Teen Time Travel: Life Is Strange
Dev diary explores themes and characters
Square Enix have released the first of three developer diaries for upcoming episodic adventure Life Is Strange. As well as containing some background info about developers DONTNOD, creators of Remember Me, the video contains new footage from the game and discussion about the plot and themes. It's a pleasantly tranquil video, in which the team are seen playing ping pong in slow motion while discussing independent film and the creation of their teen girl protagonist. The discussion takes place in a voiceover rather than during the slow motion table tennis, which is a shame.
I love the setting and I'm intrigued by the time reversal ability, even if I suspect it'll turn out to be the equivalent of the Big Decision Moments in Wolf Among Us, which is to say it'll be used a couple of times per episode and have less of an impact than expected. If I'm proven wrong, I'll have my first hat supper of 2015 when the first episode is released on January 30th.
Whatever else the time twisting might mean for the game, I hope it doesn't detract too much from the setting. Troubled teens with a mystery to solve, while musing about bad romance, great hair and the tunes riding high in the hit parade. Youths!
My favourite part of the video is the bit with the cigarette. Given the amount of smoke that thing is letting off, I think it might actually be a tiny flare.