There’s at all times a second of concern if you deign to return to a beloved sport. Whereas movies usually emerge unscathed by the sands of time, gaming’s beholdence to quickly advancing tech makes its classics age sooner than everybody in that M. Evening Shyamalan film. It was with some trepidation, then, that I booted up Life Is Unusual: Earlier than The Storm, half a decade after I first fell in love with it. It seems I needn’t have frightened – as a result of developer Deck 9’s drama-filled debut remains to be simply as endearingly emo because it was in 2017.
To those that don’t know their Max Caulfields from their Nathan Prescotts, Earlier than The Storm is a prequel to the wildly profitable school dorm drama, Life Is Unusual. When Sq. Enix first introduced unknown developer Deck 9 could be revisiting the fictional city of Arcadia Bay, the web responded with a collective shrug. It’s arduous accountable it, actually; how usually do prequels provide something aside from crushing disappointment? From 2020’s nothing-y large display screen Sopranos tie-in, to George Lucas and Ridley Scott famously defecating themselves in prequel trilogy kind, hopes for this Life Is Unusual stop-gap weren’t precisely excessive.
But it seems that Lucas and Scott are merely no match for the storytelling prowess of the minds that introduced us PS1 snowboarding banger, Coolboarders. Previously generally known as Idol Minds, the gnarly studio determined to rebrand as Deck 9 interactive – drifting its manner into the world of Life Is Unusual and touchdown a very tubular 180 of its personal.
Specializing in the exploits of online game’s sassiest rural insurgent, Earlier than The Storm turns again the clock to hitch a teenage Chloe Value within the aftermath of her father’s demise. With the unique’s magic-powered protagonist firmly out of the image, twee photographer Max is changed by an altogether angstier avatar.
Borrowing the episodic method of its predecessor, Deck 9 takes Life Is Unusual’s TV inspiration one step additional. Chopping his enamel on crime procedural Legal Minds: With out Borders, Earlier than The Storm’s lead author Zak Garriss assembled his personal staff of various TV expertise with a purpose to deliver this small city drama authentically to life. The very best half? Earlier than The Storm succeeds with out resorting to utilizing magical powers.
The place Life Is Unusual’s relatable college-set drama was tousled in an online of time manipulation and homicide mysteries, Deck 9 properly makes the case that life, as an extraordinary teenager, is already unusual sufficient.
Very similar to Deck 9’s subsequent foray into the LifeIsStrange-verse, True Colours, Earlier than The Storm is a story about struggling beneath the burden of insufferable grief. It’s a notable step up from the hammy script of the primary sport, and whereas the dialogue might not fairly match the medium’s greatest, the stable plotting and heartfelt vocal performances end in a story that’s irresistibly earnest.
It helps after all, that Chloe’s story is accompanied by an absolute banger of a soundtrack. Very similar to its singular narrative focus, Earlier than The Storm is the one title within the collection to supply a wholly authentic rating. The place the opposite video games really feel like a fastidiously curated playlist of the saddest corners of Pitchfork’s new music part, London indie darlings Daughter deliver Chloe’s melancholy masterfully to life. With every main story beat hammered residence by the haunting croon of Elena Tonra, this fantastically written soundtrack is simply as important to Chloe’s story because the script itself.
Nonetheless, it’s not all angst and distress – there’s additionally some candy and life-affirming stuff lurking between the tumblr-ready navel gazing. Simply as Chloe’s aimless rebel sees her life unravel, she meets the beguiling Rachel Amber. Bringing pleasure, which means and pleasure into Chloe’s world, this story of younger love and redemption is endlessly interesting.
It helps that these characters are the collection’ most susceptible up to now. Put within the tattered trainers of a 16 12 months previous outcast, it is a uncommon instance of a sport’s pixelated protagonist having much less freedom than most of its gamers. Burdened by the shackles of Chloe’s more and more pointless-feeling training and the burden of grief clouding her judgement, the one weapon you wield in Earlier than The Storm is teenage angst.
The place God Of Struggle: Ragnarok turns teenage tantrums into eye-gouging-ly cringe encounters, Chloe Value swaps Atreus’ divine sulks for a center finger and a snarl.
Manifesting within the brilliantly named ‘backtalk’ mechanic, Chloe’s highly-honed fury turns into the teenage equal of a foul mouthed jedi thoughts trick. Up in opposition to a timer, gamers should select the type of responses that can actually push your goal’s buttons, getting them to lose their cool within the argument – and within the course of – bending them to Chloe’s will.
And actually, that’s what makes Earlier than The Storm work so effectively. It is aware of what little shits youngsters could be, however concurrently captures simply how infuriating the shackles of adolescence can really feel. Deck 9 exhibits the teenage expertise with unflinching honesty, from the giddy joys of your first like to the frustration of not feeling heard by the adults round you.
Earlier than The Storm additionally succeeds in giving the unique sport’s shallowest characters some a lot wanted depth. Take step-dad-cum-security guard, David. Whereas the rage-filled gun nut remains to be very a lot a grade A ‘douchecanoe’, Deck 9 takes the time to fastidiously flesh out why he is the best way that he’s. Even the unique’s creep de jour, Nathan Prescott is given a surprisingly sympathetic arc, shining a highlight on simply how loathsome his dad actually is.
The one actual criticism I’ve is that the story’s ending feels somewhat abrupt. The place Dontnod’s authentic spun its bold yarn throughout 5 episodes, Deck 9’s story unfolds in simply three, leaving a number of arcs frustratingly unresolved.
Nonetheless, whereas transient, the alternatives you get to make are a few of the strongest within the collection. Due to fastidiously multi-layered relationships, there’s an actual try at nuance and ethical ambiguity that flows by each side of Earlier than The Storm. The third act takes some fairly surprising turns, too, elevating the stakes for this teen drama to hair-raisingly tense ranges.
Equally spectacular, Deck 9’s debut feels satisfyingly self-contained. That is completely playable as its personal angsty little entity, whereas additionally quietly enriching what got here earlier than.
Shedding gentle on the mysterious Rachel Amber pays off dividends, too, with the character largely a clean slate for Deck 9 to sketch over. Her and Chloe’s chemistry is totally entrancing all through, their myriad of intimate interactions including as much as a quietly unforgettable expertise. From the joys of skipping faculty in favour of roaming the redwoods to hanging out at a disused junkyard, this sport fills me with nostalgia for the type of rural American adventures I’ve by no means truly had.
In case you beloved the unique and this handed you by, otherwise you’re merely searching for a method to get into one in all gaming’s most celebrated journey collection, Earlier than The Storm’s addition to PlayStation Plus this month makes it a story that’s effectively value your time. You by no means know, it’d simply make an even bigger affect on you than the rest within the collection. Life is unusual like that.
