Oh boy β¦
Well, I have to say, I am a bit underwhelmed by this game. On one hand Iβm having a dΓ©jΓ vu, on the other, itβs still only episode 2, so hey, things might get back on track again β¦ hopefully.
In reality, I will call this episode βthe build-upβ, to what I am not entirely sure, but this is what episode 2 does entirely. You have a few seconds of sh*t hitting the fan at the end, but this is it. And while I do appreciate a good build-up, having an entire episode of it β¦ kinda left me with a sour taste.
The problem with this episode is not that itβs bad, or anything, story-wise, but itβs so mundanely slow that it gets boring at times and this is what I felt, when I played it β¦ bored. It was as if I was beginning a new game and it took its time to get into it. Except, the getting into it, never came.
Okay, so here is the thing. The episode starts some time after episode 1 and Sean has been teaching Daniel how to use his powers. They temporarily live in a remote cabin, in some mountain and itβs winter. But hey, we also have Mushroom with us β the super mega adorable puppy, which we got in the previous episode. The game kinda shows the brothersβ struggle through their ventures and how Sean looks after Daniel and tries to teach him how to better control his powers. Here we actually got to play a game of dice, which I think they came up with and it was actually pretty entertaining (I even ended up playing it twice).
It is time to move on though and as the brothers prepare to journey forth β¦ see, I am unhappy with this. Why kill Mushroom? Why give me this amazing puppy at the end of episode 1 and then kill it right of the start of episode 2? I donβt understand it. I donβt really remember a game in this genre, which allowed me to have a pet companion and I was actually happy that this is finally a thing β¦ but nope, I got this slap across the face, when le wild cougar appeared out of nowhere and ate Mushroom β¦ WHAT?!! You know, I really think that having Mushroom around would have been better, but since I really cannot say anything positive about that experience, Iβm going to leave it at this. And no, I didnβt kill the cougar.
And from here on, the episode just started going down. So apparently Daniel got sick at some point and Sean decides for them to go to their grandparentsβ house. They donβt really give you the standard grandparent cozy greeting, but itβs better than nothing. Also, I really think people should cut Sean some slack. They treat him like some grown-up, who knows how to make proper decisions and can account for all consequences. Well, get a grip. He is 16 and he is doing his best. Iβm not just saying this because Iβm playing as him and all weight goes down my shoulders, but rather itβs nice to put things into perspective. Everybody seems to be blaming him for everything β¦ one way or the other.
But anyways, the entire episode from here on is us βbondingβ with dear grandma and grandpa, doing the most mundane things you can possibly think of. At some point we meet up with Chris. Yeah, same Chris from Captain Spirit. Iβm glad they included him into the main game and even if it was for a short while, it was still a nice addition. I honestly didnβt even recognize Claire (this is the grandmother). She appeared in Captain Spirit, but really, I just didnβt connect the dots. But what was more interesting is that, actually, Daniel was the one who saved Chris from falling. The two start bonding and I swear Daniel is a real idiot. I keep telling him to be careful with his powers, but he just canβt keep his mouth shut. Now he gets Chris involved and not only that, Chris thinks heβs got the same powers. Yayβ¦
We end up going to a Christmas bazar with Chris and his dad, whose name I couldnβt even be bothered to remember. There we can buy or steal a Christmas present for Daniel. Honestly, this game doesnβt really give me any money to go around with. I try to be good and honest and not steal anything, but I feel like the game is pushing me into it. If you have the option of buying versus stealing, make both possible. And itβs not like Iβm not mindful of my money. I try to be, but even then, I feel like itβs impossible. Like, why give me the choice at all?
At the bazar we meet with this cute girl Cassidy and her friend Finn, who tell us they are freighthoppers. The conversation with them was interesting and refreshing, amongst all the other things. I hope we get to meet them in future episodes.
Back from the bazar, Daniel pulls the puppy pleading face, and wants to sneak into his motherβs room to find out more about her. You know, actually, he has the right to know. This is the main reason I agreed to do it. Of course, Claire and Stephen (the grandad) catch us in the act and of course when I told them that Daniel wanted to and that he did have a right to know, Claire snapped at me and blamed it all on Sean β¦ right. This is what I was talking about. Then Stephen goes out of the room and into his office and gets trapped by the big cabinet, he didnβt get the time to fix, the focus shifts and this is where the pace kind of snaps from its haze and gets going. But we are talking right at the end of the episode.
The police come knocking claiming they saw us at the bazar, so we end up escaping the house through the back door, being covered by Claire β¦ I swear the one and only smart thing she did the entire episode. And here comes the only consequence of my choices, this whole episode. Chris gets run over by a police car, when he tried stopping it with his powers. And guess who gets the blame? All of yβall who said Sean, congratulations, you get a cookie for answering correctly.
Honestly, the episode had its moments of fresh air, but the rest. It was just too slow and too boring for me to enjoy it properly. The choices as well. I feel like they have no consequence for me, beside killing a character I donβt really care about that much. The choices we make are fine, however, they arenβt being reflected upon that well. Hell, I donβt even remember what choices I made in episode 1.
I really hope Life is Strange 2, steps up its game in the next episode, because it would be a shame. I really enjoy this game and episode 1 was a proof of that. I had so much fun with it and it even got my hopes up for the entire season. Alas, for me, episode 2 was an unnecessarily slow build-up, to I donβt even know what. Hopefully we shall find out in episode 3.
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