Summary
The disappointing commercial performance ofLife Is Strange: Double Exposurehas prompted publisher Square Enix to investigate what went wrong with the game by way of a survey. Accumulating fan feedback may help future Life is Strange games avoid the same pitfallsLife is Strange: Double Exposurefound itself in.
Released in October 2024,Life is Strange: Double Exposurehad a lot going for it as a continuation of the story of Max Caulfield, the fan-favorite protagonist of 2015’s originalLife is Strange. However, the return of Max Caulfield didn’t do much for the newest entry in the episodic narrative-driven series.Life is Strange: Double Exposuregarnered lukewarm reviewsat launch, with its PS5 version currently standing at a 73 critic score and 4.2 user score on Metacritic. Many attribute this underwhelming reception to some of the major story decisions taken inLife is Strange: Double Exposure.
Things took a turn for the worse whenLife is Strange: Double Exposuredeveloper Deck Nine Studios announced layoffsin December 2024. Determined to learn from the game’s numerous missteps, Square Enix recently issued a wave of emails with a15-minute questionnaire to gather feedback fromLife is Strangefans. The survey quizzes participants about key aspects ofLife is Strange: Double Exposure, like its narrative, gameplay mechanics, technical performance, etc. It also asks fans if they thoughtLife is Strange: Double Exposurewas worth purchasing and whether their experience has affected their interest in future series entries.
Square Enix Wants to Know Why Life is Strange: Double Exposure Flopped
It’s clear that Square Enix expected a much more favorable reception toLife is Strange: Double Exposure, and so the questionnaire’s findings may be very important for the company to assess where exactly the game stumbled. Deck Nine’s previous effort,Life Is Strange: True Colors, was widely praised for its storytelling and emotional depth.Life is Strange: True Colorsprotagonist Alex Chenalso managed to captivate players in waysLife is Strange: Double Exposure’s cast of characters could not.
As for what thefuture of theLife is Strangeseriesholds,Life is Strange: Double Exposuredid tease some plot points that can be explored by new entries down the line. However, the community feedback being amassed by Square Enix could very well influence the storylines of futureLife is Strangegames. While there’s a discussion to be had about where the line should be drawn when it comes to fan service, only time will tell how much (if at all) the nextLife is Strangegame will cater to players.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure
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Max Caulfield, photographer-in-residence at the prestigious Caledon University, discovers her closest new friend, Safi, dead in the snow.Murdered.To save her, Max tries to Rewind time – a power she’s not used in years… instead, Max opens the way to a parallel timeline where Safi is still alive, and still in danger!Max realizes the killer will soon strike again – in both versions of reality.With her new power to Shift between two timelines – can Max solve and prevent the same murder?ORDINARY GIRL, EXTRAORDINARY POWERMax is thrust into a thrilling supernatural murder mystery – more dangerous than ever before!TRAVERSE TWO TIMELINESForge allies and pursue suspects across two versions of reality, shaping both timelines through unforgettable choices.RACE AGAINST TIMEA relentless detective has Max in his sights, and Safi’s killer grows closer with every clue uncovered. Can Max survive long enough – to do the impossible?DECIDE THE FATE OF CALEDONExplore two versions of a vivid winter campus, each packed with clues, secrets, and tough decisions.
