I want to believe that the Switch is capable of supporting graphic adventures, compelling stories, and riveting experiences that are expected from other consoles. For the case of Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection, I cannot help but express concern that this remaster is less of a remaster and more of a port of the original 2015 game, graphical artifacts and outdated loading times included. Yes, Life is Strange is an outstanding game and very easily one of the best written games I've played in my lifetime. The Arcadia Bay Collection comes with all the content associated with Life is Strange and Before the Storm. Switch owners should definitely play Life is Strange during their lives. But, if you own other consoles/a PC, then maybe you should consider trying Life is Strange on a platform that makes the game look and feel better than its original. If you already own Life is Strange, then this collection becomes much more difficult to recommend.
The Nintendo Switch (or any of Nintendo’s consoles, really) lacks story-driven games that change based on your choices. When you think of a deep and meaningful graphic adventure, you may immediately think of Batman: The Telltale Series, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, or even Detroit: Become Human. All of these games have a home on the PC and other consoles. Sony, in particular, has succeeded in releasing titles on its modern consoles (PS4 and PS5) that weave compelling stories in cinematic fashions. I could go on, or I could cut to the chase: Videogames are a powerful medium for storytelling, and I wholeheartedly believe that we need more story-driven games where the player fulfills the roles of an invisible audience-member and the executive storyteller. Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection is a rare example of a meaningful narrative game on the Switch, and it’s out now.
Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection features two games: Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. If, like me, you have yet to play Life is Strange, you play as Max Caulfield, an 18-year-old who is a new student at Blackwell Academy. Right from the start, Max discovers that she has the ability to rewind time as a result of watching her best friend Chloe perish in the school bathroom. Before the Storm takes place prior to the events of Life is Strange and stars Chloe, who lacks the rewinding powers but has verbal prowess to backtalk and navigate various dialogue choices. Either way, both games tell compelling stories.
When not watching cutscenes and listening for clues in dialogue, controlling Max (and Chloe) is simple. Sometimes, you’re tasked with walking around Arcadia Bay and talking with NPCs, strengthening your relationship with those around you. Occasionally, you’ll be presented with a branching dialogue option that can impact your decisions later. Othertimes, you’ll use your rewinding powers to solve timed puzzles. For those who like exploring, meandering around Arcadia Bay can lead you to nooks and crannies where Max can snap a picture. Even though the world may be fictional, Northern Oregon’s Arcadia Bay feels alive and interactive, but you must seek that interactivity.
As you play as Max (and Chloe, in Before the Storm), you learn that the smallest of actions can have significant consequences later down the line. With each new chapter, you’re constantly reminded of your good, or less than good, deeds. This decision-making will often hit a critical peak within each Chapter when a tense conversation or event gives you one of two options to select. While Max has the ability to freely select an option, watch it play out, and rewind to see what happens when the other option is chosen, both options drastically alter the trajectory of Max’s story.
This storytelling is where Life is Strange sets itself apart from the likes of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Heavy Rain, and Batman: The Telltale Series. I quite enjoyed these games on my PS4 when I was going through my graphic adventure phase, but Life is Strange is something else entirely, and in all the right ways. In Batman: The Telltale Series, Gotham reacts to your decisions as Batman. Should you tread unpredictable and bloodthirsty, Gotham will slowly despise you. Should you save the day in a fair and neutral fashion, Gotham may respect you. However, regardless of your actions as Bruce Wayne/Batman, you’re a bystander in the story writing process with pre-established characters who you already may, or may not, know because of a pre-existing familiarity with Gotham and the DC Universe. In Life is Strange, the characters you meet and grow with don’t just react to your actions (or lack thereof); you, as Max, are forced to live with the future consequences of your current actions. It’s gripping, it forced me to be deliberate in my in-game actions. This style of storytelling is what sets Life is Strange so far apart from other graphic adventures, and it’s the kind that may paralyze you each time you arrive at the crossroads of choice.
I began this review with comments about the Switch being a lesser known, if not a rare, platform for compelling storytelling. Indeed it does, and I’m glad that Life is Strange has made its way to the Switch for other players who lack another platform to experience a thrilling tale. However, I fear that the Arcadia Bay Collection does not hit the mark as a good Switch port, especially a port of a game that was initially released in 2015.
Life is Strange Arcade Bay Collection advertises itself as a remaster of Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm on the Nintendo Switch, and its performance on my Switch (docked and handheld) has me thinking otherwise. When I first booted up the game, I was presented with a loading screen that was so long that I thought my Switch had locked up and/or required a restart. However, this was not the case. It turns out that most loading screens span anywhere from 30s to upwards of 90s. I would look past that if the graphics themselves were smooth and lacking visual artifacts, but that isn’t the case either. Some of the environments look blurry, foggy, and reminiscent of an era of gaming that you would expect from a console that existed prior to 2015. When I took a peek at Life is Strange on other consoles, the graphical quality was night and day. The Switch just cannot compare. Occasionally, I encountered instances where objects would clip into the ground/walls, making my screen blurry and busy. This came to a head in the middle of Chapter 2 when I was tasked with finding bottles in a junkyard: Several objects that weren’t supposed to be interactable flickered and blinked, indicating to me that they could be interacted with.
Sure, Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection is mostly stable on the Switch. Other than graphical artifacts and horrendously long loading times, the game ran mostly well. During the review period, I lost my progress once because the game force closed as a result of me putting the device to sleep at the start of a cutscene. I would imagine that specific instance was a rarity, as I wasn’t able to replicate the force closing since. Also, I’m unsure if this was the case in other versions of this game, but the rewind function suffers with a form of input lag. When I would press the triggers to rewind time and retrace my steps, it would take several seconds before the rewinding animation occurred. Either way, it’s not the best look on the Switch, especially for a “remaster” of a seven-year-old game.
I want to believe that the Switch is capable of supporting graphic adventures, compelling stories, and riveting experiences that are expected from other consoles. For the case of Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection, I cannot help but express concern that this remaster is less of a remaster and more of a port of the original 2015 game, graphical artifacts and outdated loading times included. Yes, Life is Strange is an outstanding game and very easily one of the best written games I’ve played in my lifetime. The Arcadia Bay Collection comes with all the content associated with Life is Strange and Before the Storm. Switch owners should definitely play Life is Strange during their lives. But, if you own other consoles/a PC, then maybe you should consider trying Life is Strange on a platform that makes the game look and feel better than its original. If you already own Life is Strange, then this collection becomes much more difficult to recommend.
