RowReads: Game Discussioin: Life is Strange episode 5 trailer and theory talk.

The official trailer for the final episode of Life is Strange has finally been released and in less than 24 hours depending on your region we will finally have the game in our hands... or consuls of choice.

I was actually about to sleep here in Australia when the guys at Dontnod dropped the final trailer for the game. Final-freaking-ly we have been teased through the last two weeks with 10-sec teasers based on things we have seen in the past episode so finally we got some new content hinting on what's gonna happen in the final episode.

~~So forget sleeping I need to write all my thoughts out while I wait for Steam to download the final DLC!!~~ *Update* apparently half asleep me forgot to press publish so instead I'm now uploading this theory/breakdown when I assumed lots of people are currently playing the game... ah well I may as well upload my final thoughts and theories before I play the game so here are some highlights based on the trailer and warning for spoilers.

1) Looking Back

Yes there are a lot of flashbacks with lots of repeat content but what's interesting is that they are using some of the 'deleted' or maybe even new voice overs that we have to hear through the game. The one that that stood out to me is 'What kind of friend are you' which sounds like Kate and if I can pin point where it came from its either episode 1 when given the potion to intervene between David and Kate or episode 2 if we answer the wrong question on the rooftop. Also lot of scenes are speed up and blurred out so its gonna be harder to pin point what's happening. It also kinda helps to know that based on past trailers the producers are smart with the editing as they edited scenes like not including Chloe in the episode 4 trailer.

2) Escaping the bunker

Ahhh crap!! poor Max!!! So obviously at the end of episode 4 Max was drugged and taken into the bunker by Shitterson and is now tapped to a chair and of cause being pumped with more drugs. At first I though the voice in the first teaser pleading him not to drug her was Kate as Max and Kate's voices sounds similar and that we were viewing a flashback on what happened to Kate that night but that theory went out of the window when this scene pop up.

Now two question. Why is jefferson wearing a white shirt when it at the end of the last episode he was wearing a dark blue shirt? I doubt he has THAT kinda time to change before taking photos or drugged up Max.

Also how will Max escape the bunker since she's tied up both hands and legs to the chair as well as the fact she's high on drugs? She obviously can't use her rewind powers and she is not in the right shape to get out of the chair. There have been theories that David, Nathan or some other characters will come and rescue Max but from the look of this situation I think Max has to save herself... question is HOW???

3) Max's power

With that being said, this episode is called Polarized. We already learned in episode 3 and 4 that Max has the ability to photo hopped and I assumed we will be doing a lot of that in this episode. Also from the looks of this still I assumed that we will somehow photo hopped to the VERY BEGINNING of the game through that first photo we took in class and in some ways is related to saving Chloe in the bathroom. But wait.... what's this??? Max in an empty classroom? What's happening? This is not 'Everybody's Gone To The Rapture'?! This is Life Is Strange!!! So why is Max in an empty class room at the start of the game? I'm pretty sure if she were to doze Jefferson or one of her classmates will at least wake her up.

4) Very New Scenes

HOLA HOLA HOLA HOLD IT... MAX ON A PLANE??? I SAID PHOTO HOP NOT PLANE HOP! How and why is Max on a plane?? is it because she gave the selfie to Jefferson in episode 1 so she won the everyday hero's contest so it makes her the one not victoria going to San Fransisco with Jefferson?? Or is this WAY BACK to when she just got accepted into Blackwell and she's traveling from Seattle to Oregon. Not so sure why she'll take a plane as its probably cheaper to take a bus or if she's with her parents they'll go on a road trip to help her move to her school. guys... I smell either something beautiful or something disastrous. And yes you can fly from Seattle to Portland, Oregon as I googled it and boy is it pricey.

5) THAT SELFIE

THIS MAKES TOTAL SENSE!!! I WAS WONDERING HOW THE HECK DID MAX MANAGES TO TAKE THAT SELFIE WITHOUT HELP?? Gahhh!! of cause she use a tripod and a timer! but my stupid stupid head was not thinking! haha we finally have the answer to the mystery behind the first selfie.

But wait what's this?? Nose bleeding (am already used to it) and something is happening... when was the last time we saw this?? the time we photo hopped to 5 years prior to the game when Max tried to save.. oh crap!!! MAX WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???

From the looks of It Max went way back into time, further than the beginning of the game to make some changes... gah Max!! Didin't you learn from your last photo hop adventure how much fate and destiny you can eff up with one little travel hop?

Also one big question is Will we get to know where Max's power come from and if so how did she get the powers? Also does Rachael have those powers??

6) THE STORM!!!

So based on the voice over in the game, yes its because of Max rewinding time that causes the storm not saving Chloe from being shot that causes the storm. There is a lot of talks about Max changing destiny and fate through the past few days which is true, I meant depending of cause of your choices you can save and mess up a lot of things through the game.

Mostly what stood out to me was that Max confront Warren about what's happening! Finally! Now that scene was a reused scene with some reused dialog from the end of episode 2 when Warren comforts Max after the scene in the principles office and if we remember back in episode 1, if its not for Chloe and Nathan suddenly crashing into their lives, Max will have confronted Warren about her new found powers and about the shooting in the bathroom as Warren was Max's only friend who she can trust back then. I really hope to see more Warren and Max moments in this episode as Warren has been a great friend of Max through the game and helps her out without questioning the weird requests. Also I don't think Max will travel hop with that Warren's selfie back in episode 4 immediately as its not in her inventory but we will probably use it as they made us take that picture for a reason. Just how is she gonna get that picture from him?

7) CHLOE AND RACHAEL

Now the biggest question... HOW AND WILL WE EVEN HAVE A CHANCE TO SAVE CHLOE???

I can safely say we can rule Rachael as dead but I don't want to believe that Chloe is dead. It will be a shitting thing to keep her dead both cause I love Chloe and also it will be terrible story telling. I seriously think this game has build up so much on Chloe as a character as well as her relationship with Max will be a freaking waste to kill her off. I know there are a lot of theories of Max rewinding time to warn Chloe but when and how??

8) NATHAN?!?!?!

Now I have some theories about Nathan. I don't think he's dead and will make no sense killing the son of someone who is highly profile like the Prescott's. I seriously think the dude is being blackmailed by Jefferson to so some of this stuff hence why he always say he's sick of people trying to control him. The dude has been know to be very jittery and imbalance through the game due to some mental illness and also cause of what's going on in his life. We already ruled out in episode 4 that Nathan is not the main villain but is in some ways helping Jefferson.

The Letter

I also think he has some connection to Rachael. Remember in episode 2 we find a letter scrunch up in Chloe and Rachael’s hut in the Junk yard that has a letter about Rachael meeting someone in the VORTEX CLUB who is DIFFERENT from the others. He’s someone who will make Chloe hates and will freak out if she ever knows that Rachael’s been hooking up with but Rachael describes him to be both WISE and UNCONDITIONAL not to mention JUST EXPERIENCE SERIOUS SHIT.

Who is it?

We can now establish that Rachael has been linked to three guys, Frank, Jefferson and Nathan. Between the three of them the only guy who fits ALL THE ABOVE has to be Nathan. Yes Rachael does have a relationship with Frank and I believe during the time she wrote the letter, with the way how she sounds so confuse with her feelings as I think she genuinely care for Frank (not to mention she also have a good relationship with Frank’s dog so if anything fishy is happening between them the dog will be the first to know). Yes maybe its Mr Jefferson who she rumoured to have slept with and as we saw in episode 4 was oddly at a vortex club party but ‘school parties’ often have an adult figure to chaperon the place so that they won’t get into too much trouble.

It totally makes sense for the guy Rachael is talking to in the letter to be Nathan. Not to mention we see a small scrap of paper at the side of that letter that belongs to Nathan as we saw in EP4 when we were trying to break into his phone.

Having that we play the game from Max’s POV, we are often mislead and jump to conclusion as we don’t really know about the other side of the stories. Same goes for Nathan. Through the game we often portray Nathan as the main villain but If you talk to people who know him better like Hayden or Victoria they’ll tell you that he’s a ‘cool dude’ or their best friend.

On the rare occasion we see Nathan, calm, not high in rage and ACTUALLY SMILING, I can totally see him as the dude his buddies describe. I also think one of the reasons Victoria has a grudge against Rachael (a part from owing her money) is because she knows Nathan’s mental state has been deeply affected by her disappearance/ what he saw (Rachael in the dark room) and her being his best friend who genuinely cares for him too is angry.

One thing this game points out heavily is that just because two people of the opposite sex are close does not mean it has to be a romantic relationship. Like Rachael and Evan’s friendship or depending on how you portray Max and Warren’s relationship, Victoria and Nathan are as close as brother and sister can get.

Nathan and Rachael’s relationship

Okay so at this point we have established that Nathan and Rachael had something going on whether it be a really good friendship or romantically, we saw it in the diner with Max dress as Rachael that his face lights up just like how Frank’s face light up when we ask to see his favourite picture of Rachael. Also Nathan is like everyone else does not know what happened to Rachael and even if he was involved he clearly does not or vaguely remembers what happened to Rachael and with those disturbing Rachael in the Darkroom pictures he is trying to put things back together.

8) JEFFERSON *GAGGGGGG*

What are Jefferson's motives? Is he a mess up guy or does he have some sort of fetish for beautiful young girls? Also does he know about Max's powers. He keep on saying Max has a gift through the game so I'm intrigued to see if he is aware of her powers and is the reason for him drugging, kidnapping and taking pictures of girls at their vulnerable state. He is one eff up dude that I called out from episode 2 so am interested to see what's gonna happen to his character and if he's gonna get caught.

9) QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS?

How Will it end?? Will Max be able to stop the storm? Heck Will she or chloe even be safe? Seriously in this game anything is possible and who knows what sort of plot twist Dontnod have in stores for us. All i know is that this will be a conclusion to both Max AND Chloe's story so hopefully they will answer everything nicely and conclude the story with a nice little bow.

And there you have it! My thoughts and theories before playing the final episode of Life is Strange. I am freaking excited and scared to see what it has in store for us and hopefully it will have a satisfying ending with NO CLIFFHANGER. Life Is Strange is one of the best stories I've encountered in both gaming and fictional medium and gosh I'm looking forward to seeing what episode 5 have instore for us.

Also check out my reviews and episode discussions for Life is Strange: