Jump into the role of 16-year-old Sean in Life is Strange 2. Together with your little brother Daniel, you are forced to run from home with the police hot on your trail. Together you’ll set out on a journey to Mexico where they will be safe. This journey is filled with joy, danger, life lessons and life-changing consequences. This trip can bring the brothers closer or tear their brotherhood apart?!
Second opinion & other reviews
This is our second review covering Life is Strange 2. The original review for Xbox One X was done back in the last of 2019 by Lander. This Switch released is a port of that original game, so all the elements of the original release are here, sort of. That is why I’m going to refer to his original review a bit to compare the two versions but mainly want to keep the focus on my experience with the game. See this as a second opinion on if the game, independent of the version played, is good. Also, be sure to check out the other reviews for the other Switch releases, Life is Strange: True Colors & Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection. Let’s jump into the review
Why is Life is Strange?
For those not familiar with the Life is Strange series. Life is Strange games are graphic adventure games played in 3rd person. The player can explore locations, and examine and interact with objects and other characters, to let you progress in the story. Some people however see it more like an interactive movie than a game. I get their point, but I think it’s within a grey area of games and interactive movies. Life is Strange is all based on its story and around the decisions you make. The choices you make will alter and affect the story with short- or long-term consequences. It’s all about making dealing with difficult decisions and emotional storytelling.
Emotional Train Ride
Like mentioned before Sean and Daniel are forced to run from home. With nobody to fall back to, the brothers need each other to survive and stay safe. Sean and thus you as the player are solely responsible for Daniel’s safety, shelter, and upbringing. Daniel looks up to Sean as a Dad, but this also means he’s always learning from him too. What you teach him or show him you do, has far-reaching consequences.
Like Lander mentioned in the original review, the game’s main gimmick is yet another person with some crazy superpowers, like Max had in the original. However, in Life is Strange 2 this isn’t the key element that makes this story too great. It’s the struggle to survive that the two brothers are facing and the emotions that are connected with this. The game tackles daring subjects like racism, which are a relatable and relevant problem in modern-day society. The emotions run wild while playing, you feel the struggle and injustice deep in your bones and just want the best for both. To quote Lander: “During the five episodes, the brothers will often find themselves with their backs against the wall, going from a bad situation to an even worse one. Life is Strange 2 really offers an intense and immersive story that’s worth the struggle in the end”.
But how does the Switch Version Stack up?
Like the release of Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection for Switch, Life is Strange 2 is also not perfect but definitely a bit better. The big differences between the Switch version and the other versions are the performance and the graphics. The performance can still be shaky from time to time like quite long load screens and the occasional stutter. Nothing is too bothersome however therefor the game can still be enjoyed.
The graphics had to be downgraded in order to make it playable on the Switch. This is mainly seen with two things. One is the blurry textures on things that are out of focus. And two the lighting has had an overhaul. This is all to be expected from a downgraded version in terms of hardware. However, with the lighting change comes a much darker game. This makes the world less realistic. This is especially seen with the character models. These can look almost clay-like from time to time. I really don’t like how dark they made the game look, especially in some scenes. If you just play the game you get used to the darkness, but if you compare the two versions, it is like night and day.
It is also sad to see that the tie-in with The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is completely lost. This was a stand-alone game that acted like a demo/prequel of some sort. I understand that they wouldn’t earn any profit from it since it is a demo and therefore didn’t port it. The decisions you made would alter how Captain Spirit looks for instance. This game was however not ported to Switch hench why the tie-in is missing.
Conclusion
Since the original version scored an 8/10 and this version is superior in a multitude of ways I can’t give it higher than a 7/10. The Switch version is Life is Strange 2 is still an excellent game if you’re into interactive storytelling with an emotional load. The Switch version doesn’t change this however the lower performance & graphics and the removal of some story tie-ins make this version lose some merit. If you only have excess to a Switch, please play the game, it will definitely be worth your time. For anybody else, pick up a different version (if your main playstyle is docked mode).
7/10
-tested on Nintendo Switch OLED
