Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Video Shares Expanded Gameplay and Reveals How It Recognizes the Original Game’s Ending

Square Enix today hosted a special live stream for Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which was revealed during last week’s Xbox Games Showcase. The 48-minute presentation speaks with the game‘s developers and performers to shed new light on Max Caulfield’s return to the franchise and his new powers while showing off expanded gameplay.

The story apparently takes place a few years after the events of Life is Strange. Max moved away from Arcadia Bay for a fresh start and now works as an artist in residence at Caledon University in upstate Vermont. She has sworn to never use her time rewind ability again, ever since the end of the first game. Despite this, Max’s power has evolved. She can now travel between two timelines, an ability called Shift. Unfortunately, she only discovers this power after stumbling upon the sudden murder of her new friend, Safi.

Deck Nine, which developed Life is Strange: Before the Storm and True Colors, describes the game as a supernatural murder mystery. Max will travel through two realities: his current reality and an alternate timeline where Safi is still alive but in great danger. In the reality where Safi is killed, Max must find the culprit. In the timeline where Safi lives, she must prevent his murder. Solving and preventing the same crime involves searching both timelines for clues and interacting with two versions of each character, whose behavior and relationship with Max changes depending on the timelines, circumstances, and your choices. Like True Colors, Double Exposure is a single release divided into episodes.

Of course, the million dollar question for fans is how Double Exposure answers both of Life Is Strange’s endings. Deck Nine says the game includes a conversation between Max and Safi about Arcadia Bay, which will allow players to choose their chosen ending. This essentially determines Double Exposure’s canon, and your ending choice will be reflected in Max’s thoughts, journals, text messages, and conversations with characters going forward. One example we see is a conversation where Safi asks Max who “the girl with the blue hair” is to her, presenting a choice to establish Chloe’s relationship with Max.

In terms of gameplay, Max has lost his original time rewind power. Instead, she can instantly swap timelines in certain locations to explore two versions of the same space. She will use this power to solve puzzles and bypass inaccessible spaces (for example, a locked door in one timeline can be unlocked – or Max learns how to unlock it – in the other). She can also use a “pulse” ability to extend her supernatural senses to determine weak points between timelines, allowing her to see and hear ghostly glimpses of people and objects in the alternate reality without passing through. With this, she can eavesdrop on characters from the other timeline to gain information and stealthily track suspects.

Of course, beyond the murder mystery, Max will have to deal with the social drama of working on a college campus. As an artist in residence, she serves as a mentor to younger students, whom she may or may not use to her advantage. An extended gameplay video shows Max hanging out with Safi and his best friend Moses to watch a meteor shower. In addition to showing some of the choices that can take this scene in different directions, we also see Max’s camera come into play, where she can capture photos of her friends. We also see the events leading up to Safi’s murder.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure looks promising, and as a fan of the original, I can’t wait to reunite with Max and solve a new mystery. It launches on October 29 for PlayStation 5, Xbox series X/S and PC.