Life is Strangewas one of the most highly anticipated titles for Square Enix’s E3 presentation, and the new trailers did not disappoint. In addition to a new trailer forLife is Strange: True Colors, fans got to see more of theLife is Strange Remastered Collectionthat was announced a few months ago.
Overall, the trailer makes it seem like theLife is Strange Remastered Collectionwill fulfill its promises. The visuals are vastly improved and the game engine has been refined for bothLife is StrangeandLife is Strange: Before the Storm,which will provide a smoother experience all around. It includes some great bonus content, and for fans who already know they wantTrue Colors,theRemastered Collectionadds up to a great investment in the critically acclaimed series.
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The Life is Strange Remastered Collection is Noticeably Enhanced
Life is Strangecame out in 2015, and graphics have come a long way in the past six years. AlthoughLife is Strangeis still an amazing game, it can be hard to play it nowadays without noticing that the graphics and animations are getting outdated. Even forLife is Strange: Before the Storm, it’s easy to see where some improvements can be made.
TheRemastered Collectiondoes a great job of updating both games, breathing new life into them for both new and old fans to enjoy. The most noticeable improvement is the lighting, which is far more dynamic in the remaster and adds more depth and contrast to each scene. The other noticeable improvement is the characters' facial expressions. The animations have been refined to be more expressive and do a better job of representing the incredible vocal performances in both games.
In a lot of recently remastered games, the differences are hardly noticeable. Prime examples include games that have recently receivednext-gen upgrades likeMarvel’s Spider-Man RemasteredandFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.Both games look incredible, but they aren’t that old and looked pretty incredible before being remastered. There are differences that can be noticed when the current and next-gen counterparts are shown side by side, but a lot of players are unlikely to notice major improvements and it doesn’t always seem worth the financial investment.
The same can not be said ofLife is Strange Remastered.The improvementsare definitely there, and while the games don’t suddenly look next-gen, they do look significantly better. When the trailer uses a wipe effect to show the before and after, there is a huge difference and that’s not true for every remastered game.
The Remastered Collection Still Looks and Feels Like Life Is Strange
TheLife is Strangeseries has distinct visualsthat it has always been faithful to, even with the newest addition,True Colors.The characters inLife is Strangehave always been a little closer toSimsthan they have to the incredibly realistic visuals in games likeThe Last of Us 2,but that’s not a criticism in the slightest. The style is part of what setsLife is Strangeapart and the continuity makes it feel timeless.
With theRemastered Collection,fans don’t need to worry about not being able torecognize Max and Chloe. The visual enhancements are definitely noticeable, but they do exactly what they’re supposed to do: enhance what was already there. TheRemastered Collectionhelps to future-proofLife is Strangea little more. It will always be a classic, but releasing the collection now makes sure that the series doesn’t get left behind in the next generation of gaming.
The official listing for theLife is Strange Remastered Collectiondoes say that some of the puzzles have been updated and refined, an aspect that hasn’t been shown yet, but it’s unlikely that the puzzles were completely redesigned. Refining is almost always a good thing and judging by the visual improvements, even if the puzzles are a little bit different they will still be more than recognizable and retain familiarity.
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Life is Strange Remastered Includes Before the Storm And All of the Deluxe Content
The originalLife is Strangewas the main focus of the E3 trailer shown at Square Enix’s showcase and it’seasy to forget aboutLife is Strange: Before the Storm.However, this game shouldn’t be underrated and it’s exciting to have both titles in one convenient package. TheLife is Strange Remastered Collectionis a two-for-one deal.
It’s also important to note that theRemastered Collectionincludes a lot of extra content that was previously only available with deluxe editions of both games. The most exciting is “Farewell,” an additional episode that was available with the originalLife is Strange Deluxe Edition.“Farewell” fleshes out Max and Chloe’s childhood friendship and allows players to experience the story of howMax moved away, leaving Chloe in Arcadia Bay.
While that’s the most exciting addition for fans who never played the extra episode, theRemastered Collectionalso includes some bonus outfits for Chloe. Chloe’s sense of style is definitely the most distinct in the game, so for fans who want to see what else she can put together, this is a fun little addition.
The Life is Strange Ultimate Edition is the Way to Go
TheLife is Strange Remastered Collectionisn’t the onlyaddition to the series coming this year.Life is Strange: True Colorsis a completely new game that breaks away from the traditional episodic format and tells the story of Alex Chen, a young woman who has the ability to sense the emotions of others. Emotions manifest in the form of colored auras around people, and as Alex explained in the reveal trailer, sometimes she has the ability to sense why people are feeling what they are.Life is Strange: True Colorsis turning empathy into a real superpower.
WhenAlex’s brother mysteriously dies after she returns to town, Alex must embrace her powers to discover the truth behind his death. It’s a murder mystery with a unique twist, somethingLife is Strangetends to do rather well. The game looks beautiful and sticks to the traditionalLife is Strangestyle instead of going for hyper-realism, which looks like it’s going to pay off.
For anyone looking for the best way to experience all three games, theLife is Strange Ultimate Editionis unquestionably the best value. It includesTrue Colors,and all the extra content, but also includes theLife is Strange Remastered Collection.The biggest bonus is “Wavelengths,” an extra DLC episode that focuses onSteph Gingrich and her relationship with Chloe and Rachel Amber.
“Wavelengths” is included in theTrue Colors Deluxe Edition,but theUltimate Editionis the only way to get the complete package at one time. Steph is a fan-favorite character and her return was one of the things fans were most excited about in the initial reveal trailer forTrue Colors.While it would be nice if it was already included inLife is Strange Remastered,it’s only withTrue Colorsand doesn’t look like it will be available individually. The Deluxe Edition is $69.99 anyway, so the addition ofLife is Strange Remasteredis well worth the additional $10 for theUltimate Edition.
TheLife is Strange Remastered Collectionwill release on September 30 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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