"Life is Strange 2" Hauntingly Beautiful
Life is Strange 2(sometimes known as Life is Strange Season 2 or LIS2) follows two brothers, Sean and Daniel on their journey alone, as they journey across America after an encounter with racial injustice. Along the way they meet a memorable cast as the brothers must grapple with family, responsibility and power. As a fan of story games, and this series specifically, Life is Strange is a worthy successor that has managed to once again wring sorrow out of my heart that I thought was not possible from a video game.
Specifically, as the older sibling, Sean must learn to fill the void that was left when their dad was unjustly shot by a cop, while also learning to help his brother curb his newfound power of telekinesis. Compared to the first game, it was interesting to have it through the perspective of the non-powered individual this time around, as you learn to wield the power of being a guardian, while also realizing how quickly Daniels powers are dwarfing your own capabilities.
On the other hand, watching Daniel sort of struggle throughout this game made me stop and realize, what would I actually do as Sean? As a middle child, I sort of got the best of both worlds, as I watched my father instill into my brother the importance of sacrifice when it came to family, while also dabbling in it myself with my younger sister. So when it came to deciding what to do with the two brothers, I had already developed an emotional attachment to them, and did what I felt any sensible older sibling would do, and let myself go to jail.
Now, for the uninitiated, as a game that centers around choice, there are multiple endings which are: Sean ends up in Jail/Daniel lives happily with his grandparents, Sean escapes to Mexico to live a happy life/Daniel lives with his grandparents, albeit monitored by the government, potentially forever, Sean dies/Daniel escapes to Mexico alone, and lastly both siblings escape to Mexico.
The reason I chose the Jail ending was I could not bring myself to sacrifice any of Daniels happiness, even if it took away some of Sean's best years, as none of this was Daniels fault. The reality was that Sean running away was foolish, though it gave him and Daniel one last year to truly bond before they would inevitably be separated for some time, and Sean had to face the music. As an older sibling you understand that your younger siblings happiness comes before your own, and that to force Daniel to shoulder the burden for your mistakes was not a compromise I was willing to make.
Final Score: 85/100
Overall, with a warm art style, fleshed out characters, and a universal theme, Life is Strange 2 is a wonderful game through and through. I feel like even for non-gamers this game is approachable, since it has no fancy gimmicks, and mostly relies on simply button presses to progress through the story. These closing thoughts of mine are a tribute to a game that truly made me remember how it felt to feel, and to that I applaud everyone who contributed to this wonderful game.
On the other hand, watching Daniel sort of struggle throughout this game made me stop and realize, what would I actually do as Sean? As a middle child, I sort of got the best of both worlds, as I watched my father instill into my brother the importance of sacrifice when it came to family, while also dabbling in it myself with my younger sister. So when it came to deciding what to do with the two brothers, I had already developed an emotional attachment to them, and did what I felt any sensible older sibling would do, and let myself go to jail.
Now, for the uninitiated, as a game that centers around choice, there are multiple endings which are: Sean ends up in Jail/Daniel lives happily with his grandparents, Sean escapes to Mexico to live a happy life/Daniel lives with his grandparents, albeit monitored by the government, potentially forever, Sean dies/Daniel escapes to Mexico alone, and lastly both siblings escape to Mexico.
The reason I chose the Jail ending was I could not bring myself to sacrifice any of Daniels happiness, even if it took away some of Sean's best years, as none of this was Daniels fault. The reality was that Sean running away was foolish, though it gave him and Daniel one last year to truly bond before they would inevitably be separated for some time, and Sean had to face the music. As an older sibling you understand that your younger siblings happiness comes before your own, and that to force Daniel to shoulder the burden for your mistakes was not a compromise I was willing to make.
Final Score: 85/100
Overall, with a warm art style, fleshed out characters, and a universal theme, Life is Strange 2 is a wonderful game through and through. I feel like even for non-gamers this game is approachable, since it has no fancy gimmicks, and mostly relies on simply button presses to progress through the story. These closing thoughts of mine are a tribute to a game that truly made me remember how it felt to feel, and to that I applaud everyone who contributed to this wonderful game.
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