Life is Strange episode 5 is the final chapter of Max and Chloe’s adventure. iDigitalTimes spoke with Life is Strange game director Raoul Barbet and producer Luc Baghadoust about the chaos that occurred during Life is Strange episode 4 and what lies ahead for the unexpected indie game hit.
[This article contains spoilers from Life is Strange episode 4. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!]
Life is Strange episode 4 left players shocked to find out they knew the place Rachel Amber was all along: the Junkyard. Chloe is the one to uncover Rachel Amber’s body, which leads to her own death by the hand of Max’s favorite photography teacher Mr. Jefferson. Max now finds herself in a dangerous situation in The Dark Room.
You might have heard many fan theories about Rachel Amber’s death by now. Some fans had a hard time believing it was actually Rachael Amber’s body in the ground because they didn’t see her face. Sorry guys, Rachel Amber is dead.
“It’s her. There’s no doubt about it. We’ve seen some people on the Internet we don’t see [Rachel Amber] so maybe it’s not,” Barbet said. “It’s her but for different reasons. Regarding the age rating, showing a dead body would affect it.”
Baghadoust added, “The fact Chloe is recognizing her is enough. It’s just the way we wanted to show the scene with the music and cameras…We took a lot of time on this. It could have been not so great if [we showed her.]”
The reveal of Rachel Amber’s body in the junkyard was an emotional scene for many Life is Strange fans even though they don’t know much about her. Max’s investigation in Rachel Amber’s disappearance has shown how little Chloe knows about her and raised more questions than answers.
“[Rachel Amber is] a mysterious person,’ Barbet said. “You don’t know much about her, but you can feel through Chloe’s obsession how important she was for us. You have the realization when Max dresses like Rachel and she lived the relationship through Chloe’s story.”
Baghadoust added, “The thing about Rachel is Chloe thinks she knows her. It’s not the same as Frank…As a player we wanted to make you curious and if you want to learn more you will. You’ll also discover what Chloe is thinking is not so simple.”
You’ll have to play Life is Strange episode 5 to see if Max can use her rewind powers to get out of The Dark Room. Max might not be able to save Rachel Amber, but Chloe might have a chance to live again. The decisions you make in Life is Strange are ambiguous in the sense you don’t know how it will affect the future. There might be something you did earlier in the game that will help you get out of The Dark Room.
Time travel is an interesting part of Life is Strange. Max can’t travel too far back in time. Her powers are limited to the situations she’s in, but in some cases she can pick up a polaroid and transport herself to years back in time. The DONTNOD team had many discussions about Max’s rewind abilities and how much freedom they wanted to give her.
“Huge question,” Baghadoust said, “We had a lot of discussions about [time travel] in a design point of view on a technical point of view. Of course we imagined Max could travel as far as she wants, but it could be difficult in…a design and creative point of view. It was important for us to have [a specific] amount of rewind for each scene. It means if you make a decision and make some choices you will have to continue to live with them. In a moment, you are obligated to make a decision and live with it. It was a part of the story and a part of what we wanted to tell with Max.”
Barbet and Baghadoust don’t know if a Life is Strange 2 is in the cards for DONTNOD, but they confirmed to iDigi it won’t be a direct continuation to Max and Chloe’s storyline. Life is Strange episode 5 is the last for Max, Chloe and Rachel Amber. Life is Strange episode 5 hits the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC on Oct. 20.
