Where Is Chloe? — My Hopes For Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Since Life is Strange: Double Exposure was announced back on the 9th of June, I’ve been super excited about the game and have watched every trailer. Twice. Okay, more like thrice. And while the title still looks super interesting, I have some… doubts. And I’m really hopeful that I’m wrong. 

While not the biggest or most important question I have, I’m really hoping that the gameplay trailer does not show all the elements. Specifically, I really don’t want Max to lose her rewind powers — they were what made the original Life is Strange so interesting. A game in which your choices matter so much, and yet you can change them whenever you want, never having to deal with consequences, was one of the most creative ideas I’ve ever seen. Taking something players already do — save scumming — and turning it into a gameplay mechanic, just to judge them for using it at the end in the nightmare scene, was absolutely genius. Double Exposure would never truly feel like Life is Strange, and Max would never feel like Max if that power isn’t with her.

Similarly, I don’t know how I feel about how casually Max uses her new powers in this game — travelling between realities to get a fucking Allen wrench? Seriously? Last time, you used your powers a lot more conservatively and still caused a tornado that ruined an entire town! Am I to believe she learnt nothing from Arcadia Bay? I’d really like to see Max struggling to use her powers, not because of the headaches or the physical exhaustion, but because of the mental trauma. Because she’s scared of what it could do all over again.

Now, as for the fans’ biggest question and worry — where the hell is Chloe Price? According to the directors' interview, the title respects whatever choice the players made at the end of the original — sacrifice Chloe or sacrifice Arcadia Bay. But for some reason, no information about that second decision is available at all right now. If I made the (correct) choice and kept Chloe alive, where is she right now? Is she alright? Why is she not with Max? According to both the Life is Strange comics and some interactions within the original title, Chloe and Max can be a couple. So what the hell is going on? Why is the only reference to Chloe we’ve seen in the game so far is Max referring to her as “a highschool sweetheart”? If they broke up, I’m not considering Double Exposure to be canon at all.

And, while none are as important as our scary-ass punk girl, no other characters from the original experience have been referenced. Victoria is alive in all possible endings, so how is she doing? Kate and Warren are alive if you sacrifice Chloe, and even if you made the (still correct) choice to sacrifice the Bay, Max would probably still care about her dead friends and not just completely move on after she caused an entire town to be destroyed!

So, I’m being a little humorous here, but these are all still thoughts I’ve had about Life is Strange: Double Exposure. I’m not that mad at these things (except Chloe. I meant what I said. She and Max did not and will not break up). I’m definitely still excited for the game to be released and will definitely play it the moment it comes out. And who knows, maybe Max does have her old powers as well, and maybe Chloe’s just visiting David (he’s still alive and has a relationship with her in the Bae timeline!). I really hope this will hold up to the work of art that was Life is Strange.