At this point in Life is Strange’s increasingly intricate plot of teenage woes and time-travelling shenanigans, players will have gone down one of two distinct paths: either they managed to prevent a traumatic turn of events at Episode 2’s climax, or failed and have to live with the consequences. I happened to achieve the latter, much to my disappointment, so chances are you may be playing out quite a different storyline to what I’ve experienced in Episode 3, Chaos Theory. Regardless, Dontnod Entertainment’s latest episodic college adventure continues to intrigue and pick up the pace, as we find 18-year-old Max Caulfield discovering more about her mysterious powers and trying to prevent the looming catastrophe that is about to befall her quintessentially midwestern lifestyle.
Right off the bat, let me just say that Chaos Theory is unequivocally the most engaging and shocking episode of Life is Strange yet. I won’t spoil anything, but by the end of the chapter, my jaw had hit the floor—it couldn’t have ended on a more shocking cliffhanger. Yes, there’s still a couple of annoying issues with lip syncing and the trial-and-error based sequences that are inherent of a game that lets you rewind time, but it still never fails to compel the player and provide insight into current plot strands while weaving new ones here and there.
While Max’s powers are integral to progression as always, Chaos Theory has a much more human element to it than previous episodes. There’s a major emphasis placed on Chloe and Max’s friendship, which will be tested depending on the choices you make—and there’s no denying that some of them are pretty tough. Much of the time the pair are trying to uncover what happened to the missing Rachel and mystery behind Kate Marsh’s shenanigans at the Vortex Club Party, which you’ll largely do by some fine old detective work: grilling fellow students and residents, which requires copious use of the rewind mechanic, and snooping around in offices looking for vital pieces of information.
Yes, there’s a lot of back and forth involved here as you pick someone’s brain, find out a pertinent clue, then rewind time and grill them again, but fortunately, it never really outstays its welcome. There’s far less rudimentary, object-based puzzles involving your time-rewinding capabilities too, with dialogue firmly placed to the forefront of the proceedings, making for a far more interesting gameplay experience. In fact, what puzzles do crop up are a lot more fun, such as cobbling together a homemade bomb to blow open a locked door.
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Fortunately, Chaos Theory also lets its hair down from time to time, too. There’s plenty of opportunity for some fun, such as grabbing a drug dealer’s plate of baked beans and lobbing it on the floor, then rewinding time before he unleashes his vengeance upon Miss Caulfield. Likewise, a late night dip in the campus pool affords ample time for some exposition for Max and Chloe, as the pair talk about their past and allow for more nuance to seep into their characterization. Indeed, Chloe in particular is developed nicely in Chaos Theory, and comes off more than just your archetypal, potty-mouthed emo teen. There’s also some minor events that punctuate the core storyline-based antics, including a part where you have to throw a bone to distract a rather unfriendly mutt, although depending on where you throw it may have dire consequences for the poor pooch. These are pretty inconsequential (or at least they are at this point in time), but help break up the amount of chatter going on and keep things feeling a fresher.
Performance-wise there’s some great voice work for Max and co, and thankfully, the colloquial teen banter is kept to a minimum—no need to break out those urban dictionaries, folks. Again, it’s the human side of Life is Strange that wins out here, not the fact you are wielding some amazing power; Max is a character you care about, and her relationships with those around her are beginning to strengthen, making for an overall better narrative. In particular, you get more insight into some of the supporting roles this time around, such as Chloe’s mum, stepdad and her deceased father, William.
The best thing about Chaos Theory is the amount of extras you can uncover by exploring. Yes, this is still a linear game in terms of progression, but you can potter around when you want to, reading pamphlets, having a cheeky glimpse at your friend’s laptop, reading emails, text messages, and chatting with local NPCs. It all helps to supplement the core narrative, and you’ll probably want to read everything you can to get the full Life is Strange package. Again, the indie soundtrack and dreamy visuals complement the adventure perfectly, and aside from a few dodgy lines of dialogue, the performances are stellar.
Overall, Chaos Theory is a brilliant addition to Life is Strange’s increasingly compelling world, and features the best ending to any episode to date. If you’re not pumped to see more of Max’s antics after this concludes, then you’re playing the wrong game. If Dontnod can keep up the pace and intrigue for the last two episodes, then there’s no reason why Life is Strange can’t hold its head high as one of the best episodic outings since The Walking Dead.