Life is Strange: Double Exposure

It's great to have Max Caulfield back, but I'm not sure she ever needed to be in the first place. A somewhat unnecessary-feeling sequel that still manages to tell a compelling story, if not a little messy and underbaked.

For fans of the first Life Is Strange, Double Exposure might be a nice trip down memory lane, and it's a good way to get inspiration for indie music playlists, but its weak story and dearth of meaningful gameplay makes it a tough sell for most audiences. For $50, when story-and-choice-driven masterpieces retail for less, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is probably only a good fit for die-hard series fans.

As modest as it is, it still accomplishes what it set out to do. It's a good, fun Life is Strange game, and there isn't much else like that. It maintains the delicate balance between campy and comforting throughout, but you just can't help but notice that the tightrope is only a few feet off the ground.

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

Life is Strange still holds an important place in many fans' hearts - if nothing else, the past weeks' backlash proves that. But despite Double Exposure's finer moments and startling vision to move the series forward, what's here now doesn't feel as assured a step as I'd have liked. While visually polished, there's one too many narrative rough edges and not enough resolution when all is said and done.

Life is Strange Double Exposure draws you into a mystery full of intriguing twists and turns in a fresh university setting. The new shifting ability that allows for parallel timeline hopping works well in the context of a murder investigation, but can make it harder to feel like you're truly connecting with the characters. Overall, Max's return feels like it finds its feet towards the end, and is building towards something bigger.