Life Is Strange: Reunion sees the return of a much-loved series, and most importantly for fans, Deck Nine take full control of the reins once again, delivering a story that feels both familiar and refreshingly mature in the same breath, acting as a reflective continuation of the themes that made Life Is Strange Life Is Strange.
The game picks up the action about a year after the events of 2024’s Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, with the tale flipping between fan favourites Max Caulfield and Chloe Price.
Read More: Still Wakes the Deep review – Still Walkers Run Shallow
Where Chloe, now in her 30s, is a band manager but is having “strange” visions of Max, so sets out to find out what actually happened, whereas Max is now a teacher and has, for the most part, found peace.
Life is Eventful
Well, for about thirty seconds, as the game wastes no time before things go sideways as a fire breaks out at Caledon University. Where, in a Final Destination vibe, Max sees students and friends killed off one by one as the fire takes hold and she fails to do anything to stop it.
So, Max uses her powers to jump three days before the fire starts to hopefully prevent it, and shortly after doing this she reunites with Chloe and the series “whodunnit” hook all kicks off.
Read More: Dustborn review – Trying Too Hard
It’s a tale that takes a few unseen twists and turns, with your choices having a weight and impact that the series has missed for a few games. But with it being very easy to spoil, we will leave the tale at that.
At its core, Life Is Strange: Reunion is still very much a game about relationships. Whether it’s rekindling old friendships or confronting past decisions, Reunion leans heavily into the series’ signature emotional storytelling.
Under Your Skin
Life Is Strange: Reunion hits many of the same highs as earlier entries, delivering moments that will genuinely stick with you, especially if you’ve been with the series from the start. The writing does a solid job of making conversations feel natural, even if at times it can lean a little too heavily into “teen” melodrama.
Though I could have had just a little more time for Max and Chloe to just…talk, as there is a lot of water under the bridge between them in the series, for example seeing both die multiple times, which, let’s be honest, is going to give anyone “baggage”.
Read More: As Dusk Falls review – Bold, Divisive and Flawed
Gameplay remains largely unchanged, sticking to the familiar formula of exploration, dialogue choices, and environmental storytelling. Choices once again play a major role; they tend to fall into fairly clear-cut affairs rather than more complex moral grey-area moments.
That said, the consequences feel a bit more refined here, with decisions carrying emotional weight.
Puzzle Me This
Max also gets to play with her time-bending powers, which does bring in a few fun and somewhat taxing puzzles. Whereas Chloe will be trying to win arguments in the world by picking the right answers, which was harder than you would expect, especially when she has to live with the outcome, having no time powers to change it.
Visually, Reunion sticks to its guns with the series’ distinct art style, featuring soft lighting and painterly textures that give the world an almost dreamlike quality. The environments feel lived-in, and there’s a strong sense of atmosphere and heart throughout.
Read More: Pokémon Pokopia review – Poké Life Sim
The soundtrack, as expected, is a highlight, perfectly complementing the tone of the story with a mix of licensed tracks and original score.
Speed of Life
On the downside, pacing can be a little uneven, particularly in the middle chapters where the story slows down. Some transitions between emotional moments also feel jarring, which can take you out of the moment.
Life Is Strange: Reunion is a heartfelt entry in the series, a fitting end to the main plot line that has been 10 years in the making, that focuses less on spectacle and more on introspection in ways. It may not reinvent the formula, but it doesn’t need to. For fans, it’s a touching return that explores how people grow, drift apart, and sometimes find their way back again.
- Life is Strange: Reunion review – Second Life
- HP OmniBook 5 16-Inch Laptop [16‑ba1502sa] review – Budget Elegance
- Marvel MaXimum Collection review – Marvellous Curation
Find TechStomper’s games reviews on OpenCritic.com