REVIEW : Life is Strange: Before the Storm (PS4/ PS4 Pro)
Life is Strange: Before the Storm acts as a prequel to Life is Strange. Before the Storms provides a closure picture of Chloe Price, the friend of Max Caulfield, protagonist of the first game. The game is set 3 years before the first game at the time when Max moved to Seattle.
Chloe does not have Max’s ability to rewind time but instead Chloe has strengths of perception and social Manipulation. The are variety of puzzles to solve which will have you explore the surroundings.
Conversations now feature backtalk, in which Chloe can turn opponents word against themselves. These are never mandatory but opens up new dialogue options. They also offer variety of difficulty; some conversations go easy and so fail as soon as you give a wrong response. Only a short time is provided for the responses.
Rachel Amber plays an important part in the game. Rachel was only teased in the first game but now get to know a lot more about her. The chemistry between Rachel and Chloe is brilliant. Before the Storm will change how you think and interpret them.
Before the storm does a brilliant job of telling you the story of two people whose fate is already known. Before the Storm takes risk of introducing new characters and scenarios, being a prequel, it is a really tough job. Players who take time exploring the game will be rewarded.
Players are also rewarded when they read between the lines and pay attention to every detail. Additionally, all the new cast of characters introduced in Before the storm are very likeable. Some side stories offer great insights about familiar characters from previous game.
Every decision you take in Before the Storm has no right or wrong answer. The decisions made in before the storm are similar to the decisions we make every day. All the questions we ask our self before making a tricky decision are asked by the game too. Before the Storm makes you care about the characters and the final conclusion boils down to that only.
All the dialogues in Life in Strange are heart felt and Before the Storm is no different in this regard. Before the Storm narrative is a labor of love and it shows, and hence setting a bar for games which are narrative or dialogue driven.
Before the Storm last few acts will leave you awe-stricken and make you wonder what if Chloe and Rachel got more time together. Before the Storm if also filled with plenty of Easter Eggs with references to original game. Before the Storm looks and sounds incredible. Soundtrack complements the art style very well.
REVIEW : Railway Empire (PS4/ PC/ Steam)
