Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 1 Review - 7 Ups & 2 Downs

One of the biggest departures Before the Storm takes from the original Life Is Strange, is that this time around, Max's time travel powers are completely out of the picture. Rather, Chloe has an ability called "backtalk", which is a dialogue-based mini-game that she can use to intimidate or coerce people to get what she wants or talk her way out of a tight spot.

This is an incredibly clever mechanic for a narrative-driven game, as it requires you to pay close attention to what the character you're arguing with is saying, choose a response that will give you the upper hand, and do so before time runs out.

Plus, this new mechanic creates a great sense of urgency, as you can no longer just reverse time to undo a poor decision. In other words, it's all or nothing, but succeeding can be well worth the effort.

This new game mode really lends itself to Chloe's bold nature, as opposed to Max, who was much more bashful and used her time powers to find indirect methods of achieving her goals.

There is still a touch of the supernatural aspect that makes Life Is Strange unique, however...