This is handled very well for the most part, but there are some elements that could be seen as somewhat of a cop out. These are not without major consequences though, which have been alluded to in past episodes. With time rewinding itself taking more of a backseat in Episode 5, time travel takes center stage here in the final episode, as Max has to use time travel in a few different ways. There are still a number of areas where it can be used to warn somebody of an incoming object or to get more details within a conversation with the villain, but it doesn’t feel like it’s used at the level of the past episodes, especially in a puzzle sense.
However, the final episode actually moves away from using it quite as much. Previous episodes of Life is Strange utilized the time rewinding mechanic a lot, with time travel really only coming into play back in Episode 3. This character worked very well as a villain, especially when getting to see a few different sides of him through time travel.
The follow-up episode takes this unassuming normal character from before and shows just how messed up he can be, which felt very natural in the way it was done. The ending to the previous episode finally revealed who the sadistic keeper of the Dark Room was, which was pretty shocking. Numerous plot strings have been woven throughout the episodes, which all come to a head in Episode 5. However, this was not done in a completely linear fashion, as the time rewinding mechanism really allowed for unique storytelling elements that even saw time travel come into the mix. Just like every past episode, the ending to Episode 4 featured a major cliffhanger, which leads into the fifth and final episode.ĭontnod Entertainment has really done a phenomenal job at building up the story within Life is Strange gradually throughout each episode. However, her life changes very quickly upon the discovery that she can rewind time, which propels the story forward in many different directions. Life is Strange saw the release of its first episode back in January by introducing players to the journey of Max Caulfield, who seemed to be just a somewhat awkward teenager at the prestigious Blackwell Academy. Combining a very well crafted and mature story with very unique time rewinding mechanics has been a recipe for success so far, and now the conclusion has arrived with Life is Strange: Episode 5 – Polarized.
The episodic game format has grown in popularity in recent years behind critically acclaimed series like The Walking Dead, and the relatively new developer Dontnod Entertainment jumped onto the scene with one of the biggest surprises of the year in Life is Strange.