Square Enix's Life is Strange series has captured the interests of fans with its rich storytelling, characters, and choices that actually matter. The series has switched between two different developers, Dontnod Entertainment and Deck Nine, and currently there are three mainline titles, two spin-offs, remasters of the original two games, and a comic series.
The most recent entry, Life is Strange: True Colors, serves as both a brand-new tale and a sequel of sorts to the original. Almost all the content that has been released in the franchise has been connected to Life is Strange, but Life is Strange 2 has just the one title. Life is Strange 2 has just as intriguing of a story as Life is Strange and it deserves as much love as the first title.
The Full Breadth of Life is Strange Content Beyond 2
Life is Strange launched in 2015 and put players in control of Max Caulfield, who recently returned to her hometown of Arcadia Bay. Upon returning she witnesses her childhood best friend, Chloe Price, get shot in the school's bathroom. Max becomes enraged and discovers she has the ability to rewind time, which she uses to save Chloe. The duo then spend five chapters reconnecting, messing with Max's powers, and tracking down Chloe's missing friend Rachel Amber. Together they discover the tragic fate of Rachel Amber, and Max must choose to either let Arcadia Bay be destroyed by a terrible storm or to go back in time and let Chloe die.
After the praise Life is Strange received, Deck Nine stepped in and created the three-chapter spin-off Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Before the Storm takes place three years before the events of the first game and puts players in the shoes of Chloe Price. Chloe is dealing with the death of her father and her best friend leaving, so she befriends Rachel Amber. Together they head out to find Rachel's birth mother. Before the Storm provides more context for what drove Chloe in Life is Strange, though everyone who has played the first game knows where Rachel ends up.
In 2021, Deck Nine released Life is Strange: True Colors, the third mainline title in the series. The game follows a new set of characters led by Alex Chen, who has the psychic power of Empathy and can absorb the emotions of others. After her brother dies, Alex goes on a quest to discover how. While the game itself has no true connection to any other titles in the series, it does feature a side character from Before the Storm: Steph Gingrich. Alongside True Colors came the announcement of Life is Strange: The Remastered Collection, which remastered Life is Strange and Before the Storm.
Along with three games that all have some connection to the first game, Life is Strange also received a comic book series following Max and Chloe after they choose to let the storm destroy Arcadia Bay. The comic grapples with the aftermath of Arcadia Bay and what that means for their future. In 2018, Square Enix also teamed up with Titan Publishing Group to release an in-universe book for Life is Strange called Life is Strange: Welcome to Blackwell Academy, which presents the world of Life is Strange through the eyes of a student at Blackwell Academy. The book is full of references and sketches by various characters, making it a fun companion piece.
Life is Strange 2 Has Been Left Behind
Life is Strange2 was released in 2018 and was a five-chapter story much like the original title. It was the last title developed by Dontnod Entertainment, following brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz. They flee their home after their dad was killed by the police, and Daniel developed telekinetic abilities. Players play as Sean, who has to teach him how to use his telekinetic powers for good or evil on the way to Puerto Lobos, Mexico. There are no huge connections to Life is Strange beyond driving past Arcadia Bay, which will either be destroyed or standing depending upon what the player chose in the first title.
Before Life is Strange 2 released, Dontnod Entertainment released a free one-episode adventure titled The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. In it, Chris Eriksen's mother is dead and his father has become an alcoholic, so to cope with that he chooses to live his life as a superhero named Captain Spirit, defeating his arch-nemesis every chance he gets. After getting into a fight with his dad he ends up falling from his treehouse and levitates, which is seen by the Diaz brothers from across the street.
Since that point, Life is Strange 2 has not received any more content connected to it; no prequel, large scale spin-off, quasi-sequel, comic book line, or in-universe book. The focus of the Life is Strange series seems to have been put more on the first title than the second. The Diaz brothers and their story are just as intriguing as the story of Max and Chloe, and it can be just as powerful. The characters of Life is Strange 2 deserve their time to shine, and Square Enix should give that to them in the next Life is Strange title.
Life is Strange 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
