2. Life Is Strange
Best Life Is Strange Games, Ranked
Ahh, Life Is Strange, the game that kick-started the series known for its excellent indie soundtrack, hella crazy teen drama, and decisions that’ll haunt your every waking moment for days after you’ve finished playing. It may look a little rough around the edges nowadays, but we can’t not put this right near the top of our ranking thanks to just how special and unique an experience it was when it was first released back in 2015.
Following the story of Blackwell Academy student Max Caulfield, the game sees her and best friend Chloe Price uncovering a seedy mystery around the school (and Arcadia Bay), all the while trying to come to terms with her ability to manipulate and rewind time.
It’s her time manipulation power that makes Life Is Strange such a joy to play, watching your actions and choices play out, only to decide against it, rewind time and choose the other… only to second guess yourself again! It added an interesting dynamic to the narrative, highlighting just how fragile a construct time is, and the problems messing with it can cause.
Then there were the plot twists. Oh, the plot twists! Given the series was broken down into five episodes which were released throughout the year, they had us on tenterhooks for months on end, wondering just how the story was going to play out. And the end of Episode 4? Mountains by Message to Bears playing during Max and Chloe’s discovery? THAT reveal? *chef’s kiss.*
With plenty of twists and turns in the narrative and a rather unforgettable cast of characters, Life Is Strange cemented itself as an indie darling, and even nearly won our Game of the Year award in 2015 (only beaten out by that painfully challenging game called Bloodborne or something).
It may not have all the style and pizzazz of some of its follow-ups, but the original had so many unforgettable moments, iconic characters, and kickstarted this wonderful, indie series off, that it’ll always have a special place in our hearts.
