is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
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A little over a decade ago, Life is Strange burst onto the scene with a unique blend of teen drama and interactive storytelling. That first game told the story of Max Caulfield, who had the supernatural ability to reverse time, and her best friend Chloe Price. Now developer Deck Nine Games is finally bringing their story to an end with a new game called Reunion.
The latest entry in the series follows 2024’s Double Exposure, which similarly continued Max’s story from the original game. The developer describes Reunion as the “emotional conclusion of the Max and Chloe saga.” Players will have three days to attempt to avoid a fire at their old college, where Max is now a teacher. Here’s the basic set-up:
Returning from a weekend away, Max finds her beloved Caledon ablaze, as a raging inferno destroys the hallowed grounds and ends the lives of Max’s friends, students, and faculty alike. Max only escapes the devastation due to her Rewind power — returning from the original Life is Strange — a supernatural ability that lets her reverse time. Jumping back in time through a selfie, Max now has just three days to work out how the fire began. Can she make the most of her second chance to prevent this fiery disaster?
The twist is that both characters will be playable for the first time. While Max retains her time travel power, Chloe’s skill is her back talk and attitude, which can apparently do a hella good job of dealing with suspects.
Of course, while Reunion marks the end of this particular storyline, that doesn’t necessarily mean Life is Strange won’t continue. The series has adopted something of an anthology format, with several games — Life is Strange 2 and Life is Strange: True Colors — telling all new stories within the same themes and gameplay structure.
It appears that Life is Strange: Reunion won’t be an episodic release — publisher Square Enix describes it as “a full-length adventure” — and it’s launching on March 26th on the PS5, Xbox, and PC.