going to do, don’t worry - it’s difficult to convey just why this sequel’s story is so enthralling. All I shall say is that Max’s timeline-shifting power isn’t this tale’s only ‘strange’ component, but it’s via these larger-than-life abnormalities that Deck Nine has been able to craft a tale that reflects the colours that make up the canvas that is adulthood. Coming-of-age stories paint the picture that this is a period in our lives where we figure everything out, and that’s not true. Double Exposure is a comforting reminder that life can remain messy whatever your age. From struggles with identity to concerns over our status of belonging, Life is Strange: Double Exposure’s vast and diverse cast of characters allow us to beautifully explore the brushstrokes of adult life.

As I said, Max feels much more relatable this time around and while she’s just as adorable as ever, there’s a real tangible depth to her reactions. Even when the story ascends to some pretty bizarre places, Hannah Telle as Max - as with those bringing Safi, Moses, Amanda, Vinh, and Gwen to life - never resorts to melodrama. There’s a strong sense of believability in everything she says, and Telle’s is easily one of my favourite performances of the year.

Square Enix

It would be remiss not to mention the elephant in the room, Chloe. There is no Max without mentioning Chloe and while I was someone who picked the option to save Arcadia Bay, that doesn’t mean I don’t care about Chloe. I care about her deeply, but is it fair to condemn everyone to death when Chloe laid down her own path? I’ve always felt not, and should I have saved her, I’ve never seen an eventuality in my mind where Chloe is grateful for being saved, when the consequence of that includes the death of her mother. Their relationship may be strained, but family is family. The point here is that the fandom has been concerned over how this choice will be reflected in Double Exposure.

In the opening chapter of the game, players will either tell new love-interest Amanda that Chloe is someone who died or that she’s someone Max broke up with, reflecting their choice from the first game. Via the early access period, this choice quickly did the rounds online, prompting a rather toxic response from those who were adamant that Max would never break up with Chloe. I’ve seen some pretty abhorrent things said by so-called ‘fans’, with many exclaiming how unhappy they are to see Chloe reduced to a side note so let me make it abundantly clear, the player’s choice is, in my opinion, handled well beyond this.

I’m afraid players are going to have to accept that Max and Chloe are seemingly not endgame and given what I’ve said above, as tragic as that is - and that’s somewhat the whole point of the story - it’s a truth that must be accepted. That being said, this early in-game choice, which sets forth a path reflecting your ending in that prior game, is not the only mention of what happened in the franchise’s original release. Again, I shall not be delving into spoilers but as the story progresses, it’s clear that what happened in Arcadia Bay - both possibilities - is not something that can easily be pushed aside. Either way, there is loss and when compounded by the loss of Safi, Life is Strange: Double Exposure provides a frank exploration of trauma and grief.

My only criticism of the game is that while, yes, for the most part, this sequel infuses players with more agency, I did feel that that waned slightly in the final chapter. Certainly, players will - as is to be expected - make a major choice during the story’s climax, and I’m excited to get to talk about that in due course, but I felt the story did somewhat start to propel along with lesser need for Max’s powers to solve any puzzles. It would’ve been nicer to, I suppose, still feel a little bit more locked in at that point, rather than simply being dragged along for the ride. There were, in my case, also a few instances of visual stuttering but nothing that dramatically detracted from the game.

Square Enix

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a triumph. Deck Nine has crafted a game that’s grown with its audience, resulting in another entertaining larger-than-life narrative that somehow, despite its dizzying heights, manages to tap into the messy nuances that come with being an adult - covering all of the varying and wide-ranging emotions that don’t simply stop when our teenage years end. This is a more mature take on the series when compared to that original release, but it’s just as, if not more, fun and heartwarming. In overhauling Max’s powers and increasing player agency, Deck Nine only deepens our connection with the story, making us feel the highs and lows all the more vividly. Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a welcomed reminder that life can be strange, but that’s okay.

Pros: Engaging story, Max’s renewed powers allow for more player agency in the story, a very juicy end tease

Cons: Puzzles tied to Max’s powers become less commonplace in late game, occasional visual stuttering

For fans of: Life is Strange, Telltale Games, Until Dawn, Detroit: Become Human

9/10: Exceptional

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is out on 29 October on PlayStation 5 (version tested), Xbox Series X/S, and PC. A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.