Life is Strange was a “vibe” when it was first released in 2015. Its prequel “Life is Strange: Before the Storm” followed 2 years later and set the standard for interactive stories. These have been remastered before but never made it on the Nintendo Switch. The Arcadia Bay Collection solves that problem.
Life is Strange
In Life is Strange you play Max. She’s an aspiring photography student who returned to Arcadia Bay after many years of absence. She finds out she has these special powers where she can rewind time for a short period of time. This gives her the option to change the outcome of many events to come. All through the coming-of-age story, Max uncovers she is destined to do so much more. A strange storm is brewing and is actually destroying the city. Max is the only one who can alter the events with her powers. As if saving the world is not enough, Max is still a “kid” searching for a place in the world. As she reconnects with Chloe (her best friend from before) and uncovers the secrets around the disappearance of Rachel Amber, Life is Strange takes you on an emotional ride filled with tough choices.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm
The prequel to Life is Strange takes you about 3 years back in time and focuses on Chloe. Max is referred to in letters but is only a memory at this point. The “rewind” mechanic is gone and instead replaced by the “power of backtalk” mechanic. Chloe was always punk and her “superpower” is the way she can talk. To further emphasize this, Life is Strange: Before the Storm uses it to get by everyday situations. The story helps expand on the original story and fills some gaps the original left. Although Max’s powers were way cooler, I preferred playing as Chloe because she resonated more with me on a personal level. Just like the original, this game makes you think through making tough decisions that alter the story.
Remastered slapped on
I’m sure they did something to the original games to call them “remastered” but I found it hard to point out. The first game – although still a must-play – looks as rough around the edges as I remembered from playing the original. The second game actually looked decent from the start and still does in this version. It feels kinda cheap calling these remasters. I didn’t notice much so fans of the original shouldn’t get their hopes up of getting the “ultimate” experience with this collection.
Actually struggling
Both games have got remastered on different consoles over the years but the Nintendo Switch was left out for a long time. I assume it’s because they struggled to get it right. The Arcadia Bay Collection was announced for release a long time ago but kept being pushed back. The end result leaves a bitter taste based on the performance of the first game. The game has long loading times and a lot of graphical hiccups during the transitions. It’s just not an optimal way to enjoy this otherwise great gaming experience. The second game is actually up to par with what I’m used to and showed no real problems. Maybe a bit more care should’ve gone into optimizing the first game.
Conclusion
I can’t stress enough how good these games are. The experience will leave you baffled. If you have no other option than the Nintendo Switch to try these out, Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection is fine. If you have other options to play these games, please do.
