It has been a while since we’ve seen how the wolf brothers—Sean and Daniel Diaz—have been doing. Thankfully, that excruciatingly long wait has finally come to an end. Life is Strange 2: Episode 3—dubbed Wastelands—has arrived and you can bet we were ready to dive into their story once again. However, what we didn’t anticipate was the experience that waited for us. Was that experience something we truly enjoyed or did Life is Strange 2: Episode 3 fail to deliver what we wanted? Find out in our full review below!

Life is Strange 2: Episode 3 returns us to our wolf brothers continuing their long adventure towards Mexico. After meeting the traveling duo of Cassidy and Finn, the brothers end up working in a very illegal farm. Once more, players will need to make choices that dramatically change the narrative. As Sean endures his job as being a guardian and brother to Daniel, his actions henceforth will change their relationship radically. Be prepared for several moments that will test the brother’s relationship in ways no one could have predicted...

Sean and Daniel Diaz have been on the run from the law for now months. While they have found temporary homes—some better than others—their ultimate still resides in Puerto Lobos somewhere in Mexico. With no income to reach their finale though, Sean ends up joining Cassidy and Finn, two hippie-like individuals who offer him a job working at an illegal weed distribution location. As Sean gets closer to these two new allies, Daniel begins to feel abandoned and ultimately it begins to create a rift in the Diaz family. What’s worse is that not all of Sean’s new friends are good influences towards Daniel. Will Sean be able to keep his brother safe from this dangerous environment or will the wolf brothers end up in a situation that will tear them apart...permanently?

By now, most of you know already what to expect in Life is Strange 2, With this third episode—Wasteland—the gameplay hasn’t changed much. Players still assume the role of Sean Diaz the older brother who must care for his younger brother—Daniel Diaz—who has a strange power that has led them to go on the run. Taking place several months after episode 2—which is how long this episode took to release—players will notice the wolf brothers have a big issue between them. Sean having joined this new hippie crowd of wanders has caused Daniel to feel left alone and has ruined their already strained relationship. Yet, things get worse when the brothers end up making some tough choices that cause that rift to become a canyon. Find out what we mean as we review Life is Strange 2: Episode 3 for the PS4. Minor spoilers for previous episodes may follow, so play the first two before going any further.

In the last episode, Sean and Daniel ended up leaving their grandparents home due to the police relocating them once again. Depending on your actions our little wannabe super hero either got hurt or made it through unscathed. Despite your actions though, the brothers reunited with Cassidy and Finn—two characters introduced in episode 2—and took a train out of town. In episode 3 of Life is Strange 2, the Diaz brothers are now working for a man named Merrill who in turn works for some shady drug organization. Sean has bonded with these new travelers but Daniel has fallen to the wayside in the process, a scene in the beginning of the episode shows that this lonely feeling was experienced by Daniel prior to the events of the game’s actual start. From here though, every choice—and there are a lot more of them in episode 3—makes for some dramatic consequences both good and bad.

What we loved about Life is Strange 2: Episode 3 is the gravity of choices in comparison to previous chapters. While there were some choices that made for some interesting end results, the choices in episode 3 have a stronger weight to them. Without spoiling it, people will die depending on your actions and some characters might change their sexuality and loyalty as well. Life is Strange 2 has proven that choices matter greatly in the series so far, but episode 3 really turns the dial up to a 1000. We replayed several choices just to see that they really did cause things to play out dramatically different than before.

If there were any complaints for this episode though it would be in the few moments that felt like busy work with no actual end benefit. There is one mini game where Sean is forced to cut weed buds and while there is meaningful purpose behind it—in terms of narrative—the actions themselves are boring and feel really like work. The same can be said of a few chores that must be done in the camp the wolf brothers reside in. These issues only happen a few times and aren’t so annoying we felt it degraded the experience, but they almost worried us for the rest of the chapter as they happen quite early in. We really hope episode 4 and 5 of Life is Strange 2 will focus on mini-games that have an actual reason behind them. That or change the drawing system as it still remains quite boring.

We wish to end the gameplay section of our review on a good note though and that would be the visuals in episode 3. Simply put, Life is Strange 2: Episode 3 looked incredible. Clearly developer Dontnod Entertainment put some extra work into the visuals as the forest itself looked extremely impressive. Even character models had a sharper look and we loved how Sean and Daniel clearly look like they’ve been homeless for months. Sean’s hair and clothes have become worn down with his growing and his clothes becoming beaten. It’s an extremely impressive showing that makes these months in between episodes feel as if time for the wolf brothers moves on even when our games are off. The music also is quite strong in episode 3 and we would love to have a soundtrack soon.

Life is Strange 2: Episode 3 was a real treat to play. We absolutely loved how choices in this episode felt impactful and meaningful in comparison to the previous two episodes. Even little actions like not talking to a character or choosing to spend time with Daniel felt important as the story moves onward. While we still don’t care for some of the mini-games thrown in, even these moments immersed us in Sean and Daniel’s world. Life is Strange 2: Episode 3 is one of the best episodes so far and fans will thoroughly enjoy this next chapter. Just be prepared to gasp a few times as your choices end up making ripples that might alter the wolf brother’s final fate.

Another three-month wait is in store for us fans of Life is Strange 2, but to be honest folks, we love the wait. Dontnod entertainment has proven they can do episodic games right as with Life is Strange 1 and now this second volume. In our minds, we will wonder where the brothers are going in the fourth episode and will long be anticipating to see if our thoughts match up with the end result. Are you enjoying Life is Strange 2: Episode 3 and the series so far? Comment below to let us know what you love or hate about the series. Be sure to keep stuck to our hive for further episode reviews done by us here at Honey’s Anime!