RowReads: Game Discussion: Life Is Strange Episode 5 (Polarized)

Title: Life Is Strange Episode 5 (Polarized)

Developer: Dontnod Entertainment

Publisher: Square-Enix

Genre: Episodic, Contemporary, Supernatural, Mystery, interactive drama, adventure

Platforms played: PC

Official Game Description (Source) :

Life Is Strange is a five part episodic game that sets out to revolutionise story based choice and consequence games by allowing the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.

You are Max, a photography senior who saves her old friend Chloe by discovering she can rewind time. The pair soon find themselves exposed to the darker side of Arcadia Bay as they uncover the disturbing truth behind the sudden disappearance of a fellow student.

Meanwhile, Max begins to have premonitions as she struggles to understand the implications of her power. She must quickly learn that changing the past can sometimes lead to a devastating future.

Features
• A beautifully written modern adventure game
• Rewind time to change the course of events.
• Multiple endings depending on the choices you make.
• Striking, hand-painted visuals
• Distinct, licensed indie soundtrack

Life is Strange is a game based off of choices and how it effects the past, present and future. I will also talk about the continuation of my choices in the previous episode and how it effects my gameplay.

Minor Decisions

1) David didn't get a scar during the fight

Okay so apparently David can get hurt in the fight... I just I ask Jefferson for water!!!

But this part was hard as David and Max keep getting hurt or even shot by the gun. I originally ask Jefferson to take a photo but whenever I try to warn David, Jefferson will hurt either one with that freaking tripod. Too early, too late, he's got a gun. yup so I thought maybe its the choice that I made so i rewind to the very beginning and try asking for water, push the cart and pull the chord and yay! Shitterson is on the ground...

2) David didn't kill Jefferson

As much as I want Shitterson to die, he'll suffer more in prison. And if David kills Jefferson he'll sit next to dead Jefferson in a ball and grieve over Chloe's death. Nope not gonna happen! Need to man up that soldier and rewind so that he will get to work on investigating the darkroom.

3) You saved the trucker

Cause I am a nice person and he did let me take a pic of his truck in episode 5

4) You saved Evan

Because as much of a pretentious idiot who needs a shot of a tornado he does not deserve to be hit by a flying piece of metal and DIE... and he did let Max look at his portfolio in episode 1 so time to return the favor.

5) You saved Alyssa

ONE LAST TIME! HAHA AND IT WAS WORTH IT AS SHE SAVE US EVENTUALLY!

6) You saved the fisherman

OK this part took a couple of tries to fix it. Good thing he was kinda having a panic attack so he does not noticed Max 'teleporting' into the room.

7) You didn't change Joyce's mind about David

Not so sure how this applies to me or How but either way I sided with David in the last episode so yah...

8) You told the truth about Rachel to Frank

Oh Frank. Poor guy. And yes its better he knows the truth about Rachael since he did help us with his Client list.

9) You kissed Warren

THANK FREAKING YOU DONTNOD FOR SAILING MY SHIP!!! *SMASH THAT KISS BUTTON*

Yes I am a proud Grahamfield shipper and have been shipping them EVEN BEFORE Warren went ALL ALPHA APE in episode 4 and even though my thoughts on Warren fluctuate from time to time I still adore the him and his relationship with Max (depending on how players play it of cause). To be honest as much as I love and adore Pricefield I prefer Grahamfield as I see Max and Chloe's relationship as more of sisterly love than romantically love. Then again the last video game that I played that I saw two female character as sisterly love turned out to be sorta romantically love *cough *Left Behind DLC *cough *mind me I'm clueless at romance and that this is once again PLAYERS CHOICE on how they ship and how they want it to sail.

Major Choices

We saw this coming guys... We saw this coming for months... from the very beginning of the game it was already foreshadowed that it will be all down to this... BAE or BAY?

I'll be honest... I was ready to sacrifice Chloe... not because I hate her (NO AS I HELLA LOVE HER) but because we were prepared for this back in EPISODE 4 where we were given a choice of upping her morphine and letting her die or not. Heck it was foreshadowed from the very beginning that we might have to make some sacrifice to save the town from the storm or to save Chloe. The final moments with Chloe parallels what we saw at the start of episode 4.

Sacrificing Chloe, focusing all the way back to episode 1 and letting her get shot by Nathan in the bathroom so that Max never rewind her powers which even according to DR Warren says its because of Max's actions of manipulating time and alternate realities the main cause of the storm.

It was as painful as killing her back in the alternate world but this is Chloe's wish and that she accepts it. Chloe has grown through the game from the rude and selfish girl who has a hard time moving on from her father's death and is obsess with looking for her missing friend to overcoming her issues and being Max's loyal partner in crime through the game. Chloe's character stole my heart at that final moment as she was willing to sacrifice herself for the safety of the town that she both hates and loves.

Overall

I'll be honest... I was a bit disappointing with the fact that our decisions end up being erased or not taken into account at the end of the game but that one last decision was all that matters. Still the choices on how we move the story was a journey worth making as it makes us think what will we do as Max. As for the ending, while I at times felt it was rushed I still was satisfied with the ending I choose and could not bring myself to see how the other ones went.

If anything in this episode or through playing the series affects you whether physically or emotionally, please go seek help and talk to someone. The developers have even set up a hotline site where they have linked all the places to seek help at Life is Strange Talk (Click here). Don't keep it to yourselves. If anything the game shows is no matter what there is somebody always out there to talk.

So there you have it guys. My discussion and walk through on the last episode of life is strange. Its been a fun and memorial journey to play and one of the best and most unique story I've seen in not just video games but fiction in general. Thank you Dontnod for making such a beautiful game and I'm looking forward to playing whatever games you guys have for us in the future and maybe even a DLC or season 2 of Life is Strange *hint *nudge *wink. Either way I had a great time with the game and following Max and Chloe's adventure so I hope you guys who have beaten the game think so to.

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