So this is a big, big reluctant recommend for a few reasons. Ultimately, I do like the game, which is why I'm here recommending it, but it's not without faults. As you probably know by now, timing and events during this game's development prevented - the iconic Ashly Burch was not able to reprise her role as Chloe Price in this 3-episode prequel! Rhianna DeVries stepped in instead and filled some really big shoes, but where this goes wrong is Deck 9.
Don't get me wrong, there are things that they did do well, if we compare this directly to Life is Strange, the original game that gave this series the boost into the stars. From a visual standpoint - it's really nice, it looks and feels smoother, you'll get to revisit most of the places in Arcadia Bay, but you'll be given an opportunity to look at all of that through Chloe's eyes. And it's nice, it's a refreshing shift in perspective, we get to experience something we already saw with a new twist!
One of the strongest points this game has going is the soundtrack, with music created and curated so well that it easily makes BTS's OST the best in the series by far. UK band Daughter was specifically brought to create the original score for this game, and it really hits all of those emotional moments and amplifies them. Beautiful work, really!
So, unlike Life is Strange, the 5-episode-long rollercoaster sprinkled with supernatural plots, Before the Storm feels a little more grounded. It definitely sought out to explore a few things the original game couldn't. For one, Chloe and her transition from Blackwell student to dropout with a chip on her shoulder. And... I feel like a lot more could have been done here, we really could have seen a different side to Chloe, her journey and her attempts to find her way through grief, abandonment, and coming of age. Instead, we get the same pissed off Chloe, except her delivery is a bit less grounded, a lot more insecure, with a few um's and uhh's sprinkled in for good measure. Plot-wise, we know how the chips land thanks to the first game, so if the plot was going to be limited in what it can do, in order to stay true to the first game, what could have saved this was character development and depth.
Where Deck 9 really missed out was Rachel Amber... Whoo-boy! I'm not going to lie, she made for an interesting character, but there were just so many missed opportunities and plot holes there! Kylie Brown did a really good job bringing Rachel to life, though, and I'm not sure that the manic pixie dream girl trope was the one to go for, but oh well. Beyond the voice acting, when I look at how rushed and nonsensical a lot her scenes and story overall were, I wish she would've remained a mystery, like the first game leaves her off to be! Yes, we got to see her, we got to explore some of her past, to get to know what she was like, but it really felt like filler at times. Maybe, instead of getting the origin of 'hella' and how Chloe came to start using it, we could have gotten something more substantial to Rachel. In the end, she's just as vague as the first game had her, leaving a lot of her motivations, actions and dialogue very open to interpretation.
Ultimately, this is a prequel, so going in, you kind of already know how certain things are going to work out. It also comes with a bonus Max and Chloe episode which felt a bit out of place after the 3-episode story we were actively following, but it's a DLC and it's basically a nostalgia filler episode.
Definitely play if you loved the series as a whole and want to get more of the characters, the world and the story!
