Deck Nine also answer why Before the Storm will be three episodes, not five.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a three-part prequel to Dontnod’s Life is Strange, following Chloe and Rachel, although players will be able to play as Max if they opt for the Deluxe Edition of the game.

In an interview with GameSpot, lead writer, Zak Garriss, explained that the decision to have the prequel span just three episodes wasn’t to condense it in any way.

“When we were first talking to Square about what we would do with the IP and what kind of a story we would tell in Arcadia Bay, we weren’t looking at a particular length over another.

“We were contemplating stories of all shapes and sizes. What really it came down to is: the story we found that, for Chloe in this chapter of her life, it genuinely felt like about a three-episode story.

“As opposed to taking what we were all really in love with and excited by and trying to try change it to fit a larger model, making it a three-episode story seemed like it. Ultimately, that’s what we decided to do.” He also teased some unannounced features, saying that, “at Deck Nine, culturally, we look at design in a very heuristic way. It’s a process of discovery. We come up with some exciting ideas, but it’s not until we create a prototype, then we can put it into a space and try it out, iterate upon it, and figure out what’s good and what’s not.

“The act of discovery is so exciting and so dynamic that, often, really great ideas on paper may not translate to the space…I think that joy of exploration, of what’s fun in the space is a big part of what drives the development. Sorry I don’t want to spoil the specifics, but we’ve definitely had that experience with this title.”

A spoilerific gameplay video is already available to watch if you’re grubbing around for more details.

Producer David Hein also confirmed that Deck Nine would support “the features set of Xbox One X and PS4 Pro–4K upscaling, those sorts of things.”

In the meantime, Dontnod is working on Life is Strange 2, so if you’re a fan of the original game, you’ve got a lot to look forward to.

If you haven’t played Life is Strange and are wondering whether you should wait and start with Before the Storm, or dive straight in, playing the prequel afterwards, Hein says it doesn’t matter which way you come at it.

“It’s really intentional for us that no matter which title you come to first, you can play through it, enjoy it, and then go play the other title.

“Nothing in our game will spoil anything from the original game. And likewise if you’ve played the original game, you’ll find all sorts of familiar faces and characters and locations. It will be a lot of fun and are kind of Easter Eggs, in a way.”

Either way, you won’t have to wait long. The first episode of Life is Strange: Before the Storm is out on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on August 31.
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