It has been 3 years—almost 4—since Life is Strange 1 graced our consoles and left us with a tale of a young girl struggling to find her way in the world. Thankfully, a sequel has finally been launched in the form of Life is Strange 2 Episode 1! With new protagonists, a new adventure and some upgrades in performance and decision making, Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 truly shows signs of being the best entry in the series and just of being an amazing game in general. We can feel your curiosity on what made Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 so amazing and we’re glad you feel that way, folks. Continue reading below so you can get our full review on Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 and find a reason to download this incredible game today without any further delay.

Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 is an adventure game where choices matter, akin to games like The Walking Dead by TellTale Games. Player’s control Sean Diaz, a 16-year old who must keep his brother safe after a horrible incident befalls them. Forced on the run, the brothers must now make choices in order to stay safe and alive but each choice has a great effect on their story. With multiple options to choose from and a great narrative, Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 will be perfect for those who love journey movies or games that feel like epic tales being sewn by their own choices. Whether you’re a fan of Max and Chloe’s adventures in Life is Strange 1 or a newcomer to the franchise, we really think you’re going to love what you see in Life is Strange 2 Episode 1.

Life is Strange 2 follows two young brothers—Sean and Daniel Diaz—as they find their ordinary lives thrown into a nightmare. After an event involving the police causes a cop to perish, the brothers end up on the run from their home in Seattle. With no one to take care of them but each other, it falls on the shoulders of Sean to protect his nine-year-old brother Daniel despite Sean only being 16 years old himself. The brothers’ journey will be long, difficult and filled with excitement, but where their road leads them, no one knows…not even themselves. Welcome to a heartwarming story of survival, familia and brotherly love in Life is Strange 2.

Life is Strange was a title we absolutely adored here at Honey’s Anime when it released episodically back in 2015. Following Max’s journey through her eyes as she tried to manipulate time with her powers and suffered the consequences of small choices was empowering as a gamer. Even now, we still remember small moments where we chose to save a life or sacrifice one in Life is Strange and find ourselves surprised at how much that individual choice meant in the grand scheme of things. That’s why when we got our hands on Life is Strange 2 Episode 1, we expected Dontnod Entertainment—creators of Life is Strange 1 and Vampyr—to really blow us away with this newest installment. Did Dontnod Entertainment hit another grand slam with Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 or did it suffer the pains of a sequel and come up short? Let us find out as we review Life is Strange Episode 1 for the PS4.

Similar to Life is Strange 1, Life is Strange 2 is an episodic game meaning each episode will be released in certain intervals. Our review will cover the first episode of Life is Strange 2 which begins the tale of the Diaz brothers—Sean and Daniel—as they go forth on an epic journey. We will also avoid spoilers—as it’s easy to spoil Life is Strange 2 Episode 1—so we will just say the story is amazing so far. There’s a lot of depth and heart to Sean and Daniel’s predicament and like the original title, each choice you make—big or small—has some weight to it as the episode plays out. Choose to lie to someone important and that lie might cause you to have to make some bad choices later in order to try and survive. You will find that Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 really makes you sit and think about each choice and the gravity said choice has on shaping the future of these young brothers.

In terms of gameplay, Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 plays out almost exactly like the 2015 entry. Players will occasionally walk around controlling Sean—the older brother—as they move about locations and explore various settings. There are tons of things to see in do in Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 and some of these sights can actually change a moment shared by the brothers later in game. Making choices is where Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 truly rises to call as there are a ton of major choices to make that really cause ripple effects. Developer Dontnod Entertainment did an excellent job with Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 giving players a lot more choices than the first Life is Strange gave and there are some moments where you’re given not one but three choices to really make for some interesting story shifts. In particular, there’s a choice moment near the end of the first episode that left us crying—legit, we shed tears—when we had to decide what to do between several options. Bring a tissue box with you if you’re an emotional person like some of us here at Honey’s Anime…you’re going to need several.

Graphically and sound wise, Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 looks reminiscent of Life is Strange 1 but with visual upgrades and a new OST to capture a young male’s taste rather than the music used to describe Max’s life. We loved the lush backdrops and cel-shading art but did notice it had a few odd technical oddities and inconsistencies here and there. Yet, we never felt these moments ruined the experience and it was a rare thing to see. The music and voice acting though really sell the world of Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 and we were blown away by how good it sounded. Sean sounds like a teenager going through pain, heartbreak and confusion while Daniel sounds like how a kid would, just going with the flow but occasionally showing signs of understanding and/or questioning why his brother acts a specific way.

Another element we almost failed to mention is Daniel himself. While players are taking the role of the big brother Sean, you need to be mindful that Daniel is like all kids…a walking sponge. That means that choices you make, decisions you take and actions that unfold will cause Daniel to change. We noticed that if we were loving to Daniel, he was quick to come running to us like a younger brother would. However, if we scared Daniel too many times or were rough, his reactions towards us were more hesitant. We can only imagine what else Life is Strange 2 has in store for us with how Daniel will be affected by our choices but we were amazed Dontnod entertainment created such a neat side system that isn’t overly apparent. If you are a big loving brother in real life, just think what an action would do to your sibling and how that same action could affect Daniel in game.

Lastly, let us say while almost everything in Life is Strange Episode 1 was perfect, there was one minor issue we had. Honestly, it’s a small problem but the drawing mini-game is…pretty lackluster. Sean—who is an artist at times—will sketch some set pieces in game allowing the player to focus on a subject and then rotate the left stick till the image is drawn. Why this mini-game is so simple, we don’t know, but it does feel pointless at times. Maybe Life is Strange 2 Episode 2 will show some improvements to the drawing mini-game but if we don’t see it again, we won’t’ feel too bad.

Sequels are known for occasionally being awful, especially when the original is considered nearly perfect. Let us tell you though that Life is Strange 2-Episode 1 breaks that theme and delivers an excellent sequel that relies very little on the original story—at least so far—but fixes a lot of the small issues we had with the original. The drawing mini-game in episode 1 probably is our only nitpick with the experience, but you only ever have to draw 2-3 times in episode 1 and it never is so groan inducing like other mini-games seen in similar titles. Be prepared, folks, if Life is Strange 2’s first episode is a preview of what we will see to come from the other 4 episodes—5 in total—then we are going to presume this will be one amazing adventure filled with raw emotions and truly heart filling—and breaking—moments. If you loved Life is Strange 1 and/or love adventure games with well executed writing and lovable—but realistic—characters then you will absolutely love Life is Strange 2 Episode 1. You need to download it today and you won’t regret making this purchase.

Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 is easily one of the best adventure stories we’ve played. There’s a movie-like essence to everything seen in the tale woven by Sean and Daniel and while it might not be original—you can see the subtle references to movies and other stories—it feels like an individual story that hits you with emotions and feels genuine. We can’t wait for Life is Strange Episode 2—which we will review, folks—but in the meantime, the wait allows us to re-enter Sean and Daniel’s tale and redo specific moments to see how the whole story unfolds based on one small event we didn’t know would have so much impact later in the tale. Are you excited for Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 or have you already played—or are playing—it? Comment down below so we can hear your thoughts on Dontnod Entertainment’s newest game. Be sure to keep stuck to our hive for more game reviews and for the Life is Strange Episode 2 review curtsey of us here at Honey’s Anime. Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to go hug our siblings and family for a while.