In 2015, 'Life is Strange' captured the hearts of a generation with a story spanning just one week. It followed Max Caulfield, a girl who gained the power to rewind time, and her best friend, Chloe Price. Their story, set in the small coastal town of Arcadia Bay, concluded with a brutal binary choice: "Save the town, or save Chloe?" That crossroads has left a lingering sense of emptiness in the hearts of series fans for the 11 years since.
And finally, 'Life is Strange: Reunion' has arrived. The title says it all: after 11 long years, the moment Max and Chloe reunite is here.
At the End of Overlapping Timelines, Chloe Returns
For fans who have followed the series, understanding the true value of 'Reunion' requires first grasping the context of its predecessor, 'Double Exposure'.
Released in 2024, 'Double Exposure' marked Max Caulfield's return as the protagonist after nine years. However, whether the player had saved Chloe or the town in the original game, Chloe remained an absent figure, mentioned only in dialogue. For fans who loved her, this was a difficult choice to accept. Thus, from the moment the title 'Reunion' was announced, fans of the series had only one expectation.
That expectation explodes in a scene early in the game: the moment 'Foals - Spanish Sahara' plays over the two characters as they reunite after 11 years. It is the very same song that served as the ending theme for the original 'Life is Strange' and accompanied that cruel, binary choice. For anyone who has loved this series for over a decade, it is hard not to get choked up by this sequence.
When you start the game, you can set your choices from the original (whether Chloe lived or died) and key turning points from 'Double Exposure'. Regardless of the combination, Chloe returns. For players who chose the ending where Chloe died, 'Reunion' becomes a story of resurrection; for those who saved her, it becomes a story of a long-awaited reunion.
Two Protagonists, Two Abilities, One Fire
In terms of story, 'Reunion' is set nine months after 'Double Exposure'. Max is now a photography professor at Caledon University, while Chloe travels across the U.S. managing a punk band.
When Max returns from an exhibition in New York, Caledon University is engulfed in flames. She uses her powers to save the people she loves, rewinding time by jumping into a selfie she took days before the fire.
For series fans, this setup will feel strikingly familiar: a story about rewinding time to prevent an impending catastrophe. The storm of the original game, the fire of 'Reunion'—it is the shape of fate that Max faces repeatedly. But this time, Max is not alone in trying to stop the event.
The biggest structural change in 'Reunion' is that both Max and Chloe are playable characters. For the first time in the series' history, both serve as protagonists. Each has unique abilities, and 'Moses', a colleague from the previous game, also plays a crucial role.
Max's iconic time-rewind ability from the original game has returned. The ability to shift between two timelines, introduced in 'Double Exposure', is gone, leaving her with only the pure rewind power. If a conversation goes wrong, you rewind; if a puzzle fails, you rewind; if you make a mistake while defusing a bomb, you rewind. It is familiar, intuitive, and above all, it brings the essence of Max's character back into sharp focus.
Chloe features the 'Debate' mechanic first seen in 'Life is Strange: Before the Storm'. It is a system where you argue based on information gathered during conversations, selecting the correct responses in sequence to uncover the truth. Since she cannot rewind time like Max, the risk of failure is high, but the gameplay mechanism effectively reflects their respective personalities.
The process of two protagonists tracking the cause of the Caledon University fire from different positions makes for a highly immersive investigative drama. The game places clues in a way that makes it difficult to guess the culprit until the end, and once a major decision is made, it cannot be changed without restarting the chapter. While Max's rewind ability might make it seem like everything can be undone, playing the game proves otherwise. Every choice at a crossroads carries weight, and that sense of consequence is the identity the series has long upheld.
The sequence of struggling to prevent a 'destined' fire is quite tense. Furthermore, there is an underlying conspiracy that has permeated the series, which will be a welcome gift for long-time fans.
Beyond the Emotion of Reunion, Things Fade Away
Viewed this way, 'Reunion' seems like a perfect answer to fans who have waited 11 years. However, looking back after the credits roll, it is true that some things feel lacking.
First, the final choice in this game does not push the player to the edge as much as previous entries. Compared to the agonizing decision Max had to make between Arcadia Bay and Chloe in the original, the ending of 'Reunion' is quite... 'safe'. The protagonists are protected by a sort of 'plot armor', and the only ones who end up sacrificed based on player choices are the Caledon students who appeared in 'Double Exposure'. The fact that there is no moment of true weight for Max and Chloe themselves is a bit disappointing, considering the emotional depth the series has provided players until now.
Perhaps it is because the focus is too heavily on the reunion of series icons Max and Chloe. Characters introduced in 'Double Exposure' are portrayed very one-dimensionally. If you played the previous game, you might feel a slight familiarity, but it is difficult to form an attachment to these characters if you are meeting them for the first time. In particular, the character Janette, one of Max's students, feels poorly finished, even down to her character model. As a result of focusing on the single goal of Chloe's return, the surrounding characters feel like they have lost their color.
The most disappointing aspect is that 'Reunion' fails to fully push its own world-building. Chloe and Safi from 'Double Exposure' are both complex beings trapped in timelines twisted by Max's powers. In the original, Max had to struggle immensely over whether to save Arcadia Bay or Chloe, and that experience evolved into the bold decision in 'Double Exposure' to save both Caledon University and Safi. Ultimately, they succeeded in merging the two timelines so that both were safe, but this resulted in a timeline where both Arcadia Bay and a living Chloe coexist.
By the standards of previous titles, the existence of Chloe and Safi is a 'defiance of fate' heavy enough that burning down a university shouldn't be enough to resolve it. However, 'Reunion' does not sufficiently address the weight of this setting. While there is a scene early on where Chloe experiences strange phenomena, raising expectations, these mentions disappear toward the latter half, and the story converges on 'it's a relief we saved everyone from the fire.' Given the weight of the timeline settings the series has built up, this conclusion feels somewhat anticlimactic.
(Unfortunately) 'Double Exposure' is the biggest barrier to entry
After 11 years, Max and Chloe have met again, and 'Reunion' concludes their story in one way or another. However, I am cautious about recommending this game to others.
To properly enjoy 'Reunion', playing 'Double Exposure' first is almost mandatory. The setting of Caledon University, Max's role as a faculty member, and the relationships with surrounding characters all stand on the context built in the previous game. 'Double Exposure' is also necessary to fully follow the story of Max leaving Arcadia Bay and growing into an adult. However, as mentioned, given how the surrounding characters' colors fade just from Chloe's appearance in 'Reunion', it is difficult to readily recommend this to someone stepping into the series for the first time.
Conversely, for those who have already played 'Double Exposure', 'Reunion' is a great title to jump into without hesitation. It is the immediate follow-up, and above all, it contains the tearful story of Max reuniting with the Chloe she missed (and thought was dead—or rather, was actually dead). That one scene with 'Spanish Sahara' will be reason enough for those who have loved this series.
- The story of Max and Chloe finally reuniting
- Investigative progression where the two join forces to find the culprit
- Ability elements that highlight character personalities
- Supporting characters faded due to the focus on the reunion
- The 'importance of choice' does not resonate well
- You must play 'Double Exposure' before this game
Review Platform: PC (Launch Build)
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