Life is Strange, PS4, review: 'Pushing gaming forward'

It has an emotional depth and maturity rarely seen in video games

An adventure game in the vein of TellTale’s Walking Dead series, Life is Strange is a five episode, time travelling tale that takes place against the backdrop of daily college life in small-town America.

You play the role of photography student Max. Introduced as a quiet student whose favourite medium is the selfie, she soon discovers she has the ability to rewind time at will. The major plot points use this mechanic, and without giving too much away, it’s a power that Max develops further as the game goes on.

The game’s first chapter doesn’t make the best impression. Initially, the clunky dialogue seems to have been fed through an internet meme-machine, making it hard to warm to the cast. With such gems as ‘are you cereal?’ [translator’s note: ‘are you serious?’] and others in the vernacular, the teens come across as caricatures at first glance.

After the first few hours though, they soon blossom into fully rounded characters, giving you genuine pause for thought when it comes to making relationship altering decisions. Choosing which friends to side with and which to let down aren’t taken lightly, and the constant beep of Max’s mobile will remind you of your actions, as those affected text you regularly.

Gameplay wise, most of the puzzles revolve around controlling time, although there’s a degree of detective work involved too. Like the TellTale games, your objectives are always clear, and players are rarely left wondering what to do next.

Life is Strange tackles subjects like friendships, family and bullying with an emotional depth and maturity rarely seen in video games, and is stuffed with jaw-dropping twists.

At its heart it’s a coming of age story, and while this is a well-trodden genre in other mediums, the game space is lacking its own Stand By Me or Catcher in the Rye. Life is Strange doesn’t quite reach these heights, but it’s an impressive achievement regardless, and one that pushes gaming forward.