Life is Strange: Double Exposure it’s not your average crime mystery game. Instead of half-baked Choose Your Own Adventure, Double exposure is an intuitive and largely player-driven psychological drama that rewrites the dialogue between an artist and an audience and invites its own audience to investigate the importance of self-acceptance.

Developed by Deck Nine, Double exposure it is a direct continuation of 2015 Life Is Strangeand just like the studio’s previous work True colors and Before the Stormis a serialized whodunit that eventually devolves into a “what the hell is going on?” Taking place 10 years after the tragedies in Arcadia Bay, Oregon, it follows Max Caulfield — who also starred in the 2015 game — and whose life has since revolved around Lakeport, Vermont, where he works as the new photographer-in-residence at the University Caledon. Max is still Max – he’s still terribly clumsy at flirting, has a knack for sneaking into people’s rooms, and thinks The Return of the Living Dead is a masterpiece of the zombie apocalypse — but she hasn’t used her time-winding powers in nearly a decade because they’ve only caused her “more trouble and even more heartache,” in her words. That is, until her new best friend for life, Safiya Llewellyn-Fayyad, is murdered on campus and Max discovers that her ability to reverse reality has evolved so she can tear through a subdivision of the astral plane and jump between two. alternate timeline.

Max may not be able to make her own choices, but her new powers allow her to live with them and examine the potential ripple effects that follow. Mechanically, Max can now use an ability called Pulse to see timelines from her current world, and her new ability Shift to create a metaphysical portal that allows her to cross between the two realities at set locations in Caledon. She can also use another ability called Entanglement to entangle objects between the two timelines. All three skills allow him to explore different scenarios, puzzles, secrets, zen moments, and dialogue options that aren’t locked into a singular narrative. Double exposure still adheres to the popular Life Is Strange brand of having major and minor choices that alter environments and interpersonal relationships—such as accepting a joint from a fellow teacher or changing the grade on a student’s paper—but navigating reality allows, of also for players to dive into anecdotes about who Max became.

As a late 20-something who still empathizes with everyone, Max moves on from the introverted idiosyncrasies that defined her as an 18-year-old, but is still traumatized by the victims of Arcadia Bay, which made her a recluse. whenever she reminisces about Chloe Price and other aspects of her life that have become “her.” Max still struggles to process loss, heartache, and any other complicated emotion that makes her feel like a tiny dot that doesn’t match the RGB values ​​of the world around her, but her new powers give her a way to process the different stages of grief and fully accepts responsibility for their own choices.

It’s difficult to discuss her arc without going back into spoilers, but Deck Nine’s penchant for world-building is still A-level. Double exposureHis visuals are an absolute delight as Lakeport blends the color palette of Haven Springs and cinematography Before the Storm to create a midwinter landscape that is equal parts Donnie Darko, Teen Wolfand The girl who jumped through time. It creates a setting that’s less about subtlety and all about garden gnomes, LGBTQ bowling leagues, Krampus parties, true-crime podcasts, and sanctuaries like the Snapping Turtle—a whiskey-lined campus bar and intricate murals drawn from identity and multiculturalism. reminiscent of works by visual artists such as Ola Volo, Tristan Eaton and Mariell Guzman. And then there’s the music—albeit earlier Life Is Strange installments ramped up the cozy tragedy genre with songs from Bonobo, Daughter and Angus & Julia Stone, Double exposure think intimacy with NewDad, Chloe Moriondo, Tessa Rose Jackson and a Feel For Music jukebox full of in-house tunes that explore varying degrees of “indie sleaze” across all different timelines.

The voice talent and script is where the sequel really shines. Hannah Telle reprises her role as Max and is joined by an excellent supporting cast that includes Safi (Olivia AbiAssi), Moses (Blu Allen), Amanda (Samantha Bowling), Diamond (Ilasiea Gray) and Gwen (Rachel Crowl) – all of which contributes to Double exposureHis blunt but bittersweet moments and the fanfiction of the support group that isn’t true. Holding back the narrative supports more honest discussions about loneliness, emotional stakes, the cost of relationships, and l’esprit de l’escalierand while there’s certainly room for more, these themes are aided by the player’s ability to reveal more context and clues by replying to text messages and following friends through an in-game social platform called Crosstalk. Unlike the first Life Is StrangeMax can also use his analog instant camera, a Polaroid Now Generation 2 i-Type, to take in-game “snapshots” of impromptu moments in Caledon. It’s a plus that could have used more features like filters, flashes, and adjustable aperture ranges and shutter speeds for added immersion, but its camera is integrated with a double exposure feature that’s essential for creating two divergent experiences in the five chapters of the game.

There are very few situations in Double exposure that feel disconnected because the only bright flares of the lens are the pace and reluctance to go off the deep end in the most Lynchian way possible. Its runtime barely exceeds 12 hours – unless you choose to make an entirely different second part – and while Deck Nine’s designers have created a game that respects any ending you considered canon in the original Don’t Nod , the eternal thread of the loose. ending on two parallel timelines can feel like a dream sequence you never signed up for. Double exposure it shouldn’t be seen as an injustice to Max’s narrative, especially when relationships and romantic interests are driven by player choice now more than ever, but it’s hard to ignore the details that could have added to his abstract storytelling. Or at least he’s swung the pendulum in a direction that’s his style House of Leaves and The New Stranger.

Double exposure it’s still a superb and brilliantly written thriller that deserves attention. It doesn’t do anything revolutionary, but it’s a new installment in the Life Is Strange series that examines Max Caulfield’s breakup with Arcadia Bay, her struggle to let go of the past, and how she’s slowly embraced a stronger level of self-acceptance—despite a complicated history of death that always finds a way back to it. It may not be the sequel to “Max and Chloe Forever” that many fans wanted (understandably), but it’s an engaging adventure that highlights how flaws can build character — whether it’s serving as motivation for to fix old habits or to dream about the future. .

Life is Strange: Double Exposure was released on October 29 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using a pre-release download code provided by Deck Nine Games. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. They do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.