Life is Strange: Before the Storm Review

"Episode 3: Hell is Empty"

Campaign (Spoiler Free)

Hell is Empty is the final episode for this prequel series. It continues Chloe's adventures with Rachel as the two bond further and deal with some upsetting news. This news sends the duo spiraling as they attempt to deal with this twist in the road instead of heading out immediately as intended. This episode had some strange pacing, but it worked for the most part and tied the two seasons of the series together. Some parts of the game didn't quite fit in or minor plot points were dropped though it works for the most part.

There are some rather emotional scenes and some action packed ones as certain moments play out. This was a good way to end things, yet I felt that more episodes might have helped develop the story further as the game just sort of plays out instead of being interactive towards the end. That moment still had some highlights from intense moments to sorrowing ones and while some aspects were concluded it did leave many plot lines open. I was more or less confused as some new random points were introduced while others were dropped and it was odd.

Gameplay

The Life is Strange series is a third person cinematic focused story where players have some input. The world looks charming with a unique art style and that shown really well here with some of the new sets. The best part of the series is however in the way you interact with the world and its strong cast. Chloe does sound different here due to a different voice actor, but she gets the spirit right and in this third episode it was alright.

There are tons of things to interact with such as graffiti taking the place of photos for collectibles and a back talk mechanic. The idea of that works well for Chloe as a character, but I didn't feel that it fit in very well with the gameplay. This was slightly better here, at least in the context of when it did appear.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm Episode 3: Hell is Empty Screenshot

The Conclusion

I was somewhat disappointed with this final episode in the Life is Strange: Before the Storm prequel series. It left a lot to be desired while still connecting the dots enough to be satisfying. I was confused by the introduction of random plot points since so many other seemingly important parts were left alone.

It might have been nice to see more episodes in this series as it seems the material was more than the few episodes could handle. This wasn't a terribly long episode and even with that some of the moments felt padded. It got the emotional aspects that fans would expect and it delivers on those with an almost cruel finish. Hell is Empty was somewhat empty in terms of dropping certain points though it still concludes in a satisfying way.

Read our Life is Strange Episode 1: Chrysalis Review
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Life is Strange: Before the Storm Review on Xbox One
Review Code Provided by Square Enix

Rating Overall: 7.4

Gamerheadquarters Reviewer Jason Stettner