As a huge fan of Life is Strange, I was initially hesitant at the idea of a sequel to one of my all time favourite video games. However, Deck Nine have done an admirable job with Double Exposure. You really feel the passage of time in Max's life, and in a way, it feels like she has grown with the audience in her time off screen.

Double Exposure introduces a lot of new gameplay mechanics, and its environments are more richly detailed than any others in the series. The environments are a lot bigger than I ever expected, and the juxtaposition between the two timelines I found really interesting. Each of these timelines had a very distinct style brought to life by its visual presentation, and nuanced characters. Having a fresh cast to compliment Max Caulfield was an excellent decision, and I really grew to love all the characters in this game. Caledon as well has become another iconic location in the series, and it feels like an absolutely perfect place to explore in these wintery months.

Double Exposure makes a lot of risky choices in the way it tells its story, and for me personally, I think this just about pays off. It would have been easy for Deck Nine to fill this game with fan service, but they only call back to the original game when it serves to push the narrative forward. The narrative told in Double Exposure had me on the edge of my seat, and I was always wanting to push on to see how this mystery would be resolved.

Much to my disappointment, Double Exposure's ending was a major let down. The game abruptly ends, and has too many unresolved answers that are intentionally left that way as sequel bait. This is the first game in the series where its story has ended with the expectation of a direct sequel. This feels like Square Enix grubbing its hands all over the series, and trying to monetise it in a way it had never felt confident to do before (Looking at you paid cat DLC). This is also backed up the fact this game is a technical mess, and I experienced major crashes throughout my playtime, with glitches appearing frequently.

I am really torn on about wanting to give this game a higher rating, but Deck Nine unfortunately stopped this game reaching greatness in its final moments, and by launching it in a poorly optimised state.

A decent expansion that gives us more Alan Wake content. The Lake House itself is a very fun environment to navigate through, and it has an incredible sense of dread as you explore each level. However, this expansion doesn't do anything I have not already seen in the main game. The new enemy type barely appears, and by the time you have got a grasp on fighting them, the expansion is already over due to its ridiculously short length of two hours. Much of the lake house is littered with familiar enemy types and items that are found in the main game.

Story wise, it is nice to get into the shoes of Agent Ramirez, but she's not given much to do in this DLC. The story itself is fine and explores some interesting themes, but again, its hampered due to its short length. There is some nice ties with Control and I am excited to see where the Remedyverse goes next, but this expansion feels like disappointing set up that under explores its central location and mystery.