The ability of a video game to tell a powerful story is understated. Even in a world characterized by an internet saturated with movies and web series, there is always a demand for an involving and impactful story. The potential of video games to tell these stories is slightly untapped, however in the last half decade, story-driven games have steadily begun gaining popularity.
One of the breakthrough narrative games was the episodic “Life is Strange”, released in 2015 by Dontnod, which told the tale of a young adult, Max Caulfield, who discovers she has the power to reverse time. The power of the game lay in the fact that the player, as Max, was no superhero, but an ‘every-day hero’ who had to make choices, and deal with their impacts, sometimes devastating. While the central theme of the game is the bond between the protagonist and her friend, there is a thrilling subplot of the case of a missing fellow student. The game received critical acclaim for the gameplay, as well as for handling mature themes like depression, drug abuse and suicide. It was also one of the first mainstream games to star a female protagonist.
The game at a glance
The second game of the series does not suffer from sequel syndrome, and takes things up a notch. Through the eyes of the protagonist, a 16-year-old Hispanic boy named Sean Diaz, and his young brother Daniel, the game delivers a powerful critique on the ground-level inequalities and severe lack of inclusivity in modern America.
The game deals with the aftermath of a tragic incident, wherein a flare up with a neighbour leads to a police officer shooting the boys’ father. The anguish causes young Daniel to discover he has telekinetic abilities, and inadvertently causes an explosion, killing the officer. The ensuing tale follows the boys’ journey, as they attempt to flee to their Mexican hometown.
An involving, personal storyline
The biggest change from the first game of the franchise was the fact that the powers were no longer with the player, as Sean, but with Daniel. There was thus an added layer of depth to the gameplay, wherein Sean could only advise Daniel to use the power in the right way, but whether or not he chose to listen would depend solely on their relationship at the time. The player now has to deal with the added responsibility of being a ‘father figure’ for Daniel– to ensure he does not get hurt, comfort him when he feels afraid or lost, and be a good role model. In one of the scenes in the game, if Sean decides to steal food from a store, Daniel too believes that stealing is morally acceptable, and will tend to do so in the future.
This means that even small choices add up towards shaping up Daniel’s character. This increases investment in all of Sean’s actions, forcing them to think through each one carefully, making the storyline more involved.
A reminder of what the times are like
Throughout the game, the underlying theme of racism shows up in the gameplay, right from the incident where Sean’s father is shot for a minor incident - would the trigger have been pulled were it a white man?
It would be unfair to call racism just a plot point in the game, given how it is sprinkled throughout. Just like in real life, it comes in sharp doses intermittently, and serves as a poignant reminder of what the oppressed in the world face. While on the road, the two boys face the brunt of “white supremacism”, which was at its peak under the Donald Trump government – be it facing slurs about ‘going back to their own country’, being physically abused, or even being shot at by ‘border vigilantes’.
A section of critics opined that the game ‘exaggerated’ the issue of racism, but the murder of George Floyd, and the recent backlash against Asians, were just a few of the issues that highlighted that racism was still omnipresent in the US.
The presence of this game, that gives people a taste of the subtle nuances, as well as the ugly extremes of racism - serves to remind the world of the seriousness of the issue.
The gameplay
Possibly the biggest criticism I have for Life is Strange 2 is the fact that it was released in an episodic manner, with the episodes having small (or large, in some cases) time jumps between them, which does not fit in with the continuous ‘road trip’ theme it was aiming for. It also means that there are a lot of characters introduced along the way, whom I found interesting, but get to share a very limited amount of time with. The lack of ‘depth’ in character of most characters other than the brothers, is a visible issue throughout the game.
Still, the game did a good job of keeping me engaged throughout. I particularly enjoyed a small subplot regarding the boys reuniting with their estranged mother during their journey – and although Sean despises his mother for having left them when they were children, the game gives you a chance to understand her better and decide on whether the relationship can be repaired. Their conversations felt extremely raw and emotional, and was one of the high points of the game
Endings.
Contrasted with just the two endings for the first game, the second game had over seven different endings, depending on the choices you make throughout. At the risk of spoilers, I’d say that most of the endings are bittersweet, and perhaps leave you a bit unsatisfied. Strangely, this actually fits in well with the overall atmosphere of Life is Strange - which deals with the imperfect aftermath of imperfect choices.
Soundtrack
The game is well-supported by a memorable soundtrack. Like the game itself, it is a unique blend of emotions. It is hard to tell whether a piece is upbeat, optimistic, or depressing – perhaps ’haunting’ would describe it the best.
Graphics
Compared to the first game, the graphics are a lot better as well, best encapsulated by some “moments of calm” dispersed throughout the game, wherein you get to take a pause and watch life go by as you appreciate some beautifully crafted scenes.
A final note
We would perhaps rarely associate video games with art– but if there is a game I’d choose to describe as a work of art, it is hard to look beyond Life is Strange 2 - which forced me to invest so heavily in its characters and storyline, that when it ended, I was left wanting more. Through the experiences of the ‘wolf brothers’, as they called themselves, I also got to experience the ground realities of racism in America, and despite me being thousands of kilometres away, created a sense of awareness and empathy.
With all its imperfections, Life is Strange 2 still left an everlasting impact on me, and in my opinion, by setting a precedent, it has sent out a timely message- that video games too have the power, and perhaps a responsibility, to create a social impact.
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Note: This article was originally a part of Satpura's submission for Gazettale. Special thanks to Advait for editing this.
(All images courtesy of Dontnod entertainment)
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