Concerns Arise Over Leaked Details of Upcoming Life Is Strange Game

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, the latest installment in the narrative-driven adventure series, wrapped up with a cliffhanger in 2024. Given the recent turmoil at Deck Nine Games, it’s not surprising that a sequel seems to be on the horizon, especially after a leaked PEGI rating—now removed from the official site—hinted at it. The upcoming title appears to be called Life Is Strange: Reunion, and a brief synopsis has surfaced, giving us a glimpse into the game’s storyline. While some fans might be excited about what Reunion could bring, I have my own set of questions.

The full summary that was taken down from the PEGI site reads:

Chloe Price was Max Caulfield’s partner in time… Losing her is Max’s greatest regret. Now Chloe has come to Caledon University. Haunted by nightmares and impossible memories, Chloe needs Max’s help. But Max is already in crisis: in three days, a deadly inferno will destroy the campus.

There’s a lot to unpack here, but the most apparent point is that the “reunion” in the title refers to Max and Chloe, the protagonists from the original Life Is Strange. At the end of that game, players face a choice that either leads to Chloe’s death or allows the two to escape together into an uncertain future. However, if you choose the latter, Double Exposure shows them taking some time apart. This decision didn’t sit well with many long-time fans, but Double Exposure did a commendable job of honoring both endings from the original. Now, it seems Chloe will be back in Reunion, potentially regardless of the choices made in the 2015 game.

Deck Nine’s decision to let players import their choice regarding Chloe into Double Exposure through an early dialogue option gives me hope that they won’t simply disregard the possibility of Chloe’s death in response to fan backlash. The mention of Chloe being “haunted by nightmares and impossible memories” raises the intriguing prospect of time travel mechanics allowing her to appear in Reunion, even if she was chosen to die. Perhaps these “impossible memories” involve both timelines? Given Double Exposure’s exploration of timeline shifts, it’s possible that Chloe exists in multiple states due to Max’s time-bending abilities.

Regardless, games that undermine player choice are a major concern for me, which is why I’m apprehensive about Mass Effect 5. Many fans would be satisfied if BioWare simply declared one of the original trilogy’s endings as canon and moved forward, but I’m not among them. It was reassuring to see Deck Nine emphasize the importance of continuity in Double Exposure, and I hope they’ve maintained that commitment for Reunion as well. I’m eager to learn more about this game soon; the thought of speculating for months is already giving me a headache.