life is strange: a janky masterpiece 

the art direction of this game is next level. it really captures what 2013 felt like

"Did it ever occur to you that Chloe IS cringe?" - See, this is how I know that someone gets it with this game. 😂

i just wanna say that the "hella" thing is more integral than you think because in BTS, rachel says it casually and chloe is like "excuse me?" and rachel says "it's an LA thing..." so we retroactively learn that in LIS chloe learned that lil slang from rachel. and in alt-universe where chloe is in a wheelchair when max says it chloe is like "tf?" because she never met rachel in that timeline. 😭😭😭 the games are all fking incredible. and loved to hear you're a chloe apologist because i am too. she's amazing.

As someone who played life is strange as each episode came out I was always in denial that Rachel was dead, I wanted to believe that she had Max’s powers too and was trapped in time or something? The episode where you found out she died hit so hard.

As someone who is disabled, episode 4 for me was extremely hard to get through - but not because it was poorly done, but I thought it was done really well. In both realities it seems Chloe will end up disabled - either physically or emotionally. I didn't think it was the "worse" reality, it was more to reinforce that disabled people (especially in the American health system) are set up to fail in the current society we live in. Mental health is not given enough attention until it is too late (especially in women) and people with chronic physical illnesses are then slaves to the health care system. There is a guilt that comes with being disabled, for causing financial burden to your parents and hurting your loved ones emotionally. Not only do you feel like shit physically, but you also emotionally feel like garbage for causing your loved ones to hurt. They did an amazing job at showing the reality of this, and it blew me away when I first played it. I could talk forever about this but I've grown to seen this game as a political/social commentary. This may be a stretch, but the final decision being to sacrifice chloe or sacrifice arcadia bay to me was to either submit and conform to society as it stands or, to oppose them and give someone who was set up to fail a second chance in life. I do think there are many different ways of viewing and understanding the game though :) I enjoy hearing them all.

I'm with you 100% that Blackwell Academy should have been a small liberal arts college. Students living in dorms? Check. Students being 18 or older? Check. Students having specialized areas of study? Check.

I actually think it’s perfectly in line with Max’s character to have her suddenly go up to people and strike conversations with them in episode 1 despite her supposedly being this shy/anti-social character, and it really has everything to do with her getting the rewind ability. I think it makes sense that she would suddenly have a lot more confidence going into a conversation knowing that if she says the wrong thing or pisses someone off, she can just rewind. The characters even actually comment on how much more confident she’s become even at the beginning of the story, as it’s implied that beforehand she had only really talked to and made friends with Warren and Kate at Blackwell before episode 1.

the way these games rewired my brain cannot be overstated

I just got to the part where you talk about the journal entrees and Id like to give a 2 counter points. 1) The game was released episodically over the course of months so it restating the choices with little quips was VERY helpful to us as a player base. Many of us were playing through parts multiple times with different saves to get different scenes. And 2) The little quips in the journal/the way Max would write about events really solidified her character and made her not just a self insert/no personality MC. For example: No matter how you play the game or what choices you make you cant make Max hate or be indifferent to Kate/Chloe/Victoria/etc. because thats not her nature. You can make her be bitchy because she IS snarky but because Max doesn't like being too mean she'll always regret it in her journal. Which was pretty cool for the time since a lot of player characters in games are opinionless vehicles for the players Loving the vid tho! I just couldn't stop myself from mentioning this lol

Great vid! I'm in a wheelchair,so I'll dive into your question. Among many in the disabled community,certain conditions are the "depressing ones",the "morbid marked". Technology exists to keep these individuals alive,but not to enable a full life of varied experiences. Full paralysis,severe brain damage,etc. In essence,these individuals are victims of the modern medical industry. Every moment of their misery is worth money to a vast network of healthcare professionals. They can be sustained,but never cured. That's the medical gold mine. Greed takes over,and patients begging to let go are forcibly plugged into tubes. This becomes known to other disabled who are asked to help. Every disabled gets asked once. At least. The primary reason that suicide is against the law,is to avoid the financial collapse of these long-term nightmare clinics. It's a tragic situation.

Finding Rachel was one of the most effecting moments I’ve ever seen in a game the song (Mountains by Message to Bears) hits SO hard and then Ashly Burch’s voice acting just tears straight through you. It’s also the first time you hear Chloe admit she was in love with Rachel. Just a stellar scene and it makes the whole game worth it imo

I too was #TeamBay when I played the final episode, for the simple reason that it's what Chloe begged Max for with all her heart. I couldn't say no to that, even if it broke my heart.

This game changed my perspective on a lot of things about life and relationships.

"Hella" is so funny to me. It's such a colloquial northern california thing, me and most everyone i grew up around pretty much talked like that, i forget thats not like a thing for everyone else 😂😂😂 even saying that, chloe definitely says it too much (similar to me, age 12, upon discovering the word "freaking")

The sacrifice Chloe is like a better ending thematically and the cutscene obviously had way more thought put into it however… I just can’t bring myself to kill her. I like her too much and a selfish choice is just more interesting to me with the implications it will bring. Like Chloe’s will have survivors guilt and max will have to deal with the fact that she killed an entire town and that will bind their relationship together forever for better or for worse and it’s just much more intriguing to me to think about (and I ship them lmao)

There are some great comments about disability. But I thought i would chip in. I think the very important points are twofold. Autonomy and perspective. It can be very unsettling as a person to see another person beg to die, but it is doubly so for people with disabilities because we often encounter a variety of different people who would effect our ability to enact our autonomy. What you may be picking up is the unsettling, and probably unintended, glorification of that power. The world stops. you see the choices below and you are acutely aware that it is a big choice. Not for Chloe. But for you. Which leads to the secondary point. Perspective. Often with scenes like this and in films like Me Before You, it is never the disabled person who is the main character. It is always how their choice impacts other people. For an able-bodied person you wouldn't get to question that choice. It is not yours to influence. But with a disabled person they have to rely on someone to set their choice into motion. With Kate it was a fight. You had to engage with her. Because if you didn't you had no power. But with Chloe there is no chance to engage with her as a person. Because the person didn't matter. Your choice did.

I think Max's everyday hero photo was clever, with the lights in the shot, it almost looks like Max is on stage, and each photo looks like another face in the crowd, I interpreted the photo as "the everyday hero" as the one who feels like they constantly must be performing or the ones who have to keep up a facade, or image even when they are alone in their most private moments. A lot of the characters in the game spend a lot of energy controlling how they present themselves , and the photo is about capturing what its like to live with that constant anxiety of needing to present themselves a certain way. The mentality is so ingrained in their heads they feel like they are being judged on a stage even when alone in their own rooms

the first life is strange is something that just can't be beat. The graphics, the soundtrack, I still listen to so many of the songs from the soundtrack like 8 years later!!

The way my heart dropped when I realized the characterization section was a cypher for the Chloe section when I knew I should have trusted you to be a Chloe champion. I should’ve realized. She’s not quite a Daphne or a Blair Waldorf, but maybe along the same vein, she is a deeply messy woman. She’s flawed but I will always love that about her. Honestly this game is something you kinda just have to be on the wavelength on. Either the jank repels you or it doesn’t. Me? I’m charmed by it. Tbh I consider it something akin to the way Folding Ideas describes the Tells of serialized fiction. It’s something that adds to the flavor and texture of the work. It may be flawed, but you can’t deny it’s distinct in its voice. In some ways, I almost feel like it would be worse if it was better. A less memorable game. (& maybe a less controversial one). I also really like the weird genre mashup stuff and how that works with the themes. Hard agree on the dialogue. There’s some real clunkers in there in terms of weird and stilted turns of phrase, but I don’t know why people act like aping accurate teen slang of the period is the end all be all of quality. Also, can I just say. Saying “Hella” in 2013 would not have been that far out of date, if at all. I played the game in maybe 2015-16 and it would’ve maybe been by that point. But at the same time, it was kinda a joke w/ my friends that NorCal / Bay Area kids used “hella” all the time way past it’s expiration date. Tbh, the developers retroactively integrated the reason for Chloe’s “hella” in a way that made sense to me. But I don’t wanna get too into Before the Storm. I do get that Rachel amber’s mystique from the original game, like I do prefer not to see a character who Haunts the Narrative. At the same time, I love Before the Storm. Some things about it’s story are kinda contrived, but I can’t help it. I think Rachel & her relationship w Chloe’s is done justice & it’s very well drawn P.s. the way I gasped at your choice between bae vs. bay.

Max being a blank slate character that the player can fill in pretty seamlessly also brings as a consequence the fact that many players are quick to point out Chloe as a toxic friend and not Max, who's actually much much worse no matter how hard you try to play her differently. in the real life timeline, the one without magic timetravels, Max not only abandons and ghosts her childhood friend for 5 years after Chloe's father died, but also comes back to town and doesn't bother to contact her for roughly 6 months iirc. Chloe actually dies without Max ever saying a simple sorry for abandoning her friend, not because fate is cruel, but because Max is capable of being so cold-hearted. but if Chloe gets offended if Max answers the phone to her new friend in need when she never, not even once, picked the phone up to call Chloe when she was in need and suicidal as well then we throw away all the nuance and label her toxic because that's fair. so that's a good reason to play Before the Storm, if you have a hard time empathising with characters you are not controlling then putting yourself in Chloe's shoes could be a good experience. also on the word hella: it's implied in the story it's a word she picked up from Rachel Amber, hence why she hates it in the timeline she never gets to meet her.

I'm fine with Chloe's personality, but I think that if the story was stretched out in a month or something like that, instead of a few days, her arc would feel more realistic. But also, I think that a lot of people see a progressive queer teenager girl with blue hair and instantly have some bias against her, so they're going to judge her more harshly and be much more critical of her flaws and mistakes. She is literally the Tumblr girl stereotype that so many people on the internet hate, so that easily makes her a very easy target for ridicule, especially in this day and age with all the annoying "blue haired liberal" memes. So, I guess I'm not too surprised that people are judging her this harshly. I don't think she's horrible. She has flaws, but she does become less selfish as the story goes on. There is also another group who worships her and thinks that Chloe is perfect human being who has done no wrong. She's not an angel or the devil. She's just a traumatized and heavily misguided human being. Also, I find it strange that people criticize her harshly for the way she is but completely ignores the fact that Frank, a 30 something year old man, was dating a teenage girl (Rachel Amber, before she died). Chloe's flaws were very intentional, but both the game and the players completely glossed over the fact that Frank was dating, living with, and sleeping with an 18-19 year old lady who he (SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't played Before the Storm) had met when she was 16. I played the game back in 2019, and I was honestly shocked that I've heard almost nobody talk about it, and even now, I haven't heard anyone else point out how weird it is. Sure, he didn't kill Rachel, and he's not as bad as Mr. Jefferson, but, I mean, come on. It's an interesting double standard indeed. Why are we hounding on a teenager girl for being careless and inconsiderate but not a groomer who is well into adulthood?

I didn't know that not liking Chloe and not liking the game goes hand in hand so much, I mean yes, everyone, who dislikes the game, usually lists Chloe as one of the reasons but I personally love the life is strange series while not liking Chloe. I get that she has problems but I knew someone similiar to her and it wasn't fun. I appreciate the journey her character makes but the execution could've been better

I love this analysis. I’ve always thought the Chloe haters were taking a one-dimensional approach but I wasn’t quite able to pinpoint why. It’s so obvious she’s cringe and a bad friend at times but that’s intentional and shows her place in life. I’ve experienced people like her in the past. I really appreciate the thought you put into this and it def validates my feelings about the game.

20:17 I still sometimes sing “hit or miss, I guess they never miss huh” to myself, and I still have friends who occasionally say “yeet” when we throw something. Even going back further, I know a kid who still says YOLO before doing risky stuff Sure, every character using it constantly would throw me off, but having some characters still using outdated slang is honestly pretty realistic.

The way that Life Is Strange changed the trajectory of my life, this game is my everything. I'm a Chloe Price girly, this girl changed my brain chemistry, she's problematic because she's traumatized and needs therapy, she's not a bad person and I'll fight anyone who says something bad about her. I'll take inconsistencies and hella cringe dialogue, this game is a masterpiece either way.

omg I played for the first time last year and the way I was INSTANTLY transported back to 2013-2015. I was in HS at the time and was definitely a Tumblr kid. For me it was so nostalgic and captured that time perfectly. I love that Max is shy and introverted but still outgoing. Her being well-liked and being able to chat with everyone while still being known as a quiet loner really resonated with me. I also think the conversation with Kate on the roof is one of the most riveting moments I've ever played in a game or experienced in any piece of media. I really didn't know if I was going to be able to save her and the fact that I was able to somehow talk her down was such a relief the entire conversation was a blur; my hands were shaking and I was crying. I saved Chloe in the end because of her rant about how her mom deserved so much better: I knew if her mom was present she would tell Max to save Chloe and I couldn't stop myself. I think there's a strong argument to be made for either ending honestly but I couldn't let Chloe die personally, even if it meant Arcadia Bay was destroyed. I think this game will stay with me forever but I don't know if I'll replay it, at least not for years to come. I just want my original experience with it to remain intact.

As someone who is disabled though not at all in a similar way, i can understand a lot of what alternate chloe felt, and its not that the worst timeline is where shes disabled, its the one in which she has the least control over herself. I mean in the original timeline her dream is to make it in LA, which even to chloe f-ing price (coolest character ever) is an impossible dream, but its hers even with how unlikely it is, which just shows her dedication to her own freedom. In a game about choice you can relate to alternate chloe having hers taken from her, its a scary feeling that many disabled people myself included have dealt with, and it was personally horrible to see every scenario of that play out no matter what you pick. She just wants to make her own choices and you cant blame her for wanting that, but from the game development side its terrible that her only dream where she's disabled is death, it leaves a very bad taste in your mouth, even if thats not the intention. So while i see what they meant, and in many ways honoring her choice is empowering, it could have been done and figured out a lot more empathetically and with better care towards disabled people.

Julia's a gamer now! One of us! One of us! The journal entries are meant to be detailed recaps of what you've done. The game was originally released with a few months between episodes.

“hella” is definitely still largely used in california especially in places like the bay area, it just sounds INCREDIBLY unnatural coming from chloe. not sure if it’s the voice, the delivery, or the context. maybe all of the above ngl

why did i audibly cheer when u said 2 was ur fave 😭😭 that game is so personal and dear to me i’m just so happy people are appreciating it more nowadays. regardless now i’m even more excited to watch this video which i’m already invested in despite barely being past the 2 minute mark

There's a sense of internalized misogyny surrounding Chloe haters where if a male character like Walter White has the same type of toxic behavior, then he's considered a cool character to look up to, but if it's a female character, then she's met with negative scrutiny. Chloe's toxicity is the whole point of the game's narrative because she's an endurance test on how much the player is willing to tolerate her before deciding her fate in the finale.

I discovered LiS shortly before you did. This corny little game changed my absolute life. Who knew a game about time travel and teenage girls would leave me with such an impact? LiS is beautiful, despite it's flaws, because while anyone can deduct that their choices aren't that influential to the gameplay (aside from the final choice), it shows you how choices do matter. Little things we do throughout life may not change our story as a whole, but the choices we make change who we are. There are so many instances where there is no good or bad choice. It's just up to Max, or the player, to decide where their values stand. We have to make these grey choices based on what we can live with having done, both in-game and in life. Please play Before the Storm!!! The mystique of Rachel Amber is a great component of LiS, but being able to see her as who she was ended up completing the game for me in terms of this set of characters. The story made more sense. Chloe made more sense. BtS is everything you'd want from a prequel, and it adds depth to Chloe, Rachel, and even Max. Anyone who played LiS knows the rough life Chloe has had to live, but BtS puts you in-game right before Chloe became the Chloe we know. It's incredible, and what happened to Rachel becomes so much more tragic. Thanks for your video!!! I love seeing this game get handed some flowers, even with all the flaws. I wish I could play this game for the first time all over again.

i was 17- 18 when these games started coming out, despite the issues i have with them, they hold a special place in my heart. true colors especially (i played all of it in 2 sessions with my fiancee; i was a crying MESS). also i could NOT stop saying hella when the first lis was coming out, i also associate the way i started dressing with that game... 💀 its nice to listen to someone talk about a game that feels so deeply entwined with my young adult years, this was a lovely video

Unfortunately when I think of this series a core memory is GTLive's playthroughs way back when and how utterly hateful MatPat was towards Chloe. ESPECIALLY in the prequel DLC, to the point where he was too busy bashing on Chloe at every opportunity to see what a violent incel Eliot was. The comments were full of people in utter disbelief that he kept defending Eliot and blaming Chloe for Eliot's behaviour, it was really sureal

On the "Hella" thing, 15 year old me adapted it into my vocab so quick because of Chloe. I thought she was so cool back then. I'm 23 now and I still use it, not as much as her but still. This game impacted my teenage years so hecking much.

i always replay this game around the fall time. it’s mid-2010s the game and i love it

This is super unexpected but I have a lot of nostalgic memories of watching gaming RU-vidrs play this so I’m super excited about this video (also your makeup is lovely)

I agree so much, and it’s so refreshing to hear people talk about it. It’s the strange horrific baby that shaped my pre-teen years and I love it to bits. Still listening to Syd Matters til this day lmao.

Oh this feels a little out of left field for this channel but I love it!! Always good to hear from you JC :)

idc if everyone hates it i love this game

Julia: "to get to her, you'll have to go through me" Also Julia: bye bitch Honestly, iconic

you made me realise blackwell is a boarding school and not a public one. i have played this game a lot and i just completly forgot about that fact

I’m disabled and honestly the part in the alternate timeline with Chloe is what made me choose to not play this game. I’ve watched play throughs but I couldn’t stand the idea of playing that part myself. The idea that a disabled life isn’t worth living and the fact that you can choose to help kill Chloe just disturbs me.

I remember playing this on launch and going through the episodes and genuinely being so mad at the end for the "ultimate" decision. Like, it's very clear the game is about Chloe Price and Max. I'd go so far as to say that Chloe is the main character and Max more of a watcher (ironic, seeing as she is a photographer of events). Chloe goes through some absolutely traumatic shit and it's genuinely as if life is out to get her. She loses her dad, her family dynamic and her best friend in the space of a month. She then meets someone new and loses her within a month and then her grades just die. She goes through some horrible stuff that REALISTICALLY would cause most teens to do a Kate Marsh. The arc where she is disabled is really like the Life part of the game is saying "fuck Chloe" and you just have to absorb that storytelling because saving her dad should not, in turn, put Chloe in such a state. Not to mention that apparently in this timeline, Max becomes Victorias minion??? However, it should also be said that it's at this point that the game is driving you towards the ultimate decision. Do you say "fuck you" to the Life that seemingly has it out for Chloe by giving it the sacrifice of Arcadia... or do you let Chloe die as destined. I saved Arcadia because at the end of the day, I hated the decision. I also didn't like Chloe. She had her moments like you mention but overall it's not excuseable for her being just a dick to everyone... including Joyce Price who has done nothing wrong but try to move on with her life. Joyce Price is an absolute gem of a mother character in gaming and i'd say her losing her husband and daughter is something that I dont think anyone wants to think about in a real sense. There's also SO many characters outside of Chloe and Max that don't deserve to be screwed over and sacrificed just so that Chloe can live. Chloe, who at this point, had 0 interest in anyone in Arcadia Bay. I feel like after episode 2, they should have started portraying Chloe is a better light. Having her get involved in other peoples lives and people welcoming her back as the girl before her trauma. Showing that Chloe still has a home in Arcadia bay so that when it came to the end it felt like she genuinely cared for the people of Arcadia bay and why she doesn't deserve to live over ALL of them.

Highly recommend What Remains of Edith Finch if you haven’t played/seen it

I loved this game (I’ve never played it and just watched RU-vidrs play it)

life is strange creators are one of those series that comes out of no where, puts out a couple amazing games, then disappears forever. playing it reminded me of the first time i played mass effect. edit to add: i like life is strange true colours as well

I still remember being 12 and following the game as the episodes were coming out. The cliffhanger at the end of episode 3 made waiting for episode 4 very agonizing.

I would love to hear julias thoughts on Life is Strange 2, its also my favorite one!

julia how did you know i was going through my annual life is strange phase?

Always happy to see an upload from you! Life is strange is very weird little piece of 2010's energy. The butterfly earrings and blue eyeshadow are to die for! Blessings!

I found out about this game pretty early on and I never knew the school was a private boarding school. for some reason I just always assumed it was a college and Max was a freshmen with all the insanely adult themes and subject matter

When you said LIS 2 is your favorite I gasped because same here! Alot of people don't like it, but it was the first I actually played (I had only watched playthroughs of LIS). I feel like they absolutely mastered making your actions have consequences, due to how much they change not only which of the endings you get but how things change during the game, like Daniel's mannerisms. However I also love that games like True Colors and Tell Me Why were about actual adults, so it was more relatable and hit closer to home as a queer person just now trying to figure out my identity. I feel that the entire LIS series is an amazing way to introduce people to these story driven games. My partner used to only play shoot-em-ups until I begged her to play LIS with me. Despite complaining about the cringe she couldn't keep her hands off the controller and we played the entire series together.

the intro of this video i really feel that. life is strange made me realise there are games i actually enjoy instead of the most generic games out there like shooter

the hair! the eyeshadow! the butterfly clips! so pretty

im here for your gamer girl era. As a fellow gamer of the girl selection, I can't wait for you to play and critique more of them!

omg new julia cudney

I think you would love the game "Detroit: Become Human" ♥

i love when characters are flawed and even morally questionable, they really just didn’t give chloe enough redeeming qualities for me

One of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever consumed

this game is one of the most influential pieces of media for me, ever. i started playing right after episode 3 dropped and i remember making countdowns and anxiously awaiting episodes 4 and 5! i had recently realized i was a lesbian back in 2015 and seeing max and chloe’s relationship evolve was incredible and the first time i’d ever seen queer characters in a video game. i still think about max and chloe often :’) thank you for making this video! i always love to hear people’s opinions on this game and i love your videos! ❤

If you liked the Quarry, definitely check out Until Dawn. Made by the same devs but (imo) has a better utilization of the butterfly effect and a better mystery plot. The dialouge can be extremely corny at times but that seems like a Supermassive Games feature at this point.

Obstacles by syd matters changed my life forever

I agree with you about the ending choice, it brings the entire story back to earth and centers it in the humanity rather than the supernatural

THE scene with Rachel absolutely guts me every time.

Life is Strange is one of my top 10 favorite games ever. My biggest sticking point with Life is Strange is the sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending. Not because I don't think it's valid, actually the opposite of that. I think saving Chloe is very valid, but that ending pales in comparison to saving Arcadia in terms of quality of the cinematic. The sacrifice Chloe ending, or Bay ending, is beautiful and expertly crafted. All the narrative beats are timed to Spanish Sahara by The Foals,a unique song for this ending. The visuals are beautiful, and overall the sequence is incredibly emotionally effective. It takes you through a journey of emotions, from devastation at Chloe's death to hope for the future. The sacrifice Arcadia, or Bae ending is much shorter, reuses the song Obstacles by Syd Matters that capped off episode one, and just doesn't feel nearly as impactful. You see that the town is a wreck but you dont feel the loss of all the people sacraficed to the storm. Max and especially Chloe barely react to the devastation and loss of so many people, of the town they grew up in. Because of that, it feels like there aren't any real consequences for their actions. It just doesn't feel correct. It makes me upset because the endings should be of equal quality because both choices are valid. No matter your choice, you should get to have an ending that explores the good and bad consequences of that choice. I think the Bay ending does that very well. I wish I could say the same for the Bae ending.

Life Is Strange is genuinely fantastic and has held up all these years later

This game was truly such a mindfuck for me, and so different from every other game I had played until then. The heartbreak I experienced when I failed to save Kate and fury because why the fuck would my powers fail me! Also I did hate Chloe when I played it lol she was so annoying

You know it’s a good day when Julia uploads

THANK YOU! This game has been on my mind recently and I'm so happy to hear you in particular talk about it!

Before the Storm is truly, really good. I think they flesh out Rachel while still leaving her feeling “mysterious” and kind of god-like even? Rachel being more of an idea than a person seems to be a common through-line.

I love this series. It’s always been stuck in my mind till today (like I can quote the first scene in lis 1 and was just thinking about the game today) Choice and narrative games are literally my favorite and I really appreciated listening one of my favorite RU-vidrs talk about my favorite janky masterpiece

First time I played the game I saved Chloe. For me there was no other option. We had gone through so much together, she had matured as a person and grown and for me she deserved to live and what Max and her felt for each other was love, and it was a beautiful thing. But second time, when I bought the remastered for the switch, it got me thinking. How could I be so selfish and say no to someone whose growth made her realize she had been inmature and selfish?how to say no to someone who wants to die to save her mom?Is sad, is bittersweet. For Chloe's mom losing her daugher couldnt have been easy, and her relationship with her stepfather remained forever ruined which ends up in her mom divorcing from him. All of Chloe's potential was forever gone and she never knew she was loved. But in that moment in that time, Chloe wanted to save everyone even at the cost of her own life and I really cant take the choice away from her no matter how sad

I’ve always been curious about LIS and you’re one of my fave RU-vidrs, so I’m settling in for this one.

i love your content and lis and did not see this coming at all omgg hearing you talk about it means so much to me

The queen posted again. Nobody fucking talk to me for the next hour.

aaaa i love these games so much, i'm so glad this vid made me remember that. i would love love love to hear you talk abt LIS2 and Before the Storm omg

UGH you always touch on all my faves. JULIAAAAA I love u

I have very fond memories of playing this game with my brother and sister as each episode came out, though we're all fairly... overly-logical. Chloe died so many times and we were just telling Max that the universe clearly needed her to let go

I played the first couple of episodes thanks to a friend way back in the day and despite never finishing it, it always kinda stuck with me. It's this culture crash of absolutely cringe and surprisingly poignant, but if that's not just the teen experience encapsulated then idk what is ❤

My issue with Chloe is that she needs you to want to pick her over the town for the final choice to have some actual weight to it, but if you look at it like the trolley porblem then it there's no reasom to choose her over the town. Yeah her dying is sad, but its not nearly as bad as sacrificing the entire town, and evem though she does die her killer is brought to justice in the end, smd we do get close with Max even if Max doesnt get it with Chloe.

My fiancé played this, and loved it so much he insisted that myself and our flatmate played it and he watched us both so he could see the way our choices played out. I played the prequel and omg, there is just this ONE moment which had me GASP because of the connections to the first one. So good

Also, I'm so excited for you to discover the wonderful world of narrative, adventure games and all of their subgenres! I had a very similar revelation at some point - granted, that was a while ago, so my main point of reference are old point-and-click games, but it's a fun gateway as well as a huge rabbit hole of its own.

Losing my mind rn I also just played them last year and have been changed. Now I literally collect life is strange memorabilia lolllll thanks for the other game recs

life is strange shaped my childhood literally my favorite game

Yay, I'm glad to see you cover LiS, hope to see more LiS videos from you or videogames :D

8:22 I dunno but it felt quite immersive to read every Max's commentary about various objects. As it revealed me her true thoughts and personality: she may be sensitive and sweet towards people she really loves, but contrary to that she may be cocky, acting like a teenager. And these details build a connection to Max as a character, in my opinion.

tbh the plot hole that annoys me to this day is the ending. like, max rewinds time to before chloe's death if she saves arcadia bay. there's nothing stopping her from saving chloe without any time travel at all, and that's why the choice feels contrived and very bury your gays of them.

i watched my first live is strange playthrough back in 2015 when i was 13. im currently in the process of playing it myself for the first time after getting the butterfly that pops up when you make a decision tattooed on my wrist. i LOVE this game. it changed my perspective on life at such a young age. this video was perfect. you did such a great job pointing out its flaws and also the better aspects of it. as a chloe defender myself, THANK YOUUU. i desperately need a video on life is strange 2. its also my favorite of the series even though it was so emotionally draining to play.

Going into Life Is Strange with no knowledge of the game, I somewhat guessed the twist ending very shortly into the game - upon having spend a few minutes in Mr. Jefferson's class, I more or less told my friend "in whatever capacity this game has a villain, I think he's it". I am also a Chloe defender who eventually picked Save Acadia Bay. I did cry about it tho, playing the game shortly after seeing a lot of lesbians/queer women die in tv shows and movies.

Now I'll wait a year for a HEROES retrospective 😂

the comparison between life is strange and heroes was something i never knew i needed (i love the both of them)

oh we were talking abt which characters we did and didnt like with friends of mine and i havent seen an analysis of it yet so im interested to see what u and other ppl have to say abt it!! i also havent played the games but ive watched a few playthroughs also ur hair looks so stunning?? and the second game is also my fav but i watched all the different endings and i was too heartbroken to keep watching (even tho they do make sense but i just want the brothers to be happy together 😪😪)

I had a dream about this random game last night. And now julia posted this!!! Life is strange.

24:00 also apparently A LOT of players had trouble with the detective wall scene in episode 4.

Omg a new Julia Cudney upload 😭😭

I'm pretty sure it actually is set in college not high school, and I think it's explicitly said at one point. I may be wrong, but that's what I remember/nm

So a few years ago I saw a tiktok video from a girl whose mother was missing and ended up murdered. Life is strange used the EXACT missing poster for Rachel, and even gave her the same tattoos, also another weird detail the girl said her mom was obssessed with something that they made Rachel obsessed with or maybe it was butterflies or something but its still strange to me.

oh i adored this video, would love to keep hearing your videogame thoughts!!! ❤

LIS1 is definitely the best one of the bunch. Before the Storm honestly made a lot of stuff from LIS1 feel less effective in a weird way. Rachel seemed really mysterious and alluring in LIS1 and while she's still supposed to be that in BTS, she seems to lose a lot of that characterization. Aside characters like David also completely losing their development which is what made him so great (he's actually somewhat reasonable in BTS and you get multiple choices to make amends with him but none of those matter as David is always at a complete negative at the start of LIS1, which is the entire point of his character. A lot of people hate on him but his writing was definitely good in LIS1 and was tarnished in BTS). A lot of choices in BTS don't seem to matter so much or just feel oddly connected together. I also thought that Eliot was an entire waste of a character, when he actually had a good point about Rachel being alluring and dangerous, but the writers decided to make him selfish and a creep...which, well, threw his good point out of the window. I'd rather BTS never existed because part of what made LIS1 so great was the more mysterious aspect of Chloe's past and especially Rachel or the other mysteries and relationships in Arcadia Bay, got mostly tampered with in BTS and if you play BTS first and then switch to LIS1, it just somewhat feels less effective (at least to me). LIS2 is...man, so much wasted potential. Episode 1 was definitely the best. Lyla got tossed aside and turned into an irrelevant character despite being the best one the game had to offer. Episode 4 was so weird. Sean having to do a dramatic, edgy speech to convinced a 'bRaiNWaShED' Daniel while repeatedly getting knocked down as the useless mom does jack shit was the scene that got me "okay, what am I even watching right now" and it really showed. Some people may have loved that scene but I still think Episode 4 is probably the worst one. Again, LIS2 had a lot of potential but it executed a ton of stuff weirdly. Captain Spirit was great, though (and speaking of, they really butchered the abuse theme in Episode 2, it's even worse if Chris dies). True Colors had a bunch of cut content and story re-writes that still somewhat remain in the final. Most of this stuff was revealed on developer streams, but there was stuff like Gabe being an abusive husband towards Charlotte, Charlotte being Jed's adopted daughter (which is why he gives her free grub in Episode 1), Mac originally ignoring Ryan's call on purpose because he hated Gabe which got retconned, Diane always being the main villain as shown in the Episode 2 ending, Diane telling Pike to follow Alex in the mines and get rid of her if Alex takes Pike's fear, and so on... True Colors mostly just suffered because of Alex's inconsistent powers and the fact that everyone is shitting on Alex even though she's the one that deserves to grieve the most, and how she keeps having to help everyone else and take shit from the others. The council vote in the final episode was also completely useless as there's only 2 endings that depend on Ryan or Steph (also, what the hell, where's the option for Alex to remain single? Even TWDS4 had that option for Clementine...). True Colors just didn't really have that much purpose in the story as it was constantly getting sidetracked and confused on what it wanted to do, then we get a dream sequence where Alex has to 'act' her part on her life even though she...already went through these points? It was pretty odd. Honestly, the only great part about True Colors was the Eleanor dementia sequence, that scene was fire. Too bad we barely got anything else like that again. So yeah, in short, BTS made everything that LIS1 did well way less effective in my book. I used to kind of rag on Chloe for being such a controversial character, but then I realized that the reason why I felt this way was mostly because of what BTS handled so carelessly. Everything that I found interesting about Rachel and Chloe in LIS1 was tainted in BTS because of odd writing and messy characterization. Most people in the fandom tend to love the fanservicey aspect of the relationships but I think everyone could look at it more from a writing standpoint and see what went wrong and what didn't. Lovely video, btw :)