![]() It's entirely out of place given the subtlety and thoughtfulness of the previous episodes. Given the way Chloe and Rachel’s relationship is presented throughout Before the Storm, there's a touch of unusual malice in the decision to include the post-credit scene. It was a twist of the knife that seemed too obvious. This kind of emotional manipulation is something that a lot of players, myself included, found unnecessary. Yet, for some reason, a post-credits scene was added showing Chloe desperately trying to contact Rachel while the sounds of a camera go off in the background, reminding us of Rachel's fate in the dark room. ![]() Having said all this, I was not expecting a happy ending. ![]() It's bittersweet given what we know will happen in the future, but heartwarming to see Chloe and Rachel enjoy some time together. We're then presented with a montage of Chloe and Rachel's next two years together-Chloe dying her hair, rolling around Arcadia Bay in Chloe's truck, getting their tattoos, etc. Compared to the ultimatum at the end of Life is Strange, this decision is pretty low stakes but important given how themes of honesty play throughout the game. The series ends with a decision to lie to Rachel about her father's dirty dealings or tell her the truth. Ideally Before the Storm would have been five episodes long like its predecessor-there is so much more of this story that could have been told. While it was not the finale I expected, Deck Nine had a lot of loose ends to tie up and a short amount of time to do it in. At the start of the episode Chloe creates a lightshow of stars on Rachel’s ceiling, but this is the last moment of genuine intimacy between the two, and given that we know Rachel dies two years later it doesn’t feel like enough. Gone are the moments of tenderness between Chloe and Rachel, replaced by a balls-to-the-wall finale with a stabbing, a main character who turns homicidal, and the reveal of the real villain of the story. When they express their feelings for each other, who could help but root for them to escape Oregon?Įpisode 2 is also where the other plot points begin to take shape-in particular the relationship between Chloe's drug dealer Frank, his partner Damon, and Rachel's heroin-addicted mom Sera.Įpisode 3 shifts focus onto this storyline dramatically. When you get the opportunity to kiss Rachel to prove your devotion, it's the validation that Life is Strange flirted with but wouldn't commit to. The most romantic and meaningful moments happen toward the end, including one of the best interpretations of Shakespeare's play The Tempest I've ever seen. If Before the Storm were a rollercoaster, Episode 2 would be the moment you reach the top and enjoy the view. It's hard not to fall in love with Rachel just like Chloe does, which is why Episode 3 was met with such a mixed response. Before the Storm goes to great lengths to establish Rachel as Chloe's savior and vice versa, injecting hope into a devastating chain of events. In Before the Storm Rachel is no longer a plot device, but a fully fleshed out and complex character, making the later events of Life is Strange even more tragic. In the original, Rachel's absence was the driving force of the narrative, and everything we knew about her was reconstructed through photographs, letters, and Chloe's memories. That's the story Before the Storm sets out to tell. ![]() ![]() Before the tornado, before the dark room, before time travel, there was Chloe Price (voiced by Rhianna DeVries) and Rachel Amber (voiced by Kylie Brown)-two teenagers drawn together by their own personal pain. Before the Storm had the extra challenge of weaving themes of love, loss, and recovery into an established and beloved story though. Both games nod to the cult iconography of the Pacific Northwest, and both play out like an indie movie fresh from Sundance. Before the Storm captures the zeitgeist just like its predecessor, Life is Strange. ![]()
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