It's been almost a decade since I played the original Life is Strange and it has still stuck with me as a heart-wrenching experience. In contrast, Before the Storm felt unnecessary and (at times) honestly cringeworthy. It's sad that the rewind mechanic has been replaced with a "talkback" mechanic that feels pointless, and the plot itself wasn't focused enough to be interesting. What made the original so good was the overarching mystery to drive forward the plot, but this game is more focused on the interpersonal relationships of these high schoolers, which personally I didn't find all that engaging.