I want to talk about Max.

[Usernamehere]

Her character arc is heartbreaking. Since we're playing as her, it's easy to mistakenly let her own trauma get swept under the rug, but I want to shine some light on them here, because she's been through so much and I don't hear people talking about it very often. Be warned that this'll obviously have spoilers, and be warned that at the end I talk about a pretty heartbreaking theory that I have.


So, it's no secret that the events of Life is Strange were pretty traumatic for Max, especially the events of Episode 5. She saw Chloe, her best friend and the person she loves and cares about most, meet her maker just about a half dozen times...she was drugged and kidnapped by Jeffeson, who assured her that she was going to be killed too...she saw so many more people die besides Chloe, like Kate, Frank, and William, not to mention all the people she saw get killed by the storm while she was going to the diner to get Warren's selfie, and on top of all of that, she was then told by Warren that the storm might have been her doing for changing fate - making her feel like all of the blood was on her hands - this being right after she'd used her photo-focus ability in vain several times to try and fix things.

She finally saw Chloe again using the selfie and had to spill everything to her to stop her from going into the Vortex Club party. Talking about everything that happened put her in tears, and it put Chloe in tears too, after seeing how battered and traumatized Max was. And by this time, Max was drained and exhausted, she was losing faith in herself and starting to feel like she was the villain in all of this - like all of Arcadia Bay's blood was on her hands.

And then the nightmare started. This poor girl had gone through absolute hell, and on the other side of it she saw Chloe again but passed out right after that and had the nightmare at the end of the game. I don't think I need to tell you how horrendous that was for her to go through. That nightmare showed that the game's events were taking a heavy mental and emotional toll on her, and it shows that she felt like all she was doing in the end was ruining things and causing death and destruction to descend on Arcadia Bay. That section in the diner especially, seeing all the people of Arcadia Bay begging her not to slaughter them, then literally talking to herself and hearing her own conscience rip into her for failing to do good things, that entire nightmare must have been brutal for her. She said it herself: "That nightmare was so real...was so horrible..."

Finally, after everything she went through, all she can do is save Chloe or save Arcadia Bay and not both. Exhausted, battered, and traumatized by the events of the game, she's faced with an impossible decision - to either let go of the person she loves and cares about most, or let go of her morality and condemn all of Arcadia Bay to a grim and terrible death at the hands of the catastrophic storm. After all of that, she has no way to make it all worth it.


This is where the sad and heartbreaking part comes in. Her well-being is doomed either way. Think about how both endings would affect her - she can either cross the line and (in her mind) become a mass murderer and live with that horror and guilt for the rest of her life, or she can throw away all the effort she made to change things and give up the person she loves most, and be alone and live with the knowledge that she's gone because of her for the rest of her life. She just wanted to do the right thing, and she really tried...

If she saves Chloe, then she'll have to endure the guilt of letting the storm hit Arcadia Bay, and she'll likely have horrific PTSD for the rest of her life. She'll always remember the events of that week, she'll never be able to come to terms with the people that didn't survive, and worst of all, I don't think she'll even be able to sleep at night - her nightmare at the end of the game would be just the beginning. But as awful as this is, at least Chloe will be alive, safe, and together with Max. Even if Max is battered, broken, and traumatized by the events of the game she'll always have Chloe to be there for her.

Now imagine if she didn't save Chloe. She cares about her more than life itself, and would do anything to protect her. Max endured the events of Episode 5 for Chloe, and got through them to save her at all costs. But if she ends up sacrificing Chloe, I think it would be unbearable for her. Everything she went through, just to fail to save the person she loves most in the end? It would be devastating for her. On top of being horribly traumatized, in this ending she'd also be alone. Her heart would be completely broken and she would be utterly devastated, and she would have only herself. She would go through all of that horrible pain with nobody to be there for her.


This is the worst part of all this. So bad in fact that I'm spoiler tagging it just because it's so horrible. Tears warning.

And... as much as it pains me to say...I think it's plausible to think that Max wouldn't be able to bear the pain of losing Chloe for very long - or she wouldn't want to, and who can really blame her?

It's heartbreaking to think, but I believe that if Chloe is sacrificed...it's only a matter of time before the traumatized, devastated, and utterly heartbroken Max takes her own life. If you sacrifice Chloe, you're also sacrificing Max's soul and spirit, and it's only a matter of time before her life follows. If this happens, though - at least she'll be together with Chloe again.

But hey - none of this has a chance to happen if Chloe isn't sacrificed.


So yeah. I wanted to shed some light on this because I almost never hear anyone talking about everything that Max went through. The game had a horrific effect on her, and she'd probably be traumatized for the rest of her life - regardless of which endings or decisions were picked.

[Night]

I completely agree with this, a very large amount of what happened during the story was very traumatic and would obviously leave a huge impact in anybody's life if they had to go through the same or similar, So much of what actually happens during that week would be unforgettable.

[joaopeixoto30]

That's completely true. Regardless of the ending you choose, Max has to live with an unbearable feeling of guilt. She will think she let thousands* die because of a storm she could have stopped or she will think she let her best friend die in a bathroom without ever getting back in touch after leaving Arcadia Bay. So I wouldn't be surprised if, like you suggested, Max took her own life. But at least in the Bae ending she would have Chloe to help her through.

I think a lot of people hate on the nightmare sequence. I get that they would like more story, but I feel like the nightmare was perfect for the timing. Max was approaching the end of her journey discovering her powers, and that nightmare illustrated all the insecurities and fears she had in her head. At least for me, it added a real sense of dread for what was coming up next, and the final portion (at least I think it is the final portion, correct me if I'm wrong, I really have to replay the game to remember all the details) where she looks at what she lived with Chloe that week and that she'll soon have to erase if she wants to save the town. With either ending, that nightmare will come back to haunt her, and probably in an even more terrifying version, so she would probably have severe mental problems.

*It's been discussed multiple times how there are probably multiple survivors.

[Palatine Katinka]

Originally posted by Yannis Philippakis on Spanish Sahara's meaning:

It has no real relevance to the real Spanish Sahara, which none of us have been to. It's kind of an imaginary place—somewhere that's quite nightmarish and ravaged. It's like a desolate landscape and the whole song is like, getting over a trauma, but the trauma doesn't go away and it multiplies from one into a bunch of furies, which was kinda to do with the Greek myths of the furies, who would haunt families and generations.

Yet some people try to argue that's the soundtrack to the 'good' ending.

[Usernamehere]

Originally posted by Palatine Katinka:

Originally posted by Yannis Philippakis on Spanish Sahara's meaning:

It has no real relevance to the real Spanish Sahara, which none of us have been to. It's kind of an imaginary place—somewhere that's quite nightmarish and ravaged. It's like a desolate landscape and the whole song is like, getting over a trauma, but the trauma doesn't go away and it multiplies from one into a bunch of furies, which was kinda to do with the Greek myths of the furies, who would haunt families and generations.

Yet some people try to argue that's the soundtrack to the 'good' ending.

I've never heard of this. It sounds to me like even the music agrees that sacrificing Chloe is a horrid ending.

[Usernamehere]

Originally posted by joaopeixoto30:

I get that they would like more story, but I feel like the nightmare was perfect for the timing. Max was approaching the end of her journey discovering her powers, and that nightmare illustrated all the insecurities and fears she had in her head. At least for me, it added a real sense of dread for what was coming up next, and the final portion (at least I think it is the final portion, correct me if I'm wrong, I really have to replay the game to remember all the details) where she looks at what she lived with Chloe that week and that she'll soon have to erase if she wants to save the town.

For me the nightmare, from a gameplay perspective, was meant to subliminally prepare the player for the final choice. The nightmare clearly seems to have moments where it's trying to sway the player towards one ending or another, (like the diner,) and it's also providing a recap to the entire game when you see all those moments you shared with Chloe again. It's somewhat perfect from a narrative perspective. And like you said, it also gives you a sense of dread - like deep down, you know that the game is about to end.

Edit: It's definitely meant to prepare the player for the endings. It shows that Max feels like she's a guilty mass murderer even if she hasn't pulled the metaphorical trigger yet, it shows all the horrible things that the storm will do and all the people it would (allegedly) kill, but on the flipside - it shows that Chloe is there for Max even in her mind, and it shows all of the moments Max (and the player) shared with her, and reminds the player why they care about her so much. It builds up the final choice by showing reasons to pick one or the other.

[Usernamehere]

Originally posted by Max Caulfield:

I will always save Chloe

I'd sooner quit the game without picking than sacrifice her.

[Usernamehere]

Originally posted by Max Caulfield:

Even if saving Chloe would destroy whole earth I would always save her just to show the universe i wont bend to it will

You know, one of the biggest things that helps me comfortably hit the sacrifice Arcadia Bay button is the realization that the town most likely survived the tornado and things turned out alright in the end.

But if it came down to Chloe or the entire town, with the town's utter annihilation being canonically confirmed, I wouldn't pick. I'd sooner walk barefoot through broken glass than accept a sickening one-or-the-other-but-not-both ultimatum like that - and the same goes for a scenario of Chloe or the entire planet.

Edit: We're getting a little offtopic, I'd say. It'd be best to go back to talking about Max.

[nobody44444]

Originally posted by Usernamehere:

Originally posted by Max Caulfield:

Even if saving Chloe would destroy whole earth I would always save her just to show the universe i wont bend to it will

You know, one of the biggest things that helps me comfortably hit the sacrifice Arcadia Bay button is the realization that the town most likely survived the tornado and things turned out alright in the end.

But if it came down to Chloe or the entire town, with the town's utter annihilation being canonically confirmed, I wouldn't pick. I'd sooner walk barefoot through broken glass than accept a sickening one-or-the-other-but-not-both ultimatum like that - and the same goes for a scenario of Chloe or the entire planet.

Edit: We're getting a little offtopic, I'd say. It'd be best to go back to talking about Max.

In Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 you learn that the town won't be rebuilt when you are on that overlook with Broody https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-AOTePXuEU

[Usernamehere]

Originally posted by nobody44444:

Originally posted by Usernamehere:

You know, one of the biggest things that helps me comfortably hit the sacrifice Arcadia Bay button is the realization that the town most likely survived the tornado and things turned out alright in the end.

But if it came down to Chloe or the entire town, with the town's utter annihilation being canonically confirmed, I wouldn't pick. I'd sooner walk barefoot through broken glass than accept a sickening one-or-the-other-but-not-both ultimatum like that - and the same goes for a scenario of Chloe or the entire planet.

Edit: We're getting a little offtopic, I'd say. It'd be best to go back to talking about Max.

In Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 you learn that the town won't be rebuilt when you are on that overlook with Broody https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-AOTePXuEU

I don't prefer to consider Life is Strange 2 as canon in Life is Strange 1 and this is one of the reasons. On top of that, Life is Strange: Dust (The comic sequel to Max and Chloe's story) shows Arcadia Bay starting to get rebuilt as early as 2014, so the two supposed "official" continuations contradict each other. My preference is to consider both as not canon in the universe of Life is Strange 1.