Life is Strange put French studio Dontnod Entertainment on the map back in 2015, and surely is a game that left its mark on many due to its emotionally engaging story and great characters.
And last year Dontnod announced that a remaster of both the original Life is Strange and its prequel Before the Storm would be released in September (together with their new game Life is Strange: True Colors) something which did not happen as the remasters were delayed until 2022.
A reason for the delay might have been the fact that a comparison trailer released in June last year was not that convincing, as the graphical improvements made to the remasters of both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm simply did not look that good.
But fortunately for those wanting to return to Arcadia Bay (the quaint American town where the game is set) and play through Max and Chloe adventure once again (or for the first time) don’t have to wait much longer as Life is Strange Remastered Collection will be released on February 1 this year.
Life is Strange’s story mixes the supernatural with a missing person mystery in the American town of Arcadia Bay to great effect, and the video below shows several minutes of gameplay taking place near the beginning of the game, with protagonist Max taking a break to the restroom where she witnesses a dramatic scene…
It also serves the showcase the improvements that developer Dontnod has made to the game, which include revamped facial expressions for key characters like Max, her friend Chloe and bad guy Nathan Prescott. There’s also improved lip-syncing, better lighting and reflections, plus Dontnod has updated the character models so that these look better at 4K resolution.
It’s also a good thing that Dontnod themselves have taken care of the remaster and not handed it out to a third party, as a remaster for a classy game like Life is Strange sure deserves all the attention it can get… Although judging by the video, the changes made to the original lean on the subtle side. This may be a good thing actually as dramatic changes could have ruined the game’s impact.
And while those who originally played the game back in 2015 had to wait months for each episode to release, those who play the remaster when it comes out this February will be able to play through the whole of this great story in one go.
The same goes for the prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm (which comprises three episodes instead of the five the original game has), which although being a pretty good game in its own right, did not quite reach the heights of the original.
This is a release many will be looking forward to, then, even if some may find it strange that the game is being remastered for the same generation of consoles as it originally came out. Life is Strange debuted on PS4 and Xbox One back in 2015, and it’s getting a remaster for those same consoles seven years later in 2022. Also, there’s no news right now of specific PS5 or Xbox Series X/S versions of the game, although the game is coming to Nintendo Switch at a later date.
Life is Strange Remastered Collection will be hitting PC (Steam) and consoles on February 1, 2022.