Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection, review of the first adventure to arrive on Switch

In January, it will be eight years since the release of the first episode of Life is Strange, an amazing narrative adventure created by Dontnod Entertainment and distributed by Square Enix. Since the distant 2015 we have seen this little big game come to the fore time and time again, popping up on almost every platform available. Last year, a modified version of the title, including the Before The Storm subtitle, appeared on the current generation of consoles, as well as on Google’s streaming service, Stadia. It took a while, but the adventures of Max and Chloe are also officially debuting on the Nintendo Switch, with a new exclusive release for the handheld console par excellence.

in Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection Review We will see the strengths and weaknesses of this process.

Eight years and not heard

From time to time, some generational works seem able to last over time and continue to dazzle even after years of distance (albeit with some technical compromises). Life Is Strange is one of those cases. If you have never had the opportunity to deal with this series, we will briefly introduce you to the listed events.

Max, a young visual arts student at the famous Black Wall Academy, suddenly discovers that she has a goddess supernatural powers, by which he can return the time in time. After being accidentally reunited with her childhood friend Chloe, a girl must learn to control her innate talent to try to avoid a major danger looming large over the small town of Arcadia Bay.

As usual for products that put teens in command of the narrative, what we encounter is a tale of coming of age that sits midway between the scary and the detective, as the inhabitants of this fictional seaside town in Oregon hide many secrets. . On the other hand, the Before The Storm subtitle puts us in Chloe’s shoes, takes us back three years before the events of the main game and gives us some background on some facts we won’t reveal to you. The main feature of the game is his nature of decision making, with multiple options that will determine the future of events and determine the outcome of your game, complete with stats at the end of each episode (five in the base game, three in the episodic episode) showing the percentage of choices made by other players. On a narrative level, of course, this Switch kit doesn’t really add anything new, but it was nice to outline an overall picture for those (the few) who haven’t yet had a chance to experience this firsthand.

portable adventure

Certainly the most intriguing element of this remake of Life Strange is its new dimension, which is letting the “big screens” of television hit the shores of Mobility. We’ve already had the opportunity to deal with this kind of approach, thanks to the release on Stadia, but the ways to use are completely different. Here we are facing a game that is played in real time on a console in the user’s hand. An “old” experience, if you pass the term, without the mediation of a streaming service.

This results in a decidedly cleaner picture with fewer graphical distractions, but it has to deal with older hardware, which often shows its side, especially when played on TV. However, it is clear that the main focus of this port was the portable mode. And it must be said, from this point of view, that the game may not surprise, but at least it is. Perfection is elusive (very long loads even between small scenario segments; little input lag, especially from TV), but the result is more than acceptable, in a combination of smoothness and visual detail (for the amount of the game is not too graphically complex) it pleases to be between Your hands while riding a long train ride or waiting for your turn at the doctor.