Review | Life is Strange: Reunion

In the year 2026, Life is Strange has been around for over 10 years, and I would like to think that most fellow gamers have heard of the series in one way or another. Life is Strange: Reunion serves as the final game in the original series, which includes Life is Strange, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and Life is Strange: Double Exposure. It serves as both a reconciliation and closure for Max and Chloe, two friends who came together and then parted to pursue their own separate journeys, brought together by a series of tragic events. Only this time, they’ll be working together once again, with some extra acquaintances and help along the way. Make crucial decisions, build on friendships and relationships, and use Max’s powers to alter reality. Life is Strange: Reunion has been developed by Deck Nine Games and published by Square Enix Ltd, allowing you to embrace the nostalgia of the story while trying to solve a brand-new disaster which is peaking over the horizon.

Things I Liked!

• Max and Chloe reunited | When I played the first Life is Strange (2015), I was astounded by how brilliant the game was, and it left me in tears. The story Max and Chloe shared was magical. It allowed me to create my own opinions on their characters and friendship, thereby creating a basis for my playthrough of LiS: Reunion. As LiS: Reunion takes place a decade after the original, it’s clear to see that Max and Chloe have matured, leading separate lives after being out of contact for some time. That being said, when they reunite for the first time, it’s clear to see that no love has been lost between them, and the moment itself is beautiful. Opposites definitely attract. I was thrilled to see the tag team back together, working through their problems and differences, while (hopefully) trying to avert a crisis one final time. The developers have done a stellar job reuniting two very much loved characters in a way I never thought would be possible.

• Replayability | As with many games built on player choices that determine how the story unfolds, there are always multiple outcomes and story paths, providing replayability for those who are curious about whether their choices could have led to better or worse outcomes. At the end of the playthrough, you’ll be shown all the choices you made, but also the alternative ones. I was pretty disappointed with some of my choices, which made me eager to play through the game again to change some of my outcomes. The completion also requires you to complete the game twice, using two different starting choices, meaning you could always do a ‘what if’ playthrough to watch scenes play out differently. I have always found being able to make different choices a fun feature, and I’m glad I got to experience alternative dialogue and outcomes.

• Encouraged to explore | After the initial prologue and starting scenes of LiS: Reunion, you’ll get an idea of what tragedy is set to occur, followed by a message prompt to look and collect evidence as you make your way through the game. All the evidence you find will come in useful later on, making it relatively important to explore your surroundings, but I won’t spoil the reasons why. Exploring can also lead to other miscellaneous items, such as collectables (podcasts, photo opportunities, and sketches), additional interactions, and amusing dialogue, to name a few, so I always inspected each scene with a fine-toothed comb (at least I thought I did) in an attempt to collect everything possible. Being an avid fan of exploration (thanks to looting games), I enjoyed surveying the scenes without feeling the need to complete my primary objective quickly, which made the gameplay feel more fulfilling.

• Bonding narrative | With Chloe ultimately returning to Max, LiS: Reunion is based at Caledon University, the same location as LiS: Double Exposure, which means every character except Chloe is back again from the previous title. What makes LiS: Reunion a surreal game is the coming together of Chloe into Max’s life. It has allowed Chloe to meet Max’s new friends and bond over the magnitude of Max’s powers, as they are affecting what reality exists and is coexisting. The story has been thought out incredibly well by the developers, bringing everyone and everything which has happened (despite your choices in previous games) throughout this LiS series to a full circle, with very little confusion. Seeing Moses and Chloe rifling through different scenarios, Max teaching her students photography, Safi doing Safi things (avoiding spoilers): it all just works in unison, creating a fanstastic narrative that had me intrigued from beginning to end.

• Gorgeous visuals | As time has progressed, the visual quality of LiS has only gone from strength to strength, as I would have expected. My main praise has to be for the use of colouring, hues, and shading. LiS: Reunion looks beautiful in every scene, and often pops with bright and bold colours. The darker scenes, on the other hand, convey serious and moody tones. Each scene felt like it had its own personality, and this was truly remarkable. The animations were smooth, making the playable movement and cutscenes joyful to watch. The textures could be improved, but this is only if I was nitpicking. My only quarrel was the facial expressions, which you can read about further in the review. Overall, the visuals were wonderful and definitely a sight for sore eyes. Except for *that* one scene. Trippy to say the least, but still executed brilliantly.

• Music and sound effects | I have to start this point by congratulating the developers on yet another excellent soundtrack. In every LiS game, the soundtrack is one of the best and most recognisable elements. It hits you with all the feels and emotion, while being relaxing and a pleasure to listen to. Imagine listening to indie/country rock, dancing around casually or lying down, either by yourself or with a friend, in a field on a lovely summer’s day or even in your bedroom; this is exactly what I imagine when I hear these alluring songs, and it explores a whole catalogue of emotions. Well, that’s another soundtrack added to my Spotify. The voice acting is great, and combined with the majority of facial expressions, carries the characters’ feelings and personalities across extremely well. Sound effects heard throughout the game are noticeable and high-quality. I’m happy to say I can’t fault the audio quality. I had a technical issue, but I will explain this later on in the review.

Mixed & Disliked!

• Not entrant-friendly | Before playing LiS: Reunion, I’d highly recommend playing the previous three games in the stories series for multiple reasons. Starting with this title could be confusing for players who are new to this ongoing storyline, as you would be missing out on both the history and emotional connections Max and Chloe have built over time. You are also required to choose key decisions at the beginning of your playthrough from previous games, although these can be randomised. There is a small recap chapter at the beginning of LiS: Reunion, which does summarise what has happened up to this point, but I think this acts as a recollection for people who have already played the prior games, as opposed to new players. It’s certainly the worst entry for new players, as it’s supposedly the last of the series, but it’s not impossible to understand. I just think your experience won’t be as impactful if you skip the original Life is Strange, LiS: Before the Storm, and LiS: Double Exposure.

• Irritating issues | During my play time with LiS: Reunion, I encountered a few problems. Graphics and detailed rendering were consistently plaguing my gameplay, which became mildly irritating. Hair would consistently jitter, background effects would struggle to load in, and some scenes wouldn’t even fully render before moving on to the next. During my second playthrough, when I reached the ‘Mardon’ scene, the music stopped playing even as I progressed to the next scene, forcing me to restart my game as the only fix. Finally, although the facial expressions were detailed, they didn’t always convey the right expressions, with some making me feel a little uneasy. The expression “Read the room” came to mind. Although none of these was game-breaking, they did put a downer on my playthroughs, and I hope they will be addressed.

• Narrative conclusion | Now, you’ll have to bear with me, because making and writing this particular point without any spoilers is going to be a little tricky. With LiS: Reunion supposedly being the final instalment with Max and Chloe, I had already created a couple of final scenarios in my head as to how the game would end. Oh, how wrong I was. I do believe the ending to LiS: Reunion was finalised with a little bit of fan service involved, due to how badly LiS: Double Exposure was received, but I can’t go into detail as I would hate to spoil this for anyone still yet to start or finish the game. The penultimate final scene can have many different outcomes based on the decisions you make, which I did appreciate, but the finale just didn’t quite hit as hard as I hoped it would.

• Choices and consequences | Life is Strange is a series which shares elements of Telltale Games, where your decisions can impact future dialogue and outcomes. However, unlike the prior games in this series, I didn’t find some of the ‘consequential choices’ to be that detrimental to the main story, and I also didn’t have any difficulties when making them. When I say difficulties, I mean I didn’t have to stop and really think about which I would choose; it was far too easy. I wanted choices that made me contemplate exactly what the consequences could be and whether they would be made for the right reasons, not ones I could decide within the blink of an eye. I also would have liked more impactful choices, but maybe that’s pushing it, as it’s the shortest game in this story series, and perhaps why it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

How long did I play the review before publishing? Approximately 17 Hours
How long to beat the story? Approximately 8-10 Hours
How long to complete the game 100%? Approximately 16-18 Hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 29/29 (1000G)
You’ll love this game if you like these | Life is Strange, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Conclusion

Score: 68/100

Life is Strange: Reunion was a wonderful game, despite its flaws, providing full closure on the original series, with Max and Chloe working in unison for one final time. There are numerous elements which could have been fine-tuned to further improve the game, but as it stands, I’m satisfied with my overall experience.