Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered

About Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered

Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered brings the prequel story back with updated graphics. DON'T NOD developed this adventure game for Square Enix before releasing it on February 1, 2022. You can play it on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia. The story follows sixteen-year-old Chloe Price three years before the original events. She meets Rachel Amber and they build a bond while facing family secrets. This version upgrades character models and environments to look sharper than the 2017 launch. It remains a single-player narrative experience where choices drive the plot forward without multiplayer elements or open world exploration.

Gameplay

You control Chloe through conversations and environmental interactions during typical sessions lasting an hour or so. The core loop involves reading dialogue trees and selecting responses that shift relationships between characters. You explore locations like the Blackwell Academy to find collectibles or solve small puzzles involving objects in the room. Combat does not exist here. Instead you manage a mood meter that changes based on your choices. Actions like smoking or writing in a journal offer minor mechanical benefits. The remaster updates visual fidelity but keeps the original point-and-click control scheme intact. You move characters around static scenes and trigger story beats by examining specific items or talking to NPCs at key moments.

What Players Think

The PlayPile community data shows mixed feelings about this release. IGDB lists a score of 62.4 out of 100 from nineteen ratings. Users report an average playtime that varies widely depending on reading speed, though most finish the campaign in under eight hours. Achievement completion rates sit at a modest 38.1% across thirty-four total unlocks. Community moods lean toward Mind-Bending based on one vote, suggesting some find the emotional weight heavy. Reviews often mention the strong writing but criticize the short runtime compared to other narrative games in the genre. The community notes that the remaster feels mostly cosmetic rather than a full reimagining of the mechanics or content.

PlayPile's Take

Buy this if you want to see Chloe Price before her life spiraled out of control and you can find it for seven dollars. The thirty-four achievements offer a reason to explore every corner, but the low completion rate hints that many skip side details. This title suits players who prefer character-driven stories over action or complex systems. Avoid it if you expect a massive campaign or significant gameplay changes from the original 2017 version. The price point makes it a reasonable entry for fans of the franchise, though casual players might find the pacing too slow to justify full investment at standard retail cost.

Storyline

Set three years before ‘Life is Strange’, you play as sixteen-year old Chloe Price who forms an unlikely friendship with Rachel Amber, a beautiful and popular girl destined for success. When Rachel learns a secret about her family that threatens to destroy her world, it is her newfound friendship with Chloe that gives her the strength to carry on. No longer alone the girls must confront each other's demons and together, find a way to overcome them.