My Issues with Life Is Strange Double Exposure

[@kastahund]

poop

[@blurrble5]

Really would have liked to see Max teaching. Even just a short scene of students leaving her classroom after the bell rings. The whole game she just felt like another student.

[@mateuszbazejczyk]

it should have started just like og life is strange but with max. That would give me chills!

[@neelomach]

Imagine she's giving a lecture about daguerreian process lol

[@Ilikecardigans]

@@neelomachwhat could have been 😭😭

[@tigrispanthera5496]

@@neelomachikr

[@ChessyRawr]

​@@mateuszbazejczyk real

[@WingsOfLegends]

I 100% agree about how weird it was for Max to be a teacher and not have a single scene of her teaching. They missed the perfect opportunity to have this scene at the very introduction of the game similar to Lis 1 starting in a classroom and how we can draw parallels of the way she teaches to the way Mark Jefferson does. Instead, we had to go to an abandoned bowling alley.

[@oprahscoochie416]

Fr it made no sense. They could’ve added the bowling alley later in the chapter.

[@Sam-qn6vf]

True, it felt she was a student instead 😂

[@toastymarshh5159]

​@@Sam-qn6vfLol you say that, but at first I thought she was a student 😅

[@insenkiv4619]

@@toastymarshh5159 I was so confused with the dynamics in this game. Who's a student, who's a teacher, why students and teachers are just chilling together outside of class, how old everyone is... Doesn't help I'm not american so I'm confused as hell in general

[@toastymarshh5159]

@@insenkiv4619 I'm not American and I was confused by the dynamics, you don't see Max giving a lecture, which is a miss opportunity. I thought she was a student who somehow can afford a home without roommates, I'm very numb to fictional characters being able to afford homes.

[@shuggieintwo5063]

Kate Marsh deserved better. That being said, there wasn't a single side character in any of the other games made me feel for Kate like I did. She was an angel.

[@valkyrie2832]

100% agree. Also I love your pfp

[@Voiceanimesayings]

I agree she deserved better but I actually think she was spared by not being in this game because she would be mischaracterized by decknine like what they did to Chloe

[@JanuaryB6647]

Good point - Max doesn’t even have an office in the arts building. It’s wild.

[@ecovrse]

even lis1 minor characters had stories!! like taylor’s mother having surgery and stella coming from abuse and poverty, in lisde it feels like there was so much to build on with this cool new cast and then they just dropped it????

[@cicik57]

yep this was stealing from lis1 and whole mess, without really being continuation of it

[@Cheddarhead7]

This game feels so weirdly low budget, with the lack of different environments and the way most of the characters have so little screentime. Great little video!

[@glibchubik4090]

Yeah fr, the romances for example don't have a satisfying conclusion, Vhin especially, the bar scene was nice, beginning of a FLING, and then...Nothing? And that's the whole game. Dunno what happened with Deck Nine, game seemed high production value from the trailers, but seems like it was all smoke and mirrors

[@Kingdom850]

@@glibchubik4090 That's pretty much what happened. They prioritized an embarrassing low amount of areas and made them look pretty as possible which was a wrong decision imo.

[@tgwnn]

you can't even walk to the bar :((((

[@TheCODGUY21]

Exactly! Extremely strange!

[@johanbatcron1206]

It kind of feels like the developers were so busy trying to reintroduce Max into the “Life is Strange” universe that they forgot about the actual plot. Because, in terms of structure, the plot is a mess. The plot is unclear and seems like just a collection of random sub-plots that rarely result in any proper closure. It also feels like the developers were trying to bite off more than they can chew when they add a murder mystery (technically two if you count Maya), two people with powers, travel between two realities, shapeshifting, the book deal etc. all in the same game. It results in the plot being kind of “neither fish nor fowl” and unnecessarily confusing for no reason. It feels like “LiS: Double Exposure” is trying really hard to be mysterious, but ends up just being confusing. In the beginning we wondered who shot Safi. Then it is revealed that Max did it. Which is a cool approach. But eventually we need answers about why and how that ties together with the rest of the story. Similar to when we find out about how the tornado ties together with the rest of the story in the first game. But “LiS: Double Exposure” never explains this. You can’t stir the pot like that and not include a conclusion for it. That’s just bad writing and will surely disappoint players.

[@celestesstars]

Even just comparing the side characters is hilarious: Taylor (LIS1): Victorias friend. The only reason shes friends with Victoria is because she supported her when her mom died. Eventually warms up to Max after talking to her more, despite Victoria. Diamond(LIS: DE): Wants to take over the club Vinh is running.

[@jorgeperazapantoja7637]

I find it Ironic that Max is a teacher considering what she went through in Blackwell

[@vanivan25]

What's more ironic that she uses dark room giving the fact she's captured by Jefferson. Like she's not have trauma from that term

[@xoreign]

​@@vanivan25 She's a photographer. Can't quite give that up

[@omotayosatuyi252]

Yeah and what Mr Jefferson did to her

[@Kingdom850]

She talks about this in her journal.

[@vanivan25]

@@xoreign yeah, but her dark room is literally a basement with same downstairs. Like there's no trigger or flashback?

[@melodicsatisfactionproductions]

My biggest issue is a small but major one: the fact Lucas only had one successful book, the one he stole from Maya. Why? Because covering up for him now doesn’t make any sense. Think about it: he’s a professer but his major claim to stardom is just that book. So they’re protecting a professor….why? There’s no reason. But if he was a successful writer before then, and say he stole Maya’s book and that was his biggest achievement, now it would make sense. They have a star professor and can’t let him go, so they’re protecting him to ensure it. One small change that doesn’t affect the story more than 1% and now it’s a lot better. Mark Jefferson in LIS 1 is a good example of what I mean. He’s an award winning photographer who drives students to their school as a result. If Lucas was like that, protecting him stealing someone else’s work now makes sense. There’s other issues but that one feels the most baffling since it just makes that aspect now make no sense. Plus unlike others you don’t have to do major rewrites, just a few lines of dialogue.

[@insenkiv4619]

I didn't understand why Safi's book deal got cancelled. Realistically, you write to a publisher the book is about a girl's suicide and stolen work - why would they care enough to cancel it? Publishers release the weirdest stuff out there, they really do not care that much about personal drama. Safi's logical decision to that failed book deal is to shapeshift and ruin people's lives instead of writing to the publisher, or trying out her luck with another publisher without Gwen's help. And I'm supposed to like her??? That's a grown woman making these decisions. And you're so right with everything about Lucas. Him stealing the book is not something worth protecting. They attempt to paint it as the threat of ruining the University's image but it's not. And even that it's like..write the publisher sending them proof his book is plagiarized. Write the film producers the book is plagiarized. No one wants a headache of dealing with that mess later on, they will cancel Lucas's deals. What are we doing here, why all the childish theatrics.

[@lukecologne8804]

The criticism is really important since they want to continue this story i hope they listen to it otherwise things do not look good

[@robchuk4136]

You could take the LiS 1 character web and compare it to Before the Storm and True Colors and come to similar conclusions. I can't stress enough how much of a problem this is for Deck Nine, because we study this in writing. These social networks matter because they are the lifeblood of any good mystery. The worlds have to feel "lived in", as if these people could exist outside of the main character, but the way Deck Nine writes, everybody exists only to serve the main character. That's why if Max isn't interacting with them, they feel unimportant. And that's not even getting into all the wildly different personalities in LiS 1, where half the cast is shady, and everybody's got beef with everybody. Deck Nine will usually put more effort into pleasant interactions than in uncomfortable ones. But frankly, it's the sheer number of unsavory characters in Life is Strange 1 that kept the conflicts so dynamic from episode to episode. Without this, a story just won't feel as interesting. I like your observations. Very good job.

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@robchuk4136 Thank you ❤️and I agree

[@chloeishellagay]

Yeah, imo the plot was rushed/written very lazily. I also consistently felt throughout my playthrough that I just didn't give a damn about most of the characters lol, because they didn't even really let us get to know them. Sucks bc what the fans have theorised is way more interesting/creative than what the writers came out with.

[@carlosbanderas6789]

Yeah there was no indication that Reggie and Vihn had history

[@vanivan25]

It's mentioned a couple times, but it's not big enough to catch. The dialogue between him and diamond in first ST scene, the paperwork he do to Gwen in Living World, it just not enough development and suddenly it happens

[@Cheddarhead7]

Apart from in this facebook messages, which is where 90% of the character interactions are in this game lol

[@tapiocuhh]

i was looking for videos discussing the problems with double exposure and i was so surprised that i couldn't find many. happy to have come across this video - i had to remind myself throughout the play through that max was supposed to be a teacher, not a student.

[@herm4phrodit3]

safi wasnt well written at all, it was all "tell and not show". we didnt see her develop into her insane mindset and i just cant feel sorry for her at all. she already was narcissistic and had a god complex, but once she finds out someone can rewind time and fix all her mistakes, suddenly she finds potential to be an even worse person and feel no remorse about shooting her own mother? yeah no she needs to be locked up in a rubber room, who in their right mind would agree to help her and be manipulated?

[@rockandrolldude22]

I didn't even notice that Reggie liked to Vihn I just wish life is strange did a better job with male on male romance.

[@xpodx]

That's super gay.

[@seyspectra]

@@xpodxwhat? R-really? Gay men are gay??? gasps

[@Kingdom850]

It's only ever alluded to in social media posts where Reggie is very flirty under any comment Vinh posts, and in some side dialogue you can overhear between Reggie and Diamond in the bar scenes. But even then they don't make it clear enough.

[@rockandrolldude22]

@@Kingdom850 So for most of his post I see Reggie will reply but it sounds more like a friend, not like "you look cute". I remember the part of the beginning were him and diamond talk and he said that his dad was going to make him go to church for the holidays. But they never really explained why. I mean honestly their relationship just seems like a close friendship it's not explicitly romantic.

[@Kingdom850]

@@rockandrolldude22 You gotta keep playing the game, the messages do become a little flirty and there absolutely is a conversation you can overhear between him and Diamond where he talks about a crush he likes not necessarily giving him the time of day. I don't remember the conversation in full detail but it sounds like him and Vinh hooked up once and he caught feelings.

[@Nicholas_waterisgood]

I beat the game but I still don't know who shot Sophie

[@splashion]

That version of max from the other timeline shot her. Our max chose not to and, instead, threw the gun out. I know this because in the picture of max with the gun, she is in a certain outfit, but when you eventually get there with your max, you can wear what ever you want. Our Max also does a different pose. In summary, other Max shot Safi and then Max and other Safi break the loop and merge the 2 timelines

[@littlepoodle7443]

@@splashion Plot twist!! safi shot Safi!! She’s morphed into Max

[@splashion]

@@littlepoodle7443 that would be a twist, for sure! Tho I'm not sure it works as max is the only one who can hop timelines. The closest we got to another character crossing timelines was the detective and we both know how that went 💀

[@Priestesser]

SOPHIE LMAO

[@BoBennings]

@@splashionis that why there’s no “living” world version of Max?

[@lfaq1059]

You hit all of my problems i had with the game, loved the video

[@Aim-o6u]

Max is an artist in residence for Caledon, so it's possible she might not actually be a professor or teacher, but rather work with a teacher or teachers, but I think she talks about grading papers at one point which would imply a role as a teacher. I do agree that the narrative would have benefited from a more clearly defined role in the school's staff. Her journal touches up on how instructing a class makes her think about Mark Jefferson, and it would have been cool to be able to make some choices about how she conducts her seminars. Make her a hardass professor pushing the kids would make them more reluctant to interact with her outside of class, but you get to see their grades improve, or making Max be really laidback with her students would allow them to be more cooperative with her outside of class, but you have to watch their grades slip, or see them not taker her class as seriously.

[@lizardninja007]

I've noticed with A LOT of games and movies that developers and writers throw a ton of subplots into the script but none of them ever get solved and it's been a problem for nearly 10 years. I haven't really seen a good stand-alone game or movie that has a good, original plot.

[@PricefieldPunk]

This game was really weird how hard they pushed romances onto Max that felt just unnatural. I always thought Decknine did romances well too with how they handled Chloe and Alex's romance paths in past games. This one just felt off and forced. LIS1 was a masterclass of how to create memorable side characters and story. I hope Square gives the franchise back to Dontnod some how, cause this game's story just such a mess at the end and thats not even bringing the bomb they dropped on themselves writing Chloe in the Saved Chloe path.

[@Priestesser]

Solid review! Put a lot of things into words that I couldnt quite actively catch but I knew smth was off with the character's interwovenness in the story.

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@Priestesser Thank you ❤️

[@suzumutsu]

About Amanda, I think it's completely fair to pull back a bit and slow things down with the person you're into, when their best friend literally just died. They're probably not exactly in the mood for romance and it's not what they need at the moment, plus they might be too vulnerable or messed up to think clearly, so I don't see an issue with her behaviour there. It's not like she abandoned Max or anything, she tried to be there and check on her, bring her food, etc, she just didn't necessarily want to progress their relationship romantically so soon after what happened, and I actually really liked that. But aside from that, I do mostly agree with your points. I didn't even realize how little the characters interacted with each other... I think ep1-2 were alright, ep 3 was actually pretty good, but it just went downhill from there. I was looking forward to another nightmare like Max had in the first game, but you're telling me all that was supposed to be real and she actually talked to those people irl during that "fever dream"? Huh? Also, the detective guy's erasure from reality just casually being ignored completely was crazy. The ending was also just so... nothing. There weren't any choices that actually felt super significant, especially not in ep 4-5, which is where we should've had to make some serious decisions. Also, maybe I'm just dumb, but why did the storm go away? We didn't do anything that would've fixed things, so how's it all fine now? Why were there even two realities? Why did they get merged? Why is Safi completely fine after dying in one of them and then the two getting merged? Shouldn't that have consequences?? Why did she even die in the first place? It all makes no sense to me, this whole game is a mess. I was so hopeful after ep 3, but it was super underwhelming and disappointing. Personally I didn't have any issues with Chloe not being in the game, or Max's powers being different, and all that other stuff that people were upset about, but this game was just simply not good anyway, unfortunately.

[@Jme_hde]

This is the first game in the series where the final big choice just wasn’t hard to make…

[@XxLew]

I agree and I can't believe going with Safi was the popular choice

[@vampferatu]

Yeah i feel like all the side characters either were there to add to who could be the one that murdered Safi but then were dropped because the the rest of the story changes drastically. Like those random parts with Gwen wanting the locked book, the phone call and with Vihn with texting us wanting to talk to Safi when in the dead world lol like what

[@elenariotti]

amanda rejected max not because she had an "ick", but because she knew max was not in the right mind set to think about a relationship. plus, amanda WAS there for Max, do not make up things like that because even though she rejected her, she still made sure she was okay, she was giving her time to elaborate the grief. im the first one to hate on this game, but amanda was one of the few things actually likeable

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@elenariotti that’s fair, I’ve could’ve been a little based in that area but if max was not ready for a relationship it wouldn’t have been good either to just disregard what Amanda said (in the dead world) and romance her in the (living world) cus max would’ve been dealing with a lot worse in max’s perspective with the 2 timelines and murder mystery but at the end of my play through Amanda said she was glad she didn’t pursue anything with me so Im still glad I didn’t romance her in the other timeline

[@elenariotti]

@SpaceManNoHelmet you're right. if you kiss Amanda and Vihn, Amanda says at the end that she'd give another chance to Max which is just...ugh? why would she even want to be with her after knowing she went to a date with Vihn and kissed him. I know between them there's nothing official, but seriously, I would never want a relationship with someone who kisses someone else 10 minutes later I kissed her😭 Max's character was very unlikeable in my opinion in this game, but it's because of the choices doesn't make sense. Like, she thinks something but when we make choices she says something completely differents. It's like they wanted us to choose the choices they wanted, which is very bland

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@elenariotti Vihn was a terrible love interest lol and yea it was weird to put both romance moments right after each other, and I never pursued vihn so I was so confused when the choice showed up

[@dreamingstrawberries]

Amazing review! I agree we should have seen at least a glimpse of how max is as a professor! I enjoyed playing the game, but it has its flaws and the first game is still better overall! One thing: I dont think Amanda got the ick, but rather didnt want to persu a romantic relationship because max was under distress and she wanted max to greive without the pressures of being in a relarionship. She still wanted to ne friends with her if im not wrong I believe thats valid, you can be there for someone without starting a romantic relationship with them. I enjoyed this vid!

[@economiccrisis9267]

Amanda got cold feet

[@lindenbree9188]

Yeah, I agree about Amanda. New relationships can be stressful, and Amanda wasn't up for that sort of emotionally taxing situation after Safi died. But she never implied she'd abandon Max - she wanted to be there as a friend. What I find ick is how Max starts a romance with Living World Amanda because Max has no idea how the worlds work. For all she knew, she'd have to go back to the Dead World permanently, and Living World Amanda would just lose her girlfriend who disappeared into another dimension forever

[@LoveSeeker81392]

My issues start from chapter 1. 1. Where did the gun come from. It makes 0 sense. How does Lucas' gun end up in Safi's possession to give to Max, to kill Safi at the start of the game. This requires all future events to happen in order for this initial event to happen. So who actually killed Safi. 2. The storm is BS. It wasnt there in chapter 1, how is it there later on. Obviously theres an implication that someone else causes the storm, their actual power is to create a storm that is a time vortex. 3. Theres a post credit scene showing one of the characters has had powers literally the entire game, but we never find out what those powers are. 4. The detective disappears into thin air. This never comes up again. How can Moses see the apparition of the detective, i thought only Max could. 5. Whats with the flowers? 6. Timelines don't make sense. Its the same exact world, just 1 or 2 days apart, and the only difference is Safi is dead in one of them. How come changes in the past dont instantly change events in the future. 7. This game is less detailed. Very little choices have real impact, or change anything at all. Most event changing outcomes are because Max gains knowledge she didn't have before. 8. Max can still rewind time. This is shown when the detective catches her while trying to get the camera. Her choice to not use it doesn't really explain where the storm comes from. 9. Max magically combined the past and the future together. How... 10. The school doesn't feel like a school. 11. Chapter 4 onward ruined the game even more. Not a fan of MCU prequel. 12. Wheres the other Max. There must be 2. If the explanation is max transfers between her body in the past and future, surely when shes not controlling 1 or the other there should be events going on as normal, without the knowledge she has, and we should see that this is the case displayed in some way. Like a recording or video of Max acting odd, having weird behavior, or random switches in behavior as max constantly switches her consciousness between her bodies.

[@JoannaEve]

3. I didnt see the post credit scene, did they mention Diamond or someone else? Just curious :)

[@LoveSeeker81392]

@JoannaEve safi finds Diamond in the middle of major nose bleeding, on the overlook area. Offers to explain whats happened to Diamond.

[@pandeze3]

"How can Moses see the apparition of the detective, i thought only Max could." - Maybe in that area anyone could see the apparition because Reggie did say he saw himself up there

[@LoveSeeker81392]

@pandeze3 thats possible. I could agree with that conclusion for that issue. Shame its an issue that had no impact on the story other than a made up reason to remove the detective from the rest of the story.

[@havidikevidi]

Finally someone who has the same questions! Too bad nobody ever seems to have an answer. Just shows how bad the writing is. They think they can get away with any nonsense just because it's ''time travel'', when in reality well written time travel HAS to make sense.

[@misterleondra1]

I would like to add the tiny amount of different locations, the absence of montage scenes at the end of an episode, also the soundtrack, it is okay but the original had such an distinct sound and i was just reminded because of your background music. This song just makes something with me. The first couple of episodes were nice nostalgia but then it just, well, You got the whole point actually. Edit. Also i think the design of the diary portion and smartphone is a glow down. The illustrations look amazing but feel a little bit to much anime like and like the game was made by a fan. Idk thats nitpicking but idk it is a thing that changes the atmosphere what isn’t that bad entirely tbh.

[@glibchubik4090]

Deck Nine really needed a comeback, and Double Exposure was a big chance for it, but it seems like they fumbled yet again. I get 1 mid game, hell I could even excuse 2, but 3 in a row is unforgivable, LiS deserves to be in better hands

[@Kingofslay]

While I agree, deck nine Only made 2 games that are considered bad. I like all of them btw

[@Ryūdōji-Reizō]

they fumble everything 🤣

[@glibchubik4090]

@@Kingofslay I really disliked Beyond the Storm (I'm not a fanboy of LiS 1, just think it fails both as standalone story and a prequel), mostly liked True Colors, although wish it had more substance to it, and now that Double Exposue is somehow the lowest rated of their games... I think time for second chances has passed

[@Kingofslay]

@@glibchubik4090 ah that sucks. I personally loved them all. But if I can ask, have you played Double Exposure? And if so what didnt you like specifically. Im curious lol. Btw how are you doing?

[@Bryan-fe9um]

It felt like they were too busy setting up another sequel instead of focusing on the game in front of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the detective ends up becoming the next villain or something. It was like they were holding back with the story and budget. But I did still enjoyed myself and the soundtrack was 🔥.

[@TheCODGUY21]

You made great points start to finish

[@mentjno]

also, what even was Lucas' threat to Vinh during the roast? surely it was important since it completely stopped VInh from talking, but I don't think we ever get it?

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@mentjno can only assume it had to do with vinh backstabbing maya for the assistant job but we’ll never know :/

[@blurrble5]

I assumed he threatened to sue him for slander

[@mentjno]

@@blurrble5 it kinda seemed like they gave it so much importance tho :( like there was something else hidden from us

[@blurrble5]

@@mentjno it's possible they had planned on doing something with it and cut it. It sounds like from interviews Deck Nine didn't quite know what they wanted the story to be even as they were in full on development.

[@PAUL-uk1le]

My thoughts on Double Exposure is this I enjoyed it as it was just having a new game. Things that I had issues with were. 1. If this was 10 years after LIS 1 why did they approach the game at the start like all the characters were from LIS 1 and the player didn't need a backstory it was like Max arrived at Blackwell again. Couldn't they show how she met Moses and Safi and actually showing her students in a class. No reason they couldn't have visited the bar to meet Amanda. Not just act like we are lifelong buds tell us a story. 2. This is my #1 Peeve of this game. I tried hard not to know anything about the game. I knew Safi died before I played it I hope dev don't reveal as much next time. 3. The characters were on the bland side I thought Max Safi Moses were the best ones. Imo they could have done so much more with podcast girl. 4. All the teases of story intrigue and then it turns into a fizzle. All this talk of Secret Society and nothing comes of it. Max and Amanda's love interest and date ok sidebar but, then boom I think you're not ready to date neither of you couldn't figure it out right away. 5. You couldn't go into Safi and Lucas issue alittle deeper 6. I thought Detective would be a huge part of the story and it fizzled. 7. After chapter 3 I thought this game had a chance to rival LIS 1 mystery but....... 8. I always want longer games but, after playing double exposure I would have ended Part 1 after Ch 3 and did Part 2 ch 4 5 6 in the next game. This way as fans we could think about the game in the meantime. 9. Maybe this might take too long for developers to do this and its maybe why they don't do it. I wish different choices would change the outcome alot more instead of just different dialog.

[@navnico1921]

I agree, it's disappointing. Why did Vinh throw the skull ? I don't remember.

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

It was so random

[@navnico1921]

@@SpaceManNoHelmet you don't remember the explanation either ?

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@ not at all really

[@navnico1921]

@@SpaceManNoHelmet The beginning of the mysteries isn't bad, but once the investigator disappears, everything becomes so confusing.

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@ exactly

[@Danziii]

One of the biggest things that bugged me is that I felt like there was about 4 locations and that was it. And the fact that it felt like half a story. Not too bothered about not having returning characters, but feel like there was so much missed out on

[@Snip3rfall]

I was hooked until the end of chapter 3 when you realize safi is a shapeshifter kind of a let down after that. I thought and probably would have been better if moses was the villain by the end of it. I could explain but it would be to long

[@JasonRogerson-gs8jp]

Just finished the game yesterday. Ill do a second playthrough. Its fine, not excellent. Kinda feel as if the game shoulda been like $30-40.

[@blurrble5]

Yeah that's how I felt. Glad I stopped myself from paying for the $100 version...

[@JasonRogerson-gs8jp]

@@blurrble5 I actually did the homework first to see what the difference was. I was hoping it was actual DLC..... Like a Before the storm type of thing

[@blurrble5]

@@JasonRogerson-gs8jp No DLC just a cat and some ugly clothes. No thanks!

[@halejandrohd2955]

Great breakdown, I had some thoughts over on my channel as well

[@yektacantursun4171]

I agree, also when I played LiS back in 2017, I have chosen Arcadia Bay and the story kinda fit okay.

[@themidnightmusiciann]

I agree with literally all your points my man! I was disappointed and not keen on this whole MCU inspired path they seem to be going down.

[@HedonisticPickle]

While I agree the connections between characters might make for a less deep experience, it’s also highly accurate of real life adult friendships. People mostly know the people they already know and the older we get, less we tend to have friend groups and mutual friends that have equally deep connections with our mutuals.

[@tigrispanthera5496]

don’t say this pls 💔 i haven’t had friends my whole life lmao

[@HedonisticPickle]

@@tigrispanthera5496 it’s of course what you make of it as well. You CAN find and make friend groups. I have as an adult a few times. But they tend to happen more out of effort and having a consistent hobby or so. Usually school and work are where we find our friends. Don’t worry. You’ll find friends if you just be yourself and show interest and keep up with people.

[@eyeballjay]

Speak for yourself lol sorry but it just sounds like you have some empty friendships, maybe try to meet some new people or something idk but it definitely doesn't have to be that way, that sounds miserable for you.

[@kgbetterinrussian]

Agreeing with you 👍🏻

[@makisbizarreadventure4669]

Great video, Bro. Subbing to see more

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@makisbizarreadventure4669 thank you ❤️

[@JimmNeutricity]

This is a very fair take. I agree with you I would keep the first 3 acts then rewrite 4 and 5. Then cement Safi as a villain. None of this MCU nonsense lol

[@shadowknight2500]

Double Exposure follows the Time Triangle Theory. Its often used but never named or explored in games. The theory basically says that No matter how much deviated a timeline gets from the original. It will create a new trajectory that will ultimateley lead it back to where it was suppose to go in the first place.

[@shadowknight2500]

There are two timelines. But its not actually living world and dead world. Rather, its Stable timeline and Disrupted Timeline. Stable timeline has the following events in play, Events that were suppose to happen in this specified order. 1) Maya Okado commits sucide 2) Two years later Safi finishes and trys to publish her book to reveal the truth 3) Yasmin uses Gwen to get the book cancelled. Safi suspects Gwen and Lucas. 4) Safi uses her powers to get Gwen suspended, and Lucas into trouble with his Ex wife. 5) Then Safi decides to shapeshift into Maya and spook Lucas into admitting the truth. 6) Lucas after his initial confrontation with "Maya" starts carrying his fathers gun for protection. 7) During his second confrontation with "Maya" on "8th December 2023" he shoots her, and Safi while escaping from him, drowns in the frozen river when the Ice starts cracking. The Police find her body deformed due to the weather and her powers dying with her. Making it impossible to ID her, and the police officially declare Safi missing. 8) Lucas inspiered by his experience with "the spirits" writes his own original book, which gives him a new found fame and confidence. 9) Max fearing the worst and wanting to save safi decides to use her powers after a long time and travels back in time to the day she last saw her 4th december 2023. And starts investing the mystery before it begins.

[@shadowknight2500]

after inquiring about Maya with everyone who knew her, Max gets targeted by a paranoid Lucas who just had his first encounter with "Maya". Who believes that Max is the one pulling the sick joke and theratens her with his fathers gun. Safi goes on with her plan without realizing how unhinged Lucas has become over the recent events and ends up dying in front of Max who has an sudden epiphany as to what actually happened. Max later goes back in time to confront Safi and change her fate. Once they get an confession Safi realizes her mothers involvement and decides to confront her, which was never suppose to happen. Does creating the storm.

[@shadowknight2500]

After Safi and Max overcome the storm. Safi absorbs the storms powers and spends the next year trying to find other like her, and during each encounter with others like her she inevitabily created storms that devastated the cities. When she returns to the campus she asks max to end it, and when max does the storm passes on to her, and her powers get elevated which creates a ripple effect through time. This leads to past and future events happening out of order at different points of time.

[@shadowknight2500]

With "Time" broken, present Max gains her new ability to travel between paralllel worlds.

[@shadowknight2500]

Thus creating the disrupted timeline, where the timeline is split into living and dead world. The living world follows the same events as the stable timeline, except Max's investigation before some of the key events taking place changes the trajectory of things. This disrupts a lot of lives and destiny of the individuals, which deviated from their supposed original destiny. These deviations caused the timeline to collapse itself and face extinction until it got merged with the dead world which was left untouced due to Max not spending a lot of time there.

[@bravo0105]

The treatment of Chloe has me avoiding this game like the plague...not interested in Sad Max.

[@SnugSnowSnail9977]

You made a lot of good points and some I didn't even notice. I did still enjoy the game regardless but yeah they could have done quite a few things better

[@me_yessik]

I don't think she's supposed to be a teacher, in the strict sense. I think she's supposed to be an artist in residence.

[@tgwnn]

So you agreed to go on a date with someone and then there's a student murdered on campus, a good friend of both of yours. It makes sense that you'd need time to process that lol and just be friends for the time being. Amanda didn't reject Max she just said they should deal with the tragedy first. Or at least that's how that scene came across for me.

[@insenkiv4619]

Ohh I wish there were streams of you playing LiS1, I really like your commentary :)

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@insenkiv4619 Thank you ❤️

[@Rosegoldgirlie7]

Yes! The story was all over the place and wished the characters had more depth!

[@Zotjad]

The teacher thing is the most unused and badly shown thing. Max spends the game running around a college, she just looks like a student like she looked in the 1rst game. Everyone looks around the same age, and look okay for college students but too young to be a teacher besides Lucas. There are no middle aged or older teacher characters. Is Amanda a student? Is Moses a teacher? Watching a stream and not paying much attention I honestly can't answer that. Vinh looks like a student but no he works there. There should be a class scene where Max has to talk to her students about Safi's (another teacher?) death.

[@hosseinnafisi5725]

my biggest problem was the ending of the game! It reminded me of marvels! Didn't suit the game at all

[@Me12464626]

I wasn’t invested in the characters as much as I was in the first game! I wanted to like safi- but I hated her character 😅 I was shocked by that!

[@VishiiTamplier]

Totally agree with you that game feels very disjoint , first 3 chapters I would say was good as mystery, after that there was no driver to have interest in, and has gone just to images of past. Worth to mention I loved storm scene in chapter 4 and how Max responded to it, how mature it was although I wanted shoot Safi that moment so bad. I would say biggest choise in the game is not Max's to make, but writers, and they did it for her, instead of player choise. I hate SE for that they have done to this chapter, they had so many potential and completely threw it away, with 4 narrative directors who hated the game and interacting with making proccess, also Vihn as loving interest makes no sense but they pushed it anyway. My biggest problem with the game is Max arc, it's brilliant for character and her maturing, grieve, it's acceptance, I would rate it 9/10, but the rest is just falling apart and has no standarts. And I think, they should have maybe dropped superpowers, or evolve them into something else, not two dimmensions where they can't manage one. And maybe instead of common murder mystery do a slice of life, I think this is where first LiS excels at. First rule of good storytelling, don't say, show it.

[@giuseppemontego8479]

"Amanda, proceed to get the fuck away from me" 😂😂😂 I treated it the same. NO to Amanda. NO to Vinh. PASS on all "smash or pass" options.

[@zachanikwano]

Max should have shot Safi, now she's going off to be bootleg magneto

[@Mekubot]

Honestly I think this game had great potential, it just feel short for me personally. Just nit picks like Max actually teaching was one of my personal gripes. But I think this is to be expected because this game feels like the set up for the next game rather than this game being its own thing. I hope Deck Nine takes all the criticism and feedback for the next game to really pull it together.

[@doncarloancelotti2256]

There are way too many plot holes and Deck Nine has gotten overly ambitious with the alternate realities and timelines, not to mention supernatural powers on numerous individuals (THREE ON ONE CAMPUS)- Wait, is that the Avengers theme I'm hearing 😨😱😕

[@oprahscoochie416]

This game was a let down. It was short especially the last chapter and we didn’t even get much information on her past. It would’ve been nice if we saw what her day is usually like. That detective was useless and was forgotten about. Idk why the creators thought it was a good idea to release this.

[@skydreamer4225]

I can imagine Alderman scream angrily like "What the hell is going on? Why I am dead/vanish for no reason?"

[@poziomka01]

great video!!!! thank you

[@Razorrrrrrrrrrrr]

The ending was a bit underwhelming, like didn’t safi go through development within the storm and then when everything was combined , she just goes back to being kinda evil? Plus the ending with the nose bleed from diamond (iirc that’s her name) and safi coming out of nowhere and is like, IK WHAT THIS IS, COME, YOU ARE SPECIAL, JOIN MY LEAGUE OF HEROS (we are def not planning world domination type cult) I also wish we had more Chloe

[@italiangamerjoe7501]

I’m really surprised by the amount of negative attention and disappointment with the game. I loved the game and just finished it. I really enjoyed the ending and I loved how the game focused on the mystery and more on interacting with suspects to figure out who did it. It was more mystery focused. Overall I really did love the game and the amount of multiverse attention as well. This is the first time I’ve ever played a game and the multiverse is handled in such a delicate and beautiful way. Great video though, I did enjoy your input ❤

[@BlueEclipse2305]

a good review. just finished it myself and i agree with you. This isnt my favourite (that is before the storm), but the game for me is just okay 4/5

[@thehollyannrose]

I agree with the points you made. I was expecting something different. It was an alright game, not much compared to the OG. I think maybe it was the lack of character development. but the ending was weak 😅

[@TayaYoung04]

I personally don't understand why Vinh was a love interest choice instead of Moses. Moses would have been SO SOLID for the male love interest. Vinh comes across as the fun gay buddy, not like a serious option.. =/ also wish Amanda would have been more involved in the story, kinda how Steph was an anchor in true colors.

[@minedude33]

Would've been cool if the game started with Max leaning on a table in a classroom

[@1doop]

aye bro solid review on the game, but may i know the outro song for this video please?

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXq3lXurirlgi6csi=RH4sJToJ8lzjJQ4U

[@TheTom20]

Lis 1 had a lot of moments that made me feel that I'm there, I am Max and I am a student etc, this game does not give me that feeling and at the end it becomes X-men or something.

[@skydreamer4225]

MaX-Men

[@abracadaverous]

Thanks for the review. I've played all the LiS games (LiS2 was my favorite) but I'm probably gonna skip this one until it comes down in price. It seems a bit sloppy in terms of story cohesion. Probably better than Before the Storm, though.

[@splashion]

Idk, I really liked this game! Alot of your criticism makes sense, by no means is this game perfect, but I think they executed Max's character perfectly and that's all I came in asking for! Personally, I think the story of this game is very good. Alot happens so it's hard to wrap your brain around it and alot is left for speculation which, to me, is what life is strange is all about and I am thoroughly looking forward to the theories! I'd say this game is up there with the first life is strange game for me cause I just loved playing it so much! I was up till 2 am playing through all 5 chapters and u know it's good when I do that cause I didn't even do that for the first game! Lol! It's a flawed art piece but it's an art piece none the less. Absolutely worth the money

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@splashion that’s fair, I even got goosebumps from some parts of the game I just wanted more world building instead of superficial reasons for certain characters to interact with each other (everyone’s just students and faculty Minus Amanda) just like seeing what max has been up to instead of stating it, it would’ve been nice to see what makes day to day life is without the murder mystery

[@onemoreturn]

Yeah, I was kinda disappointed as well. I have a feeling that they made this game just to milk people's nostalgia.

[@havidikevidi]

The whole game was a mess. They took everything that made LiS 1 unique and good, copied it here and whatever new they added simply didn't make sense. 1. How did Safi die? We heard the gunshot while still seeing her walk. 2. Why was the tornado at that scene with Max and Safi, but it wasn't there at the beginning when Safi died? 3. How come Safi is even dead in one timeline if Max never actually shot her?? 4. How did Max just jump into the tornado with Safi as if it was some sort of illusion? We know from the first game that the tornados are real. I have way more questions than this, but i'm afraid i'll never get an answer. The story went completely downhill after 3rd ep.

[@methebee]

so accurate

[@OktoberJournal2]

100% agree! This game was unfortunately pretty dissapointing :/ And the fact that apparently multiple people have ~powers~ is just weird to me.

[@Clover4C]

The game has strong points and the thing was quick to notice they did right by max’s character they got her right during chapters 2 and 3 didn’t seem like choices you made didn’t have any consequences weak like other characters points the side characters could have been flushed out more first 3 chapters were good 4/5 were okay felt a little rushed deck nine need take notes from the player base for the next game

[@HimanshuPrabhatHP007]

You should cleanse your pallet with 13 Sentinels, if you haven't played it yet. Also, I'd love to see character interaction chart for that game.

[@murasd07]

Safi's character is unbearableeeeeee

[@nicefieldSFM]

Yeah I was disappointed with DE too

[@JoannaEve]

Did anyone purchase the DLC? I didn't but from what I heard that too was lacking.

[@xash06]

2:36 BASEDDD

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

Lmaoo

[@UncleMilo]

I have a lot of thoughts as well... I think the two worlds really was a problem, because the characters are so different in each world and that makes it even harder to connect to them. All the plots seemed only half-baked. I am in total agreement that it would have been nice to see Max running her class and more interaction with her students. I honestly felt no connection to anyone in the game. I actually felt Max has a good chemistry with Vinh when he lowered his guard and you saw the real guy under his "mask"... except you only romance the one Vinh as the other Vinh is involved with Reggie? What? I honestly lost track of who liked how as it seemed so random and it was who in what world? Also... a little annoyed you didn't get to talk about Warren. I know most people wanted the Chloe-Max relationship in the original game... but there are some of us who went the Max-Warren route... and it would have been nice if Max got to mention him a little... or like got some texts. I mean... if we're getting stuff from Victoria... we DESERVE some Warren communications. I would have had no problem if the two of them dated and eventually broke up and were just friends. Just SOMETHING! I really hated how plot points just went away as well. The cop vanishing from all reality seemed like a significant thing... but then it was... oh well... guess that happened. So... what should we get at the bar? I have never felt so unconnected and so unemotional over a Life is Strange game... but this one just was... ..... there.

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

yea I was wondering where warren was throughout my playthough but we only got that creepy text from the nightmare sequence sadly

[@MiamiMarkYT]

One day LIS will make something that gives me the same incredible feelings that the first one did. I’m sure of it.

[@jklilly700]

3:47 I think moses should have died that way, so I makes Max look bad since he told Diamond where he would be.

[@seha4943]

We needed a new mc, not max again, just leave the story as it is, it was great

[@kb_ondamic]

They should've done Max and daniel

[@jklilly700]

8:33 How is she gonna do that? By the way, it's not like she was professor x with the helmet to find people anywhere

[@skydreamer4225]

Yeah

[@shielam.1635]

just finished it last night and i was also so disappointed. first of all, it was so short that i do not think it is worth the full game price. second, a lot of things does not make sense and was not explained very well. did we find out who alderman was? did i miss anything? why was diamond mad at me at the end? i helped her on her argument with vinh. who was she in love with. i'm guesing it is moses but the game did not really do enough to establish that. reggie was kinda annoying. i did not really get attached to any side characters.

[@richardsapingo1828]

It was not worth the money. The bawls having charging so much to play early and then broken into episodes... No. LiS1 was a cute mess. It was Tumblr drama that had some endearing moments with a dash of cringe. Plus the music selection was beautiful for the simple graphics. Now? Knowing their audience? They decided to butcher it. Also the graphic glitches and little to no depth to other characters that isnt Max or Saffi.

[@GordonRamsMe445]

A video that is 10 minutes long talking about the flaws of this game without mentioning Chloe says a lot! Especially when just a week or 2 ago, if you had anything negative to say about the game, people would label you as a “Chloe d-rider”, “Max hater”, and “a not real LiS fan”. 😂 Even in the Life is Strange sub Reddit, you would get banned if you said anything negative about Double Exposure 🤦‍♂️. This is the real reason why they keep on getting review bombed by both players or saved or killed Chloe. The game’s plot goes all over the place, and it’s just not emotional driven like the previous LiS games!

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@GordonRamsMe445 oh yea I knew the first thing I had to say was that I wasn’t gonna mention Chloe lol, I saw a lot of people mention the lack of Chloe or how they broke up and not real story issues

[@XxLew]

From what I've seen in the sub reddit, there's A LOT of people saying the same points as this video

[@GordonRamsMe445]

@ They probably fix their shi! I remember people on twitter exposing one of the modders for being a ex D9 dev who was defending this game with their life 😂. Banning people who had said anything negative towards the game. I’m a casual LiS fan, but over the past months I heard so much crazy shi in the community all I could say is “damn, I guess bringing back Max was more negative than positive” 💀

[@victoraburto6485]

I didn’t like Vinh and Amanda as Max’s potential love interest, I wish there was a mention or something about Warren, personally I loved Max and Warren in the first Life is Strange game. Other issue is chapter 4 and 5, chapter 4 and 5 are bad, I freaking hate the ending, I won’t even explain it because spoilers for new and old players. I’d say Life is Strange Double Exposure is a decent game.

[@Lucy-cl2qk]

double exposure feels literally so souless and the ony thing it retrieved from the og was cringey dialogues, also i wish they stayed with simple color palettes like in lis1 and 2 instead of just throwing random shit since true colors and who gives a shit about safi, jesus christ just the first interactions made me dislike her

[@Vextral4653]

I don’t think it turned out to be people seeing the alternate timelines. I think its actually safi they saw seeing themselves

[@SpaceManNoHelmet]

@@Vextral4653 how does that explain the police officers death?

[@Vextral4653]

@ that wasn’t an alternate version of himself. That was his past self no? He might have powers himself. He knows about stuff “ max did in Arcadia bay “ but if you sacrifice chloe none of that happens. So there should be no reason he would say something like that. I could be wrong though.

[@jellyspiral]

I just played through the first Life Is Strange and I’ve only seen a short clip from this game about how they handled Chloe and I’m SO PEEVED! Like, the whole game emphasizes how insanely important their bond is and literally ends with Chloe saying they’ll be together forever, having been bonded by this intensely emotional and life changing relationship they have with one another, for them to just “not work out”???? Like did what happened in the first game mean anything?? This just feels so separate I don’t even like associating this version with the original game because the first one was so much better and artistic and interesting. This one feels so stale and ho-hum. Where is the flavour??Disappointing.

[@aletanook]

I'm on episode 2 of a LP for it. I think there's some good ideas in there but it takes too long to get going and I don't feel attachment to most of the characters. Max especially just feels empty. The mystery part of it feels like a retread of 1 but less... interesting? I'm not a huge fan of LIS 1 and 2 is okay but I like 3 the best. This so far seems to be the weakest and most boring.

[@Ricky-f1m]

I just don't understand decknine had the right step in direction with true colours that game wasn't perfect but the potential was there with this I just don't know where they were going I feel like it was just a nostalgia bait and a cash grab felt like square enix pushed this out to decknine because money i mean this isn't worth then price especially the early access it itself just shows the intention of this game if they really cared they would have just made another game with new characters not this max story was already finished but that's just my opinion tho

[@kathycat101]

weak storytelling. many plotholes.