Life is Strange: Before The Storm is a new, standalone game in the Life is Strange series, and a prequel set three years before Life is Strange. The protagonist is Chloe Price, the secondary protagonist in Life is Strange, and it follows her throughout her adventures alongside Rachel Amber, a young woman with a terrifying family. Together the two confront a difficult situation, one mixed with their own inner demons.

Telling The Story Again

Life is Strange: Before the Storm suffers from the player's likely knowledge of what happens in Life is Strange. Aside from the fact that Before the Storm can't have too much impact on the game that follows, because players already know what's going to eventually happen, Chloe's relationship with Rachel is constantly comparable to Chloe's later relationship with Max... and it's Max that players are likely to be more attached to. This back-talking, urban-sprawling game may actually be more entertaining if you haven't played the original Life is Strange, despite its many similarities to its predecessor.

Life Was, And Is, Strange

Overall, Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a fine standalone title. Taken together with the main game of the franchise, it suffers a bit in how it affects and is affected by the original Life is Strange. Still, for fans of the previous title, or (perhaps even more so) for those who wanted something similar yet different, this game is worth checking out.