Life Is Strange: Chaos Theory
If you would like to see the trailer for the 3rd episode, here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue9b6hkp48Y
Yet again, this game has literally blown me away and I am not sure how they are going to top it after this episode but I can only expect something even better than the last, which has been a reoccurring trait for the creators of the game.
(Spoilers! If you haven't played the episodes 1, 2 or 3! You have been warned!)
So following the previous episode, Max, depending on what choices you have made, is reliving the events of saving Kate's life earlier that day. She is happy at the fact she did save her but is determined to find out what caused her to be driven to try and commit suicide and knows she needs to investigate further into some Blackwell students, staff and those involved in the Vortex Club.
Max receives a text from Chloe, telling her that she has a surprise and wants her to meet her outside in the car park. Upon meeting Chloe, she shows Max that she stole the spare keys to Blackwell from her stepdad. They then see Mr Jefferson and Victoria come out of the main building despite it being past curfew. Max and Chloe over hear Victoria and Mr Jefferson talking about the 'Every day heroes' contest. Long story short, Victoria tries it on with Mr Jefferson by offering him favours in return of choosing Victoria's photo as the winning one. Mr Jefferson harshly refuses Victoria's advances and sends her away.
Chloe and Max then make their way into main building and try to break into the Principle's Office. Max gets a little help from Warren to find a way to bust the lock. (Nerd Power) Once making it inside, they begin to look through some students files. They gathered Rachel Amber, Kate Marsh, Nathan Prescott and Victoria Chase files.
Meanwhile, Chloe is looking through computer files and finds Nathan Prescott's hidden file which his father had paid to be hidden so that he has a spotless Blackwell record. Along with the subject complaints and teacher complaints, there were notes that Nathan had written and drawn. One was a piece of paper which had "Rachel in the dark room..." written over and over again. The other paper had "David Madsen knows what's in my head, David Madsen helps me follow the people he follows..."
Once discussing this Chloe and Max found a draw with $5,000 from the handicapped fund. Chloe wanted the money so that she could pay back Frank. You then decide whether you choose to take the money or not.
So after this, Chloe isn't finished with her late night antics and decides she wants to go swimming. (Typical...)
While swimming Chloe and Max have another heart to heart and talk about how they will always be there for each other and how they want to find out what happened to Rachel. But then, security busts in just as Chloe and Max dry off. "Hide!" Chloe and Max say quietly as they dart into the changing rooms in their effort to hide from the security officers. After dodging and ducking from the officers they both make it out, jump in Chloe's truck and drive off to her house.
The next morning, Max wants to get changed and back to Blackwell for class. While chilling out on the bed, Max asks Chloe about whether she had a serious boyfriend while Max was away. Chloe just speaks about "Never had anything serious but seriously stupid and going through a 'toy boy' stage...and some other things..." Max states that she can't see Chloe being with any of the boys around Arcadia Bay. Chloe says that's because Max has a good eye and that she was grateful that Rachel came around to 'rescue' her. Max has the option to ask her whether she 'crushed' on Rachel. Lo and behold, Chloe admits that she did and described Rachel as being, Sexy, Sassy, Smart bla bla bla. She wasn't shy about admitting the fact that she did like her best friend more than just friends. But this just shows how much she trusts Max at this point in the story.
Max wants to get dressed but doesn't want to wear her clothes from last night but they still smell of chlorine and this is apparently too much for Max to bare so Chloe said that she could borrow her clothes. As soon as Max opens her wardrobe Chloe jumps up and says that Rachel left some of her clothes with Chloe and that Max was her size. Max is not very forth coming to wear Rachel's clothes because her style was a bit out there and leaning towards Chloe's style. But she is soon convinced, soon after deciding to wear the clothes, Chloe says "Max, you can afford to take chances. For example, I dare you to kiss me." Max is shocked as she says "What?" Chloe says again "I double dare you, kiss me now." You now have the decision to kiss her or not. Now before anyone jumps to conclusions, this is just a playful dare and, as far as I can tell, doesn't effect Max and Chloe's relationship whatsoever.
Moving on, Max goes downstairs to talk to Chloe's mum Joyce and they speak about William, Chloe's real dad, and how things definitely changed badly once he passed away, especially for Chloe. This goes to Joyce and Max looking through an old photo album, where Joyce give Max the last photo William ever took, which was a picture of Max and Chloe. Once he took the picture, he headed out in his car to pick up Joyce but had the car accident.
Later on, Chloe provides a distraction so that Max can try to get into David's computer to see if they can find any clues or useful information. The passcode to his computer is the day him and Joyce met which is written on the other side of the receipt for the meal Joyce made him that day which David keeps in his car.
On the computer, Max finds loads of pictures of Kate Marsh and Rachel Amber. One of the pictures took Max's attention the most because it featured Rachel Amber being more than friends with Frank Bowers. Just as Max is about to tell Chloe, David storms in saying he was annoyed because he had to stay up late writing vandalism reports about two people swimming in the pool late at night. One thing leads to another and they begin to argue about David bulling students and accusing them of things they didn't do. At this point Max can choose whether to side with Chloe or side with David.
So either choice you make, Max and Chloe leave and Max gets the chance to tell Chloe about the picture of Rachel. Chloe says she just posed for the pictures and wasn't truly into Frank. To prove it to Chloe, Max suggests searching Frank's RV which just so happens to be at the Two Whales Diner.
So after questioning Frank, Nathan and police officer at the diner you find out a lot of information. Nathan's father hired a cop to 'babysit' Nathan and Frank, Frank took a blood oath to Rachel and Rachel took some pictures for Frank and now he carries them around because he thought she posed for love.
Max uses this information to ask Frank if she can see the picture of Rachel, to reach the picture he places his keys on the table next to Rachel's photo. Max takes the keys while saying "It's time for me to take the keys now asshole." Just before Frank goes ape, Max rewinds to before he took his keys out and it was like she was never there.
Chloe and Max make it into Frank's RV. They find a small diary which had pictures of Rachel and Frank together and some love letters Rachel wrote to Frank. As you can guess, this is the proof that she didn't want to believe nor know about. She is raging, she is confused and just so angry at the fact Rachel lied to her face about Frank. Max rightly points out that Rachel hid it from her because she knew how Chloe would react. Chloe doesn't want to hear it. She rants about all the bad things that have happened in her life and now her best friend betrays her. She storms out of the RV while shouting "Fuck Everybody!" Chloe tosses Frank's keys on top of a roof then her and Max speed away in her truck.
While in the car, Chloe is having a mental break down. She is going through everything and Max is trying her best to make her feel better because it is just beyond the point of no return. Seeing Chloe as such a strong character throughout the game so far and to see her teary eyed does create quite an impact.
She doesn't listen to anything Max has to say and finishes the car journey with Chloe saying "Ever since my dad died, my whole life has been dipped in shit." Max gets out the car and says tries to say goodbye but Chloe just drives away.
Max is at a loss. She is sitting in her dorm room, looking at the photo that Joyce gave her. Suddenly, the picture moved and Max can hear the past of the day that photo was taken. Max is freaking out, but concentrates further. Once she glares at the photo long enough, she is then taken back to the time when that photo was taken. The exact moment in time back when Max was 13, Chloe was 14 and William was still alive.
Max takes this opportunity upon herself, she is going to save William's life and make Chloe's life better. Instead of letting William drive his car, Max hides his keys and ultimately, saves his life.
Everything turns white, Max has changed the future. Big Time. Chloe never went through the phases, Joyce never married David, Chloe did well in school rather than getting expelled. But not only did Chloe's life change, but Max's did too. When the white goes away, Max is sitting in Blackwell with Victoria and the other Vortex Members. She is a 'cool girl' and is a part of the Vortex Club. Max gets up and leaves and is freaking out because she has changed so much. She walks past Warren and he is with Stella. She travels to Chloe's house and on the way she sees 3 whales that have died and had been washed up on the beach.
She finally reaches Chloe's home. She knocks on the door and William answers. She is happy to see him alive and says that he is happy to see her after a while and that he was worried he wouldn't see Max again. Max states that she would never do that to Chloe. William says that Chloe had been dying to see Max and call out "Chloe! you have a visitor!"...
Max is in horror when Chloe is in a wheelchair and is strapped down with wires and breathing tubes in her throat. She has obviously had an accident and has become paralyzed. (I honestly, couldn't believe it!) and that is where the episode ends.
WOW! I just have no words. This episode started off a little slow and I felt not a lot was going on, however, you discover so much about some students and things going on. But this hits you hard because everything you have done in the past three episodes might have all been for nothing because Max changed the future so heavily. But there is a glimmer of hope because they show you a preview of episode 4.
Max turns up at a Vortex Club party. There is music and everyone is dancing and before the preview ends, they zoom in on a poster of the End Of The World party which is being advertised everywhere at Blackwell.
This episode ended on such a cliff hanger that I don't even know how to react. It could go anywhere, Max changed so much that Rachel Amber might still be around and things that were different before might have been totally flipped on its head. Again, I cannot wait for the next episode which should be released between the 20th to the 30th of June.
I cannot express how hooked this game has me right now! Everything is a surprise and I'm sure there will be many more!
Hope you enjoyed and sorry about the length of the post, there was a lot going on in this episode. Happy Gaming Everyone!
