Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a prequel to the critically-acclaimed Life is Strange, set three years before heroine Max Caulfield’s return to Arcadia Bay and the awakening of her time-rewinding powers. This time, however, Max is not the central focus. Players will be following troubled teen Chloe Price, Max’s best friend from the first game, as she struggles to navigate the complicated waters of new friendship and a changing home life.
While you can play Before the Storm before playing the original Life is Strange, some characters and events from the prequel will make more sense — and have a greater emotional impact — if you’ve already played through the first story. So whether you’re new to the series or you just need a quick refresher, here are a few things to keep in mind before you dig into Chloe’s solo adventure.
No Powers This Time
In Life is Strange, Max mysteriously obtains the power of turn back time. She can travel as little as a few seconds and as long as several years backwards, altering the fates of her and the people around her — sometimes to someone’s detriment. Players use this mechanic to get Max out of trouble and solve problems as well, such as sneaking past a security guard, getting at hard-to-reach objects, and sometimes just keeping Chloe entertained.
Chloe, however, does not have any powers like these. Instead, developer Deck Nine has added a mechanic called “Backtalk.” Using this “power,” Chloe can smooth-talk or insult her way out of sticky situations with other characters. The decisions the player makes when using Backtalk can have both small and large impacts on the rest of the story in Before the Storm.
We May Not See Max, But She is Present
Maxine “Max” Caulfield is Chloe’s childhood best friend. In Life is Strange, the two fondly reminisce about their adventures together, lamenting simpler and happier times. Max has few close friends when she returns to Arcadia Bay, and a chance encounter with Chloe reunites the pair, although Chloe frequently reminds Max that when she moved away she wasn’t so good at keeping in touch.
Max may not make an appearance in the main storyline of Before the Storm, but she is very much a presence in Chloe’s life. Chloe laments the departure of such an important person in her life, and it seems that players will still get a few glimpses of Max in the form of text messages on Chloe’s phone and a bonus episode in the collector’s edition of Before the Storm.
Chloe’s Attitude
In the original Life is Strange, we learn a few things about Chloe’s more recent past that have turned her into the punky and abrasive teenager Max meets. Before the Storm begins after two of these events have happened: the sudden, tragic death of Chloe’s father in a car accident, and Max and her family moving out of Arcadia Bay. These two events leave Chloe without the two people in her life to whom she was the closest, leaving her emotionally stranded.
In the first episode of Before the Storm, we see another relationship that contributes to her hardened attitude: the one between her and her future stepfather, David. At this point, David is still just her mother’s boyfriend, but just because he makes her mother happy doesn’t mean he makes Chloe happy. The dissolving and unwelcome relationships surrounding Chloe are what prompt her to see a friend in another troubled teen: Rachel Amber.
Rachel Amber
If you haven’t played the original Life is Strange, then Rachel Amber’s presence in this game won’t set off any major alarms. But if you did, well… you know where this is going.
Without spoiling any major plot points: Rachel Amber is a model student at the local Blackwell Academy and the personality polar opposite of Chloe. Chloe and Rachel become close friends, and in Life is Strange it is evident how much the latter meant to the former. Chloe talks about Rachel constantly and is perfectly fine letting Max know that Rachel was a better friend. When Life is Strange opens, all we know about Rachel is that she has gone missing; unraveling the mystery of her disappearance is the major narrative thread that guides players through the game.
Arcadia Bay Isn’t as Peaceful as it Looks
Arcadia Bay is a Portland-esque town in the American Northwest. The setting is very reminiscent of David Lynch’s serial drama Twin Peaks, and the developers have openly stated that the series inspired Life is Strange. Arcadia Bay seems quite on the surface, but is actually home to a number of seedy characters that prey on the misguided — largely teenagers attending the prestigious Blackwell Academy.
In the original game, Arcadia Bay is preparing for an major storm — the storm referenced in Before the Storm’s title — and it appears that something supernatural is kicked up with the awakening of Max’s time-traveling powers.
How the sinister dealings in Arcadia Bay begin remain to be seen, but it looks like if you were a fan of Life is Strange, Before the Storm is set to deliver the same kind of emotional rollercoaster. The first of its three episodes will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on August 31.
