Life is Strange Reunion PC Review

Graphics

Audio

Gameplay

Value

Summary: The long awaited reunion of Max and Chloe brings some of the series best scenes, but they forgot to build a compelling game around them.

3

Bittersweet Reunion

Eleven years ago, Life is Strange was one of the defining games of the burgeoning “your choices matter” genre. Anchoring it was one of the most refreshing and real relationships in gaming history between its protagonists, Maxine Caulfield and Chloe Price. While the dialogue may have clearly been written by men in their 30s, the friendship felt achingly real and it captured the confusion and emotions of being a teenager beautifully. As I played through the original and sat Max down on her bed to listen to a Bright Eyes song, my roommate at the time walked in and said “So, you’re just playing your high school experience but as a girl now?”. I wasn’t the only one captivated. In the decade since Life is Strange launched, fans have embraced Chloe and Max and feel a strong sense of ownership over them. So Life is Strange Reunion is a bit of a high‑wire act. Billed as the conclusion to Max and Chloe’s story, but also something of a direct sequel to the Chloe‑less Double Exposure, Reunion has a lot of ground to cover and not much time to do it.

A slightly older Max is now a photography instructor at the liberal arts college Caledon University, while Chloe is living life on the road as a band manager for Drugstore Makeup (a deep‑cut Life is Strange reference). No matter what ending was achieved in the original, they have since become estranged. As Max is drawn into a brand‑new mystery at her school, Chloe reappears with a mystery of her own, and it isn’t long before they are brought back together to get to the bottom of it.

With the weight of past games, extended‑universe media and fan expectations, the Chloe and Max relationship has a lot riding on it and thankfully Deck Nine knocks these scenes out of the park. There are many extended talks between Chloe and Max that are beautifully written and performed, and the buildup and resolution to their arc feels earned.

Unfortunately for the rest of the game, other characters and the plot at large get short shrift. If Max chose to romance someone in Double Exposure, it is quietly jettisoned off‑screen to focus more on the return of Chloe. Most of the Double Exposure cast returns but find themselves pushed to the margins. There are some standout moments. Moses’ position as Max’s confidant and his burgeoning friendship with Chloe is a bright spot, especially as he tries to convert her into anime geekdom. Other major characters from Double Exposure like Amanda and Vinh fare less well. In fact, by the time I completed my playthrough there was one stat at the end regarding Amanda and her relationship with Max that shocked me because the game had done nothing to indicate it.

The main Double Exposure character the game chooses to focus on is Safi, and her inclusion is somewhat of a mixed bag. Billed as Max’s new best friend in the prior game, in this game she seems to lean more into a trickster‑god sort of role and her relationship with the cast around her feels a little ill‑defined. Her fate is a big part of the overall plot but it didn’t particularly feel like my choices to get there were that important.

If the preceding paragraphs seem like a lot of gibberish and lore then Reunion may not be for you. To enjoy the game to its fullest you will need to have played all the Max‑starring Life is Strange games and the Chloe‑focussed DLC. It is heavy on backstory, returning characters and Easter eggs that will delight fans but will make no sense to a casual or first‑time player.

The overall plot is something of a mixed bag as well. The hook of finding out the mystery of how Max’s school ends up ablaze is good, yet the delivery of the story at times seems like an afterthought. It takes centre stage at the big conclusion and contains a few twists and turns but is not overly compelling on its own.

It doesn’t help that the gameplay sections are not playing to the greatest strengths of the franchise either. Max’s rewind power is strangely under‑utilised in Reunion. In the past there were a few unique or novel applications of it to solve puzzles. In Reunion it is mostly used to rewind conversations and open up new dialogue choices, repeated over and over again. Chloe’s backtalk power also only gets a few sporadic moments to shine and isn’t very compelling either. There are some fun sequences to play through. The masked college party, complete with a bad mushroom trip is delightful. The climax of the story includes some of the better puzzles and decisions, but overall it feels like more could have been done.

This all sounds like I’m a bit down on the game, and it definitely has its shortcomings. But one thing the Life is Strange franchise has always excelled at is vibes. And Reunion has vibes for days. Like its high school setting in the original, Reunion nails its college campus feel. What other game lets you just sit down, listen to indie rock and enjoy the scenery? Max can also listen to podcasts (thankfully not full episodes) that successfully ape the true‑crime genre and the pretentious white‑guy blowhard genre. Pop culture references abound. I did not think I’d hear a Fall of Troy name‑drop in a video game in 2026 but I’m glad I did. The highest compliment I can pay Life is Strange Reunion is that it feels like the closest thing to playing a season of Veronica Mars.

Final Thoughts

Is vibes enough to recommend Life is Strange Reunion though? It may depend on your love of the franchise. Newbies should definitely start with the original before even attempting to take this entry on. Fans of the series should find enough here to enjoy. Fans of Max and Chloe will be pleased to know that the relationship is shown great reverence and some of their shared moments rank among the series’ best. It’s just a shame that the world and game around it weren’t shown the same love as the main relationship.

About the Author

Jamie Kirk

Life is Strange Reunion PC Review