I'm Conflicted. . . Life Is Strange Discussion

[@laioren]

The point and/or moral of the game is "actions have consequences." There are a million ways the game explores this theme. Like how all of the options to save Kate Marsh change depending on previous actions you took (which actions you took are cited in the dialog as you play through it, so even though this point stands out more if you do different playthroughs and make different choices, it's not necessary to make the point because the choices you did make are still clearly outlined and have an effect), or how Principal Wells will stop believing you if you accuse too many people of too many things (again, you can see this in a single playthrough if you use your rewind power to view different alternative outcomes to a specific choice), or how regardless of which choice you make between Bae or Bay, you and Chloe always end up solving the disappearance of Rachel Amber. So sacrificing Chloe doesn't "unmake" the events of the story. The game also explores this theme in how it uses the rewind power (you can change immediate decisions, but you can't see the long term ramifications of the choice you make), when it takes the rewind power away from you (Kate on the roof), and when Max unmakes Chloe's dad's car accident, but dooms Chloe. Our actions always have consequences. And we can't always predict exactly what those consequences will be. So we have to do our best to act wisely and compassionately in each moment. It is perhaps the most profound lesson human teenagers can learn, and the game, I thought, does a great job of making that point. Also, by the end of the game Max has pretty much triumphed over her cowardice (not her "shyness," but her cowardice) and Chloe is literally willing to sacrifice her life for Arcadia Bay, a town she believed she hated filled with people she believed she hated. I'd say those are pretty huge character arcs.

[@anneonomous4910]

I feel like they didn't draw a clear enough line on what was symbolism and what was meant to be taken literally

[@llll-is6em]

Max was supposed to be 16 in the original game, along many other characters she got aged up before the release likely due to pressure of Square Enix to Don't Nod because of the topics touched in the game. They didn't do a great job changing every reference in the game so for example for until a patch Rachel's date of birth in the original game was 1995 instead 1994, Victoria has two different birth dates and they forgot to change Warren so he remained 16.

[@spacemonkeypantz]

The other games in the series don't follow Max at all. The prequel follows Chloe, the sequel follows two brothers but you meet a side character from the original and the interaction changes based on your ending choice, and the third game follows a woman called Alex but you can befriend a side character from the prequel.

[@cebernal]

I have so much nostalgia for this game. It's my favorite game and still I agree with your opinions on where it could have been better, but I still love it. I remember playing the last episode as it came out and being extremely disappointed. Only two endings? So many loose threads that seemed to go nowhere. The last two chapters could have been SO much better. AND YET it's still my favorite. I can't really explain why besides being the game I needed at that moment in life.

[@gravymakes]

While the overall game’s story doesn’t matter in the end due to the final choice; I’m still always excited to play as Max every time I replay the game. This game’s been apart of my life since the release and although it definitely has it’s flaws, it helped form my interests into art, music, games, and more. Every piece of media has its flaws; some more than most. However I’ll still love this game for what it was and still is to this day.

[@LiptonikPL]

For me the lesson on this game is, some things happen because they can, and will, and there is nothing you can do about it, even with such power as rewiding time. Chloe still dies. Now this moral of story only makes sense when you choose to sacrifice Chloe, but I belive this is most fitting ending to the game, the one that truly gives you a lesson. Make moments, take everyday as much as you can, because one day, all of this will be just memories.

[@joshyblox]

As much as I do glaze this game I do understand where you are coming from because when I started really watching all of the icebergs, watching playthroughs, and actually replaying the game for my self I just felt we needed more. I agree with the fact the game needed a direct message throughout everything because I have had many perceptions of what it could be about mainly with friendship and the consequences of your actions, but I always ending up not being satisfied with any because the game was everywhere making what I thought was right fall short. The endings could have definitely been better with there either should have been different things that happened within the 2 endings depending on your choices or just having different ending choices in general. Also I feel that they should have put more emphasis on Warren. He stalks Max whenever she is in her dorm in "Out of Time" and i feel like if there was a scene where Max confronts Warren about him being out side of her window that could have created a great in depth convo between him and Max. but overall its a good game that could have been better if there was more time and more care.

[@Sethy36]

I initially played this game as a young teenager as it was coming out and as far as I was aware was this game was the first of its kind (I know it wasn’t, but that was the lens i was experiencing the game). It was the first time i’d ever emotionally connected with a game and cared about the outcome for the sake of the characters rather than for myself. After my play through of the 3rd game, I went through and replayed all of the franchise… and yeh this game did not hold up. I still loved it dearly and the narrative was still interesting but I was definitely looking at this game through nostalgia goggles.

[@RueRyuzaki6]

📷 As a teen when this game was coming out episodically, I loved it. If I played it now I would have similar problems like you had. Ultimately this game suffers from the tell-tale game effect. None of your choices matter in the end beyond some different dialogue and character moments. A really good horror visual novel that does the butterfly effect well, like until dawn, is "The Letter". A lot of different endings and branching pathways, and if you pick the wrong choice in a certain situation your character is guaranteed to die. What choices you pick also affect your relationships with other characters and can affect later scenes. I recommend it since you like butterfly effect game's, but fair warning it does have some pretty gory death scenes. Back to LiS: I think part of why it's so beloved is because of the queer representation, especially for its time. Its also got a nostalgic feel to it, it's got a comfy feel to it most of the time. I think a lot of angsty teens can relate to Chloe though thats not exactly a good thing (i would also attribute Ashley Birch's performance to why people like Chloe). Unfortunately, like you said, the game is ultimately pointless. A binary choice at the end of the game makes the entire game's choices previously completely worthless. You spend so much time thinking "hmm should I do this or that, what consequences will this have?" And then the end is just "lol pick Arcadia bay or bae". I did see an interesting video essay that choosing the "sacrifice Arcadia bay" ending gives Max the most character development. Essentially Max is a very timid, shy, and insecure person. Any major choice you make, Max will plant seeds of doubt in the players mind. Essentially by choosing to not save Arcadia bay, Max's character development is choosing to live with the consequences of her actions rather than avoid or change them with her power. For example, the parallel universe chloe. We can choose to euthanize her or not, but ultimately that choice does nothing but give Max trauma because she undoes it after it happens lol. Which is why Max choosing to undo everything by going back to the bathroom and letting Chloe die means Max learned nothing. "Oh my use of my power caused the storm? Well ill use it again to fix it". I butchered the explanation but I hope you get it. One of Max's defining character traits is her insecurity and that's why her having time travel powers is an important lesson. It let's her redo any interaction she has until she gets the desired outcome or manipulates people. She doesnt have to deal with her own insecurities if she has a redo button. By choosing to let Arcadia bay be destroyed she's rejecting her powers and choosing to live with her choices. I hope that made sense, I'll link the video when I find it. The dialogue is definitely a lot more cringy now than teenager me thought back then. Also if I played the game now I'd probably dislike Chloe, but back then I chose to have Max and her get together. Would I do so again? Idk. Their relationship is kind of toxic. Chloe is self destructive, rude, and has a victim complex. Losing a parent fucking sucks, but Max didn't choose to abandon Chloe. Friends move away, that's life. I was a military brat and it sucked when friends moved away because their parent got stationed somewhere else or my dad did so I moved away. Blaming Max and everyone else for "abandoning" her is super immature. William didn't choose to die, neither did Rachel. Max didn't choose to move away, it just happens. Now I will say it was shitty of Max not to keep in touch, but I think that's part of her character. She's kind of a shitty friend to Chloe to not return her letters or even call her. HOWEVER, I can understand Max not wanting to reach out because you're afraid of what will happen. Maybe Max just forgot and then it keeps building up to where Max is too afraid to reach out and apologize. I can relate to that because I used to be like that. Throughout the game Chloe loooves to guilt trip Max which is another toxic trait. Chloe also gets super mad if you take Kate's phone call, like huh?? I get Chloe is impatient but i ain't ignoring my friend I said I'd be there for just because Chloe gets ass mad about it lol. Chloe will also get mad at you if you don't take the blame for the weed if David catches you in Chloes room. (This happens if you don't hide in the closet before David comes in and Chloe straight up says it's Max's and expects you to take blame or you're a bad friend for not having her back). Overall, Chloe is pretty toxic imo, she takes so much personal offense if you're not ride or die with her. Even in a parallel universe, she tries to guilt trip Max into killing her. Now you can argue whether it's wrong or not for the person dying to ask, but getting mad and guilt tripping someone for saying no is fucked up. Sorry this went on way too long. I still like the game, but like you I probably wouldn't play it again. I'd rather keep my nostalgic memory of it than ruin it for myself. As for the sequels they have nothing to do with Max and or Chloe besides some Easter eggs. The prequel Before the Storm focuses on Chloe and Rachel, but LiS 2 and True Colors just take place in the same universe. If you want more Max and Chloe there's a comic series but I haven't read it so I can't give my thoughts there. It was nice to hear your thoughts, Soul. Great video! Nice to hear a different perspective that's not glazing the game Edit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXerh5mepr2Dasksi=jaDAqBRv1ou7AFjn Thats the video i was talking about.

[@rodgooner329]

Why max is my hero.... She is brave, placing herself in harm's way to protect those she cares about. She has great affection and interest in photography, always taking pictures of her surroundings, since she considers it a way to be part of the world at a safe distance and aspires to make it into a career one day. 😊

[@WOGDOG10]

Man, when this first came out I got the PC versiion and played through twice back to back. I'd never payed a game of this genre (idk if there really were any, none that I'd heard of anyway). I'm a straight white guy who doesn't cry... well barely) but this game made me cry a few times. I was so used to playing fastpaced shooters/rockstar game titles/pokemon and occasionaly other nintendo/ps2 platformers. It just hooked me in in a peaceful but powerfully emotionally way. I loved the walking simulator parts finding colloctables just as much as the puzzles and dialouge choices. Plus the soundtrack... my god, it's the only one I've ever added to my music collection that wasn't for childhood nostolgia reasons. I tried playing the first sequel but it just didn't click or my mental health was in a different space idk, I never made it past the first hour. As for the original, I've considered giving it another shot since but always felt it wouldn't live uuup to my initial playthroughs and could ruin the game/memories entirely.

[@inhumanship5871]

Can you do an analysis on Horizon Zero Dawn & Forbidden West ? I absolutely enjoyed every Video you made !

[@Peak_Aussieman]

It was the wrong property at the right time.

[@zacharybailey158]

All I have to say is that its the reality or life of how much a nightmare it is what goes on everyday in real world what is right or wrong. The second LIS was a one way walk in the park if you pass the southern border of 2 kids living on the run.

[@Lagoon243]

This is a weird game for me since as a kid I loved it then I rediscovered it and my thoughts changed dramatically. I’m fairly neutral now with some legit strong positives and some pretty strong weaknesses. I think this is the game that uses the idea of powers the best. It’s probably my favorite one in the series or true colors. I think 2 and before the storm are just really bad and before the storm especially since it hurts this game.

[@Lagoon243]

It’s also pretty unfortunate that the stuff with parallel Chloe is pointless because I’d say it’s some of the strongest stuff in the game and could’ve been interesting if it had more time

[@narutomaster500]

​@@Lagoon243 I disagree on life is strange 2 because atleast those choices effects the endings and I also connect with daniel and sean more then max and chloe in my opinion.

[@Lagoon243]

@@narutomaster500 that’s fair the endings being different I like. My problem is 2 feels a lot more boring and non sensical at times. It also does weird stuff when it comes to talking about bad family relationships and I was not on board with where it went with it.

[@Jug]

I love it but it’s bad? You know what I mean

[@snigeling]

Nice video.

[@cooldude-nc1yn]

📸

[@darksylince1792]

Like the video, but I disagree with a lot that was said. I'll come back later to edit this to state my point. Which someone may or may not even see. 05JULY2024