#Life is strange 2 episode 4 review movie#
#Life is strange 2 episode 4 review full#

Nathan is, unfortunately, just the beginning. But I'm also willing to see how this plays out, and if Dontnod can do a better job at redeeming the gross stereotypes it's given us to work with. In examining 'Dark Room' as a stand-alone experience, I'd reiterate what I said previously. And, as you mentioned, there's obviously more at work here.

#Life is strange 2 episode 4 review full#

The tricky thing with episodic games is that we don't have the full picture yet.

#Life is strange 2 episode 4 review movie#

He is every teen villain we've seen in every teen movie with rich kids - daddy issues, being above the rules and so on - but taken about three steps further. Megan: Overall, I'm very unimpressed with Nathan's arc as a character. I don't disagree with your point that hanging his defects on a vague mental illness is lazy, but I want to see how this plays out. The cliffhanger at the end of the episode also shows another element at play, which will no doubt be explored next episode.ĭespite these threads, I hadn't really thought about Nathan as anything other than a thoroughly nasty piece of work. He seems to be on some sort of inappropriate medication, and his psychiatrist is making little progress due to family interference in his treatment. His father is overbearing and sociopathic. He comes from a toxic family environment where his vicious whims are indulged. Yes, his behavior is disgraceful and he's obviously a prize shitheel, but we got some more insights into his background. I wish they would have done more to work against this continually perpetuated stereotype and mental health stigmas.Ĭolin: The nature of his mental health is still unclear. Remember, this is the developer that handled public shaming and teen suicide incredibly well. I was disappointed to see the game fall back on the trope that mentally ill people are just 'crazy' or - worse - violent to those around them. Here's where we start to see Dontnod stumble where it's previously shown grace and expertise in handling tough topics.

Nathan is cemented as a straight-up psychopath a dangerous, mentally unstable person. We even help or hinder violence against him, but Dontnod takes the easy route here. We get to explore his room, read some of his medical files. 'Dark Room' finally has the chance to establish Nathan as something more. In many ways, we've known this all along Max's interventions are the only reason he isn't a murderer yet.

And as we've watched Nathan progress through the game, we've come to realize that he's not just some brat with daddy issues. His lines are almost always two notches above any kind of relatable character, even one that's painted as a snobby rich kid. Megan: A lot of my uneasiness with this episode begins with our grand ol' villain so far - Nathan. So I am curious about what you didn't like about this episode. I have my own concerns about this game, and 'Dark Room' offers more of the stumbles and missteps that we have seen previously. It also establishes the strength of this game in that it asks players to make real choices and it demands that you care.

It was the strongest part of the episode and may turn out to be the entire season's high point. Wonderfully scripted and acted, I found myself in tears when it came time to confront the big moral decision. But the tenderness of Max's scenes with both William and Chloe was a revelation. It was pretty much guaranteed that Max would seek a way back to the core timeline, and that she would probably use the exact same mechanism to find her way. I appreciated that it hit you with hard choices right away - in this case, whether to honor Chloe's wishes or not.Ĭolin: The opening section was handled beautifully. It's these little moments of Life is Strange that I really love.Īnd for the not-so-little moments of this episode, wow. In the opening segment, I wandered through Chloe's house I sat for a long time quietly observing her room. I spent a lot of time digging through texts and notebooks, examining every object with as much care as I did in the first episode. I need to say right now that Episode Four didn't start as all doom and gloom for me. I never expected it to stick, but man, I did enjoy watching it play out as it did.

Megan: Episode Three ended on a huge cliffhanger, with Max altering the world we've come to know.