I’d be a fraud if I didn’t write about this game at some point. I feel the need to spread the word; it’s so amazing that I’ve thought about it every few days since I first played it about 4 years ago now. I wouldn’t call myself an avid gamer mainly because I don’t have my own console and my shit computer is so loaded up with every Sims 4 expansion ever made that it can’t handle having anything more than one extra game on it (goodbye Skyrim), BUT if the choice is video games or TV the majority of the time I’m going to pick games. This means my boyfriend has had to endure, amongst other things, the absolute belter that is L.A. Noire which I will probably have to talk about in about 6 installments because of it’s tedious length. Life is Strange, though, is utterly perfect in every way – and that is taking into consideration one of the only complaints you can really have about this stunning game which is that the mouths don’t always move in time to the voices. I honestly have never been bothered by this, but I’m writing this review now because they’re re-releasing the game with improved graphics and facial motion capture in Autumn this year.

I’ll talk about the gameplay first. It’s in third person and some might say it’s more like an interactive story. Granted, there are a lot of cut-scenes, but more often than not these are interactive in that you can make decisions for the heroine Max. It’s separated into 5 episodes which I like; as someone who gets very emotionally invested, playing the game without these little breaks would make it overwhelming to say the least because as the episodes go by, Life is Strange gets a lot darker and more intense. The catalyst of the story is that Max discovers she can rewind time and the time-rewind feature becomes vital to solving puzzles and problems within the game. As a “nosy” girl like Max, my favourite aspect of the game is that so many of the things and people in the environment are interactive, and you can build up a catalogue of information on other people and situations by talking to others and looking at items around the different sets. It’s a challenge to look at literally everything and talk to everyone so you can be as omniscient as possible. The choices you make during discussions and how you interact with objects (a plant in Max’s room for example) change the outcomes of many different aspects of the story – apart from the end. I believe this is a sticking point with a lot of players; no matter how you play the rest of the game, the ultimate decision you have to make is always going to be the same. For me, this isn’t a big deal but its definitely worth mentioning. The soundtrack is dope, the dialogue is funny and touching and the voice acting is very good. Critics have disputed this and some don’t like the writing but I will always advocate for this game

In terms of story, Life is Strange is *hella* good. It would be incredible just as a film or TV programme, but taking part in the action and influencing Max’s actions and personality makes it so much more personal. The story takes place in a little town called Arcadia Bay in Oregon and the majority of the action happens in and around Blackwell Academy where Max boards. I don’t want to give too much away about the story because I wouldn’t want to ruin it. If you go in blind, there are so many surprises, but essentially Max saves a girl (her childhood best friend) from being shot with her newly acquired time rewind power and foresees a storm that will destroy Arcadia Bay. There’s also a missing party girl and a budding romance with an adorable guy called Warren. It’s kind of like a teen movie but extra dark. There are a lot of moving cogs but they all fit together pretty perfectly by the end. The ending is kind of a mindf*** and home to a truly bizarre stealth sequence. It’s pretty terrific.

I would ruin this perfect game if I said any more about it. All I can say is, go and play it; it will change you. It’s very accessible nowadays – you can buy it in installments on iPhone (not sure about Android), PC, Playstation and Xbox. Oh, and if mouths not matching up to voices annoys you, maybe wait for the re-release – you fake fan.