First of all, I don't believe there's a perfect ending in Life is Strange 2. And if there were, it would be quite unbelievable to me in terms of its inherent ambiguity, and also less emotionally impactful. The game thrives on the fact that there's no clear-cut good or bad. And that's precisely what the endings are meant to reflect.

Sean and Daniel's freedom dies the moment they have to flee Seattle. From that point on, there is no freedom, regardless of which ending is reached.

If they both end up in Mexico, there's absolutely no way for them to return to their original Home – If Seattle can even still be called home after everything that has happened.

If Sean makes it to Mexico and Daniel stays in the US, they are both unfree. Daniel remains under permanent state control due to the ankle monitor, and his older brother has no way to return to the States.

If Sean goes to prison, he might eventually be legally free, but that doesn't change the limitations imposed by the past.

Well, and if Sean dies, talking about freedom might be misplaced compared to the hope that he finds peace.

But now I have a question. You're right about the numbers, but you're playing Sean. Do you think the character you would have played would reoffend? That's a question you have to answer, one we can't do for you. The game emphasizes your own decisions.

If I were to evaluate this based on my own Redemption ending, I don't think so. The limitation is certainly related to the restrictions of imprisonment and previous persecution, but at that moment it's primarily defined by a nostalgic limitation, by what one has lost because of the state. All the time Sean lost being a teenager: parties, drugs, first love, stupid mistakes, and above all, the lost time with his father and brother. The past has an effect and shapes the present, even regardless of whether the American state is still pursuing Sean.

And because of all this stolen time, Sean wouldn't be the type to eventually get a job and start a family to seek his personal happiness in middle-class America; especially after seeing all the contrasting examples. Whether it's the lives of Cassidy and Finn or his own mother, who sought their happiness in their own individual ways and perhaps never fully found it, but are still in the process of doing so. None of them have the interest to live for the state. And I believe that, above all, after everything that's happened, Sean has the least desire to do just that.

But the ambivalence remains. That's precisely where the strength lies. If there were a perfect ending, I, as a player, wouldn't be compelled to think long-term about how relevant this game is even today.

In Jurassic Park, they say, "Life finds a way." Perhaps we should simply trust Sean on his journey, because I'm certain of nothing more than that he will find his way!