Episode 3 received generally favorable reviews.[3][4] It was praised for its great presentation and use of music, its environmental design, its consistently strong writing and characterization, its dialogue and voice acting, and its complex web of meaningful moral choices. Furthermore, the episode received positive reception for its exploration of sexuality and LGBT representation.
Life Is Strange 2 Episode 3
It was criticized for being comparably short and "thematically empty", for its lack of development and its lack of gameplay including an underutilization of Daniel's powers, as well as the story not living up to the potential of the first episode's set-up.
After the cutscene with Daniel, you can find the next collectable in this episode. Turn around and walk forwards and slightly left towards the lake. There will be a couple of fallen tree logs piled up along the edge of the area; behind the logs you will find a fossil:
The decisions you make within this chapter will affect the way the rest of the episode plays out. You can either chat to Finn and choose to go on the heist with him, or decide not to do the heist and take Cassidy's side. The collectables are available in either story line, so side with either person as you wish.
There are several ways in which you can go about the next couple of chapters; you can either choose to be stealthy to avoid alerting Big Joe and Merril, or use Daniel's power to force your way into places. One method to get to the end of the episode is described below, but feel free to experiment and find other ways into the house.
The third episode of Life Is Strange 2 takes place two months after we last saw Sean Diaz and his little brother Daniel escaping Beaver Creek, Oregon because of yet another plan gone wrong. There's a lot to get caught up on here, but Sean's journal does a good job of making sure you don't feel like you've missed out. The end of Sean's most recent entry reads, "It's not easy," and as I sat there a couple of hours later completely unable to decide how Sean should proceed in a high stakes situation, I couldn't have agreed more.
By choosing to flesh out the supporting cast, Life is Strange 2 reaches a new high with the release of Wastelands. It's an emotionally intense episode that both builds and destroys the bonds Sean has worked so hard to forge.
Life is Strange, as a series, has lofty expectations to reach. Not only does the first season hold a dear place in many people's hearts, but the first episode of Life is Strange 2 raised the stakes with its portrayal of Mexican-Americans living in a society that doesn't welcome them. Since then, the Diaz brothers have faced numerous trials, leading to a new life in Episode 3. Does this episode keep up with the high standards Dontnod has set for themselves, and does it set the way towards the conclusion of these brothers' tale?
Throughout the episode, you learn more about the drifters that take you in, with the relationships and tension you explore in Episode 3 culminate to an explosive conclusion. If nothing else, Episode 4 is bound to be full of heartache and drama.
Daniel, as we know, has superpowers like the first series' heroine. Only we don't control Daniel: we control his brother Sean. In Episode 3: Wastelands, we find Sean and Daniel now living within a camp for drifters in Humboldt, California, about a month after the events of Episode 2. It's a strange bunch of people, with a Dutch couple, a lot of white people with dreads, a woman who walks around without her shirt on even though there's a nine-year-old kid around. Quickly, you find they're all relatively nice people, though some are still a little shifty around Sean and Daniel, the newest entrants to the "family."
Episode 3: Wastelands, the latest episode since Episode 2 premiered in January 2019, is the slowest paced one yet. Decent chunks of the episode has you walking around and socializing with people in the camp, from Cassidy, a familiar face from the last episode, to the rebellious Finn, who may be a bad influence on young Daniel. You help out with chores, and during the day, you work at a weed farm clipping buds. It's here where another tedious minigame is briefly introduced, much like the "move the joystick around to sketch" that pops up often, only here you hit the left and right bumpers at a precise moment to clip a weed bud. The sequence lasts a long time, as you lay witness to Cassidy and another character bicker, while others like Daniel whine about the work. And trust me, I was whining too, but not as Sean.
Unlike the past two episodes, the unique interactions with Daniel are few and far between. There are a few instances, like asking Daniel to lift up a log and helping him train, but when you go up to talk to him, you rarely see an additional option outlined in blue to do some activity with him. As a result, the interactivity beyond dialogue choices and moving around is severely lacking in Wastelands. It's a disappointment, as that was part of what helped set it apart from other adventure games of this ilk.
For a series with just two episodes left, I felt like not a lot happened in Episode 3, even in terms of just character development. In Episode 2, we saw Sean and Daniel reconnecting with long lost family. It was similarly slow paced, but heavy in its focus on Sean and Daniel reckoning for the first on-screen time with the long-absence of their mother. While not as eventful as Episode 1, it did bring about a new twist: the possibility of going to find their mom in place of fleeing to Mexico. (The former an idea that Daniel is for, and Sean is vehemently against.) In Episode 1, in contrast to the most recent episodes, a lot of shit went down.
But in Episode 3, the intrigue stumbles. Sean has the opportunity to go down a romantic path (with two options), but otherwise, it doesn't feel like anything really happens until the very end. While the ending admittedly makes me want to see what happens in Episode 4, Episode 3 felt like a mostly-inconsequential adventure-of-the-week; or a middle episode of a show with way too many episodes in a season. (Like, say, Riverdale.)
It's the weakest episode yet, even with its cliffhanger ending. The choices you make throughout Episode 3 don't feel as if they carry as much weight, even on a pure brotherly level. Daniel, no matter how nice I was to him, still had an attitude. Decisions I made, after seeing other options through, all barreled to the same conclusions mostly. What you see in the end is largely the same too, no matter how careful or wreckless you are with your decisions. With two episodes to go, I hope that Episode 4 gives us some indication of how the boys' road trip will conclude, because right now, it doesn't feel like the end is near in sight.
Life is Strange 2: Episode 3: Wastelands (PC, PS4, Xbox One [reviewed])Developer: Dontnod EntertainmentPublisher: Square EnixReleased: May 9, 2019MSRP: $39.99 (all five episodes)
Where the second episode was an intimate narrative of Sean and Daniel dealing with the aftermath of the death of their father in a racially motivated tragedy, the third introduces us to a slew of new supporting characters. While the new characters are mostly forgettable they provide the catalyst for building the rift that is developing between the brothers.
Cassie and Finn, who we were briefly introduced to in episode two, are the characters you will interact with the most in Wastelands. Both characters can also be wooed for a potential romantic partner for Sean or you may choose to keep things entirely plutonic. Whichever romantic lead you pursue, all roads lead to supplying the dark turn Life Is Strange 2 takes in straining the relationship between the Diaz brothers.
Life Is Strange 2 Episode 3: Wastelands is the weakest and shortest installment of the game so far. The dialogue-heavy episode starts slow but finishes strong and sets up a new obstacle for Sean and Daniel with a real cliffhanger of an ending.
Episode 1 introduced us to the emotional story of two young brothers who lose their father and learn that the younger boy, 9-year-old Daniel, has supernatural powers. They flee the police and their Seattle life, surviving on the run in the woods with only each other to depend upon.
There are plenty of hidden collectibles to find in Life is Strange. These optional photo opportunities are scattered about each episode, with some requiring Max to make specific decisions, or the chance to take the picture won't appear.
There are 10 Photo collectibles to get in Life is Strange, Episode 3: Chaos Theory. Don't worry if some were missed, as any episode can be repeated from the main menu in "Collectible Mode" to search for missed photo opportunities without affecting previous player choices. Each picture will pop its own Trophy/Achievement, and once all ten have been found, the "Camera Eye" Trophy/Achievement will also unlock.
Square Enix have kindly given way-advance notice of three dates you'll want to stock up on tissues for, announcing launch dates for the remaining three episodes of Life Is Strange 2. I don't have foreknowledge of what will happen to kiddywinkles on the lam with superpowers but, y'know, they are kiddywinkles on the lam - one way or another, you'll be getting sniffly. Better book that Tesco delivery for a family box of tissues today (other supermarkets are available).
Episode 3 will launch on May 9th, Square Enix announced today, followed by episode 4 on August 22nd then episode 5 on December 3rd. That gives the series a span of fourteen months - not bad. It does seem bold to date three episodes months in advance, mind.
"Similar to the first Life Is Strange, even if the full LIS2 story has already been written entirely before working on the individual episodes, we give ourselves the opportunity to adapt the content and make changes during the production of an episode when it feels right creatively," they noted on their blog last week.
I've avoided Life Is Strange 2 so far because the first game meant enough to me at a certain point in my life that I'm happy to just leave the whole thing be, let it all sit in memory and not disturb it even with an unconnected sequel. That said, I am mighty tempted by the promise of redwoods. About the happiest I've ever been was passing through the Avenue of the Giants with a pal, stopping to walk through the trees, swim in Eel River, drink whisky on the bank, and just gaze in awe of the scale and sound and smell and agh big trees are the best I lost all comprehension of scale because I understand how big a tree is and how it can be used to judge distance and height but when the trees around you are twice the size you understand trees to be your brain just breaks and it's dizzying and breathe, Alice, breathe. 2ff7e9595c
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