Life Is Strange 2 Will Be a Road Trip Full of Heartbreak

While at PAX West, I had the chance to attend a presentation on the upcoming Life is Strange 2 and play the game's opening minutes. From what I saw, Life is Strange fans should definitely be interested, and we should all be ready for some heartbreak.

Development for Life is Strange 2 began immediately after the release of the first game, so they have been working on it for a few years now. It's the same exact development team at its core, the team has just grown larger. So, expect the same direction and game design approach as the first game.

Life is Strange 2 takes place three years after the events of the first game. You take on the role of Sean, who, for reasons you learn in the game's opening 30 minutes, has left his hometown of Seattle with his nine-year-old brother, Daniel, to make their way to Mexico. The whole game and story takes place on the road as they travel south, so we can expect to see many different locales and characters along the way.

One of the interesting things with Life is Strange 2 is that while you play as Sean, many of the choices you make will also have Daniel present. He will have his own thoughts and feelings about what the pair should do, and he will definitely remember the choices you make. The developers said you're essentially making those choices for two people, and you'll have to deal with the consequences of the choice itself and whatever Daniel feels as well.

There's more to tell from what I played, but I don't want to get into any story details, considering just how important those are in a narrative-focused game like Life is Strange 2. The game looks great, the music is great, and the dialogue is very real. The relationship of the two brothers feels genuine, and to see that grow and change over the course of the game will be interesting. Oh, and the supernatural is there as well, which is always very intriguing.

Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 is set to release September 27th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.