Life is Strange: Episode 5 - Polarized (PlayStation 4) Review

Episode 4 left Max and Chloe in worse-than-bad shape. They had finally solved the mystery of Rachel Amber's disappearance, but at a tremendous cost. Using fast thinking and a little help from her rewind powers, Max navigates the flow of time trying to undo the events of the past few episodes. The puzzles presented to the player rely more on timing in this episode, and while trying to escape the Dark Room is fun, it's basically a no-stakes situation; there are only two ways the whole thing can play out, and players probably won't even know there was more than one until they see the results screen after finishing the episode.

Dontnod once again provides players with a new playground. Max visits some areas from previous episodes, but some new ones, as well, and the game world is bigger than ever. This episode had the longest wait yet, but it's easy to see why: Dontnod has expanded Max's world, letting her and the rest of the cast experience new places and events. There's an underlying layer of melancholy to it all—this is more than a way to expand the episode, it's a goodbye from Dontnod to their fans and to their characters. Fans will appreciate the alternate realities presented here; for a little while, at least, things are okay for Max and Chloe and the residents of Arcadia Bay, but it's too good to be true.

In the last third of Polarized, Dontnod pulls out all the stops. All of Arcadia Bay and its citizens are put on display from all angles: They are seen at their best and worst, through a series of events, rooms, dialogues, and stealth missions that put the last few Silent Hill titles to shame as far as pure "What in the world am I witnessing here?" goes. The calm before the storm has passed, and players are thrown into the deep end. The introspection and deconstruction of character isn't limited to the NPCs, and Max is soon put on display, as well: players are finally confronted with their choices. Nothing was without consequence, and the universe apparently didn't like being tampered with, even in minute ways. The message it delivers is clear: no one is innocent, now.

Episode 5 is the pinnacle of the storytelling and character development Dontnod has kept fans going with, and at the centre of it all is Max. Players will see her at her most vulnerable, but this only stands to show how far she can rise above it. Even the minor characters have their roles to play, helping or impeding Max as she navigates the chaos of the storm brought on by her decisions. Dontnod was correct to name this episode Polarized, as fans definitely are by the final decision that brings the episode to its close. It's easy at first to be disappointed that the game boils down to one final decision that matters more than the others, but Life is Strange has always been a game about moments. Players have lived a life in the shoes of a shy photography student named Max Caulfield, and maybe the things they've done don't impact the final cinematic of the game, but those moments are still there, those players still made those choices, and those who suggest they didn't have any meaning were perhaps playing the wrong game from the start.