Life Is Strange is a series of narrative adventure games published by Square Enixs External Studios and created by Dontnod Entertainment). The first installment of the series was released in five episodes throughout 2015, and it was followed by a prequel, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, which was developed by Deck Nine and released in three episodes throughout 2017, with a downloadable content (DLC) bonus episode released in early 2018. The game is played from a third-person view, and the player takes control of Max Caulfield, whose time rewinding ability allows the player to redo almost any action that has been taken). The player can examine and interact with objects, which enables puzzle solving in the form of fetch quests and making changes to the environment). The game sets out to revolutionize story-based choice and consequence games by allowing the player to rewind time and affect the past, present, and future. Each individual game in the series features a central mechanic unique to that game. In Life Is Strange, the player (as Max) has access to a "rewind" ability, which allows them to rewind time and alter the course of events. The rewind mechanic is accessible in conversation, allowing players to navigate branching dialogue options and change the outcome of a conversation to be beneficial to the player. The games story revolves around Max Caulfield, a photography student who discovers she has the ability to rewind time, and her friend Chloe Price, as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of a fellow student and uncover a dark side to their hometown of Arcadia Bay, Oregon.