Over the years, the Life Is Strange (LIS) franchise has built up its world with several at-times, soul-crushing, heartwarming storylines centred around supernatural plots. Reading this description, queer icons won’t exactly come to mind. Regardless, Life Is Strange has incorporated LGBTQ+ characters (yes, even main characters!) in their storylines consistently. And no tale is gayer than that of the very first Life Is Strange.
Plot
For those unaware of the franchise, the original LIS follows awkward-college-girl Max Caulfield as she returns to her hometown, the quiet seaside town of Arcadia Bay, to study photography.
Out of the blue, Max realises she can time travel after saving her (at the time unknown to Max) childhood best friend’s (Chloe) life in the college bathrooms by rewinding time. From there, the two reunite and rekindle their friendship. This (depending on player choices) turns romantic as Max fights to keep Chloe alive and save Arcadia Bay.
Alternate realities, creepy lecturers, and bitchy classmates are all things that Max must deal with. She must also keep Chloe alive while surviving college and hiding her powers.
Brief recap over, some may still be wondering why this game is held so highly amongst LGBTQ+ gamers. Well, at the end of the game Max must choose between saving Chloe or saving Arcadia Bay (and thereby the majority of the other characters in the game). This became known as the bae versus bay ending. Yet no matter what ending you chose, you couldn’t deny the bond between these two characters, which most preferred to interpret as romantic.
LGBTQ+ Identity
Being a choice-based game with such a heavy weight on each gamer’s decisions, it only makes sense that you could choose a love interest. As we have discussed, Chloe is one option (and the most “canon” option based on players’ opinions and comic canon) and Warren is another. So, Max is canonically bisexual which is already a great representation, especially for a game that released almost ten years ago. Sure, the dialogue between Max and Chloe could sometimes be clunky and cringe-inducing. Regardless, this was a big step forward for queer representation in games.
Another well-thought choice was the character of Max in itself. She’s navigating college, already trying to uncover her identity and carve a space for herself in the world. Adding in a queer subplot boosts the theme of identity out to thousands of queer gamers. Gamers who may see themselves in Max, figuring out who they are and where they belong in the world. Being able to relate to a character in such a way is something unforgettable.
The Impact of Life Is Strange
Don’t Nod, developers behind LIS, have been praised for their handling of queer characters – including Max and Chloe. The pair aren’t sexualised, their flirty comments are realistically awkward at times, and the pairing didn’t feel forced or rushed, rather it was a natural build up. The care taken into their character design makes the characters themselves more human, more relatable. Again, another reason why players resonated so deeply with the duo. So much so that with the announcement of their new game, (Life Is Strange: Double Exposure – a story that follows Max sometime in the future) fans immediately questioned where the blue-haired punk was, unable to break the link between Chloe and Max.
Life Is Strange has done wonders in bringing representation to the forefront of their games (even if higher-ups had to be warded off by positive critic reviews to do so). Hopefully the franchise will continue to do so far into the future. However, no matter how long it’s been since the first LIS, Max and Chloe are unlikely to be forgotten. They’ve made their place in the queer community and continue to help questioning LGBTQ+ individuals figure out who they are.
Featured Image Credit: Steam / Life Is Strange
Fourth year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Words at Brig, The Daily Evergreen, Alloa Advertiser, Discovery Music Scotland, and The Mourning Paper.
