Operation Backlog Completion 2026

What Caused Life Is Strange’s Anomalies?

 Video games  3 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Aug 212017
 

Today is a total solar eclipse!

Not only that, but this is the eclipse that some fans speculated was the eclipse in Life Is Strange, displaced from time.

Warning: This post will include Life Is Strange spoilers. Continue reading at your own risk.

What’s that? Oh, just an unscheduled solar eclipse, no worries.

Of course, now we know that wasn’t the case. It was…

Uh…

Chaos theory…?

If you’ve read my review of Life Is Strange, you know I wasn’t thrilled with the lack of explanation for some of the more supernatural events.

The game gradually shows more and more things going wrong with the world:

  • Early snowstorm
  • Unscheduled eclipse
  • Dead birds and beached whales
  • Two moons
  • Massive storm/tornado

It all culminates in the appearance of the storm (which Max has an unexplained vision of before getting her powers), and the game finally suggests it’s due to chaos theory. Basically, tiny changes have major effects.

All right, I can see that with the unusual weather and dead animals… but the eclipse? Two moons in the sky?!

How did one girl not dying on a specific day cause the moon to change positions and a second moon to briefly appear? When I first saw the second moon, I thought it was evidence of two different timelines overlapping somehow, but the game gives a rushed explanation of chaos theory to say this is all because of Max’s decision to save Chloe.

And it really does seem linked to Chloe’s death rather than to Max’s powers. Rewinding time and saving Chloe leads to the tornado. Rewinding time and not saving Chloe prevents the tornado.

Some people have argued that saving Chloe put you on a path where you had to use your powers over and over, so all those changes add up. However, the Polarized timeline shows this isn’t necessarily true. Max can save Chloe, give David the information he needs, and never need to use her powers… but the tornado still occurs.

I kind of prefer the thinking that led to the theory that their eclipse was this eclipse, that Max’s powers were messing with time on a larger scale and causing time-based anomalies in Arcadia Bay. Snow appeared out of season. An eclipse occurred several years too early.

Would that mean a giant tornado awaits in Arcadia Bay’s future, and sacrificing Chloe just delayed it?

(Talk about depressing.)

Then there’s the other theory, that Dontnod originally intended more supernatural origin for the storm.

Evidence for this includes the early references to Native American lore and spirit animals, Max’s vision occurring before she gains her powers, unresolved build-up about Sean Prescott and the Prescott family, and unused audio files in which Nathan knew about the storm.

Will Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, due out at the end of the month, shed any further light on this? Will the sequel, which will feature a new location and cast of characters, tie into this at all? That’s hard to say. And it’s not that I think Life Is Strange was bad… but when I look back on this, it makes me think that the final ending could have been so much more interesting.

What do you think caused the weather and meteorological anomalies in Life Is Strange? Was it just chaos theory? Do you believe there was a different explanation that was removed?

And for those of you in the path of the eclipse, enjoy!

Life is Dark and Emotional in Life Is Strange

 Reviews, Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Jan 302017
 

I didn’t know what to expect when I started Life Is Strange.

I’d seen the start of the game, so I knew about Max’s time travel powers and love of photography, and I knew it was a 5-part episodic game, but nothing else.

Some games have slow beginnings. It’s one of the common criticisms I’ve seen against my favorite time travel game, Steins;Gate, although it didn’t bother me there.

Here, however, I finished Episode 1 of Life Is Strange thinking that I’m happy to be out of high school and away from stuff like this, so why would I return to it for entertainment?

But thanks to a friend, I had the full game, so I kept playing. I’m glad I did. After that slow first episode, things really pick up. High school drama is only one small part of a story that involves a dark, twisted mystery and hints of an impending apocalyptic disaster.

Gameplay-wise, it’s similar to a Telltale game. You mainly interact with other characters and make choices. Max also has the ability to rewind time, so that plays an important role. There’s a tiny amount of puzzle-solving, especially as you figure out how to use her powers to proceed, but Life Is Strange primarily focuses on its narrative.

And that is where it excels. For a while, I had trouble liking Chloe, Max’s best friend, but she grew on me as I got further in the story. And despite some wacky dialogue at times, the characters are pretty realistic. They’re also multifaceted, and characters who appear cliche when you first meet them may surprise you with later development.

Click for Life Is Strange spoiler
For example, David. At the start of the game, he seems like a general jerk, possibly dangerous, and a likely suspect for at least some of the terrible things going on. But while he is paranoid and extreme, later episodes take steps to show that he’s trying to do the right thing and knows he messes up a lot.

Even Nathan gets more depth than it originally looked like he’d have. He’s partly a victim himself, first from his father not getting him the psychological help he needs, and then from Jefferson manipulating him.

It’s difficult to discuss Life Is Strange’s story without getting into spoilers, but it’s dark and intense. This is not a happy game. It’s not the sort of game you should turn to if you want something to lift your spirits.

(Seriously, when the official website has a dedicated page for suicide prevention resources, you know it’s not a lighthearted game.)

There were times when I needed a break from all the darkness and unhappiness the game threw at me… but at the same time, I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and wondering how everything would turn out. It’s intense and gripping, and once the story gets going, it’s hard to turn away.

Now, I do wish Life Is Strange went into a bit more details about how Max’s powers work and how they affect the world around her. I didn’t expect it to go all-out Steins;Gate with scientific lectures, but a little bit more time spent on that would have been nice.

Click for Life Is Strange spoiler
Max demonstrates four distinct types of time travel:

  • Rewinding time, where she stays in her current physical location but everything else is restored to its past state. She can use this at will.
  • Traveling back to the past via a photograph, where she returns to her past location and body as well.
  • Stopping time, which she uses exactly once. It never comes up again.
  • Rewinding time and returning to her past location without a photograph, which she uses once, the first time she ever uses her power.

I wish these were explained and expanded on a little more.

As for the effects on the world, the storm, dead birds, beached whales, etc. can be explained… but the eclipse? Two moons in the sky, after which the second moon just disappeared? How did Max’s powers mess up space?

Of course, it might just be magic.

I was fully invested in Life Is Strange by the time I reached the ending, and I cried. This is not a happy game. The more I thought about it, the unhappier it seemed, and I’m not wholly satisfied with the ending. Nevertheless, it was a thrilling ride to get there, and I’m happy I finally played Life Is Strange.

(But for the record, I still like Undertale better.)

Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! is Being Remastered

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Sep 212016
 

nelly-cootalot-spoonbeaks-ahoyBack in March, I played a point-and-click adventure game called Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet for a freelance assignment.

You can read my full review at MonsterVine, but the short version is that it was hilarious, entertaining, and a joy to play.

(As an example of its humor, examining a roll of parcel tape has Nelly assume it’s “tape that can speak to snakes.”)

The Fowl Fleet, however, is technically the sequel to a free game from 2007 called Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! Spoonbeaks Ahoy! is now getting an HD remaster, and you can vote for it on Steam Greenlight.

(And the Greenlight page went live on September 19, Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is awesome.)

It stars Nelly Cootalot, a good-hearted pirate, on a quest to save a fleet of birds called spoonbeaks. According to its official description, Spoonbeaks Ahoy! allows you to do the following things:

  • Rescue endangered and unusually named wildfowl.
  • Acquire morally dubious items on behalf of minor aristocrats.
  • Intercept the private correspondences of a daredevil pilot.
  • Come to the aid of downtrodden supernatural beings.
  • Be confused by Nelly’s obscure colloquialisms.
  • Borrow facial hair from long-dead pirates.
  • Wantonly misuse the word ‘borrow’.

In other words, it sounds just as lighthearted and funny as its sequel.

I loved Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet, and I fully support an HD remaster of Spoonbeaks Ahoy! Go give Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! HD a vote on Steam Greenlight.

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