Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 has finally dropped allowing fans—including ourselves—to re-enter the world of Sean and Daniel. Those who enjoyed the drama of the first episode and want to see what awaits our wolf brothers will no doubt want to continue the experience in episode 2 “rules”. We here at Honey’s Anime played through episode 2 in its entirety and we figured we’d share our opinions on this newest episode. If you need to know what to expect—both good and bad—for this episode, then we implore you to read onwards! Just note that there might be minor spoilers for those who didn’t play episode one of Life is Strange 2.

Picking up shortly after episode one, Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 has players once more tackling choices and their results from said choices. Will Sean keep his brother’s powers in check or let him do as he pleases? Will Daniel become a hero with his powers or begin to ebb near a darker path? Choices as always matter in Life is Strange 2, but now as Daniel begins to grow stronger these choices matter a lot more and players will need to really debate how to approach keeping these skills from doing more harm than good.

Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 has our brothers continue their journey to Mexico by heading further through the wilderness. Sean begins to try and teach Daniel about controlling his new powers but notices a sickness has overcome the youngest wolf brother. With few options left, Daniel decides to risk everything and find his mother’s grandparents in Beaver Creek. Their journey to this new refugee will lead the wolf brothers through various new challenges and will also let them meet up with a new friend who shares a similarity with Daniel. Can the brothers continue their adventure forward or will their journey darken? Play Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 to see what lies in store for our runaway wolves.

Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 continues our 5-episode journey of Sean and Daniel as they continue their “road trip” to Puerto Lobos. We’ll assume that those reading this episode 2 review have played through the previous episode prior and won’t go too much into detail on how Life is Strange 2 plays. Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 hasn’t changed the game much in terms of gameplay—which is both a positive and negative—and really is meant to just amass more choices and their subsequent consequences. Let us look at what Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 does right and wrong in our review down below!

A bit of warning for those who are about to enter into Life is Strange 2: Episode 2; when you start the episode up, a warning message will play out asking for the player to play the free “demo” of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. We tell you folks to take that warning seriously as playing through it will give you a huge character arc for a young man named Chris who believes he has powers as he takes the moniker Captain Spirit. If you decide to forgo playing The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, you’ll lose a big understanding of Life is Strange 2: Episode 2. Play the “demo” as it’s quite short—it clocks in under an hour even with all the “quests” being done—making it a short but sweet story.

Episode 2 of Life is Strange 2 picks up shortly after where episode 1 left off. Sean and Daniel are still on a journey to Mexico, but equally, are trying to master Daniel’s powers. Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 focuses though a major aspect of having powers, rules need to be instilled. It makes sense quickly why Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 is named “Rules” as Sean attempts to make Daniel understand that his powers have to be kept in check. The brunt of Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 will have players choosing what to do and not to do with Daniel’s abilities and the effects can be seen in several ways during the episode. We loved seeing Sean take a more protective and caring approach to Daniel’s use of his powers, but we equally were amazed of his harsh actions if he felt Daniel went out of line. We won’t spoil one moment but there’s a big choice that has to do with taking a life or sparing it with Daniel’s power and it makes you understand the struggle Sean has with his younger wolf brother. Episode 2 doesn’t have a lot of moments like this where you see your actions cause ripple effects like in episode 1, but we can only assume that when episode 3 drops your actions—especially near the end—will cause some big changes in both Sean and Daniel’s life.

The biggest issue we had with Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 was actually playing the game outside of the big choices. Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 has a lot of actions to undertake that affect the story in some way or another but most of the earlier actions feel like chores. We understand that these simple choices give Life is Strange 2 a feeling of normal everyday life—something the brothers desperately need after all they’ve been through—yet it feels like busy work and can get very monotonous. Drawing still also feels shallow as players once more hold a button down and then waggle the controller’s thumbstick to make images on Sean’s notepad appear. We doubt Life is Strange 2 will fix this issue—seeing as how it’s part of the base game—but it makes the impact of those drawing moments feel shallow even when they should be more impactful.

Lastly, Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 as a whole still looks hit-or-miss in terms of graphics. In our first episode review, we talked about how Life is Strange 2 looks a lot better than the original. Episode 2 at times still keeps that solid design but character models this time around seem a bit…off. The various environments and surroundings look amazing, but character models seem a bit too cartoony. It’s not a big issue as we think Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 still looks—and sounds—incredible, but it’s a noticeable detail that might be seen by others playing.

Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 doesn’t change much from the first episode and that’s a good thing overall. However, we didn’t like how a lot of the choices and goals in episode 2 feel like busy work. There’s a clear reason for these themes in Life is Strange 2: Episode 2, but only some of the choices this time around feel very relevant and that makes this episode a bit weaker overall. Our time with Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 was short—we clocked in about two hours again with minimal collectibles found—but we still enjoyed our time seeing Sean and Daniel’s survival as they continue their adventure. In our minds here at Honey’s Anime, Sean and Daniel are what make Life is Strange 2: Episode 2—and the whole game so far—worth playing. These kids are enduring constant hell but are doing it together facing challenges from their own immaturity and from the world in general. If you loved Life is Strange 2 Episode 1, you’re going to like Episode 2 and pray that Episode 3 comes out soon.

Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 isn’t as powerful as episode one but that doesn’t mean it feels less dramatic. Sean and Daniel are still dealing with issues left and right and you have to feel for them as they occasionally realize that life isn’t going to allow them much rest. We desperately want to know what awaits the wolf brothers in the future episodes, but for now, we also want to hear your opinions on Life is Strange 2: Episode 2. Have you played the second episode yet or plan on waiting for a full release? Comment in the comment section below and let us know! For more game reviews, gaming articles and anime related greatness be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime!