Target audience?

[Warner Vachanges]

I am having a tough time relating to...anything going on in this first episode. The concept is cool, and I like the gimmick. The art is fine. The characters, however, baffle me. I feel like the M rating was a way to lure 15 year-olds to play the game. I don't at all feel like I am experiencing an adult plotline.

Ugh, not bashing on the game, but I cannot help but wonder who the target audience is? I had to seriously ask myself when the last time the protagonist of any novel, film, game, or any other form of media to which I could relate uttered the phrase "...I do like skater boys." Should that have ended with a "z?"

Does this high-school drama unfold to something a bit more grown-up at any point? Thanks for caring.

[Λｒｖｕｔｉ]

Does this high-school drama unfold to something a bit more grown-up at any point?

Yes

[321polorex123]

The first episode is rather slow, in comparison to the following episodes.
It builds up the characters, their relationships and the game world in general.

Originally posted by Natronosaurus:

I don't at all feel like I am experiencing an adult plotline.

The story is about a 18 year old girl and her best friends. The main protagonist is still a child (maybe even teenager) in her head. With the events which will take place in the following episodes, the player can see the characters grow.

Originally posted by Natronosaurus:

I feel like the M rating was a way to lure 15 year-olds to play the game.

Trust me, the rating is justified. You'll see why at the end of episode 2 or at least at the end of episode 4. But I don't want to spoiler anything.

[Warner Vachanges]

Thanks for the feedback. There is roughly $12 of content on the market to finish this game; I've been reluctant to add-on because of my aforementioned concerns. Regarding the M rating, I feel it's justified in ep. 01, but it doesn't really do anything...gratuitous F word and probably the pot.

"she looks so happy."
"she looks so sad."
"she looks so stoned."

ugh.

I forgot to say thanks for not including any spoilers.

[Λｒｖｕｔｉ]

Let's quote what ESRB has to say about LIS (no direct spoilers)

This is an adventure game in which players assume the role of Max Caufield, a high-school student with the ability to manipulate time. As players progress through the storyline, they are presented with various dialogue and action choices. Some choices can influence other characters to engage in acts of violence (e.g., beating up a bully, shooting a man in self-defense) and/or lead to their deaths (e.g., a character getting shot in the head or stomach, a character committing suicide ). Blood is depicted around the corpses and/or when characters are injured. The game also contains implied references to sexual assault and pictures of drugged and bound female characters (fully clothed). Additional sequences contain reference to sexual material: a porn magazine that states “Oregon's Best Boobs;” sexual graffiti on walls (e.g., “69 reasons to b*ng Rachel," “Victoria love D”); dialogue such as “Now I can text Warren and tell him he doesn't stand a chance...unless he's into girl-on-girl action.” During the course of the game, a character is shown smoking marijuana; one sequence depicts high-school students intoxicated with alcohol and/or passed out in a party setting. The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole” are heard in the dialogue.

[Jeckenn]

It is an adult story by the time is is all said and done. The first episode is the set up which introduces the player to the game world and the time rewind part of the game, and the characters in the game. Yes it is about teenagers however we were all teenagers at one time so anyone should be able to relate to the story and this story really does tug at your emotions unless you are the type of person who is void of feelings.

[cheRRymonk]

I just finished second episode and I can say 99% of it is like the first one. Still a teenage drama except one last scene which made me ask myself "why do we need this time rewind feature in this game?".

Tons of cliche, silly dialogues and bad characters prevent me from taking all this serious. Hopefully, next episodes will uncover the story about superpowers and missing girl but they only plan to figure this out at the end of episode 2...

[Warner Vachanges]

Well, you'll have to let me know how it goes, since it's you and me VS 35,000 people who want to have this game's baby. I've already decided to not buy further into this tale, so I'm counting on you!

[soulxhawk]

I would say this games target audience is anyone who likes time travel games and the telltale style of games with choice first and foremost. If you like games with more story over game play or a game with a north west setting it would also be for you. I agree that after episode 1 the whole high school drama thing does fan out and the time travel and mystery plots get more attention.

[SmithDoc]

i don't intend to be condescending here, although i'm afraid it will come off that way: your inability to connect with the adult themes of the story has more to do with your limited capacity to understand and interpret complex themes than it has to do with the game itself.

i only say this because it sounds like you only have a superficial impression of the game. most adults who are emotionally mature can connect with the universality of 'coming-of-age' stories, even if the particulars -the lingo, the fashion- are different. the game's narrative is a thoughtfully written examination of everyday psychological stresses in adolescence that many of us have had to deal with growing up -whether or not you can connect with those ideas probably comes down to your level of self-awareness.

that said, there are a lot of interesting, unique aspects to the game that transcend the 'coming-of-age' storytelling genre - the ethics and consequences of Max's time travel powers are very maturely explored, well beyond most other games. it's fair to say that Life is Strange is one of the best crafted, emotionally powerful narratives presented in videogames. other aspects of the story, such as the murder mystery, are also unpredictable and thrilling, and presented in a way that dovetails with the game's underlying gameplay mechanics.

as both a narrative and a game, Life is Strange is subtle but powerful, and very human. it's the kind of game that demands that the gamer open themselves up to its sophisticated depth. gamers who can't look past their own rigid worldviews will probably *not* enjoy it, though. but that's not the game's problem.

[Lapom]

Why is it mature? Because rape is heavily implied. Depending on your view, the protagonist was raped by Jefferson several times in your playthrough, every single time the character had to rewind.

[Warner Vachanges]

sk8er boyz 4 life.

I feel pretty "in tune" with the world. I studied fiction and screenplay writing at university to some extent. It's probably fine that I just don't feel any attachment to the whole emo kid vs mean girl thing vs dudebro. That school seems awfully small to have so many divisive cliques. It seems like a very liberal arts type of school, yet I can't find much common ground for any of the characters. The slice of life is TOO sliced. Anyway, this is just from ep01, with which I spent FOUR hours. It's got high production value and a cool gimmick, but, if this were a novel, it would be collecting much dust on my shelf.

[SmithDoc]

Originally posted by Natronosaurus:

sk8er boyz 4 life.

I feel pretty "in tune" with the world. I studied fiction and screenplay writing at university to some extent. It's probably fine that I just don't feel any attachment to the whole emo kid vs mean girl thing vs dudebro. That school seems awfully small to have so many divisive cliques. It seems like a very liberal arts type of school, yet I can't find much common ground for any of the characters. The slice of life is TOO sliced. Anyway, this is just from ep01, with which I spent FOUR hours. It's got high production value and a cool gimmick, but, if this were a novel, it would be collecting much dust on my shelf.

while i found some of the particular aspects of youth culture to be a little alien to my own life, i nevertheless found them humorous. i didn't roll my eyes at talk of skater boys, because i'm not sure how approaching the narrative -or any narrative- from a position of superiority would further my enjoyment of it -especially considering how its obvious that the story was invested with a lot of thoughtfulness and care. as a rule, i find that my appreciation of any work of art - be it a novel, movie, or game - is only improved by approaching the work with a spirit of generosity. you can only get out what you put in, after all.

[PFC Chamberlain]

Well - I have played all five episodes, and I rather enjoyed the game overall.

If you are worried about the cliche highschool drama - it still exists later in the story, but to a much less notable effect. For me, the game really kicked of in 3, the drama still existed, but the consequences of it became much more real.

I also did like the simple puzzle mechanics. Nothing stumped me horribly, but you will use your powers in clever ways to progress.

However - if you really dislike parts 1&2 and hate the two main protagonists, then part 3 will probably not convince you otherwise.

[Remy]

Teenagers say stupid ♥♥♥♥ all the time, what did you expect? Sorry it doesn't reach the intellectual writing heights you so imply.

[SmithDoc]

Originally posted by ReminemRapperChef:

Teenagers say stupid ♥♥♥♥ all the time, what did you expect? Sorry it doesn't reach the intellectual writing heights you so imply.

plenty of great novels feature teenagers saying stupid **** - a clockwork orange, for instance, is written completely in a made-up slang that mixes russian and english. it sounds silly, but it's the vocabulary used by those characters to express themselves. it's no different with this game - although the slang in Life is Strange is nowhere near as bizarre as that example.