Life is Strange Double Exposure is a love letter to Max Caulfield fans – Preview

Announced during a major Xbox event this year, Life is Strange Double Exposure gained the attention of many fans of the franchise and sparked debate for two reasons. First, its theme: the game brings back the iconic Max Caulfieldfrom the first game, like its protagonist, now older and in a university environment.

Second, because of its release: while the complete game, divided into five episodes, arrives on October 29th, Double Exposure brings two chapters in advance for those who purchase the Deluxe version of the game. The bonus for those who pay the most ended up generating controversy, as story spoilers could end up appearing on the internet two weeks in advance.

Square Enix sent us the early access of these two chapters on PC and fortunately we have good news on these two main points. In addition to Double Exposure marking a triumphant return for Max, the game also works well with its episodic format, which encourages community theories – something that drives the entire Life is Strange franchise.

Max returns with better graphics

Starting with the technical part, we can already say that Double Exposure pleases the eyes and ears. The new Life is Strange brings a beautiful graphical leap compared to previous titles, mixing cartoonish tones with realistic visuals full of depth.

Here, the big highlight is the facial animationswhich were a huge problem in the original game in the franchise. Now, we can see Max and other characters expressing themselves very well, and with the lip synchronization of the dubbing working perfectly — without voices in Brazilian Portuguese, but with subtitles in the language.

Life is Strange Double Exposure brings beautiful graphics made in Unreal Engine

The University of Caledon region, where the game takes place, also has beautiful landscapes, which look stunning on high-end PCs and even work well on the Steam Deck. All of this comes accompanied by an exquisite soundtrack, a trademark of the Square Enix franchise, and quality English dubbing, ensuring immersion in the story.

Narrative centered on mystery and twists with new powers

In the story part, we won’t bring spoilers herebut it is already possible to get an idea of ​​the path followed by Double Exposure just from the materials released by Square Enix. The game follows Max about 10 years after the events of the first game, at a university.

After a long time without using the powers to go back in time, she ends up discovering that she can travel between parallel realities after a tragedy: the death of her friend Safi, who was murdered. Full of choices, the story follows the protagonist trying to discover who the killer is and how to prevent him from attacking again in the reality where Safi is alive.

Safi’s fate is the central point of the story of Life is Strange Double Exposure

The first two episodes basically serve as a big introduction to the story, setting the stage for big twists. The game begins by introducing us to Safi, making players “fall in love” with the character before the tragic moment that serves as the ignition for the story.

Furthermore, throughout the first two episodes, we have the introduction of characters who can be considered suspects for what happened to Safias the writer Lucas, the teacher Gwen and the assistant Vinh. Here, Double Exposure tries to create an atmosphere of suspense and leave loose ends to instigate players and the community.

The good part is that the first two episodes, which arrive in advance, do not have any major revelations about the story, serving more as a great foundation for the big revelations that will arrive in the final episodes on October 29th. However, for those who value surprises, the tip is to stay away from the internet for the next few days.

Gameplay with new powers and many tributes

In terms of gameplay, the big news is Max’s ability to move between realities. While the base of the game is still exploring environments and making choices, now you need to solve problems by jumping between two simultaneous timelines.

Max is able to move between planes thanks to rips in reality, which are always positioned in strategic places for solving puzzles. Most of the time, the mechanics work very well, but some parts of the gameplay in the first two episodes end up breaking some of the immersion.

Want an example? At a certain point, Max needs to reach an object stuck in the wall of a restaurant in the reality where Safi is dead. To do this, the gameplay forces you to switch to the timeline in which Safi is alive, take a small ladder, return to the original timeline with the object “in your pocket” and finally reach the item.

After all, wouldn’t it be simpler to just pull up a chair and climb on top of it to reach the object on the wall?! Occasionally I ended up having this feeling during the gameplay, but, overall, the experience is very interesting, despite the mental confusion.

On the positive side, the game offers answers and integrations with the original game in the franchise, allowing you to choose the fate of Chloe and Arcadia Bay, with some consequences accompanying you throughout the story. Furthermore, The whole Double Exposure experience feels like one big fan service for Max Caufield.

Players can now choose from more clothing options for Max.

The player can now choose more of the protagonist’s clothes, for example, in addition to controlling the camera to capture certain moments during the story. Collectibles also include polaroid photos that can be found by exploring the setting, a great nod to the original game experience.

It is worth it?

After playing the first two episodes of Life is Strange Double Exposure, It’s clear that the Deck Nine studio wants to please a specific audience: fans of the first Life is Strange. The new game features beautiful graphics and a story that works very well as the long-awaited sequel to Max Caufield’s story.

Happily, the studio got it right, at least in the first two episodes, and delivers quality fan service in Double Exposure. The game is perfect for those who never got over Max’s story and have been waiting for a sequel for years.

On the other hand, if you weren’t already a fan of the original Life is Strange, the new experience is likely not for you. While the graphics are beautiful and the game is more mature, both in story and gameplay, the essence of the franchise remains the same. In the end, even with some problems, Double Exposure fulfills the role it should fulfill: being a love letter to Max Caufield fans.

Divided into five chapters, Life is Strange Double Exposure arrives on October 29th for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.