Shadowdenizen > Status Update

I've been playing this on the PC. I'm actually about third-quarters of the way through, but I had to take a break because the story was getting rather intense! There are certain moments that, even though I was half expecting them, felt a bit like being punched in the gut. I don't think I've come across another game in recent years that's quite so emotionally charged!

So awesome to chat about this!

Yes, this definitely felt gut-punching at times. (view spoiler)[Suicide and Sexual Assualt (hide spoiler)] are NEVER easy topics, not should they be, but the game handles it with some honest gravity, which I appreciated.

Though things are mostly open-ended, and entirely dependent on your choices, I did feel that the game (view spoiler)[ was pushing you towards a "More-than-Friends" relationship with Chloe, which would be interesting to explore, but at the same time, I just felt so bad for poor, earnest, lovable Warren throughout the whole game! (hide spoiler)]

Yes, I definitely agree the game's writers have done an excellent job of handling some really tough subjects. It's that level of depth and sensitivity that makes me feel games as a medium are evolving so fast right now -- and also makes me annoyed when people dismiss all games as soulless fluff, entirely lacking in story and targeted solely at teenage boys!

I never felt entirely convinced by (view spoiler)[Chloe and Max being more than friends, but I suppose every player will have their own 'version' of Max and their own mental picture of both who she's attracted to and how she'd react. And yes, poor Warren! There's definitely a sense of him trailing after Max like a lovesick puppy! (hide spoiler)]

I also liked that the LITTLE things mattered as much as the larger things.

Like (view spoiler)[if you erase the mean note on Kate's whiteboard, it makes it easier to save her in the rooftop scene. (hide spoiler)]

I also liked the "Fake-Outs", like when (view spoiler)[ you have the option to shoot Frank or not, and if you don't he gets your gun, which I thought FOR SURE would be a bad thing in the later chapters, but turned out to be crucial in actually getting his help. (hide spoiler)]

I also quite liked the music, both vocal and instrumental. The Limited editon I picked up (for $10 more than the base price) has the soundtrack and an art book, both of which are quite cool.

I found Life is Strange does a better job of showing how your actions play out than other, similar games I've played. I've also been working my way through Dreamfall: Chapters as the parts are released, and whilst I love that series for entirely different reasons, I never have a clue what difference my choices have made!

The soundtrack edition doesn't seem to be available for the PC, which is a shame because the music really is lovely. I have just noticed there's a new Directors' Commentary available, though, which looks interesting.

yes, Life is Strange has an excellent "Behind the Scenes" choice mechanism, in that you never know how an action might impact future scenes.

But, "Until Dawn" (cinematic/episodic horror game) also has an excellent mechanism for that.

It lists the "Butterfly points" in a table... And lists the point, and your choice... And then, when the choice alters the game it lists that as well. (It's in a HUD-style journal you can look at through the menu, so it doesn't interfere with actual gameplay.)

It also has "Omen totems", which show you possible scenes of the future, and thus allows you to be (if you're cognizant of them) a bit more "proactive" about avoiding certain scenarios/sequences.

Equally valid mechanisms for "Choice-Driven games".

I haven't come across Until Dawn so I'll have to look at that. I'm usually too much of a wimp for horror games, though!

I was looking through a list of games that feature choice, and I was amazed how many there are now. Most don't use a mechanism as detailed as Life is Strange does, but there are an extraordinary number of otherwise unrelated games that provide a different story depending on player choices.

"Beyond: Two Souls" is another one.
Fair to mediocre story, but it uses a SEAMLESS BTS choice system.

You may not even know you're making a choice, but it will still substansially alters the game.

It makes the game great for multiple playthroughs from beginning to end, but if you're just looking for specific "Choice Points" to go back to after beating a game, it fails miserably on that front.

It's an exciting time for video games in general, but "Choice-Based Games" are impriving quicker than any other genre.

Ah, I remember hearing about Beyond: Two Souls because of the actors involved, but I had no idea there was any choice element to it. That reminds me of my one major problem with choice-based games: I so rarely have time to play them more than once! I hate feeling like I've missed something, too, but my gaming time is so limited right now that I'm usually tempted to move on to another title instead.

Yes, definitely an exciting time - exactly why I have too many games and too little time to play them all! :D