Life Is Strange - Episode 4, 'Dark Room' [Review - SPOILERS]

As Life Is Strange slowly built up to its finale, it was anyone's guess as to what episode 4, entitled 'Dark Room' (how ominous), had to offer. And if you thought episode 2 with Kate was bad, then let's just say to keep your wits about you as it's anyone's game in this latest thrilling addition. With so many potential deaths to deal with, it almost seems as if it's likely anyone...and everyone will die at the end of this series. 

As always, if you want to hear our review at the end then feel free to skip on over to that (best to keep your eyes shut until then as they'll be spoiler-filled pictures). But first we shall start by discussing the events of the fourth episode as they unfolded. 

Recap:

After having the shocking twist at the end of episode 3 with Chloe Price in fact having been involved in her own car accident (and now needed a wheelchair and several other pieces of equipment to move, breathe, and basically function), everything from the previous 2 episodes were uncertain. After spending the day with Chloe (with the option of choosing extremely guilt-ridden dialogue) and William, it was left to Max to decide what to do. Chloe, knowing of her worsening condition and her parents agony, asks Max to do the unthinkable...to kill her. 

At this point, you have the option to accept or reject Chloe's offer. Ultimately though, it means nothing as Max decides she must say goodbye to William (essentially re-killing him) and restore the old, not-disabled, Chloe. So back comes the blue hair and feisty attitude. Phew, we were getting worried there. Over the course of the episode, Max and Chloe gather clues (get ready for some searching and puzzle-based games, people) as to what could possibly be going on with Nathan, the disappearance of Rachel and Kate's ordeal. 

You spend a bit of time rummaging through David's garage to find some of evidence. Second stop though, Max goes to visit Kate. This is suitably awkward, as if you saved Kate you will get to see her alive and well in the hospital (and we're guessing if you didn't it's most likely going to be her funeral). Dodgy dialogue aside, Kate volunteers (or doesn't) to help you find Nathan's dorm number so you can break in. 

On the way to Nathan's dorm you get the opportunity to talk to a load of familiar faces including the incredibly wise janitor who may as well be some sort of hidden deity given his cryptic but enlightening dialogue. After finding a whole load of torture porn in Nathan's room along with some other creepy thoughts of the mini serial-killer, you eventually discover Nathan's phone (another one of the clues). Just as you think everything is fine and we have escaped without harm, Nathan shows up and starts getting aggressive. Cue Warren to the rescue. Quick as a flash, superman jumps in and beats the shit out of Nathan. No, really. He's practically blubbering on the floor. 

Next stop is Frank's trailer, where the real stuff goes down. Now you have multiple options to coax Frank's client list out of him nicely (easier said than done) or get almost mauled by his dog, thus causing Chloe to shoot the dog and then subsequently Frank. 

You can just leave Frank and his dog lying dead and steal the list, or you can rewind time and just shoot Frank in the leg, or successfully get him to give up the list. Got, that? Be nice to Frank = scores you the list without any canine death...or actual human death. Now that we have all the pieces of info it is up to Chloe and Max (mainly Max) to put together all the information and come up with the location of a mysterious haunted barn, naturally owned by the Prescott family. After finding a locked trap-door in the barn, Max and Chloe descend into what is known as the 'dark room', a disturbing one-stop-shop for creeps and kidnappers. 

Duct tape, video cameras, needles and secret files litter the room and in the notable red box files are pictures of Kate Marsh...and Rachel Amber (oh, and also there's an empty file for Victoria). Some incredibly disturbing photos of Kate are shown, along with ones of Rachel which appear to show her being buried in the junk-yard. Nathan's jacket is also present, along with other evidence that indicates he and his father are involved. Naturally, Chloe freaks out and the two of them high-tail it over to the junk-yard. 

At the junk-yard, Chloe frantically digs up and finds (presumably) Rachel's body, although this is not 100% confirmed. Now Chloe and Max have one joint goal: find Nathan at the Vortex Party and presumably make him pay (we're taking this as code for killing him, at least in Chloe's mind). On their way inside, the two briefly run into Warren, who wants to take a selfie with Max to commemorate the moment. Needless to say, Warren is totally trying to make the moves on Max. 

But, unfortunately the party is pretty much a dud, thought you do have the option of warning Victoria about Nathan and your previous actions towards her mean that she will either believe you or not. Mr. Jefferson is also present, and hands Victoria the award for the elusive 'Everyday heroes' contest. 

He also randomly stops Max and Chloe on their way out, but returns to the party. Chloe abruptly receives a text from Nathan who says there won't be any evidence left to find and Max and Chloe return frantically to the junk-yard. Whilst Chloe digs up Rachel, Max is injected from behind with drugs from a shadowy figure, who then proceeds to shoot Chloe straight in the head. 

Chloe falls down, covering the ground in blood and Max can't stop or rewind the situation due to her drugged state. And as a final twist, who should the shadowy figure be, other than... Mr. Jefferson! 

Yes, the over-enthusiastic photography teacher is somehow involved and just killed Chloe. Surprise! Although, if it's anything to go by, Chloe has proven to be as resilient as fuck, so we're pretty sure her death isn't going to be permanent (perhaps some photo-ception with a photo Warren coaxed Max into taking before the duo entered the party?). After all, she has been shot by Nathan, hit by a train, paralysed by a car 'accident', almost killed by a dog and so much more. This girl's a survivor (thanks predominantly to Max). 

Of course, now Max is left to wiggle her way out of this deadly situation with a disturbed Mr. Jefferson and the 'dark room', save Chloe (somehow) and figure out the mystery behind the weather. And who knows, maybe even save Rachel somehow too. Sufficed to say, the last episode is going to be a real epic adventure. Once again, it would seems as pretty much everyone's fate really does rest on Max's (and your) shoulders. 

Review: 

It's fair to say this episode was all over the place in terms of actual action, although it did move at a fairly glacial pace to start off with. Fortunately though, by the time the Vortex party approaches, events have kicked up a gear and now the episode is moving far more quickly. The lip-synching is still completely awful (but we're thinking they were going for more of a certain aesthetic with the beautiful imagery, exciting game-play and atmospheric music) and off-putting, but is fine if you don't actually look at their mouths. The narrative was decidedly more action-packed and lengthy than previous episodes, with a minimum total of 4 hours of game-play (longer depending on how you like to play), which certainly gave you plenty of scenarios to encounter, rightfully so, considering it has been over 2 months since the last instalment. It's fair to say if the game had ended upon the discovery of the 'item' in the junk-yard, it would have felt incredibly anticlimactic and lacklustre, but with the add-on of the Vortex party and the shocking thriller (and set-up) at the end, it propelled the episode to far more riveting heights. After the shock ending last episode, all eyes were on the game-makers, who were certainly under a lot of pressure to produce an equally climactic and shocking cliff-hanger for this addition, and thankfully, they didn't disappoint. 

The puzzle sequences and evidence gathering also showed great improvement from previous episode, with gathering David's, Nathan's and Frank's evidence being one of the most strategic and enjoyable experiences. Of course, performances from the main cast are all captivating to watch, and Chloe and Max really function well as two 'sister' type characters. It now remains to be seen whether the finale will see the series end on a high note or ultimately fail the promising scenario all 4 episodes have built up to. With so many questions left unanswered, Life Is Strange episode 5 has a monumental job tying off loose ends and drawing everything to a satisfactory conclusion.