The Life Is Strange series is at its best when Max Caulfield is around, so Double Exposure is already a step ahead of its predecessors. The latest narrative entry on PS5 is only the second time the beloved protagonist has starred, and Deck Nine Games isn’t just relying on her welcome return to sell copies. With a new superpower and a murder case to solve, Double Exposure proves to be compelling across two timelines – and her friend Safi is only dead in one of them.
The story takes place years after the events of the original title. Max is studying at university and has found a new home with a new group of friends. She has stopped using her powers – she is actively suppressing them – until she witnesses the death of a friend named Safi. Max tries to use her original power and turn back time to save her, but fails and instead creates an alternate timeline in which Safi is still alive. This event forms the core structure of the narrative: using the two timelines, Max must find out who killed Safi and clear all innocent names.
Our demo, running on an Xbox Series X development kit, started at the beginning of the second chapter, when Max and her friend Moses arouse the suspicions of a cop. Moses has taken a camera from the crime scene, and if the cop finds it, he could become prime suspect number one. Max can switch between the game’s two timelines by interacting with glittery dots in the environment, removing her physical presence from where she was at the time. As the cop tries to enter Moses’ locked office, switch to the other timeline as he goes about his daily life with an open door. By asking Moses in this timeline where he might be hiding something, we work through the scenario by switching back and forth between the two existences and narrowing down where the camera might be. You can take objects and keys from one timeline to the other, and also distract the cop when he gets tired of waiting for the door to be unlocked.
As long as you don’t miss the scene, you’ll have the choice at the end to accept the cop’s help or refuse to cooperate with him – that’s the decision our demo ended with. It’s made pretty clear that they strongly suspect Moses of being behind the murder, so the dilemma is about protecting your friend or absolving Max of responsibility.
In terms of gameplay, Double Exposure is structured like any other installment in the series. You explore lots of locations and environments – in the case of the demo, it’s an astronomy-themed classroom – looking for interactive objects and generally rummaging through people’s stuff. Max will comment on almost everything and sometimes claim something as his own that might help you progress. Basically, if you’ve played a Life Is Strange game before, you already know what to expect. Double Exposure doesn’t make any huge leaps in this regard, instead letting its powerful and personal narrative do the heavy lifting.
That’s okay, though, because with Lost Records: Bloom & Rage making way for heavyweight Life Is Strange in October, these types of games are the perfect break from the bigger RPGs and action-adventure titles in the world. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is another Life Is Strange game in every way, and that’s exactly why we’re excited to step into Max Caulfield’s shoes again in a few months.
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is coming to PS5 on October 29, 2024. Are you excited to play as Max Caulfield again? Let us know in the comments below.
