Life Is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory Review

After the possibly shocking end of Life is Strange Episode 2: Out of Time (Spolier Alert: You’re actions through that episode led to a girl either committing suicide or you stopping her) the latest instalment of the 5 episodic series is here to get to grips with. For the uninitiated I would strongly recommend playing through the first two excellent episodes of Life Is Strange so that you’re ready to read this review without your experience being ruined by too many spoilers.

If you’ve never got round to playing Life Is Strange yet then you’ve missed out on quite the treat of a series. It’s in a similar vein to Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead whereby your actions can result in a number of different endings for you and the characters that surround you. You play as 18 year old Max who is a nerdy photography student trying to get through unnoticed. You have the ability to rewind time, however the foundations for this ability have yet to be unveiled. There are 3 major plot points to contend with; the coastal you inhabit according to a vision is set to be wiped out and you are trying to stop it from coming to pass, your friend Chloe is not in a good place and you’re trying to help her become a better person and also find out the what happened to your friend Rachael who has gone missing.

Now after the climatic events of the last episode Life Is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory starts off somewhat slower, this may feel a bit more like a filler episode as more time is spent beefing up the backgrounds of other characters such as Chloe’s dad. You will find yourself going back to areas you’ve visited previously or entering rooms within buildings you’ve already frequented. This does feel like going back on yourself a little too much with the only new area of note being Blackwell  swimming pool.

The time travelling element of Life Is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory is again on show here but feels somewhat underused, there hasn’t been much of an upgrade to the ability since the last episode. However that all changes once you reach the end which is even more shocking than the previous episode!

The puzzles are there not to stump you but to help build up the story, there’s a pipe bomb quest which should not be that interesting to complete. However during the quest Max opens up about her thoughts and opinions on what has happened and what could happen. The chemistry between Max & Chloe continues to grow and is helped by some excellent voice acting. The amount of things you can look at and interact with is another area Life Is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory excels, it makes you want to explore everything so you gain so much more from the plot.

The best thing about Life Is Strange Episode 3 Chaos Theory and the series so far has been the story, the way it engages you and the way it makes you want to keep on playing. Your character Max has come on leap and bounds since you first met her, before she was a shy student just trying to get by but now she is the person who makes the difference in so many other characters lives. Life Is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory plays on moral dilemmas just as well as previous episodes and that is what makes the series stand out so much. The dialogue still contains to many ‘hella’s for my liking but is gradually getting better with each episode although some of the characters emotive faces don’t quite emote enough which may detract from the experience.

Life Is Strange Episode 3: Chaos Theory continues in the same vein as the previous episodes by continuing a very engaging and enthralling story. Whilst this episode may have felt more like a mid season filler the ending really grabs you and opens up a whole host of new possibilities. If you’ve stayed with Life Is Strange so far you won’t be disappointed by this, just be prepared for what else the future Life Is Strange episodes might bring.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.