Life is Strange Falters: Square Enix Seeks Player Insight

Square Enix Seeks Fan Input After Life is Strange: Double Exposure's Underwhelming Reception

Following the less-than-stellar reception of Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Square Enix has launched a survey to gather feedback from fans of the series. The survey aims to understand key aspects of the game's performance and inform the development of future Life is Strange titles.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure, released in October 2024, marked the return of Max Caulfield, a beloved character from the original Life is Strange. Despite this, the game received mixed reviews, scoring a 73 from critics and a 4.2 from users on Metacritic. This lukewarm response, attributed to significant story choices, led to disappointing sales. Further complicating matters, developer Deck Nine Studios announced layoffs in December 2024.

In an effort to learn from these setbacks, Square Enix distributed a 15-minute survey to Life is Strange fans. This questionnaire delves into various aspects of Double Exposure, including narrative, gameplay, technical performance, and overall value. Crucially, it also assesses whether players' experiences have impacted their interest in future installments.

Analyzing the Survey Results: Shaping the Future of Life is Strange

Square Enix clearly anticipated a more positive response to Double Exposure, making the survey's results highly significant in determining the game's shortcomings. This contrasts sharply with the positive reception of Deck Nine's previous work, Life is Strange: True Colors, which was lauded for its narrative and emotional resonance. Alex Chen, the protagonist of True Colors, also resonated more strongly with players than Double Exposure's characters.

While Double Exposure hinted at potential storylines for future games, the feedback collected by Square Enix will likely play a substantial role in shaping those narratives. The extent to which future games will incorporate fan suggestions remains to be seen, but the company's proactive approach suggests a commitment to learning from past experiences and delivering a more satisfying experience for players in the future.