Life is Strange 2
The long-awaited sequel to the award-winning game Life is Strange (2015) will be coming out with a new season. Although not much information on the story line or characters has been released, gamers are sure to expect another heartfelt, drama-filled and interactive game in which the choices you make have a big impact on the course of the story.
Developer DONTNOD Entertainment and publisher Square Enix recently announced that the first out of the 5 episodes of Life is Strange 2 will be released on 27 September 2018 for PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One.
Previously on…
Last month DONTNOD launched the spin-off The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, which revolves around the life of the free-spirited 9 year old boy Chris Eriksen, as he goes out on adventures as his alter ego Captain Spirit. The story takes place 3 years after the first game and deals with themes like childhood nostalgia, but also touches more social topics such as grief, neglect and alcoholism. Even though the story of the beloved protagonists Max Caufield and Chloe Price, whom we got to know in the first game, will not be continued in Life is Strange 2, DONTNOD has made it known that Captain Spirit will serve as an introduction to the new series, and you can, if you pay enough attention, get a glimpse of the new story.Time travel
One of the most prominent themes in Life is Strange is undoubtedly the time travel powers Max acquires and the effect these powers have on her mundane life as a photography student in the quiet town of Arcadia Bay. However, it is not yet certain if the sequel will once again follow new characters that deal with the phenomenon, or if the story will put more focus on the coming-of-age and friendships during which choices will have more impact on daily life than the supernatural. This aspect was left out in both the prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm (2017) as the spin-off Captain Spirit (2018), but science fiction fans hope to see it return as part of the new season.
To be continued
In the month of August more information and a trailer are expected to be released. We will keep you updated on this page, so stay tuned!
A new story
The official reveal trailer was launched by DONTNOD Entertainment on August 20th, and during Gamescom 2018 visitors could play the first part of the first episode. The new storyline of Life is Strange 2 is still relatively vague, but we have gotten to know more about the new protagonists. 16-year-old Sean Diaz and his younger brother Daniel (who you can briefly spot in The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit) are preparing for Halloween as it is only a few days away. In addition, Sean has a graduation party that night to look forward to. He makes his way through the house to gather stuff in preparation for the party, and we can already see the interaction between him and his little brother and father. And again, Life is Strange knows how to sketch the family image with interactive elements placed in the house that tell you more about the Diaz family. It also becomes clear early on that you will once again be making both small and big decisions that will have an impact on the storyline, even if it is not apparent at first.
Superpowers
When Sean is ready to head out, the story takes a dark turn. As he walks outside he finds Daniel, who is in trouble with the neighbourhood bully. Being the big brother he is, he tries to break up the fight, but the disaster that follows is something no one expects. It is not clear what exactly happens, but it appears that one of the boys has a superpower that blows away everything in his path and causes great damage. The brothers have no other choice but to flee the scene, and we later see them make their way through the woods to an unknown destination. How the story will progress is something to discover yourself on 27 September 2018Life is Strange 2 has been receiving great reviews so far, and the story is said to be gripping and emotional. Though it differs from Life is Strange 1 in many ways, DONTNOD has created a fresh story with new locations and characters that players can get attached to. The supernatural element that was introduced (which is not time travel like Max had) also gives the story a new aspect to focus on, which can sometimes help divert the attention away from the emotional hardships the main characters Sean and Daniel go through.
Release dates
The pacing of the Life is Strange 2 episodes’ release dates has been considerably slower than the first game. There are 4 months in between episodes, which is a lot longer than the 2 months we had to wait with Life is Strange 1. This means the conclusion of the game will not be released until December 2019. Fortunately, we now at least know when the next episode will be released, even if it is still a few months to go.
The next episodes will be or have been released on:
- Episode 2: 24 January 2019
- Episode 3: 9 May 2019
- Episode 4: 22 August 2019
- Episode 5: 3 December 2019
Our colleague Maud played Life is Strange 2 Episode 4, read the review (with spoilers!) here.