A Promising Beginning to a Long Awaited Reunion

Life is Strange: Double Exposure, released in 2024, was met with a mixed reception, it’s fair to say. Deck Nine decided to return to the original protagonist of the series, Max Caulfield, and have us catch up with her around 10 years after the events of the original, and much-loved, Life is Strange.

As a fan of the series, it was great to catch up with Max, see some of the results of my actions, and see how she’s handling all of the trauma. So, even if there were a few parts that I wasn’t sold on with Double Exposure, I enjoyed it mostly and have been looking forward to a follow-up.

Once I learned fan favorite Chloe Price is returning for Reunion, I was already excited but also interested in how it was possible. Fortunately, Gamer Guides were recently invited to go hands-on with this latest adventure in the Life is Strange series.

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Life is Strange: Reunion sees the return of Chloe Price. Image via Square Enix.

A long-awaited Reunion

Before we get started, it should be stated that Reunion is a direct sequel to Double Exposure. That might sound obvious, but for those of you who are here for Chloe Price’s return, know that this is very much a continuation of the events in Double Exposure, and if you go into this having not played that, you may find yourself a bit lost.

With that out of the way, one of my biggest questions when Reunion was announced was just how it is that Chloe Price is even here, given the possible events in the original Life is Strange. Getting to play the titular Reunion scene in my hands-on, though, did provide a suitable and satisfying explanation for that context. Indeed, enjoying both of these characters so much, the Reunion scene itself has a number of ways it can go down as you control both characters’ responses to the number of questions that come up, and I can say, it did live up to the buildup.

In fact, buildup is what you could call the slice of the game I got my hands on. After getting a brief catch-up on what had happened prior to when I picked up the controller, I found myself in the Snapping Turtle in control of Max, as I attempted to learn more about the site of where a fire would break out. Gameplay remains similar to that in Double Exposure, with the addition of Max having full control of her Rewind powers. As such, a lot of the encounters here required me to learn information before rewinding and asking the right kind of questions. It was nice to return to these powers, and it was something I missed from Double Exposure.

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You’ll be able to influence both Max and Chloe’s actions at times. Image via Square Enix.

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Max has use of her Rewind Power once more. Image via Square Enix.

On the other hand, from what I played, Max didn’t have the ability to leap between different realities as she could in Double Exposure. Still, I think this is a worthy tradeoff, as I found the possibilities with the Rewind power more interesting. It’s also interesting to see the outcome of Double Exposure’s events, such as how the town is moving on after the storm, and where certain characters now find themselves.

After Max learns some vital information and leaves the bar, my perspective switches over to Chloe, as I play a section of her arriving at the bar after Max has left. You’ll immediately see some differences between the two characters as you play them, outside of the way your dialogue options have a slightly different tone. Upon sneaking into the bar after being banned before even setting foot inside, I’m eventually caught and then introduced to the Backtalk feature exclusive to Chloe.

During these situations, Chloe can use arguments and insults to get someone to buy her story or do what she wants. This is where your knowledge of the events will be useful, as I was asked questions about the area, such as why you’re on Campus to begin with. A timer will tick down, and you need to choose an answer within it. If your opponent buys your answer, you’ll score a point on the gauge; if they don’t, they will. The goal, then, is to make sure you reach the crown in the middle of the gauge before them, or else you’ll fail in your argument.

Outside of this, Chloe naturally has her own collectibles (such as sketching designs based on the things she sees), SMS messages to pore through, and of course, a journal where she jots down all of her thoughts. It helps to have each character feel distinct from the other, and you’re hopping between the two equally, keeping gameplay feeling fresh. I hopped between both perspectives in a few more scenes after this, where I got a good chance to put Max’s Rewind power to good use to get myself out of a sticky situation. While this means a lot of her gameplay involves trial and error with this power, it does feel great to return to this version of Max, over the one found in Double Exposure.

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You’ll be controlling both Max and Chloe. Image via Square Enix.

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You’ll need to use Max’s Rewind power to get out of sticky situations. Image via Square Enix.

Together Again

As mentioned above, I did get the chance to play through Max’s and Chloe’s reunion, and beyond my initial thoughts above, there was something heartwarming about both of these characters being together again. I was glad to see that it looks like this happens earlier in the story, rather than delaying it throughout, as it gives the stakes a far different feeling. Even during this scene set in Max’s house, you will switch between perspectives a few times, and it’s here where I got introduced to another mechanic in Reunion.

In certain scenes, such as this one, you’ll get the option to pick choices for both Max and Chloe at the same time, something the game says will impact the direction of their relationship. When choices come up in dialogue during these sections, you’ll see either Chloe’s or Max’s face above the choices. This indicates who will be answering the choice you’re selecting. It remains to be seen how much this alters the main narrative and possible outcomes, but for now, it has made me excited thinking about how many times I’ll replay Reunion to see the different outcomes if this is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Reunion does a good job of explaining how Chloe is here. Image via Square Enix.

So, while I only got a short time with Reunion, it went a long way to fuel my excitement for its release at the end of March. I’ll admit to being a bit worried about the direction of the series in Double Exposure’s Ending, but the start of Reunion, at least, leaves a lot to be excited about, and adding Chloe Price into the mix seems like the perfect recipe for the end of their story.