Life is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis

PC Gamer

Cassandra Khaw

84 / 100

Life is Strange elegantly meshes time-travelling with nostalgia-riddled teen drama, producing a sympathetic debut.

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IGN

Mitch Dyer

6.5 / 10.0

Life is Strange starts out with a problematic first episode, but there's a lot of potential in this young-adult drama.

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Metro GameCentral

David Jenkins

8 / 10

A wonderfully assured first episode, in what has the potential to outdo both Telltale Games and Quantic Dream in terms of successful video game storytelling.

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Game Informer

Kimberley Wallace

8.5 / 10.0

This first episode shows a lot of potential. The characters and their struggles are relatable, and the narrative sets up plenty of intriguing threads

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GameSpot

Kevin VanOrd

7 / 10

The episodic Life is Strange is off to a good start, featuring sympathetic characters and tense social situations.

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USgamer

Mike Williams

Life is Strange is an episodic adventure in the Telltale-style, placing you in the shoes of 18 year old Max Caulfield. Max can rewind time at will and has prophetic dreams of the future. Episode 1 is all intro, giving you a look at Max's powers and her supporting cast, but not much else. There's hints of bigger things on the horizon, but neither issue is immediate within Episode 1. I'm intrigued, but Episode 2 needs to give me a stronger reason to finish all five episodes.

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Destructoid

Brett Makedonski

8.5 / 10.0

For now, we're left with our first glimpse at Arcadia Bay, our initial look into the life of Max. It was a slow, yet well-paced initial chapter that set the table more than anything else. There's no telling where the story will go from here. But, as Chrysalis faded out, an indie song played that felt wonderfully at home in this setting, and served as a warning of things to come. It chanted "We will foresee obstacles, through the blizzard, through the blizzard."

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Game Revolution

Nicholas Tan

Life Is Strange offers a fresh take on video game storytelling, presenting the typically loaded concept of time travel in a more naturalistic light and exploring the labyrinthine choices of an unlikely everyday hero.

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