Life is Strange Games, Ranked

The Life is Strange series is back, with Life is Strange: Reunion, following Max Caulfield once more as she deals with the consequences of Double Exposure, leading to the controversial move of bringing Chloe Price back into the fold. What better way to celebrate the release of the seventh game than by ranking all the other Life is Strange games that have come before it? None, there are no better ways to celebrate. 

Now before I go ahead with the ranking, it would be remiss of me to not mention that this is, of course, my opinion. If you disagree with me, please feel free to tell me why I’m wrong in the comments (and then I’ll promptly explain why you’re wrong).

Let’s get into it then!

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6. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit

Image by Square Enix

The titular ‘Captain Spirit’ is actually Chris Eriksen, who’s trying hard to help his dad set up for Christmas. While he runs around completing chores and playing with his toys in his bedroom, his dad sits in front of the TV, slowly falling asleep to whatever game is playing. After a neighbour knocks with concerns about how his dad has parenting, it unfolds into an argument between the pair, which results in Chris falling from his treehouse. 

I wasn’t even sure if I should add this into the mix, given this is a side story to the main game of Life is Strange 2 more than anything, but I think I would consider it part of the series regardless. Even if it expands on a character we see in only one episode of the game, it’s still a worthwhile addition to the series, showing the audience that while we may follow a character or two within the game itself, there’s still life beyond whatever our main characters are going through. Add in the fact that this particular life is tragic, the brief snapshot tugging at your heartstrings whether you like it or not, that it affects the choices you make in the main game itself. 

The only real reason I’ve ranked this as the lowest on the list is simply because I wouldn’t really class this as a Life is Strange game. A nice segue, a little side mission if anything, but could really be part of any other game.

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5. Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Image by Square Enix

A prequel to the game that kicked this whole saga off, Life is Strange: Before the Storm follows Chloe Price and her growing relationship with Rachel Amber before she went missing. We find out more about the Amber family and the secrets they keep hidden beneath their picture-perfect family, as Rachel sets out on her quest to find out more about her birth mother. 

This is probably where my bias kicks in, because as a certified Chloe hater, this was always going to rank pretty low for me. A game where not only Chloe is one of the main characters, but we play as her, was always going to be my worst nightmare. There’s a moment, at the very beginning, before we have interacted with anyone, before we have even tried to do anything worthwhile, where Chloe jumps a gate and then promptly gives it the middle finger. ‘Yeah, screw you, you can’t keep me out.’ Maybe not Chloe, but I can keep you out of my heart, and out of the top of this list. 

Aside from my pre-determined angle causing this game to rank so low, in all honesty I don’t find the story all that interesting either. There was a part of me that liked the idea of getting to know Rachel Amber a little more, as she is something of a legend in Blackwell Academy and Max seems to lament that she had never had a chance to get to know her, but then you meet her and she’s… fine. Maybe the idea of Rachel Amber was always going to be better than the reality.

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4. Life is Strange 2

Image by Square Enix

The first game to stray from the characters of Arcadia Bay, with minimal references to them, Life is Strange 2 (an ambitious title) follows brothers Sean and Daniel as they become fugitives after an altercation with a police officer results in the death of their father. It’s revealed Daniel has telekinetic powers and along with the responsibility of trying to raise his younger sibling, Sean now has to guide him through the journey of learning to use them. 

I can see what the developers were trying to do; after spending two games with Max and Chloe, the Blackwell Academy and all its corruption, it was time to be with other characters. After all, Max couldn’t be the only character with magic powers right? Well, no she isn’t. However, there are two issues I have with this game. The first, and probably the least important really, is that I don’t actually like these characters. On the surface this game seems interesting, perhaps even more so than the original game. Despite their trauma, despite everything they go through, I can’t find myself actually caring about any of them except for the hot dad. 

Secondly, in the first game we’re shown that having powers that don’t belong to you can affect the fabric of reality itself; and yet I’m not sure this has the same lesson. One lesson that could be taken away from this could simply be ‘Do what you need to survive’. Not allowing emotions to cloud what should be done, go down the right path, be someone people can trust. All great lessons, but quite a step down from ‘mess with things you don’t know and you reap the colossal consequences’.

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3. Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Image by Square Enix

After a couple of games without our formidable main characters of the first game, we’re once again back with Max Caulfield, this time all grown up. Max is teaching at a university, and because she can’t have nice things, one night she finds her friend Safi dead on the ground via gunshot wound. Don’t fret though, because Max then realises her powers have come back in a different way, as she’s able to travel between two timelines – one where Safi is alive and one where she isn’t, in order to find out who would want her new bestie dead. 

Look, if I’m being honest, I don’t actually remember this game all that well. When discussing it, I’m informed of characters and I have no idea who is being referred to. Does it mean there’s too many threads to follow, too many characters to learn about and become attached to? Let’s say yes, and not blame my poor memory. 
So why rank it so high, you hypocrite, I hear you asking; all I know is that when I played it, I enjoyed it, which says a lot about the last two entries. I found the story engaging (at the time of playing it) and I remember that there are characters that I enjoy.

However, surely the mark of a good game is that you actually remember moments that happened once the console is switched off? Scenes that stay with you, dialogue that haunts you, decisions that make you question yourself? For that, I can only put this game in the middle of the road. Enjoyable in the moment, but not one that I found myself holding on to.

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2. Life is Strange: True Colours

Image by Square Enix

In a small town called Haven Springs, Alex Chen is reunited with her brother, who is then promptly killed in front of her eyes. Well, not really, but she at least watches him fall off a cliff followed by a few boulders. In the wake of the tragedy, Alex begins to suspect foul play is involved and starts to investigate this close-knit town, discovering secrets that were thought to be long buried. 

I really enjoyed this game when I played it. I liked the reappearance of Steph Gingrich and her DLC episode was a lot of fun too. She wasn’t my choice of romantic partner, but it was still a nice throwback to Before the Storm. I liked the new characters you meet, and that the choices that you make, though simple, did actually have a little impact on the available endings. It does follow the second game, as the story took a downwards turn in terms of stakes (first game, a massive storm threatens to destroy a town, third game, some people might not like you at the end?), but I find it to be the cosier of the available games. 

I think the main issue I have with it is that we don’t really find out a lot about Alex’s power; we know what she has, how she uses it, but any remarkability of it is shown through journal entries. Alex comes to the town already able to hone her power and use it wisely. Out of the four main games, this one feels the safest.

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1. Life is Strange

Image by Square Enix

After enrolling at Blackwell Academy and moving back to Arcadia Bay, Max Caulfield begins to have strange dreams; dreams of a wild storm destroying the town. When she awakes, she realises she has the power to turn back time – a power she uses to save former best friend Chloe Price’s life. Together, the two investigate Arcadia Bay, as they try to find out what happened to missing enigma, Rachel Amber, and why Max has these powers to begin with. 

There’s a lot to be said about the original game. Honestly, its legacy may have held up more had they not decided to make anymore. A choose your own adventure readers dream, Life is Strange really made you feel like the choices you made actually mattered. Even though I find one character unbearable, I’m still enthralled by the story every time I play it, because despite knowing the ending and what choices I’m going to make, I do find this to be the most replayable of all the games. 

Really, the game started off on such a high note, that any following games were bound to be in its shadow. The consequences of Max using her powers were far-reaching, and it really showed you that she shouldn’t be messing with it as much as she was. A really good story, with twists and turns along the way, Life is Strange has no other place to be than at the top of the list and the top of my heart. Bay > bae, every time.

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Conclusion

Though I know you may find my ranking to be wrong in your eyes, I hope you still enjoyed reading it. Who knows, maybe Life is Strange: Reunion will take top spot by the time this week is over. 

What do you think? Do you agree with the ranking? Or do you think I expect too much from the sequels? Let me know in the comments! 

Life is Strange: Reunion is out now.

See also: Most Anticipated Video Games of 2025

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