I’ve now played the first two chapters (provided by Early Access Ultimate Edition) Life is Strange: Double Exposureoriginal protagonist Max Caulfield returns to the spotlight with her first full-length game in nearly a decade. The original Life is Strange celebrated its tenth anniversary in January, and while Square Enix hasn’t explicitly tied Max’s reappearance to this upcoming milestone, they’ve now decided to revisit her It seems unlikely that this is pure coincidence.
I’ll be saving my thoughts on Max’s latest murder, mystery, and multiverse for my full review once the whole game is over – so no need to worry about plot spoilers today – but based on what I’ve already seen, I I was already confident in part of my verdict. That’s right: it’s time to talk about Max.
Max has truly aged since she was last on screen in Life is Strange . In-universe, we last saw her in October 2013, and Double Exposure picks up in December 2023; the awkward 18-year-old art student from Arcadia Bay has given way to fictional The awkward 28-year-old artist-in-residence at Caledon University in Vermont. There’s no doubt that Max is still her old self, but at the same time, her maturity makes her feel authentic to me as a queer-artistic millennial introvert.
Max’s growth as a character is evident from the game’s earliest scenes, with evidence often teased out for us through her conversations with her new co-worker and later bestie, Safi. For example: 10 years ago, Max’s bisexuality was such a low-key topic that she was barely allowed to openly like men, let alone other women. So it’s refreshing to catch up with DE-era Max, who can openly admit to admiring three different women and enter into a long-term relationship with another within the first hour of the game – if nothing else , it’s a good reminder of how far casual representation in games has come over the past decade, and how much Square now believes in LIS as a queer-friendly brand name.
But does that mean Max is a smooth operator after a decade of romance? Happily, this isn’t a simple “yes” or “no” situation. On the one hand, Max’s relationships with her potential new lovers—cool bartender Amanda and playful administrative assistant Vin—are characterized not by adolescent yearning but by both parties’ ability to say, frankly, “Hey, I really like you, how would you feel if we spent some time together as friends?” It’s all very mature – and far removed from LIS1 Max’s largely subtextual lesbian awakening with Chloe, or with Waugh the Geek. Ren’s hesitation in arranging a date could not be further from mutual chastity.
However, Max can be like hell Even after admitting she wanted to have these conversations, she continued to discuss them while an increasingly exasperated Safi wingman sat on the sidelines. When Max’s tendency to crack weird dad jokes turns into unexpected hints, the game lets you choose whether she panics or tries to cover it up—and as a recovering shy person, this feels like the most authentic thing to do: whether you can laugh or not You can also blush at your own stupidity, depending on the day.
It’s not all a sign of greater confidence that comes with life experience, though. The structure of the game itself seems to be meant to remind us that adulthood also brings with it a narrowing of perspective, a feeling of melancholy that can accompany life becoming more secure and comfortable.
I’ve always associated the Life is Strange series with sweeping vistas of the golden American landscape, a backdrop that’s a constant reminder that these young adult protagonists are still at the beginning of their journey, with all the possibilities laid out before them. However, while Double Exposure does not lack for the stunning views of the frozen lake town of Vermont in midwinter, the true luxury of the scenery is almost entirely inverted, and what was once a visually uninteresting interior space has become the central hub of Max’s life. .
You only have to look at the Caledon School of Art building where she works—it appears to be some sort of Gothic cathedral conversion, complete with stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings—or her modern three-story artist’s Cabin,” with wall-length picture windows, gives you a sense of how and why Max’s world has become more closed off. Why would she feel the need to look into the distance when everything before her suited her so well? Double Exposure has even fewer scene transitions than previous games in the series, subtly reinforcing the sense that Max is settled in one place, no matter what drama she discovers within it.
All of which is to say, Life is Strange: Double Exposure does a lot of things, big and small, to create the feeling of following a well-known and beloved character ten years into his life. This is one of the best examples I’ve seen in fiction of giving a traditional character a natural and realistic maturity. But even so, I felt like something was missing.
Maybe it’s that feeling of existing in the proverbial teenage daydream, on the edge of real life about to begin, that Life is Strange has conveyed so powerfully in the past. For Max, this sense of unlimited potential has now begun to fade, and rightfully so – in fact it would be disconcerting if she reappeared ten years later having learned nothing in the meantime. Incredibly annoying. But despite this, as the title of the first chapter cleverly reminds us, “Still Life,” I can’t help but find it less strange than before. It’s less scary, but also less fantastic.
Honestly, Deck Nine? It’s an accurate expression of what it’s like to be in your twenties and it feels like a personal attack.
This preview is based on a PS5 copy of Life is Strange: Double Exposure – Chapters 1 and 2 provided by the publisher.
The final three chapters of Life is Strange: Double Exposure will be released in full to all players on October 29th on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Then keep an eye out for our full review too!
