Life is Strange 2 will launch for Nintendo Switch on 2nd February, publisher Square Enix has announced.
The narrative adventure series’ second game originally arrived episodically on other platforms between 2018 and 2019, and tells the story of two brothers on a roadtrip across America following a family tragedy.
It received a more mixed reception than the series’ first game, which featured high school time travel antics and a different set of characters. But for those who are still yet to play Life is Strange 2, it is still worth a look.
Developed again by the franchise’s original team at Dontnod, Life is Strange 2 took the bold step of changing pretty much every element of the original game for this follow-up.
Instead of a fixed setting in small town America, each episode largely takes place in a new location. Instead of a large cast of regular characters who appear every episode, this tells a more intimate story focused on the two brothers’ relationship. And while you, as Max, were the character with special powers in the original, here you play as the older brother who must protect their power-laden sibling.
Despite the changes, there’s still elements I’d recommend playing it for – especially when you are not waiting 14 months for the whole thing to release. The series builds over time, and the complex nature of how each micro-response to your brother blossoms into the series’ ending is a fascinating thing to watch play out. Later episodes also introduce some brilliant secondary characters.
That said, I was not sad to see the series return to a fixed setting and a protagonist with powers themselves in the franchise’s most recent release, Life is Strange: True Colors, which Switch fans can already enjoy.
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