Why Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is the worst of the series Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished Nov 17, 2024, 9:00amLife Is Strange: Double Exposure the worst one (Square Enix)A fan of the Life Is Strange franchise is disappointed by latest entry Double Exposure and argues it exacerbates all the lingering faults of the series.I find the Life Is Strange series fascinating. Ive enjoyed the series ever since the first episode of the original Life Is Strange dropped a decade ago, but as much as I appreciate the cosiness and light-heartedness the games can provide in terms of settings and social situations, it can be painfully obnoxious, hard to care about, full of try-hard dialogue, and characters who attention seek and over-exaggerate to facepalming extremities.Can we admit that the dialogue in the Life Is Strange is horrible? Upon recent completion of the latest release, Double Exposure, Ive reminded myself of how many dreadful temper-tampering quips Safi spurts out of her gob throughout the game.I understand theres a comic book-like flare to the dialogue, and these light-hearted remarks offset darker subject matter as you progress, but Life Is Strange isnt Marvel, even though Double Exposure tries ultra hard to make you believe that its donning a superhero mask.In addition, just because Double Exposure is quippy and quirky, that doesnt mean it exudes humour, it means the game is coming across as trying too hard, forcing you to evoke eye-rolling reactions time and again because its really hard to invest in these characters when they dont act naturally.Another nagging realisation Ive happened upon in Double Exposure, is that I feel like Max behaves as nosey and self-righteous; a young woman who interferes in business she isnt involved with and at one point decides to humiliate another character because of certain issues within the story that couldve been handled privately and sensibly. Yet she airs others dirty laundry for crowds to despise at will, and I find her actions in this regard rather disgusting.Im not sure anybody is more obsessed with Life Is Stranges world than developers Deck Nine, because every game is stuffed with drawings, notes, letters, posters, leaflets, figures, comics, and various other objects to read from.The main problem I have is a lot of it is so bland and lacking meaningful substance that its a shame that such hard work fills me with apathy. I struggle to connect, maybe because the Americanisms and accents get to me, or that theres a priority to tell rather than show, which is what games shouldnt be doing because, much like films, we should see whats happening with our eyes rather than reading through reams of text.Perhaps the worst thing I can say about Double Exposure is that it isnt fun. True Colors was vibrant and composed of many of Life Is Stranges qualities, and a few drawbacks, but it was expressive and what happened in Haven Springs felt impactful. Double Exposure, meanwhile, puts you in a gumshoe-like private investigator role, where Max pieces together happenings by finding evidence and linking together the events pertaining to what occurs in the story.There are pleasures to be had here, but walking around interacting with objects and speaking to characters and making A or B decisions is all old hat, even though theres always space for relaxed storytelling experiences. Life is Strange is 10 years old now and still acts the same way it did in 2014, when the first episode of the first game was released.To be brutally honest, Double Exposure double-exposes Life Is Stranges greatest weaknesses as a franchise. If youve had enough of all the quipped-up dialogue and overacting from the previous games then Double Exposure will double down on what you dont like and youll have to either endure it or play something else.I imagine if you also played through Tell Me Why and Twin Mirror, and didnt enjoy the character interactions in those games, then Double Exposure will still feel like too much cringe.By reader James DavieLife Is Strange: Double Exposure nobody likes this one (Square Enix)The readers features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you wont need to send an email.MORE : Xbox is a third party publisher and not a console maker any more - Reader's FeatureMORE : 10 good reasons why Im getting a PS5 Pro - Readers FeatureMORE : Why are there no big name video games being released this month? - Reader's FeatureSign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they're seen on the site.Privacy Policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.