Between the success of movies like Sonic the Hedgehog and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as well as television shows such as The Last of Us and Fallout, it’s indisputable that we’re in a Golden Age of video game adaptations. A far cry from the early days of half–recognizable IP brought to the big screen, studios are now constantly on the lookout for something with a built-in audience to capitalize on — and with the schedule of adaptations set to arrive soon (another Resident Evil reboot, The Legend of Zelda), they’ve realized that video games are ripe for cultivation. Funnily enough, out of everything being picked for cinematic adaptation, narrative decision-based games have been overlooked… with one big exception.
2015’s Life is Strange, the acclaimed graphic adventure game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix, is getting an official adaptation from Amazon Prime Studios, and they just cast their two main characters. Tatum Grace Hopkins and Maisy Stella will bring Max and Chloe to life as the two teen girls find themselves at the center of a time-traveling mystery that has massive repercussions for their personal lives and the small Oregon town of Arcadia Bay. But one of the reasons LiS was so praised upon release was that it was a decision-based game that forced players to live with the consequences of their actions, and although there’s some merit to adapting it, one can’t help but wonder how necessary a live-action version is.
