You heard it! You might have already heard it, but for everyone! Episode 1 of Life is Strange will be free to play. It’s been out for a while and some of you might ask what the big deal is. Life is Strange is one of the most well-known Telltale titles. It’s a five part game that’s completely story driven. It does some interesting things with turning time backwards, to see how events unfold. It’s a game based entirely on choice, consequence, through the advent of turning back time. Changing time affects the present and future, which is amazing. I haven’t completed it, and I already own part 1 on PC, because it was given to me during an interview for episode 2, waaaaay back at Pax Prime last year. I don’t play enough Telltale games, which is weird because story-driven titles really do it for me. That’s my wheelhouse, such as it were. This is not only a well-told story, but it’s beautiful. It’s a living, breathing world. It’s easy to get lost in.
The time manipulation thing doesn’t interest me all that much though. It kind of makes it feel like cheating, having a main character who can manipulate time to change events. I think it would make every choice matter more if she couldn’t. But that’s not the point! I really think this is a good move on Square-Enix’s part. Did it not sell well? I can only assume it did because they made four more parts after this one! But it’s taking the drug dealer approach. “First one’s free, kiddies.” So, they offer part 1 for free, hook them with what is a compelling, and intriguing story. From there, players who enjoy Telltale, and love a good story are going to want to buy the other games to experience the story, to see how far the rabbit hole goes. Granted you could watch someone play it on YouTube, but is that really the same as doing it yourself, making the choices you want to make? No, it sure isn’t. I encourage all of the Sony users who can to take advantage of this, to see how they feel about the story. It’s not for everyone, but I think it will capture the attention of a lot of new players, who will become fans. It’s a bold move, and I want to see how it plays out for them. Maybe we’ll get more Telltale?
What do you guys think? Fans of the Telltale game style? Any series you want to see receive the story-driven treatment? Feel free to let me know!
