Tech Review: Life Is Strange 2, Xbox One (Square Enix)

Emotions run high in this episodic tale about two brothers fleeing from Washington State for the Mexican border. Life Is Strange, an episodic adventure released in 2015, rewrote the rulebook for narrative adventures. The story of an 18-year-old photographer trying to navigate college, friendship and strange events, it was a heart-warming enterprise.

The sequel, released over five episodes and now available in its entirety, features Sean Diaz, a Mexican-American who hits the road with Daniel, his nine-year-old brother, after a cop is killed and they get the blame.

There are moments of high tension, joy and heartbreak, as they travel to their father’s homeland. As Sean, interact with the environment and talk to characters. Your actions change the course of the story and your relationship with Daniel, who is blessed/cursed with telekinetic powers. From marijuana farms to religious communes, grandparents’ homes to forested backwaters, this road trip takes pages from Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men.

The story riffs on big issues, including racism in America, gun violence and parental estrangement. Life Is Strange 2 isn’t afraid to get political – and it’s a better game for it.

9/10