Life is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time (PlayStation 4) Review

With the conclusion of the first episode that resulted in Max spilling her secrets to her best friend Chloe Price, Out of Time begins, funnily enough, with quite a lot of time, actually. Chloe puts Max's powers to the test in a friendly, jovial competition, which slowly escalates from pure boredom into an unforgettable finale. While the first half of the episode allows for the character growth between Max and Chloe and their relationship with each other, the mindless activities they get up to is the slow part of the story that never seems to be really getting anywhere. Unfortunately, this portion of the story takes place in the Diner, which is a lovely setting that hosts a colourful cast of minor characters.

Around the halfway mark, Max and Chloe venture out into a junkyard to continue their power explorations. It is at this junkyard that the main story really begins to unfold further and big story-defining decisions need to be made. Once this portion of the episode is complete, the rest quickly ramps up in momentum and it comes to a satisfying head. It is just unfortunate that the opening stages are quite slow and seem like "filler" compared to the rest regarding the leaked video tape.

The voice acting is pleasing in Out of Time, continuing the trend set in the first one. Chloe, as always, takes the biscuit with a standout performance, while the brooding Principal Wells and David Madsen are also good. Unfortunately, the technical limitations also remain consistent, as the finger detection mechanism keeps confusing Max's walking destination to her interactive intention. Simple tasks, such as walking Max to the flowerpot, become a hassle because of some innocuous environmental obstacle that she ends up being stuck on.

The time-rewind mechanic is often used in this episode, no thanks in part to Chloe's little game early on. The activity quickly drains the fun out of the rewinding time ability, to the point that it almost ends up overstaying its welcome, and it is only the second episode. While it is understandable that a game revolving around this mechanic will attempt to use it as much as possible throughout the story, using Max's powers for menial tasks, such as collecting empty bottles around the junkyard or guessing how many cigarettes Chloe has in her pocket, becomes a grinding chore.