Remind me never to become best friends with Max Caulfield or I’ll end up dead in a ditch somewhere. After spending all of 2015 rescuing her buddy/lover (depending on who you ask) from the clutches of death in Life is Strange while simultaneously trying to unmask a mysterious serial killer, she’s back at it in Life is Strange: Double Exposure.
While it’s a bit of a déjà vu, I’m really glad to have Max back on my screen. She’s all grown up and now a visiting lecturer at a university far away from Arcadia Bay – whether that place still stands seems to depend on some decisions you make in the background at the start of the game. Instead of Chloe Price, her new friends are Safi and Moses, the former of whom was mysteriously found dead in the snow.
Instead of Max being able to hit the rewind button, her time powers work a little differently in Double Exposure. There are now two timelines – one where Safi is still alive and well, and the other where she’s dead – that Max can jump between by finding spots with sparkling lights. Orange sparks take her to the living timeline, while blue ones take her back to the dead one.
Jumping back and forth between these two realities is key to solving puzzles, such as accessing areas locked in one timeline or bringing items across to solve puzzles. I get to use this ability in a section that comes a little later in Double Exposure – Moses has grabbed Safi’s camera in the “dead” timeline, realised he’s run off with evidence, and decided to hide it somewhere in his office. An office that the rather dimwitted detective Vince Alderman is trying to force his way into.
Focus on the big picture
Of course, I can’t just walk in with Alderman staring at me. Instead, I stroll around the corner and make my way into the “living” timeline where Moses is pottering around in his open-plan workspace. As I walk through the much brighter, warmer office, I notice how pretty Double Exposure is. This is thanks to an upgrade to Unreal Engine 5, and Deck Nine also continues to use performance capture like in True Colors.
Max’s movements and facial expressions seem much more dynamic and detailed with original voice actress Hannah Telle reprising her role. I wanted to explore every nook and cranny of Moses’ office and take in all the set-up between both timelines, which already helped me piece together a picture of their friendship.
Although the game looks really pretty, navigation was frustratingly clunky. I always felt like I was struggling with camera controls in the Life is Strange games, and Double Exposure is no different. The camera pans left or right in bite-sized chunks, preventing me from surveying my surroundings smoothly. Playing around with the sensitivity didn’t help much either. I regularly ran into walls when trying to interact with objects, and the awkwardness discouraged me from exploring.
However, I did my best to hold out for this preview, noting all the little differences between life with and without Safi. Some of these are important for puzzle-solving, like a moment where I grab a particularly loud decoration from a Christmas tree in the Safi timeline to distract Alderman in the other so I can sneak into a more advantageous position. It also gave me a very brief glimpse of a very special Max power that I’m sure will come in handy later: making objects shift timelines.
In one timeline, Moses is building his telescope in the middle of the office, while in the other, it’s still in boxes against a wall. The boxes were blocking a key piece of the puzzle I needed to solve, and I wasn’t quite sure how to figure it out. At least, until Max held her hands over the boxes and somehow transferred their fate into the timeline where they’re fully assembled. Max seemed just as shocked as I was, which makes me think this special power might be used a little more sporadically.
I was keen to see how else Max could use her powers and if there were any other little surprises along the way. Of course, alongside all the puzzle solving, there are still the classic Life is Strange decisions to be made. I only had to make one major decision during my time that I couldn’t figure out the outcome of. However, it’s one of my favourite parts of these games and I hope Double Exposure continues the tradition of showing you how your choices compare to the rest of the population.
One final notable thing about the game is the numerous gameplay customization options. There are plenty of content warnings, ranging from topics like violence to transphobia, as well as the ability to time decisions longer and a button that lets you confirm important decisions before you make them. The series has long been about tackling uncomfortable topics, but it’s nice to see Deck Nine offering ways to mitigate those feelings for players who might not otherwise be able to fully enjoy the experience.
The original Life is Strange came out at such a pivotal time in my life and has had a huge impact on me to this day. That probably gives me higher expectations for Double Exposure, but from what I’ve seen so far, Deck Nine lives up to those expectations pretty well. Smoother controls would make things a little easier, but either way, I’m excited to see what’s next in the life of my friend Max Caulfield.
