Recently I played through Life is Strange and absolutely loved it. I haven't been able to get it off my mind since. Chances are that we're getting a whole new cast for season 2, but I wanted to make my case for why I think Chloe and Max should return for Life is Strange 2.
Spoiler warning for Life is Strange.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
WHY MAX AND CHLOE SHOULD BE IN LIFE IS STRANGE SEASON 2
It wasn’t long ago that I thought certain stories should never have sequels. Things like The Last of Us and Mad Max: Fury Road were so good that anything that came after would diminish them. Now, I think that’s the wrong mentality. A good story shouldn’t make us afraid to tell The Next Story. Nothing that comes after will diminish the originals unless you let it. We should encourage storytelling that can push characters and themes in new directions.
Max and Chloe are the core of what Life is Strange is, they are the reason we got pulled into the world and fell in love with it. Without them, it’ll feel hollow, like something is missing. No matter how interesting and well done the new cast is, we’ll be thinking: “Where’s Max and Chloe?”
The story in Life is Strange is amazing, and it has the perfect bittersweet ending. But, that shouldn’t make us afraid to tell The Next Story. The characters can evolve, change, and be presented with new challenges. If the question of the first story (in its simplest form) is “how do we deal with loss?” then the next story can ask a whole new question. One that challenges us and the characters just as much but is still wholly distinct.
HOW TO BRING CHLOE BACK, OR 200 WORDS OF ME BEING A BACKSEAT WRITER
Ok, hear me out.
Chloe becomes a time travel anomaly.
She remembers everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Each time she died, being paralyzed, all the times Max rewinds to save her ass. All of it.
Then, set season 2 in a new location like San Francisco or Seattle or wherever. This would keep them both away from Arcadia Bay and allow there to be consequences from both endings meticulously peppered throughout the story without it being the main focus.
Anomaly Chloe can work despite what ending you chose. Sacrifice Arcadia Bay already has her with Max, and the sacrifice Chloe ending can have her reappear confused, yet aware due to her newfound knowledge. In both instances she can be afraid to return to Arcadia Bay, 1) because we’re unsure of how time travel works and she doesn’t want to cause another storm, and 2) she’s afraid of what she’ll find if she goes back.
A way this could change the rewind mechanic is by having Chloe remember whenever you rewind time. This could make for some really creative moments, as well as ramping up the emotional impact of certain scenarios. As an example, imagine Chloe gets into a fight, someone throws a punch at her, Max rewinds, and Chloe is back in her previous position still raising her arms—all freaked out—to block the punch. That’s just one example, but there’s so much awesome potential with something like this, including with puzzle solving.
Ultimately, this is me just sharing all the selfish reasons why I want my two favourite characters to come back. It seems like we’re getting a whole new cast for season 2, and I’m sure I’ll fall in love with them, cry, laugh, and end up writing a post about how much I want these new characters to return for season 3.