Games Like Life Is Strange if You’re Looking For Similar Games
Other titles with choices, coming-of-age stories, and west coast vibes.
Dontnod Entertainment launched their adventure game, Life is Strange, back in 2015. It took fans by absolute storm. Looking for more games similar to that gameplay style but don’t want to play the sequel? Here are games like Life Is Strange if you’re looking for similar games!
If you’re looking for more articles on this topic, check out these: Bioshock, Animal Crossing, Skyrim, The Sims, and more!
Until Dawn
Games Like Life Is Strange
This Sony exclusive stayed under the radar until a bit after it actually came out back in 2015. After people started to see how fantastic it was, the game then proved to be one of the best horror games in recent years.
Similar to Life is Strange, Until Dawn has you making very difficult choices which makes up for the base of the game. Every decision you make is very important if you want to keep all of the characters alive by the end of the game.
There are dozens of endings that entice players to start the game over upon completion just to see what would have happened if you took that other route or if you had not said that one mean thing about that one character.
The choices are crucial in Until Dawn, but unlike Life is Strange, you can’t rewind time if you don’t like the outcome; these young adults do not harness the power of time travel, unfortunately.
Remember Me
Games Like Life Is Strange
After playing Life is Strange, you will definitely notice how Dontnod’s previous title, Remember Me, influenced the rewind and fast forwarding mechanics in Life is Strange.
Not only does the main character of Remember Me, Nilin, look just like Max (well, kinda), but both games share similar aspects in regards to Nilin’s Memory Remix ability.
Remember Me is an action game – first and foremost- that has a unique combo system. There are moments where you must remix a person’s memory to solve conflicts in the plot.
You essentially can make people feel a certain way or even stop things from happening completely by rearranging a room for example, and making sure that a certain character can’t die.
Being a totally different genre of a game, Remember Me is something that Life is Strange fans can definitely appreciate and hopefully see how it influenced the latter.
Firewatch
Games Like Life Is Strange
In Firewatch, you play as a man who volunteers as a fire lookout in a national park set in Wyoming.
He found out that his wife has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia which causes him to take the job during the summer – as a means of escape.
Firewatch is a first-person mystery game that one would call a “walking simulator” of sorts. There are no enemies to fight or complicated puzzles to bash your brain on, but what Firewatch does is give you an interesting relationship between the main character and his superior, Delilah.
You talk through a walkie-talkie and take orders from her. As the story progresses, you can choose what you say to her and her responses and overall attitude towards you will alter.
Do you flirt back with your superior? Or do you stray from acting fresh with her, constantly thinking about your sick wife back home?
Like Life is Strange, Firewatch challenges you to create your own Henry and to put yourself into his shoes and to make decisions that will ultimately change the path of the game.
Telltale’s The Walking Dead
Games Like Life Is Strange
Telltale Games continue to put out content based off of other properties; one of their most successful title is the first season of The Walking Dead, which puts players in the role of Lee, who runs into a girl named Clementine.
The pair must then help each other to survive the crawler-filled world. All of Telltale’s games are point and click/choose your own adventure titles that use choices to form the story.
Like Life is Strange, the first season of The Walking Dead forces players to think hard and long before they make decisions.
Especially towards the end of the game when one choice can shape Clementine into a completely different person down the road in the other seasons.
Beyond: Two Souls
Games Like Life Is Strange
Quantic Dream is no stranger to putting their main characters through some pretty harsh situations, from having a man’s son killed to Jodie being shunned by all of her peers at a young age in Beyond: Two Souls.
You play as Jodie from childhood to adulthood, learning about her powers that seem to be tied to an entity that has been following her for her entire life.
It’s almost a coming-of-age story that shows you how hard it was for Jodie growing up and the tough choices that she has to make – mostly because of her “problem.”
Beyond: Two Souls’ action-driven narrative strays a bit from the past Quantic Dream title Heavy Rain but they both share similar aspects to Life Is Strange simply because of the main character alone.
Jodie and Max both possess some pretty interesting – shall I say – superpowers that prove to be a gift and a curse for the protagonists, helping yet hurting them when it most inconveniences them.
The paths that they both follow are hard ones, ones that nobody but them has to go through and experience.
Night in the Woods
Games Like Life Is Strange
After dropping out of college at the age of 20, Mae returns to her small hometown looking to reconnect with her old friends when she discovers a terrible secret hidden away in the forest.
Some pretty intense themes are covered during the duration of the story like depression and mental issues.
Night in the Woods follows a pretty linear story that is played in the vain of an adventure game but there are certain choices you can make that might let you discover a backstory to some of the townspeople.
It’s your decision whether or not to hang out with said person but there can be rewards to having certain conversations with a set number of critters.
The Longest Journey
Games Like Life Is Strange
The 1999 point-and-click adventure game that is The Longest Journey may have come 15 years or so before Life is Strange, but both games have glaring similarities that need to be brought to light, one being that they both take place in a location with Arcadia in the name.
But that’s not the only interesting part.
The main character of The Longest Journey, April Ryan, is an 18-year-old introverted female who gains the ability to travel between two different dimensions.
One day, April is tasked with saving the world by bringing balance between two parallel universes. The art student finds out that she is capable of shifting, which then prompts the start of the puzzle-solving point-and-click adventure game.
If you’re a fan of Life is Strange, at all, then The Longest Journey might be the next best choice as an “introverted art student saving the world” type of game; the game is available on iOS devices if that is something that sounds like it’s up your alley.
Gone Home
Games Like Life Is Strange
Gone Home tells a two or so hour story of a girl who comes home from overseas to find that the house has been deserted.
The family home in Portland, Oregon is filled to the brim with clues and notes, explaining what really had happened in the huge yet empty house.
What’s really unique about Gone Home is that there are no other characters or people in the game, only you (the player) and the home, which is a character in itself.
The narration, art style, and just the whole vibe of the events that happened are definitely reminiscent of Life is Strange.
There’s a set story here in Gone Home and clues to find that push the overarching story along, but taking place in Oregon gives the game a sort of eclectic feel that shares aspects with Life is Strange’s Arcadia Bay.
Dreamfall Chapters
Games Like Life Is Strange
Dreamfall Chapters is actually a sequel to The Longest Journey. Coming out for PC and then PS4 and Xbox One, Dreamfall Chapters is a 5-part episodic adventure game that continues the story of The Longest Journey and the two parallel universes of Arcadia and Stark.
Just like Life is Strange, Chapters features a linear plot, but the difference is that in Life is Strange, there are two endings that you can choose to happen and only one set outcome in Chapters.
There are still tons of choices to make throughout the story but they only impact later plot points and do not influence the ending at all.
One cool feature was that while you’re making a decision, you can see the percentage of the choices to see what the majority of other players chose – but only if you linked the game to the internet.
Adventure games usually show the percentage after the choices are made but Dreamfall Chapters chose to reveal the stats to players while they are making that big decision.
Broken Age
Games Like Life Is Strange
Tim Schafer of Double Fine Productions, or otherwise known as the king of adventure games, gave us another hit back in 2015 with Broken Age.
Broken Age told the tale of two teenagers, Vella and Shay, who both wanted to break conventions and do something different with their lives that didn’t involve following in everyone else’s footsteps.
While Life is Strange takes a more modern approach to the adventure game genre, Broken Age is exactly what you would expect from an adventure title made by Tim Schafer.
Shay and Vella both live in separate worlds and you can switch between them at will but they never interact with each other in any direct way.
These two characters share the same ideas and thoughts even though one lives in space and the other is a tribal girl.
The otherworldly and parallel universes theme fits well with Life is Strange’s overarching plot, which is why we can put both games together under the same category.
Heavy Rain
Games Like Life Is Strange
When it boils down to interactive drama games, none can quite top Heavy Rain. Quantic Dream’s 2010 action-adventure title focuses on four different stories that all link to the same goal.
When Ethan Mars’s son gets kidnapped by the mysterious Origami Killer, he sets off on a personal rescue mission to set things right. He isn’t alone, however, as three other people are chasing the criminal with their own motivations.
Just like in Life is Strange, players will be making their way through different scenarios that each lead to new choices. The storyline leads to different outcomes depending on how you handle the many situations in the game.
From making critical choices to surviving fight scenes, there’s a lot to consider in Heavy Rain. The game is tied together with a solid narrative that’s littered with plot twists at every turn.
Oxenfree
Games Like Life Is Strange
A weekend party takes a terrifying turn when a group of friends decide to have some fun at a closed-off island.
The protagonist, Alex, accompanies her best friend and new step-brother for the ride and meet up with her brother’s ex-girlfriend and his best friend’s crush.
What starts out as a simple beach drinking night soon becomes a survival affair after the group unleashes a sinister evil on the island.
Ghosts and paranormal activities aside, Oxenfree offers a compelling narrative with a dynamic conversation system.
Players can influence the outcome of the story through the many dialogue options scattered throughout the game.
Moreover, players can even use their radio to uncover the dark truth behind Edwards Island and the spirits surrounding it. Not to mention there’s just enough teenage angst that warrants its connection to Life is Strange.
The Wolf Among Us
Games Like Life Is Strange
Like with most Telltale games, The Wolf Among Us features an interactive story fueled by choices and action sequences. This time around, you play the role of Bigsby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown.
He’s handling a case on the mysterious death of a woman, so players will be doing plenty of investigations throughout the game.
Similar to Life is Strange, players will be traveling from location to location and interacting with different objects. Additionally, you can even interact with NPCs, and depending on how you interact with them, they’ll view you in a different light.
The Wolf Among Us also includes plenty of action scenes filled with QTE sequences in-between. Interestingly enough, the story will take a different turn depending on how you interact in these scenarios.
If you want a more hardboiled story than what Life is Strange had to offer, then look no further than The Wolf Among Us.
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Games Like Life Is Strange
In this interactive paranormal thriller, players will have to investigate the mysterious case affecting the people in New York City. There’s a pattern of mysterious killings where civilians will suddenly become possessed and start killing others without warning.
Players will have to cycle between four characters to crack the case and find out the truth behind these strange murders.
The game plays quite similarly to Life is Strange in which you’ll have free reign over your characters when it comes to interacting with the world or talking with others.
Whenever you talk with NPCs, there is a suspicion meter which is affected by the dialogue options in the game. It’s also worth noting that characters come with their own “mental health” meter that drops or rises depending on the many outcomes in the game.
If it drops too low, these characters could have a mental breakdown or even commit suicide, leading to a game over. On top of that, the game is filled with all sorts of intense QTEs that can alter the course of the game.
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered is definitely worth picking up if you’re a big fan of mystery and the paranormal.
To The Moon
Games Like Life Is Strange
To The Moon tells a short story of one dying man’s entire lifetime. Set in the future, two doctors set out to fulfill an old man’s dream of flying to the moon through artificial memories.
Players will navigate from memory to memory, exploring the narrative, picking up items, and recreating the old man’s memory to fulfill his wish.
Along the way, you’ll learn more about the man and fully delve into his bittersweet life. While there isn’t any time traveling or branching storyline, the game’s main narrative and overall vibe definitely fall in line with Life is Strange.
If you’re looking for another calm and story-driven adventure game similar to Life is Strange, then To The Moon is definitely for you.
That does it for our list of games like Life Is Strange! Let us know your favorites in the comments down below!
