GAME OF WHAT IF
When you were young, uncertain of your place in the world and quietly anxious about it, wouldn’t a time-rewinding ability have been a relief? You could have tried cracking that risky joke, asking that classy girl out, or standing up to that bully — and then rewound time and skipped ahead if it went wrong. That exact ability is what Max Caulfield, the 18-year-old protagonist of Life Is Strange, discovers — though she ends up using it for far more serious matters.
Since its release ten years ago, Dontnod’s choice-driven graphical adventure has become something of a modern classic. The opening Hitchcock quote in the classroom describes film as “little pieces of time.” Max exists in her world not only as a participant, but also as an observer — as if she is both inside and outside the events unfolding around her. With the gesture of an outstretched hand, time rewinds like a videotape being scrubbed backward on a TV screen. She can try different choices again and again until she thinks she gets it right. It’s safe to say her life as a freshman at Blackwell Academy, in the town of Arcadia Bay, takes a dramatic turn.
Max is a well-written character: sensitive, thoughtful, and intelligent, but also socially awkward and deeply insecure. She harbors persistent doubts about where she belongs. Having arrived at adulthood with a clear talent for photography, she constantly second-guesses herself, comparing her work to others and downplaying her own abilities. Her power reflects that mindset perfectly — the urge to reconsider, rebalance choices, steer outcomes, and hope for the best. Life Is Strange captures the feeling of adolescent uncertainty, where every small decision feels momentous.
After reuniting with her childhood best friend Chloe — whom she failed to stay in touch with for years — the story grows darker. Since losing her father in a car accident, Chloe has become rebellious, reckless, and entangled with the wrong crowd. Her close friend Rachel has disappeared, and much of the game revolves around helping Chloe uncover what happened to her. The result feels like a high-school drama with strange, unsettling undercurrents — reminiscent of Twin Peaks, though not quite reaching the same heights.
The game takes place around the school and its campus, a local diner, and the outskirts of Arcadia Bay. A lighthouse overlooking the town carries strong metaphorical weight, closely tied to Max herself. Arcadia Bay is one of those beautiful yet suffocating places where nothing seems to happen on the surface, while turmoil simmers underneath. A quiet desperation hangs over many of its residents — people lost in life, aching to prove themselves.
Gameplay revolves around exploration, simple puzzles, and dialogue, all elevated by the time-rewind mechanic. Interactable objects are clearly highlighted, making it nearly impossible not to snoop everywhere. Some puzzles are time-sensitive and would normally result in failure, but rewinding allows endless retries. If a bucket of paint falls, perhaps you need to ensure the right bully is standing beneath it. The game lets you reset the scenario repeatedly until everything aligns.
Dialogue sequences are similarly playful, though occasionally tedious. You might give a wrong answer, hear the correct one in response, rewind, and then say the “right” thing. It’s a clever idea, but in practice, listening to the same exchanges multiple times can wear thin.
One of Life Is Strange’s greatest strengths is its broader narrative scope. It paints a portrait not just of individuals, but of the fragile ecosystem they inhabit. It’s both a coming-of-age story and a detective mystery, with the two strands flowing seamlessly into each other. Max is a classic introvert with few friends, which makes her relationships all the more meaningful. Even the more unpleasant characters are afforded nuance: the bully has her reasons, the spoiled and unstable rich kid has his. The story eventually takes an unexpectedly dark turn, sharply contrasting with the colorful, breezy art style.
Through Max’s time-warping abilities, we glimpse alternate realities — almost like a multiverse — where characters shift into entirely different versions of themselves. The most compelling section sends Max back to childhood to prevent Chloe’s tragic loss, testing whether a happier past would change her future. The outcome is shocking, suggesting that fate itself may be immutable. It’s my favorite chapter, as it redeems Chloe by revealing a vulnerable, relatable side beneath her abrasive exterior.
Chloe’s portrayal has drawn criticism over the years, and yes — she’s reckless, selfish, and often exhausting. But that’s the point. Max wouldn’t stay by her side without the weight of shared history and unresolved guilt. She feels responsible for how Chloe’s life spiraled, as if her absence helped push her toward danger. Chloe is a bad influence and a liability — but Max takes it upon herself to save her anyway.
Max’s empathy, however, becomes a liability of its own. Her power visibly takes a toll: nosebleeds, dizziness, physical collapse. Soon it becomes clear that an apocalyptic storm is approaching, and Max may be responsible. Is she saving lives — or breaking reality? Are the butterfly effects of her choices the true cause of the coming disaster?
I love these ideas, and the storytelling feels grounded in character rather than spectacle. It isn’t flawless: the opening chapter drags, and the final one abandons subtlety in favor of excessive multiverse theatrics. The middle chapters are the strongest, focusing on the Rachel mystery and meaningful character development. The character models, however, haven’t aged well; their stiff facial animations can be distracting.
Life Is Strange has often been mocked for its awkward attempts at teen dialogue, and that reputation shaped my expectations. I noticed it too, but found the slang (“wowser,” “hella,” and the like) oddly charming — part of the game’s identity rather than a fatal flaw. Critics tend to overlook that much of the dialogue is actually quite effective, and occasionally excellent.
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