Square Enix and Deck Nine hosted a livestream for Life is Strange Double Exposure providing fans and newcomers with an in-depth look at what to expect from its next entry. The event featured Deck Nine developers Jonathan Strauder, Game Director, and Felice Kuan, the Narrative Director alongside host Elyse Willems.
Following the Life is Strange Double Exposure reveal announcement, new details emerged about the connection to the original Life is Strange, Max’s new powers, and characters including Safi and Moses.
In a one-on-one chat with host Elyse Willems, Hannah Telle, the voice of Max Caulfield, shared insights into Max’s character development. “As Max has evolved, her powers have evolved too,” Telle explained. “She didn’t use that power for a really long time, because it creates so much devastation. So it adapted into something different. She now has this supernatural ability to move between two timelines, giving her a unique position to figure out what’s really going on with Safi’s murder.”
Game Director, Jonathan Stauder, elaborated on the new gameplay mechanics particularly Max’s ability to “Shift” between the two parallel timelines. “Max’s ability to Shift between the two timelines opens up a whole slew of gameplay possibilities,” Stauder said. This mechanic will allow players to navigate and manipulate different versions of the same space to solve puzzles and uncover clues.
Narrative Director Felice Kuan highlighted the challenge of balancing respect for the previous story with creating something new. “We knew that this had to be something special. We also knew we had to respect the two unforgettable endings to the first chapter of Max’s story, while also crafting something new,” Kuan stated. She emphasized the goal of welcoming new players while delivering a fresh, compelling story for existing fans.
The Life is Strange Double Exposure livestream also featured an extended gameplay showcase from Chapter 1, depicting Max and her friends Safi and Moses watching a meteor shower from the Caledon Observatory roof, leading to a mysterious and deadly turn.
Life is Strange Double Exposure is set to release on October 29, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. A Nintendo Switch version is also in development, to be announced at a later date.