I wish the same praise could be lauded upon Sean and Daniel’s relationship. Given I had only a few hours to befriend so many new characters, the connection I felt with many of them as credits rolled was palpable. But the vocal performances often carry it, hurling you into dramatic situations with decisions that truly feel like they matter. Like DONTNOD’s usual output, dialogue is sincerely clumsy, often failing to capture the essence of young people and how they’d really communicate. However, many confrontations don’t feel earned, or new faces aren’t fleshed out enough within the short runtime to make them worthwhile. Throughout the episode you’ll befriend a bunch of your campmates, many of whom possess personalities you’ll either admire or clash with, creating some worthwhile conflicts. Life is Strange 2 would benefit from focusing on one branching story instead of trying to tackle so many wildly different themes at once. It’s handled well, but isn’t given nearly enough room to breathe. Sean has nobody to confide in regarding his feelings, and the hesitance in which you can act on them with dialogue choices feels fittingly anxious. Having gone through this myself as a teenager, it’s a hard, isolating situation to find yourself in. He’s still a teenager, so in his shoes this could make him even more of an outcast. Depending on the decisions you make, Sean will begin to explore his sexuality in subtle ways, clumsily confronting a personal side of his development while simply trying to stay alive. At times, they’re downright ham-fisted, but the fact we see them addressed so fearlessly with notable weight makes this far more than a personal story.Ĭassidy, the rebellious girl introduced in the last episode plays a far more prominent role in Wastelands, acting as a potential love interest alongside another character I won’t spoil here. The discussion of drug legalisation and immigration tackled in Life is Strange 2 aren’t perfect. It’s impossible not to commend when so many AAA titles are inherently apolitical, desperate to avoid a discussion in the fear of alienating even a small part of its player base. It’s yet another example of DONTNOD tackling modern political conversation with no beating around the bush (or kush, in this instance). The legalisation of the drug looms, and thus the fishy individuals who are hiring our heroes to tend the fields are testy and unpredictable. Unfortunately, you’ll have to do this among the tumultuous climate of a Marijuana farm. They’re the only things you can put faith in right now, and the way in which Wastelands emphasises this is almost always effective. ![]() With nothing but a crumbling backpack and cheap tent to call home, relationships are paramount. Related: Everything we know about the PS5Īfter fleeing from the safety of their grandparents at the last episode’s climax, Sean and Daniel find themselves living in the wilderness alongside other young and abandoned people. The dialogue still reeks of adults having no idea how young people communicate, but between the clumsiness sit quiet moments of contemplation that help the overall tale shine. Now, the topic of weed legalisation, homelessness and sexuality come into fray, and many of them are handled with a deft that helps this third episode shine. Sean and Daniel’s Mexican heritage has already thrust them in the firing line by bigots in the shadow of Trump’s election. Sean and Daniel’s journey across America following the tragic death of their father has been a heartbreaking one as they seek to find a home in a country that simply doesn’t welcome them.ĭONTNOD never shies away from this fact, either. I have eight siblings, and I’m one of the youngest, so the familial struggle at the core of Life is Strange 2 hits very close to home. Spoiler warning: We’ll be spilling the beans on previous episodes throughout this review.
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