Gaming
Games
Life is Strange: Before the Storm is Chloe’s game
Chloe stole the show in the first Life is Strange game and now she’s taking centre stage under the guidance of a new team of directors, as they tell us in a new interview.
Confirmed just a few weeks ago at E3 2017, Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a prequel to the original release. The story this time out follows Chloe, the tragic rebel of the first game and a character that you can't help but feel has more than a minor smattering of pain in her memory closet. Having gotten to know her, the chance to uncover more of her history has our curiosity piqued.
Arguably more surprising than the concept of a prequel is the studio attached to delivering it. Life is Strange creators Dontnod are out, the French team handing the controls to Colorado-based Deck Nine Games. As Deck Nine, Before the Storm will be the studio's first game; the outfit having called themselves Idol Minds until recently. You might remember Idol Minds from PlayStation-exclusive action games such Pain, Ratchet & Clank Collection and a number of Coolboarders titles. A bit of a different direction, we know.
"We fondly remember playing early text adventure games back in the early '80s. At a time when graphics were blocky and bland, text games engaged your imagination in a way that few other games could," explains Deck Nine's vice president Jeff Litchford about why his studio has decided to so drastically alter course. "Fast forward 30 years and game technology has grown to the point where we have stunning looking games with captivating gameplay, but often the story sits somewhat forgotten," including, Litchford admits, by his own studio.
"Three years ago we had finally slain enough skeletons, looted enough temples, and snowboarded down enough slopes that we were ready to return to our early love of story. Lucky for us, this coincided with an opportunity to change the focus of the company and we leapt with both feet into modern storytelling adventure games."
Prior to rebranding themselves Deck Nine, Litchford explains that his team had been whittled down following publisher bankruptcies, and that the opportunity to work on Life is Strange allowed them to increase their team size once again.
We’ll see Rachel and Chloe’s relationship up close
© Square Enix
Staff members critical to the formation of some of Idol Minds games have been brought back, and blended with new additions from the world of film and television. Understandably, Litchford sounds excited for the potential of this new mix of talent.
This blend of individuals has been awarded with the respect and trust of Dontnod. Life is Strange's creators are so convinced of the new studio's ability that it has given it full control over Before the Storm's narrative pillars. This isn't a case of one studio designing the game and another programming it, as Litchford explains.
"Dontnod have played our first episode and given a lot of valuable feedback, but otherwise their time is completely focused on developing their next game in the Life is Strange series. The story along with the new characters and new locations of Before the Storm were all dreamt up by Deck Nine.
"We're very privileged to build on the strong foundations laid by Dontnod, their beloved characters and unique vision for how to tell a meaningful story. We're also very lucky to be working with the design and production team at Square Enix London Studios. They were close collaborators and partners on the original game and they are fully involved with the development of Before the Storm."
As Litchford is well aware, Life is Strange and its characters are adored by its legion of fans and, as such, the new writing team must tread carefully when it comes to stamping its identity on Before the Storm. Disrupting the elements that have resulted in such a strong emotional reaction from fans would be a disaster.
Therefore, the promise is that Before the Storm will continue the series' trademark of revolving its plot peaks and troughs around its characters, and what Litchford refers to as their "real world issues". This release will continue, he says, to "address mature themes that most games have shied away from."
We’re promised a new window into Chloe’s mind
© Square Enix
In the original release you played as Max and can make use of her unique ability to rewind time with a view altering how you interact with the residents of its Arcadia Bay setting. As Chloe, you will not have access to these powers and, therefore, the events that we're going to witness are more "subtle" and less "overt", to borrow Litchford’s words. The theme of 'strange' is going to be presented rather differently, then.
Before the Storm has a greater focus on "symbolism, dreamscapes, and Chloe's inner world," says Litchford. He goes on to say that, "Before the Storm is about that one person who changes everything in your life. Many people can pinpoint a particular person who came along at the right time and turned their life around. For Chloe, that person is Rachel Amber. When Chloe was at her most lost and alone, Rachel's friendship brought her back to life."
Those of you familiar with Life is Strange will know that Rachel is the spectre who casts a shadow across the events in the story of Chloe and Max; she's the missing person whom you spend the majority of the game searching for. Seeing a different side to Chloe than that presented in the first game, a side that promises to be more open and caring given the physical inclusion of Rachel, should further round out a character who's already one of the more interesting produced by video games this century.
"Chloe is fascinating to us at this time because she is wounded and lonely and grieving, but she's also strong and witty and tough," Litchford says. "When she sets her mind to something, she's a wrecking ball, bashing through the things that stand in her way without a care about the consequences. Together, with the fans online, we wanted to spend more time with Chloe, and this was the way to do it."
There's a huge amount of pressure on Deck Nine to get Before the Storm right, then, not only for the sake of Chloe's story, but also for the expectations of those of us who have warmed to her and feel some connection.
Litchford promises new gameplay features that will help bring out more of her personality, but he refuses to reveal the exact nature of these at this point. He does, though, understand the connection between the audience and Chloe.
"The fanbase for Life is Strange is engaged, motivated and passionate. Being fans first, we share this enthusiasm with them and have written the stories to be as truthful to the characters as we understand them."
Ashly Burch, the original voice of Chloe, is making her Life is Strange writing debut working with us. She’s done a magical job of helping us keep true to these characters, especially Chloe
"In addition," he says. "Ashly Burch, the original voice of Chloe, is making her Life is Strange writing debut working with us. She's done a magical job of helping us keep true to these characters, especially Chloe. One of the things that we're excited to bring to the world of Life is Strange is this new energy and tone that reflects Chloe's distinct personality."
Life is Strange itself is just as distinct as Chloe, and Before the Storm needs to somehow be both distinctive and a continuation of an existing creation. If Deck Nine can get that right then it will prove itself to be a worthy addition to the increasingly diverse and interesting world of narrative-driven games.
Whatever the case, we're excited to see more of Chloe and to understand more of how she became the person we currently know her as. We'll know if our excited is justified when Life is Strange: Before the Storm episode one is released on August 31.
For more gaming coverage, follow @RedBullGames on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
