Life is Strange: Reunion is receiving its first official reveal on 20 January, with a livestream kicking off at 10 am PST / 1 pm EST / 6 pm GMT / 7 pm CET on the Life is Strange YouTube channel.
It’s here that Deck Nine Games, developer of the recent Life is Strange: Double Exposure, is expected to show the first trailer of the narrative adventure.
The teaser, posted to Deck Nine socials, comes with the tagline: “Separate the real from the rumor.”
That’s exactly what I’m going to try and do here.
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According to the now‑removed PEGI rating, Life is Strange: Reunion appears to centre on Max Caulfield and Chloe Price reuniting at Caledon University, presumably picking up from the events of Double Exposure and the original Life is Strange.
In Life is Strange, every protagonist is assigned an animal. In the first game, Rachel Amber was the Doe. In Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Chloe was the Raven (and the butterfly in the OG). We can't forget the wolf brothers in Life is Strange 2. I think Alex was the Tiger in Life is Strange: True Colours, though that was more vibe-based. In Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Max was the wise owl. And there, front and center of the teaser video, is a jacket with a raven on the back. If you boost the brightness, you can even see a flash of green hair, a nice nod to the photo of Max and Chloe four years later in Life is Strange 2. As a fellow blue-hair-and-pronouns girl, I feel you there Chloe, that upkeep gets expensive.
I’m Not So Sure Chloe Is Really Back
Personally, I’m more sceptical. I don’t actually think Chloe is genuinely coming back in the way fans hope. And I low-key hope I’m right.
I think that that’s Safi, the shapeshifter introduced in the convoluted and confusing ending of Life is Strange: Double Exposure.
I hope I’m right, because I didn’t love how Deck Nine treated Max in Life is Strange: Double Exposure. Though our senior reporter Kate loved it.
Max was my comfort character as a kid - I got her haircut, I got her shirt, I already had the nosey, quiet personality and the love of photography. Turns out, I’ve even got the grey cat Max can get in the deluxe edition. Life is Strange was the game that brought me back into gaming after growing out of it in my early teens. She is literally me.
Do I trust them to handle Chloe? Well, that’s complicated.
I know I wish Life is Strange: Double Exposure wasn’t a thing, put it that way. But, as a proud defender of saving Chloe (bae over bay, sorry Joyce), I’ve missed her. As someone who’s read all the comics, I hated how the break up was treated in the sequel (seriously Safi?), and how swept away it felt.
There’s interesting narrative parallels Deck Nine can draw on here though - Max’s inability to move on leading to the breakup, now Chloe seeking out Max in her new life.
What It Might Mean for Life is Strange: Reunion
Now, I’m in the minority here, but Life is Strange: Before the Storm is one of my favourite games ever. That was developed by Deck Nine, so I believe they can do these characters that means so much to me some justice.
But then Life is Strange: Double Exposure came out, and I’m just not sure. I’m cautiously optimistic, but I was burnt before.
One thing’s for sure - Life is Strange: Reunion will no doubt be more complicated than the promotional tease lets on.
Topics: Life Is Strange