Life is Strange's Final Choice Is About Queerness

Sorry, Square Enix, but Life is Strange is definitely a gay game.
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Sources:
www.ign.com/articles/how-hidd...
www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/...

[@z5chry]

“i don’t wanna be erased anymore.” wow.

[@birdlovermusic]

gave me chills for real

[@duckydoombringer9206]

I personally think the sacrifice the town ending is the most narratively satisfying. Yes i wish we had more cutscene but thats my only problem. I just dont get how after getting to the end of the game, ruining timeline after timeline, people think "oh i know how to fix this, i'll use my powers AGAIN." Facing the storm is the point when max finally stops running away from her problems. Secondly, if you don't save chloe, she has one of the saddest lives. The version of chloe that dies in the bathroom died with a mother who she felt she burdened, a step father she hated, a girlfriend who either died or abandoned her and a best friend who never came back (Not even after being back in the bay for over a month). By saving chloe, you finally make amends. Everyone has left her, but you chose her over an ENTIRE town.

[@Gatekid3]

Using the powers wasn't the problem, or at least it isn't framed to be. The game really makes it seem like Chloe's death is inevitable while saving the town will even out the Karma. you have to keep saving her throughout the game, and the universe escalates to the point of only having those two choices. So the thought isn't "I'll use my powers to fix it" it's "the universe isn't going to try to stop Killing Cloe." There's no guarantee that letting Arcadia Bay die will stop what has happened, so what if you you save her and things just get worse? Now you have Cloe and Max dealing with threats on Cloe's life forever and leaving a trail of destruction. maybe that idea could be poetically sweet but it sounds like a nightmare. To me it isn't narrative satisfying because you don't know if they will be ok.

[@duckydoombringer9206]

@@Gatekid3 Max literally says "this is my storm. I changed fate and destiny so much that I really did alter the course of everything." I interpret that as "hey, I've messed with time so much, going back and changing things over and over again and this is what it caused. I think the fact that the storm is the only event that Max saw in her premonition makes it seem like it is the end. Narratively speaking, if I see an Armageddon premonition, followed by a choice so powerful it splits the timeline in 2, id like to think the writers are trying to hint at the fact that it's the end.

[@Gatekid3]

@@duckydoombringer9206 I suppose, but then theres still the separate narrative of Chloe's life being threatened. even if the storm was from her messing with time, most of those times were to save Chloe, as was the catalyst that made Max gain or realize her powers in the first place. It's really hard to separate the storm/ Max's powers from Chloe's fate. If The storm has nothing to do with Chloe's fate, then she is just REALLY unlucky.

[@alexelion7084]

@@Gatekid3 There are made points for both of these but both aren't quite followed through and have plot holes. If Chloe is really destined to die and the storm is caused by not letting her die, then why did Max get visions of the storm before ever saving her and why is the storm still approaching in a timeline in which Chloe is disabled and will die either with the help of Max or probably very soon by her health failing? This timeline also kinda disproves that rewinding caused the storm, because in this timeline she only uses rewind (possibly) since she travels there, but the signs of the tornado have still started before that. If traveling through a photo counts as messing with time too, then that should not be the solution to the problem. The game kinda frames both Max messing with time and Chloes "fate" (I'm not a big fan of the idea of an unchangeable fate, so I will say I have a bias against this narrative) as the source of the storm but doesn't follow through with either. While it is a shame and kinda does undermine the ending a bit, I'm glad they didn't stick with one, since that would've led to a bias towards one choice. Both choices were supposed to be (somewhat) equal and they are both canon to the game. Keeping the source for the storm uncertain is essential for that. I think undermining player choice by having a clear narratively "right choice" would've been way worse than the mess we have

[@Gatekid3]

@@alexelion7084 I argue the opposite. keeping the storm ambiguous is the thing that makes there only be one choice. -If the storm is some kind of other cause we have the opposite problem. now the save chloe ending is more justified because Arcadia bay is the inevitable unchangeable fate instead of her. What do you gain by going back in time and letting her die if the storm was started by something before max got there? -If Chloe might be the cause, letting the town die sounds dumb because you never know if more disasters would start because of them. Letting -the powers being the cause, like you said, is weird because then the solution to using the power is using the power again. -The ending being a trade makes the choice balance. which do you value, Chloe, who you fought for this whole time, or the town, full of good and bad people you may have mixed feelings on? the storm being muddy like that means depending on how you see it, these arent two equal choices, but two heavily skewed ones. Because either Chloe is destined to die or the town, meaning you should either save Chloe if you think the town was always going to die, or Save the town if you think Chloe is cursed. It only kind of evens out because if enough people believe in both of those extremes. I think the storm needs a reason so your choice can be informed, but the game needs to make that reason work for both choices.

[@JanetDax]

I am queer and I love this game. I saw Max as introverted, constantly pushed out of her comfort zone. When it comes to saving someone she loves, there was only one choice. I would have loved the Bae ending handled with the same care as the other.

[@ethangood9875]

Easily the best video essay on Life Is Strange that I've seen since Superposition by Innuendo Studios.

[@thescreentakes]

That’s high praise! Thank you very much!

[@thelouisemonarchy5551]

Not you calling out Max's bisexual bob 😂 but for real Life is Strange *is* the gay game, the narrative is inherently queer, it's literally about a very homoerotic friendship. I like the way you put it, saving Chloe is fighting the bury your gays, fighting against queer erasure. I think that's what most people can't comprehend why saving Chloe is so important to us, saving Chloe is keeping queer love alive against all odds, it's the most emotionally powerful in the long run especially if you read the comics, it's queer people surviving and then thriving and having a fulfilling life Max and Chloe get a chance to spend the rest of their lives together and gay married like they should 😂

[@Soloee_]

Woah, I've never heard anyone talk about the endings like this before, what a beautiful and thought provoking take. Sacrificing Chloe has always been seen as the moraly correct and selfless choice, and it's hard to argue against that even as someone who wants to save Chloe. Your argument for saving Choe could very well be the strongest one I've ever heard. It really changes your whole perspective on the endings and the game itself

[@Artlesbi]

To me the game is about two things which means that there is only one right ending. First it's about choices having consequences which is barely relevant if you chose to let Chloe die since you don't see the consequences of your powers playing out as dramatically. Second it's about your relationship with Chloe which ends if you don't save her. I save her every time.

[@DaveLH]

Very thoughtful take on the game. I love LIS , but I've always been angered by the false dichotomy in the Final Decision, because, as has been pointed out by others, it would not have been hard to write an ending in which EVERYONE lives -- Namely, Max goes back to the bathroom scene, and gets a quick photo of Nathan wielding the gun before smashing the fire alarm. Now she has photographic evidence, Nathan and Jefferson get their comeuppance on day one, Chloe lives, and no storm!

[@sophieceleste4771]

You don't think Nathan would have gone crazy when he heard the camera and kill them both in a fit of rage? The fire alarm worked because he was distracted by it.

[@willowwilloughby1194]

But isn't the entire point of "sacrificing" Chloe that her death is the one constant of life that Max is derailing? Chloe was always supposed to die if it weren't for all the time meddling constantly saving her. I think the reason why the ending can only be the way that it is was because it's saying you can't have the best of both worlds as Max tries to throughout the whole story. It's only one or the other.

[@sophieceleste4771]

@willowwilloughby1194 That is not really confirmed, but there is a comic that continues the story of life is Stange and (Spoiler warning) there is a parallel world where Cloé died and the storm still happened, because she discovered her powers afterwards and used it too much which would mean that it's her powers fault.

[@willowwilloughby1194]

@sophieceleste4771 hm, never read the comics but still kind of hard to dispute it's "not confirmed" when that's what the game itself says. Honestly, for any piece of media, I always find it hard to cling to any form of additions made after the fact as considered canon/official. The comics always struck me as fanfiction-esque continuation for people who want more supplemental material, and the LiS developers themselves said they wanted the main game to be its own closed story with no intentions for sequels. And from what I heard, the comics are admitted to be only a portrayal of one of the endings anyway? So my point still stands, it's always been about Chloe dying.

[@Stellie3341]

I’m a firm believer that the storm is Rachel’s fury for what happened to her. Letting the storm take Arcadia bay feels like the closure Rachel’s pain deserves

[@Neetgirl_Lizzie]

I remember getting the season pass for LiS after the first chapter was released. My friends and i huddled around my little laptop to finish that game chapter by chapter. Truly one of the best queer experiences in the gaming space, the sequels kindof stain that legacy imo

[@joshuastrittmatter4188]

It’s for these reasons, that I so sincerely hope that Double Exposure doesn’t kill Chloe off OR break her and Max up. I’m not even queer; I’m as heterosexual as they come. But I also believe in a better world, one that doesn’t discriminate against people based solely on their ethnicity, country of origin, gender, sex, culture or sexual orientation. And the world we live in as of now is an absolutely sinister one, and I’m absolutely sick and fed the fuck up with seeing most same-sex couples across pop culture either die or break up/get divorced, almost always ending in tragedy. Double Exposure has some MIGHTY thin ice to tread across. Because if they break it, they’ll be undoing that act of rebellion you talked so passionately about in this video. And now, knowing all these details not only about the structure of the original game that I never noticed before, but ALSO what went on behind the scenes of True Colors? In case it wasn’t clear, I genuinely have some concerns about Double Exposure.

[@leonardomedinaalatorre9476]

Damn, that last quote was hard, great video man

[@thecheck968]

I remember looking back at the save Chloe ending, seeing all the people disappointed over it, and deciding that that's just what happens when you make the wrong decision. But it's bad story telling. Square Enix dedicates the entire game around developing he relationship between these two characters, easily outweighing the emotional connection you have with the town. And when you're given a choice designed to be difficult, you're punished for making a decision that feels right. But this perspective on the series makes this all feel much more sinister. If you choose to save Chloe, you aren't being punished for the decision you made,. You're being punished for wanting to make that decision to begin with, for being you.

[@MiMiLock58]

probably the best life is strange video essay i've seen so far 💯 for the longest time i preferred the bay ending from a narrative standpoint but i thought about it and realized that wasn't really what i wanted to take away from the story; if this is going to be my comfort series i might as well choose the theme that actually comforts me

[@dianm0]

Nice video! I can see how some of the people commenting about “right” or “wrong” choice didn’t finish watching the video hahaah don’t worry too much about it, I really like how you take it to a deeper understanding of choices in games and what they can mean for the game and for us c:

[@1applead971]

Words can’t explain how much I love this analysis! I don’t think I’ve ever heard a take as perfect as yours, to say the ending isn’t on morality but the main identity of the game, that being queerness is an amazing take. I love looking into the subtext of this game and frankly I think the subtext and the an explicit things stated carry more weight than the actual events that take place. Great analysis man!! ❤

[@salbutmanta]

the game itself handled the Chole ending poorly but I LOVE your take onto why people chose it and I feel you a lot. Thanks for validation👍

[@Savellios]

Tbh Arcadia Bay look corrupted and a bad place, they didn't worth to be saved at to begin with.

[@me_yessik]

Don't get me wrong, this is a great video, but it did fuck with my love for the game a little bit. I'm not one of those people who think you can't love something and look at it critically at the same time… You absolutely can. And you should. It's really the only way to love something truly I think, seeing the flaws in it. Cuz if you don't, it's just blind. But I will admit I had to force my way through this video... the life is strange franchise being something I think a lot of people here needed as like a weird sort of lifeline. I've never been clear on my own sexual or gender identity. Never really been sure where I fall. Whats strange about this game is that it rewires your brain. And you would think, because it gives you the option to rewind and go back, that it highlights Experience over consequences, but I think the truth is just the opposite… I think the act of being able to go back and change things highlights that all actions have consequences and nothing you do can save you from that. It sends you away with an impossible choice, all the while, having taken you through this story With choice after choice, and consequence after consequence.

[@fae8239]

This was truly such a beautiful video essay. Thank you for this amazing video.

[@animestyle92]

I can understand why people would choose to pick Chloe over Arcadia Bay, but in my opinion, even when I first played, life is strange I always sacrifice Chloe because let’s say you sacrifice the whole town in theory. You don’t really get to see what happens to Marc Jefferson or Nathan everybody just dies but when you sacrifice Chloe, you get to see the pictures that Mark Jefferson is caught and Nathan is in jail and you somewhat get to see those consequences and they’re quite satisfying and when it comes to Arcadia Bay, I think the town represents life is strange as well. For me, it just seems like a more realistic ending, and like you mentioned in the beginning, Chloe mentioned it first at the last minute she was selfless and she cared about other people

[@Savellios]

In my playthrough Jefferson died when Chloe lived.

[@skyemurphy3228]

oh okay! so im sobbing! i love this game so much!!!!!

[@rileymahoney4118]

Genuinely great video, looking forward to more!

[@danh8804]

Narrator: It was about utilitarian consequentialism

[@jaybee4288]

I played it as a friendship and it worked just fine. It’s good there is options and people can play it how they like. I sacrificed Chloe, I think that was the best ending to the story. But again I like the option is there.

[@CupidChud]

Bro fumbled

[@NguyenDuy-ix2nk]

Love the video ❤

[@NerdyGamerReacts]

Subbed, great video! 😃

[@Laezar1]

That choice pissed me off so much when I played the game. Because, even now if confronted with that actual choice I'd definitely save the town. Because it's awful not to do it especially since chloe herself is ready to do that sacrifice and it would be a denial of her agency to save her. But she doesn't have agency and the scenario is a constructed one, and I don't think choosing "wrong" is a reasonable act of rebellion, it's the equivalent of voting donald trump because you are stuck choosing between liberals and fascists, it doesn't reject the choice itself it just accepts the worst outcome. It pisses me off because so much of this choice is forced on you in a way that's much worse than if there was no choice and they just told the story they wanted to. They construct this artificial scenario where you are forced to make a wrong choice and then smugly expect you to reflect on the morality of your actions and fuck that. I kinda want to list all the underlying assumptions that really make this choice so forced : 1) There is no other option. Despite the fact max can return and save chloe again and then figure out a way to save the town, nothing's showing that it's impossible you are just told that it is impossible that you have to accept sacrifice. 2) On a symbolic level that (very queer) relationship is put into conflict with the well being of everyone else. This is often something leveraged against marginalized communities, that our existence is a disturbance and ereasing ourselves, fitting in the mold is the only way to not cause problem. And that's just wrong, we don't cause problems by existing, not catastrophe is going to happen if we live happily. 3) The good choice being a return to status quo 4) The catastrophe also happening because saving a life would be in some way unnatural, something disturbing the very flow of the world. Like yeah, great power great responsibility, but saving someone's life is EXACTLY what power should be used for, and max lack of curiosity and experimental mind with her power was something that really bothered me. Like, she does some experiments but not really in depth or as a priority, she tries to figure out where it comes from but seems content to let it just be a thing, and more importantly the game only lets you revisit the same choices and consequences over and over again. Unless you are in a puzzle (like the one with the paint) you don't really use knowledge of the future to alter your behaviour, the framework of possibility is restricted and all you get to do is explore the options but not figure out more options based on the result. It's all a very conseervative "it is what it is" mentality that I'm sure is also due to budget limitations and just the difficulty of writing something more complex, but the story it tells is still one of a world that can't fundamentally be changed and that enacting change even for the better is unnatural. But funny enough life is strange has I think a much more impactful choice in the suicide scene that goes against that general idea because it's not stripped down to a binary choice, it's affected by your curiosity previously, your empathy towards your schoolmate, and it's not a "choice" either it's a trial, a problem to solve, yes you have limited options but it's not about choosing betweeen two fixed outcome it's about finding the right way to reach a specific desirable outcome. It was for me the highlight of that game, the part that really got me engaged. A game that gives you choices that are constraining isn't inherently a problem, but life is strange themes and mechanics are just not well suited for such a rigid framework. It doesn't earn it's emotional moment when it comes at the cost of making the story about self ereasure of queerness being the only shield against societal collapse. (note : if it sounds very rambly it's because it is, wrote that while I'm sleep deprived and struggling to keep my eyes open very literally. Just trying to get that general feeling off of my chest.

[@thescreentakes]

Just want to say that I agree that the decision is an artificially created one and has a lot of issues. When I said that my initial decision was “wrong,” I still stand by that choosing to save the town is the most morally correct decision within the game’s fictional universe. It’s just that I’ve grown to look at this from outside of its fictional universe, and instead as a piece of art where I have the opportunity to change the way a queer relationship is supposed to end.

[@Ghoulish_Gaming]

It can be viewed as a friendship or romance.

[@meir34610]

Chloe was insufferable, I saved the town with no regrets sorry 😭😭

[@brysendedios9038]

Totally agree.

[@dede1842]

bruh

[@Godloveszaza]

So you saved the town not out of the good of your heart but because your hatred for some mentally disturbed broad...love the honesty

[@BlatantThrowAway]

Please say sike.

[@brysendedios9038]

People can say its gay story all they want but i don't. I play it straight.

[@dede1842]

then why bother to comment in this video? lmao

[@matoiiveyy2005]

@@dede1842 they will come out in time, let them be idiots on their own till then

[@sillygo0oser]

It’s bi, you don’t play it gay or straight. In your case you choose the het passing choices

[@mewdeox7627]

It’s gay cry some more 😂

[@LeekLP]

Reeling from that title, looking forward to seeing you work 👍 Edit after watching the video: I feel so relieved that I’m not the only person who feels a vague Bi-ness from Life is Strange 😂 Awesome video, a very interesting and refreshing take on this well trodden game 🫶

[@thescreentakes]

Thank you so much for the kind words! It’s true, the bi vibes in this game are off the charts.