- For the prequel AMA, see Reddit AMA (Prequel).
The Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) with the DONTNOD team for Life is Strange took place on Tuesday, January 27th, 2015, shortly before the release of the first episode on January 29th. Luc Baghadoust submitted the AMA which lasted for two hours, from 3-5PM (CET).[1]
Opening Statement[]
"Hello, we're from DONTNOD Entertainment, the studio behind Life Is Strange. The game is coming out this Friday (January 30th) and we were keen to answer any questions you have about the game. We’re all really excited for release and for you to play the first episode.
We'd like to mention that we are a French studio so English is not our first language. We wanted to make you aware of this for when we are replying to your questions.
With us we have:
Dontnod_Luc - Luc Baghadoust - Producer
Dontnod_Baptiste - Baptise Moisan - Lead designer
Dontnod_Michel - Michel Koch - Co-game director
Dontnod_Raoul - Raoul Barbet - Go-game director
We're here for 2 hours, we can’t wait to speak with you all!"
Answered Questions[]
rchaserr
How was the creative process that made o go from Remember Me to Life is Strange? Something from the previous game made you think about the new one?
Dontnod_Raoul
Thanks for the question. In our previous game Remember Me, the story of Nilin a "memory hunter", we loved the "Memory Remix" sequence and wanted to expand this principle to a whole game. How little actions can have big consequences... We came very quickly to an adventure style game to tell our story: this is "Life is strange".
yramek
What about Russian localization? I know "Tolma4 Team" offer you translate your game for free. Hope u'll make a little wonder for our big Russian community. Good luck
Dontnod_Luc
Hi yramek,
For the moment the only languages supported are English (Audio and subtitles) and French (subtitles). We’d love to add Russian and more languages later on if we have the possibility to do so! Localisation takes a lot of time to get right, not just the translation but the implementation and QA process etc. Do you know of any other games Tolma4 Team have localised?
Sora9669
What's it like working with Square Enix?
Dontnod_Raoul
It's like a dream come true... :-) Having our booth between Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider at Cologne Gamescom was terrific. On a production point a view, it's great to have them supporting us on many different topics. They really like the game and we are of course proud to be part of this great Square Enix family with our game. All of the trailers and dev diaries you see are also created by the publisher so they are really helping us to get exposure for the game too.
JohnnyEclair
The way the story and characters are treated in “Life is Strange” are reminiscent of other French games from the recent years, such as Heavy Rain. Would you say there is a "French touch" in video games, and if so, how would you describe it?
Dontnod_Raoul
Thanks a lot for your message. I really hope that french developers could continue to create games that players love. I won't say there is a "french touch"... For us, it's just trying to create some good games, maybe we have chosen some themes not seen a lot in video game but the indie scene is just incredible all around the world, it's not just "french dev". There is also a lot of french developpers in different studios around the world. I think we have good school here in 3D, animation and Game Design which allows that. For us it's really amazing to see our work appreciated in other countries. Thanks !
JohnnyEclair
One thing I really enjoyed with "Remember Me" was the experimental and futuristic soundtrack. Combining orchestral music, glitches and electro sounds made it very memorable and interesting fusion. This time, however, the setting will be very different - more normal, if I could say. How does that affect the musical direction? Perhaps more acoustic music like the licensed song in the debut trailer? Since time traveling/altering mechanics are there, will that impact to the music itself somehow?
Dontnod_Raoul
Thanks a lot for your message. The soundtrack of Olivier Deriviere on Remember Me was amazing. For Life is Strange, we were constantly listening to modern indie folk music bands to obtain the unique sound we wanted for our story. We wanted to keep this "real life" aspect and this nostalgic feeling you have when you listen to a song. We wanted the player to have also this experience. So for the soundtrack, we chose to have a mix between score and licensed tracks. For the score we wanted to find a band with songs we could use in the game and also able to compose a score. We have talked with a french composer Jonathan Morali (from the band Syd Matters) and he was very excited by the project : he's composing all the score of the game and we use some tracks of Syd Matters in the game (like "Obstacles" title of the trailer). I hope you'll enjoy this.
FixxxerTV
Thanks for doing this AMA! Excited for the game.
Can you go into the influence David Lynch and Twin Peaks has had on the story and/or story telling in this game?
Dontnod_Michel
Thanks for your excitement :) As you can imagine some of us are really fans of Twin Peaks, and we can't deny that it had some influence on us during the writing process. The feeling of a remote isolated town where everyone knows everyone, and with secrets lurking in the nature is a very powerful theme we are also dealing with in Life is Strange. David Lynch had a way with twin peaks to create strong characters, using stereotypes, but then evolving them outside the boundaries of those clichés, and this is something we are keen on doing in Life is Strange, using some established character types, and then completely putting them on unexpected paths.
kewlsnake
How big will the focus on the supernatural be? I felt like the vast majority of your trailer was about a drama with the difficulties of two young women growing up. Then at the end, you threw a giant tornado at the screen.
Dontnod_Michel
Life is Strange is heavily anchored in reality, the down to earth elements like isolation, social issues, friendship, family issues, missing student... are keys to Life is Strange, it is our starting point and we are not telling a sci-fi story, but a realistic story with supernatural elements on top of it. However as you will be playing all the episodes and go deeper inside our game and story, you'll discover daker themes and a growing importance of the supernatural elements. And yes the tornado is an important element of the game :)
TekNiko24
Who chose the songs for the soundtrack?
Dontnod_Raoul
For the soundtrack, we really wanted to have a mix between score and licensed tracks. The two game directors and the audio designer have chosen all the different music tracks (lot of great bands :-) ). We’ll announce these very soon! We also wanted to work with a french composer Jonathan Morali (from the band Syd Matters) : he's composing all the score of the game.
SeanBe793
Hi team! May I just say whatever I've seen of the game really impresses me and I honestly believe it will offer one of the most engrossing gaming experiences of our time. My question is: It is said that the game will be released over 5 episodes. The first comes out, on the 30th of this month. How long, in terms of gameplay and content will the first episode and every other episode be?
Dontnod_Luc
Hi SeanBe793!
This is the type of game that really depends on the player. In the playtests we find that a standard first time playthrough of the Episode 1 takes approximately 2 hours but many players explore every single bit of environmental storytelling or want to know every outcome before they make their final choice, using the rewind mechanic. Some players have taken 4 hours to get through Episode 1 so the length is really dependant on how you choose to play ! All of the episodes are around the same length too.
JohnnyEclair
Max and Chloe are people in a crucial age where they start thinking about their future and who they are in this world. As we can see from Chloe, traumas and such are dealt very different ways. These backstories make us want to know more about the characters and their future. Will "Life Is Strange" focus on pre-adults’ psychological growth and how they end up becoming who they are?
Dontnod_Michel
Exactly, you already gave the answer in your question! :) To expand this answer a little bit, this is a really crucial age like you mentioned, when you still have all you life ahead of you, but when you need to make really crucial choices that will follow you during your whole existence. And giving this rewind power to Max will really push her – and the player – to think what it is to become an adult, what decisions you need to make, and eventually how you can accept fate (if you can) and more forward. Coming of age stories are interesting for a number of reasons. They are usually tales of things happening and decisions being made that you have to live with. But what if you could rewind time and choose a different path? But this isn’t cheating! Because we will also play with your stories and the paths you choose. So what seems good in the short term may have dark consequences later. But I won’t spoil anything! We want you to discover and experience this in your own way but we’re sure you’re going to find an interesting story.
White000
I don't really have a question, just wanted to say thank you for the option of buying just one episode at the time instead of the whole season (Telltale style). After being dissapointed with The Walking Dead Season 2 I wasn't keen on purchasing the entire bundle of episodes, but I will definitely give Life is Strange a chance since I can just buy the first episode.
Good luck with the release!
Dontnod_Luc
We’re really glad that you and other people appreciate this! We are also very happy to offer a trial mode to people that are just curious about the game! You can buy each episode on its own or you can buy episode 1 and then add a season pass on later. We want players of all types to come and try the game we’ve worked so hard on! The best value for money is definitely buying the whole season at once though!
salvodaze
And one more question, this time about Vampyr. I'm really curious to learn what kind of combat the game will have and if it will be more of a character and story focused RPG or one that is action-oriented. Here's to hoping it's a full on RPG experience! :)
Dontnod_Luc
Thanks for the interest in Vampyr – we love that you’re interested :) We’re currently focused on Life is Strange but I’m sure the team working on Vampyr will have plenty to say when the time is right!
salvodaze
Thank you and good luck with both games!
Dontnod_Luc
thanks :)
JohnnyEclair
What has inspired the story in "Life Is Strange"? What motivation is driving the game forwards? For example, could it be the relationship between young adults?
Dontnod_Michel
This is a really interesting question, thanks for asking this :) (but it could be a long answer too) At the very beginning we knew that we wanted to create an adventure game dealing with choice and consequences and using the rewind power. Starting from this we started to brainstorm different stories and character that would be the best suited for this. Very quickly we drafted this coming-of-age story of a teenage girl coming back to her hometown after a 5 years absence. This period of life, the end of high school, is the perfect one to deal with choices and fate, since it is the moment of our lives when we were still free to choose, and when we defined who we would become as adults. We also really wanted to deal with friendship as a main theme, as it is something not often seen in video games, especially with the awkwardness that can happen between teenagers, all the untold stuff, the contrast between teenage angst and genuine joy and recklessness... We are also dealing with darker themes, the innocence of teenagers against the adult world corruption, mystery and investigation, and what will you do when you discover that you have a new incredible power...
Chriswich
What is the balance like between gameplay and story in Life is Strange? Is there lots of puzzle solving for instance?
Dontnod_Baptiste
Hi Chriswich!
In Life is Strange, we’re going for story and character development over puzzles.
However, we also want to have modern point’n’click puzzles which are simple puzzles with a twist: the rewind ability. And all of them are tied to the main plot as we want them to always tell something about the narration.
So both narration and puzzle solving will move players on but this is most definitely a modern narrative driven game that has puzzles. Not a puzzle game with a good story!
DuckOfDuckness
A few questions :)
- We've already heard that there is a limit to how far back you can go in time, but is there also a limit to how many times you can go back?
- I'm really looking forward to the game, so I mean this in the nicest way possible: This is a completely new franchise, only your second game, and I didn't really enjoy having to wait for new episodes of The Wolf Among Us to come out, so what reason would you give to convince me to preorder/buy at launch and not just wait until all episodes are out and it's cheaper?
- Are there any ducks in the game?
Dontnod_Baptiste
- Actually, there are no limitations in how many times you can go back in time. The player can choose to rewind whenever they want. At the moment you’ve only seen or heard the basics of the rewind mechanic. It’s not only the story that will evolve and change over time – but that’s all I’m saying right now! But we’re confident you’re going to enjoy what we’re doing!
- Life is Strange’s story is really set out as the modern tv shows, so we’re going to build tension throughout all 5 episodes! Having key reveals and cliffhangers are sometimes more fun if you experience them as and when they happen – as with an HBO TV series. But that’s the beauty of episodic – it’s totally up to you how you jump in
- Yeah, a few. Even though we prefer to add hidden sausages . We’ve added some interesting easter eggs for you for sure. Some are more hidden than others so happy hunting!
samhocevar
ducks
Hi, great fan of Dontnod speaking here. Do you think there is a chance to see the infamous Touky patch for big heads amongst other easter eggs in Life Is Strange?
Dontnod_Luc
Hello Sam,
It certainly seems you’re a big fan of our work :) We are big fans of easter eggs and our game has some cool ones, but I’m afraid a Touky patch isn’t in the game. He now works for another developer although he’s still a good guy! If he had stayed then maybe we would have had it in the game. But there’s lots of other things to find so happy hunting!
ItsGr33n47
Alright, here's the question that determines if I buy in today or wait for a sale: Will there be a platinum trophy on PS4?
Dontnod_Luc
Hi ItsGr33n47
I am also a huge fan of trophies and I’m pleased to confirm that YES, Life is Strange will have one (my precioussss).
ItsGr33n47
I'd just like to say that I'm in love with you now and I will be purchasing your game at the soonest possible time.
Dontnod_Luc
haha :) Love is the greatest Trophy you can obtain :)
Wolfsblvt
Similar to this question, and extending it a bit... Will those trophies be available on Steam too? I mean steam has the achievement system, but many games lack of good implementation of those PS4 trophies.
Dontnod_Luc
Hi Wolfsblvt,
you'll have the same achievements on Steam, minus the beloved Platinum... (but there will be Steam cards though :) )
salvodaze
Life is Strange is the first episodic story-focused game that truly grabbed my attention. How would describe the differences between Life is Strange and other episodic games? Does it use a similar formula or is it completely different?
Dontnod_Raoul
Thanks a lot for your support salvodaze. Of course we loved the recent modern episodic games (Telltale, indie games...). I think there is really something unique to see this way of telling a story. We are also all fans of old adventure games (Lucasart...). So we wanted to keep all the great ideas of those kind of games : puzzles, a lot of characters, player choices... And also add our own stuff : different original themes (coming of age, everyday life problems...) , highschool background, rewind power... The episodic format allows us to develop a lot each characters and also to keep in mind the "rythm" of the game (what is important to tell in each episode, how we want the player to feel in this specific episode, etc...). So we are also dealing with the recent (and great) TV shows way of telling stories. Also, we want players to be able to find additional background stories if they feel like wandering a bit more and taking their time… Journalists who have played the game recognise that we are different to TellTale games, different to Heavy Rain and different to others in the genre. Basically we’re trying to blend together all the stuff we like. We have aspects of them but we have made our own recipe that people seem to like the taste of! If you like these games then I think you’re in the right place to start with but our game is very different too!
warm_slurm
Is it safe to say that Life is Strange is basically a whole game of the Remix segments from Remember Me? I really enjoyed those parts of that game and remember thinking when I played the game that I'd probably like a whole game of fleshed-out Remix segments.
Dontnod_Baptiste
Yes and No :)!
We did come up with the idea of creating Life Is Strange thanks to the Memory Remix. We wanted to go a step further with this cool feature we already had.
However, Life Is Strange is more narrative and is about a coming of age story. And we reshaped the Memory Remix so it fits better what we’re talking about here. This led to the rewind feature which is a tool the player can use to both solve puzzle and observe the consequences of various outcomes.
What you’ll see and play in Episode 1 is only an introduction to the rewind too! But I won’t spoil things for you – you’ll have to play the game. But we will also play with short, mid and long term consequences. What may seem like the right decision in the short term might surprise you later.
Wolfsblvt
How is Life Is Strange connected with our usual day life? Will we see many connection, remember situations of our own life, or will the story differ and tell something special?
Dontnod_Michel
We think that everyone will be able to relate somehow to the story, either because you were yourself in such a situation at a moment of your life, or because you know someone who was. For example we are dealing with family issues, broken friendship, social awkwardness, missing student, narcotics, social bullying, etc... We are really careful when working with all those themes, so we deal with them with honesty and sensitivity.
Wolfsblvt
Great to hear that! Not that I don't enjoy fantasy/mystery stories that are very special, sometimes confusing and awkward, but I really like the feeling if really understand the situation. If I feel with the characters, if I think about my own life. I am very excited to see all those themes you have mentioned in the game (: As far as I've seen, you have done something amazing with this game.
Dontnod_Raoul
Thanks a lot for your enthusiasm ! You described exactly what we wanted to achieve.
Ghost_LeaderBG
Hey guys,I have a question about the game's length. Will Remember Me follow the trend for episodic games of 1.5h-2h per episode or will it somehow differ? I know there's probably a lot to explore and the time rewind mechanic that could vastly increase your playtime depending on how much you use it.
Also how will the rewind mechanic work? Will you be able to constantly rewind at your will or will it be more of a limited resource?
Either way,thanks for creating the game - it's definitely a breeze of fresh air in an industry of copycats and sequels.Can't wait for the 30th!
Dontnod_Raoul
Thanks a lot for your support, it means a lot to us. Maxine (and the player) will be able to rewind when she wants. You may have some limitations but it will be part of the story... I'll let you discover that by yourself. You will really be able to rewind when you want and it's quite fun ! For the game length, it really depends on players... It's usually between 2 and 3 hours but we’ve had some people want to try everything and find everything extra we’ve added and they’ve taken 4 hours! Its’ totally up to the player J
realph
Is this pre-loading on the Xbox One/PS4 before Friday?
Dontnod_Luc
Hi realph,
There won’t be a pre-loading on Xbox One and PS4, but we have made sure you can purchase the game as soon as it’s available on Friday :D Xbox One should be available on 30th Jan at 00:01 UTC – the same time around the world so in fact it’s available slightly earlier in the US for example. PS4 will be available at 00:01 in each respective territory. The difference is simply because the stores behave differently! But we've worked hard to ensure the release dates are all within the smallest window possible!
Nyt_Ryda
Approximately how long will each episode of Life is Strange be ? Are there any LGBT themes in Life is Strange ? If so, how are these themes handled ?
Dontnod_Michel
Each episode will have around two to three hours of gameplay, depending on how much you want to delve into the story. Some players have taken 4 hours! It really depends on the player. We have a lot of secondary interactions, objects to look at, letters to read, characters to talk to, and with the rewind power there are a lot of options for you on how to play this game and how you decide to live Max's adventure.
I cannot spoil the themes of the game, but rest assured that we are working hard with our writer to have a very sensible approach to all the themes of the game as it is really important for us to deal very respectfully of those everyday life subjects wehave in the game.
surakian
What kind of themes are you addressing in Life Is Strange?
Dontnod_Michel
I shouldn’t spoil the themes we are dealing with in Life is Strange, but the main ones are friendship, accepting one's fate, coming-of-age, responsibility and so on... Of course since we have a game taking place in a small modern days town, we are also dealing with themes related to teenagers, social medias, family... But this isn’t just a stroll through a sun drenched town, Episode 1 is just the beginning. We are also going to tackle some mature and dark issues that haven’t been tackled in games before.
JohnnyEclair
The first thing that caught my attention in "Life Is Strange" was the unique art style. The screenshots made me think that they are cool key art, but it was soon revealed all the graphics are hand painted. Where did this idea come from? Did you face any challenges on executing it compared to "normal" graphics?
Dontnod_Michel
Thanks JohnnyEclair, we are happy you enjoy it! In Remember me we had a very realistic rendering, wich was great to show the bleakness of a futuristic world with all its grittiness. On the opposite for Life is Strange we wanted a very soft overall feeling, oozing with nostalgia. We wanted the player to feel like he is inside some sort of warm cocoon. That's why we decided to go for a stylized rendering, because it allows the viewer to put some of his own perception, some of his own memories, and to really participate actively to the game by simply looking at it. We made some variations and in the end we went for the style you are looking at in the screenshots, hand painted textures, soft colors and smooth shapes, with realistic materials and realistic lighting that brings a very different and unique look to our game.
Wolfsblvt
Max is keeping her position when going back in time. How difficult was it to include that in the gameplay? I would think about obstacles that were on this place you are standing now a few seconds ago, or people you will stand next to that don't have seen you coming. How do you handle this?
Dontnod_Baptiste
Hi Wolfsblvt.
We went back and forth with this one in our minds before sticking to what you mentioned as we believe it leads to the most interesting gameplay. The fact that Max stays at the same position when rewinding, ironically allows her to be “ahead of time”. Actually, it allows the player to teleport since he can move within the timeline. Therefore he can “skip” obstacles, like someone blocking the way, by rewinding before that moment.
It might sound a bit twisted but it’s in fact easy to use! :)
As with other stories using the rewind mechanic, there are limitations to its consistency. However, we try to have reactions from other characters and even Max likes to joke about her power.
glitchoctopus
You once mentioned Life is Strange's working title was What If. Were there any big changes in premise or setting that inspired the new title, like Remember Me/Adrift? If not, got any interesting stories about the game's development?
Dontnod_Raoul
Hi Glitchoctopus, thanks a lot for your message. "What If" was the codename for the game. It was exactly the same project. Much like Remember me was also called Adrift! Life is Strange was actually the name of the first episode but we and Square Enix really liked this name so we made this the final name of the game!
_Touky_
Hi guys, great fan here. Will there be a cameo from NiliN ? Also, since you're working with a japanese editor, will there be secret feature to unlock at the end, like Big Head/Big Hands/Big feet ?
Thanks for your dedication !
Dontnod_Raoul
Ha ha, maybe Nilin could come in our game and remix Max's memory... Don't know. You'll have to play the game to find out. For the secret feature you mention (seems a good idea...), i can’t say anything because if there is one it will no longer be a secret.
Cakw
Hello! Just to clarify, I've read the new episodes are supposed to come out every 6 weeks, is this a more or less fixed schedule, or just something you are aiming for?
Dontnod_Luc
Hi Cakw,
The 6 weeks between each episode is a target we’d like to achieve. Our objective was to offer the players a stable release schedule, to avoid unknown or excessively long waiting time between each Episode.
Chriswich
Is there an explanation for the main character's time manipulation powers and will we encounter other characters with powers?
Dontnod_Michel
I won't spoil this for you, but the most important narrative theme in Life is Strange is not why you have this power, but how you, and Max, will use it. We really think that what is important in a good story is how it affects the characters, their emotional journey, their perceptions of themselves and the others, it might sound a bit cliché to say it, but the destination is not that important, it's the journey that matters the most!
glitchygirlie
What are some of the key points in the process of developing a game like Life Is Strange?
Dontnod_Raoul
Big question ! To sum up : First point, I would say : Gameplay mechanics and Storyline. We start to have a lot of brainstorm sessions and back and forth until we're happy with design and main story. We develop the main story line with a writer. We write each scene knowing what we want to tell inside, the gameplay we want to have, the feeling we want to give to the player... Our writer then writes the final dialogs, we've got the motion capture, the level designers build the scene with all the different assets from the team (environment, FXs, animations, characters, UI, music, sounds, etc...). And again it's back and forth for each scene until we're satisfied. Very long process... Sorry for this quick answer, it's tough to describe the whole thing.
RachelDuskleaf
Thanks for doing this! A few quick questions:
1) How difficult was it during the development process to balance the down to earth elements (everyday school life) with the supernatural ones (time manipulation)?
2) The possibility of a Season 2 for Life is Strange has been tossed around. Besides a traditional sequel, what other ways have you thought about expanding the franchise?
3) There's an amazing scene in Steins;Gate where a character realizes that she's been living the same day hundreds of times over because of the time manipulation of another character. Will the people of Arcadia Bay gradually catch on to what Max is doing?
Dontnod_Michel
Thanks for your questions!
- Strangely enough it wasn't that hard. Since the beginning we knew that the down to earth elements were keys to Life is Strange, it is our starting point and we are not telling a sci-fi story, but a realistic story with supernatural elements on top of it. And we are really fond of those kind of stories. For example there is an independant movie I really love, it's called "Another Earth", where you have this big sci-fi overarch, but in the end it is telling a story of guilt and forgiveness between two characters, and the sci-fi setting is only there as a background, and it is awesome, (you should all see that movie btw :)). We're dealing it in the same way, but don't worry, we also have some strong surprises coming in the next episodes.
- We have a lot of ideas of course, but it is still a bit early to talk about that :p
- I didn't know Steins;Gate, but I'll have a look at it, thanks for mentionning it! I cannot spoil too much of this, but we can slightly nod at least :)
krisko612
Are there plans to bring the game to Wii U in the future?
Dontnod_Luc
Hi krisko612
Thanks for your interest! Sadly a Wii U version is currently not planned for our game :/ We’re massive fans of the Wii U there’s some great games on there but we’re only developing for PC, XB1, PS4, X360 and PS3 for now.
anonynamja
Time travel as a plot device is not uncommon in fiction, but there is considerable variation in how rigorously writers employ this device (in terms of logic and internal consistency), ranging from Primer to Bill and Ted. Where on this continuum would you place Life is Strange?
Dontnod_Baptiste
To keep it short, I'd say Groundhog Day meets Donnie Darko (with of course a slice of The Butterfly Effect)!
Moaz13
Hi guys. Just a quick question I'm interested in knowing the answer for:
If I'm not a teenage girl/find teenage girls that constantly whine annoying, should I play Life is Strange or not? The concept seems very interesting IMO but I'm not a fan of highschool girls as protagonists, seems to be focused more on drama and romance and less on the actual story.
Dontnod_Michel
I think you should definitely play it, of course :) I don't want to spoil anything, but we think that we have an interesting story with very dark and mature themes. This most definitely isn’t a high school drama – it just so happens that there is a high school in the game! People are clearly not expecting the journey we have created for sure. We’re looking forward to see how people react when they realise what we have created for you. All I can say is that people haven’t often played a game that deals with the issues and topics we’ve included. It’s a first for games in our opinion.
To be honest we also really think that the gender of a main character is quite irrelevant when creating a good story, it really depends on how you write your characters in relation to the themes you are dealing with. Life is Strange is starring a teenage girl, you're right, but it is clearly not only a teenage girl story and we really think that both male players and female players will relate to this game and enjoy this adventure.
commenter_on_reddit
Would a person who is not any good at the mechanical parts of videogames be able to finish Life is Strange? I mean someone who would understand what to do, but would have trouble quickly pressing a button, rapidly pressing a button, or reacting quickly to a sudden change.
Dontnod_Raoul
It's a great question. We really wanted to create a game that fits a lot of players. We wanted to have very intuitive controls, easy to learn (interactions, dialog choices) and wanted also to add our own gameplay feature: the rewind mechanics, that will allow the player to solve puzzles and discover additional parts of the narrative in the game. To be more precise, there won't be any QTE in the game...
sandernl
Hi guys!
I just browsed through the Humble Store, saw the trailer and immediately bought the complete pack!
Do you guys agree with the comparison some people make to the game "Gone Home"? Did that game give you some inspiration for the story?
Dontnod_Michel
We are really fans of Gone Home, I think that they did a tremendous job at telling a really compelling story with a great use of environmental storytelling and inner voices. We were already in the development of Life is Strange, and the story was already written, when Gone Home was released. It was a huge breeze of fresh air when we played it, and a relief too because we knew that we were not completely out of our mind to work on a project as "unique" as Life is Strange.
LLA_Don_Zombie
Hi! I was actually suggested your game by the steam discovery queue today. I liked and followed and got the ama notification right after.
From what I've read by your answers to other questions is that the player will be able to rewind and re-explore their decision as the time travel mechanic in the game. Are you worried that this will pull back the curtain on the illusion of choice within your game, and what kind of steps are you taking to resist a break from this illusion?
Dontnod_Michel
That's good timing :) Of course you could think that having this rewind ability in a game with choices and consequences would be like cheating, since you will be able to explore the different paths and outcomes of one situation. But this is exactly what Life is Strange is about, we are giving you, and Max, the opportunity to adjust your destiny and to decide what choice you think could be the best. But what is really important is, like in real life, there is no perfect choice, everything can backfire at you and ends up coming back later in a way you didn't expected at all. And we really pushed this in Life is Strange, a choice you thought that was great in episode 1 will come back at you in episode 2 or later and will have a very unexpected outcome. Ultimately the rewind is a powerful tool, but it cannot makes everything perfect, and the player will have to accept fate.
Sora9669
In the PS4/PS3 versions, will there be a platinum trophy?
Dontnod_Luc
Thanks a lot for your question! I just confirmed this above: YES there will be a Platinum trophy on PS4/PS3!
himmatsj
Hey guys! I am absolutely stoked for this game.
I have one major question if you really don't mind answering.
On the issue of choice, how would you say the choice-consequence in this game is compared to that you find in Telltale's games such as TWD, The Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands? One complaint we often hear is that choices in those games are superficial. Can you say with confidence, that Life is Strange has choice-consequences that are more impactful than that found in Telltale's games?
Dontnod_Baptiste
Hey himmatsj!
Creating multiple branches is something that is very difficult to do. We like to think of peoples different games as vines instead of branches – they all grow in the same direction but grow differently depending on your actions and each vine is different and personal to the player. So there aren’t 1000 different branches with 10000 different endings! But you can tailor your experience for sure. We have a great story to tell as Telltale did with the Walking Dead – imagine if 90% of the players had a different ending to the ending they had in season 1 that would be a real shame in our eyes.
However we want to be fair with the player and each time he performs an action which will have repercussions, he will be notified (there will be a Butterfly icon). Those consequences can be either small or have drastic outcomes. And they might happen in short-term (same episode), mid-term or long-term (following episodes).
I hope you'll enjoy to take decisions which will have impacts on the past, the present and the future!
YeOlde_Monk
Hello. With the whole new wave of games from Telltale, whose main feature of the game is "The story is tailored by how you play", yet choices in their games doesn't actually matters in the end. And in one of your dev. diaries you said that "Max's ability to rewind time will allow player to change some decision through gameplay, but in short-, mid- or long-term the consiqences will follow" and "you'll try to change something, when actually you'll find out that you cannot change anything". So, the question is: does choices in YOUR game WILL matter, or is it just another illusion of variety?
Dontnod_Baptiste
Hey there YeOlde_Monk!
As we answered previously, yes your choices will have consequences! And the player will be clearly notified each time he takes a decision which will have an impact.
However, you’ll never know the weight of this outcome since it can be like changing the color of a shirt to killing a character! It’s up to you to find out…
There won’t be 1000 different branches though – and there wont be 10000 endings. We have a story to tell – but it’s up to you how it’s told. We like the analogy of the vine as opposed to the branch. The vines grow in the same direction but grow differently to each other. Everyone’s story will be told differently.
nazothedark
Two questions:
1). How much of an effect will decisions have on the story. Will it be like the "Telltale Method" where it's mostly window dressing, or will it be like "Alpha Protocol" where your choices are referenced all the time.
2). How did you come up with the name "Life Is Strange"? Just curious, cause it seems rather... STRANGE! (Bad joke drums play).
Dontnod_Michel
Hello Nazothedark,
- It is more like in Alpha Protocol, your choices will affect A LOT: dialogs, inner thoughts from Max, alterations in the environments, big changes in the story, smaller changes, etc... You'll definitely be reminded of your choices during the whole game.
- Life is Strange was originally the title we had in mind for the first episode, because... isn't it really strange to discover you can rewind time? And it kinda grew on us, and we thought, with Square Enix, that this would be an awesome title for the whole game. Since we are dealing with a realistic story, anchored in reality with everyday life situations, and suddenly something unique and unexpected happens and change everything!
sana_khan
Salut ! First off I want to say that I really enjoyed Remember Me, world, story and mechanics.
For Life Is Strange, we can expect to go through a story with setpieces and "chokepoints" as in the TellTale games or something more open-ended is in the works?
Also is there a chance you'll go back to Remember Me's universe and expand on it? In terms of mechanics, creating a systemic design based on memory alteration would be something I'd absolutely love to see and play; after making Remember me, do you think it's feasible?
Thanks and good luck from a fellow developer !
Dontnod_Baptiste
Salut sana_khan, ça roule ?
It's cool you enjoyed Remember Me, thanks!
Since the TellTale games are an inspiration for us, we did pace our episodes, in Life Is Strange, with setpieces. However, we implemented a fully third person controllable character, allowing the player to explore the entire environments.
And also, there are many opended areas in which the player can take his time, chat with various NPCs and find optional interactions. (not to mention the collectibles which are scattered here and there)
glitchygirlie
Who are the producers, artists, designers and programmers to credit for making this beautiful game?
Edit: For encyclopedia purposes. (Wikipedia.)
Dontnod_Luc
I won’t post the game’s credits here, but they will be of course accessible at the end of each episode and in the main menu. This will be the best way to look at the names of all the people involved on this amazing project :). We’re very proud of the talent we have here at the studio and the team we’ve built.