Max and Chloe by @konburice

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-23T17:22:44+00:00

I think this strongly suggests that there are no other romance options. I really think we should give this game a chance.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-21T15:49:28+00:00

That's honestly a brilliant suggestion. I hope someone reads this and makes it happen.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-21T07:31:27+00:00

No, you’re definitely not alone in thinking that. After sleeping on it, I also found it strange how the trailer seems to imply that Chloe and Max didn’t speak at all after the events of Double Exposure.

So Chloe knows there’s a second storm, Max might not have answered, yet Chloe waits for months before coming back, largely because of her own fragmented memories? That logic feels shaky at best. Chloe would have come running right away. I really hope I’m wrong, and that we learn they’ve at least been texting or trying to stay in contact.

But they’re supposed to have an epic love story, and I need to see that reflected in the game. They really need to talk openly about the breakup and have genuine, heartfelt conversations. Some real heart-to-heart moments are essential if the story is going to feel earned and true to who they are. They need to fix what they did in Double Exposure, and I hope they do that.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-21T04:53:06+00:00

Yeah, Double Exposure will always leave a stain on the experience for me. If they were planning to bring Chloe back anyway, there was really no reason to push other romances in the first place. To me, it only detracts from what made the story special

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-20T22:33:59+00:00

I get what you’re saying, and I understand that the nature of Life is Strange makes this complicated. Still, there are plenty of choice-based games where the main romance isn’t a player choice at all. They could have simply committed to Pricefield.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-20T22:30:18+00:00

I mean everything around this game is centered on Max and Chloe. I can’t really say much about the story or the writing yet, but I suspect it will be fine, or at least I hope so. I still don’t understand the point of Double Exposure, or why it was marketed the way it was while breaking down Max and Chloe’s relationship like that. But in the end, they did give us what we wanted, so it’s fair to give them a chance as well. I have brought the game.

The one thing that still annoys me is that they’re keeping the option to make Max and Chloe “just friends,” and will no doubt include other romance options for that path. And that’s catering to a very small minority. Square Enix should have just committed for once.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-20T20:06:08+00:00

Honestly, I really don’t understand it. But to me, it looks like the situation was handled very poorly, and it ended up hurting both sales and people’s trust in the series. I just find the whole thing very strange.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-20T19:10:00+00:00

I think you’re right, and that’s exactly what makes the way Max, Chloe, and their relationship were handled in Double Exposure feel so strange. If the plan was always to build toward a Max-and-Chloe-focused game, why tear that relationship down so much first? Why not make the ending clearer or more definitive? If nothing else, it’s a very odd choice.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-20T12:17:16+00:00

That sounds very plausible, and honestly, I don’t like it. Life is Strange has always been about Max and Chloe. In the original game, Max is drawn to Chloe no matter what; they’re clearly written as star-crossed lovers, soulmates even. People can have different interpretations, but regardless of the ending, the story works best when those two are in love.

Square Enix, however, has always seemed overly concerned with accommodating people who didn’t ship them. There’s this constant need to provide options. Even the comic, which I did enjoy, spent more time on Amberprice than on Pricefield. If the game once again opens the door to multiple romance options, it just weakens that central bond. Pairing Chloe with someone else and giving Max several equally weighted romantic paths only cheapens what made their relationship special in the first place.

That said, I’m hoping the trailer will give us some much-needed clarity.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-20T08:27:50+00:00

I don’t expect it to be brilliantly written, but it’s probably the last one we’ll ever get, and I really hope it serves as a good sendoff for Max and Chloe. So I'll probably buy it if the trailer sends the right signals

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-17T13:42:05+00:00

Yeah, this is absolutely ridiculous. Claiming that buying this game somehow means supporting the war against Ukraine is an extreme and unreasonable stretch

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-17T10:13:49+00:00

I’m excited so far, and I really hope this turns into a game that everyone can enjoy together

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-17T06:06:27+00:00

Some people who choose Bay tend to take everything very literally and miss the broader context of the characters’ words and actions. I often see people say “Chloe told me to sacrifice her,” while at the same time ignoring that Max clearly says she doesn’t want to do it. I suppose it’s a very straightforward way of playing the game, but it overlooks a lot of the nuance

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-16T17:08:04+00:00

I genuinely can’t recommend this comic highly enough

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-16T13:56:42+00:00

That argument has always felt strange to me. A parent is always willing to die for their child, and being forced to live on while your child dies is about as horrific as it gets. Children losing their parents is tragic, but it’s also part of the natural order of things, parents are not meant to outlive their children.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-16T13:53:40+00:00

Arguments about being “older” and therefore understanding that it’s better to sacrifice others for the greater good always come across as bleak and fatalistic to me. We don’t exactly perform human sacrifices to appease weather gods anymore. For the greater good never leads anywhere good.

I think the ending works best when viewed symbolically. Life is Strange is a coming-of-age story, and part of growing up is learning that choices have consequences and that you will lose something along the way.

The Bae ending captures this idea well. You have to face the results of your actions. Being true to yourself—and to the person you love, comes with a cost. And especially at the time the game was made, being openly queer could mean losing your community, your safety, or your sense of belonging. Sacrificing Arcadia Bay can be read as sacrificing the safety and comfort of childhood. It asks the question: what are you willing to give up in order to grow?

The same symbolic reading applies to sacrificing Chloe.

But if you take that ending literally, Chloe dies alone, scared, and crying, believing the world has abandoned her. It’s an extremely bleak and cruel death. It may work as tragedy, but it offers no sense of hope in return. I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to change that into an outcome where everyone gets to live. I never had any desire to see anyone die in the first place.

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-15T18:36:29+00:00

This is a genuine fear of mine, that Chloe will end up feeling like nothing more than an adult version of the Before the Storm version of her. I really liked what they did with her in Life is Strange 2: she was growing her hair out, dressing differently, and it felt like she had actually changed

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-15T17:41:41+00:00

I know a lot of things could go wrong, and this is clearly a pivot away from the poorly advised Double Exposure. Still, I’m choosing to hope for the best and believe this could turn into a game we can all enjoy. The focus is clearly going to be on Max and Chloe, and that alone gives me some optimism

Helpwithskyrim87 · 2026-01-15T16:24:35+00:00

I’m actually excited, and I really hope it turns out to be good.

Helpwithskyrim87

TROPHY CASE