What you need to know
- During the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, Square Enix and Deck Nine showed up to reveal the next mainline Life is Strange game.
- Titled Life is Strange: Double Exposure, this appears to be a direct sequel to the original Life is Strange, as it again stars Max Caulfield.
- Max is dealing with strange timeline problems as a murder mystery unfolds.
- Life is Strange: Double Exposure is slated to launch on Oct. 29, 2024, with anyone that preorders the Ultimate Edition getting early access to the first two chapters on October 15.
Maybe get your handkerchiefs ready.
Life is Strange is returning, with publisher Square Enix and developer Deck Nine showing up to the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 with the reveal trailer for Life is Strange: Double Exposure. This game is something of a direct sequel to the original Life is Strange, bringing back protagonist Max Caulfield as she deals with a new murder mystery. You can check out the trailer below:
The story revolves a strange new murder, while Max herself is being torn between different timelines and worlds after thinking things were finally stable.
Players won't be waiting long to figure out what's going on this episodic story, as Life is Strange: Double Exposure is launching across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 with an expected release date of Oct. 29, 2024, and anyone that preorders the Ultimate Edition of the game can play the first two chapters early on October 15.
Analysis: Bust out the flannel and the tears
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Life is Strange is known for delivering emotional, narrative-driven stories that have extremely difficult decisions. Following up the original game with a sequel is a tall task, considering the extraordinarily passionate debates that ending has spawned, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes. I certainly have my opinion on what happened, but if Deck Nine can thread the needle, it'll be a fascinating game to say the least.
I still haven't played Deck Nine's prior entry in the franchise, Life is Strange: True Colors, but I heard generally solid things. Hopefully this goes well, as Life is Strange helps occupy a particular niche in story-heavy games. Deck Nine appears to have mostly taken over the Life is Strange franchise, with developer Don't Nod, the team that worked on the original Life is Strange as well as Life is Strange 2, stepping away to focus on other games like 2023's Jusant and 2024's Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.
In our review of Life is Strange: True Colors, former editor Jennifer Locke wrote that "Life is Strange fans will find another adventure with excellent characters that doesn't always nail the pacing, even as it shipped with all five chapters complete and in one package. With a slower first half, exciting middle, and almost anti-climactic ending, it's a mixed bag in that regard."
