Life Is Strange: Episode One – Second Thoughts

Dissecting Life Is Strange's gameplay seems trivial to me. It mainly consists of walk here, look at this, and occasionally rewind time to not say something rude. It's all cataloged in-depth in my review and though it sounds like an oxymoron, I don't think this game is about the gameplay at all. Life Is Strange tells an angsty story, full of kids that tread their own path and don't want to fit a convention. It definitely gives way to memories of being younger and dealing with the awkwardness of growing into one's self. But, more than all of that, it tells a story that's all about being alone in the world.

Within the first few moments of the game, the main character, Max, learns that she has time-altering powers. Like any sane person, she questions her sanity and realizes she can't tell anyone about this. As if anyone would believe her anyway. She has a potentially world-changing power and she can't tell a soul. She's alone with the greatest secret in the world.

Where this differs from other stories of the same nature is that Max is not a super hero. If anything, she doesn't want the power that she has. Common super hero conventions are a power fantasy where the loser becomes the savior; the common man becomes the hero. By the end of Life Is Strange's first episode, Max hasn't changed; she is still the outcast. She doesn't don a costume and have her world transform to where she is on top. Max starts the game on the outside and ends the game the same.

No pun intended, but there is power in a story like this. Having female protagonists is important, especially one that doesn't constantly wave her breasts around. Max is an important character because she is not strong. Max is nervous, shy, and alone. She appeals to an unclaimed demographic: teenage girls. Life Is Strange tells a story that puts focus on what is on the inside of a person, not the out. Max's power stands for the intricacies of a person that you must get to know, not those that you can see. In a time where the female figure is constantly sexualized, the video game industry being no exception, it is important to have characters like Max, Ellie from The Last Of Us, and Clementine from The Walking Dead to appeal to young females who are just normal human beings. These characters stand for people who haven't quite found themselves in a world that is often frustrating and as the title says, “strange.” These characters are important and they are just as necessary as our testosterone-laden heroes that we hold so dear to our gaming hearts.

Life Is Strange does not set out to be a mechanically astounding game. It is a game that says it's okay to not be normal and it's okay to not relate to everyone else's heroes. Max is on her way to being a fan favorite because she represents those who have been over-looked in the game community but have no less of a voice than anyone else.

 

                    Source: God Is A Geek