Interview: Deck Nine Games Discusses The Drive Behind Life is Strange: Before The Storm

The Beginning Of The Story

At what point did you decide to make the next Life Is Strange more of a prequel rather than a follow-up? Were you looking to tell more of Chloe's side of the story, establish her more as a character?

A prequel was the natural way to tell more stories in Arcadia Bay. It was very important to us that we did not canonize one of the endings of Max's story, because that would mean invalidating the choice that half of the fans had made. We actually started with the idea of a prequel before we settled on Chloe as the protagonist. In the timeframe we were thinking of, Chloe quickly surfaced as one of the most interesting characters to tell a story about. In particular, we knew she'd had this amazing once-in-a-lifetime relationship with Rachel Amber. Showing fans what that relationship was like -- and getting to see Rachel Amber in person, through Chloe's eyes -- was an opportunity that was too good to ignore.

How tough was it putting together a story that resonated on the same level as the original? With key decisions that would weigh in for the characters?

Living up to the original game's standards is a challenge Deck Nine has always taken very seriously. Like all the other fans, we fell in love with the unique narrative and aesthetic vision of what DONTNOD created. It was a lot of pressure -- and a great privilege! -- to be asked to contribute to their world. So every day we are asking ourselves, "Does this feel like Life Is Strange? Is this true to these characters, and this world?"

I think some players and critics have fixated on the idea that in a prequel the characters' fates are already known, and they feel like that might prevent the story from being a powerful one, or from having meaningful choices. That has really never been a big issue for us. Narratively, the knowledge of what happens to Chloe or Rachel or Max in Life Is Strange is just more context within which to tell our story. For example, knowing that Chloe and Max will one day be reunited makes everything Chloe says and thinks about Max in Before the Storm more emotionally charged. We see those future events as toys for us to play with in our prequel sandbox, just as much as the established past events. Yes, there are some things that we can't let you choose to change in Before the Storm. But one reason we went almost three years back from the original game's timeline is so that we could tell a new story with its own twists and turns as well as its tie-ins with Max's story from Life Is Strange.

Not Holding Back On Controversy

You certainly don't hold back on controversial subjects when it comes to the Life Is Strange games. Was there any point in development where there was a line you didn't think need to be crossed?

If there is an issue that affects real people in a place like Arcadia Bay, I think it is fair game for Life Is Strange. That said, we only tackled these kinds of subjects if we felt like, in the context of the overall story we wanted to tell, we could treat them sensitively, realistically, and even-handedly. Life Is Strange doesn't preach at you, and it doesn't traffic in the moral tropes of most video games. It tries to understand controversial topics through characters whose lives are touched by them. That's the critical philosophy that informs those stories in Life Is Strange and Before the Storm. For us, the line we don't want to cross is handling these topics less sensitively and honestly than they deserve.

There were plenty of fans that loved the original game. What aspects of it would you say were kept for the prequel? What can they expect this time around? Will they be in for any surprises?

Life Is Strange was a profound supernatural story, but it was clear to us that what fans really responded to -- the heart of Life Is Strange, if you will -- was the relatable characters and their relationships. So that was our focus in crafting Chloe's story. What does Chloe's life with her mother look like during this time before she's married David, as Chloe is hitting her most rebellious teenage years? How does an energetic, charismatic personality like Rachel Amber change the trajectory of a life like Chloe's, which is defined by loss and grief? These seemed like stories that people who enjoyed watching Max and Chloe's friendship reignite would enjoy.

Fans of the first game will also find many minor characters that they remember from the original, and they'll meet brand new characters that flesh out Arcadia Bay as well. We take players to locations they know very well and some they've never seen before. And, yes, we have lots of surprises in store. There is a lot Max never learned about Chloe and Rachel's relationship, and the things they got up to before Rachel disappeared.

Moving Forward Without Rewind

The first episode of the prequel series did rather well. What can we expect from the just released second episode?

The first episode showed us the brilliant spark at the start Chloe and Rachel's relationship. In the second episode, we see their friendship growing: They take on each other's joys and struggles. They make plans for the future. We know that Chloe is troubled by her loneliness and unwanted changes at home. But the girls also have to tackle problems in Rachel's home life. The supposedly perfect girl with the perfect life needs this friendship just as badly as Chloe does. Episode Two paints with a broad palette of emotional colors: From sweet to funny to scary to inspiring.

The lack of a rewind feature is notable in this new prequel series. Do you think fans will be affected by its being missing? Or will they simply have to learn with the mistakes they make in the game?

So far, the reception to a Life Is Strange story without rewind from a vast majority of players has been very positive. The fans recognize what we knew when we started: Not only does a superpower for Chloe not make sense in the canon of the universe, but it's not right for Chloe's story. The Rewind power is really an embodiment of Max's internal conflict -- her timid nature and her indecisiveness. On the other side of that coin, Chloe is brash and rebellious with (she often feels) nothing to lose. Leaving a trail of unreconcilable consequences in her wake feels right. It certainly does change the tone of the story, to realize that you can't try any of these choices again. For us, and for those who have played Episode One, that pressure and tension fits nicely into the story of 16-year-old Chloe Price.

Yes, Talk Back

Tell us more about the Backtalk feature, and how it can affect decisions within the game.

Backtalk is a special dialogue-based challenge that really shows off Chloe's wit and her willingness to get in people's faces when she wants to. Periodically, Chloe will find another character between herself and something she wants, and she may be inspired to confront, shout down, or insult her opponent in pursuit of her goal. Whether to Backtalk or not is often a choice in itself: Are you willing to face the long-term consequences of mouthing off? Failing at a Backtalk doesn't halt the game or force you to retry; it's just another branch in the story. Either Chloe doesn't get what she wants after all, or she is forced to find an alternative way to get it.

How are you guys able to select such a great soundtrack for your game?

Music is incredibly important to the feel of Life Is Strange, so we focused a lot on this early in the project. We listened to a lot of music and found tracks and bands that sounded like the story we wanted to tell. In some cases, we found individual tracks that we wanted to underscore specific moments in the story. But an even bigger decision was to ask the British trio Daughter to compose the game's score. We just kept coming back to their music, and the particular voice that their frontwoman, Elena Tonra, brings to her lyrics and her performances. We were delighted that they were willing to take on the challenge of scoring a video game, something they had never done before. The collaboration with Daughter—explaining our story, characters, and themes to them, and then hearing their musical ideas come back to us from the studio—was one of the most gratifying and exciting parts of the development process for me. They also composed several original songs for Before the Storm. You can buy all the music created for the game on their LP "Music from Before the Storm". It stands on its own musically and also plays beautifully within our scenes in the game.

A Tough Act To Follow

What would you say was the toughest part in putting a follow-up to Life Is Strange together?

The hardest part has been making sure that we live up to the standards that we knew fans would be holding us to. Because we were fans ourselves, we are constantly looking at our scripts, scenes, environments, and gameplay very closely and asking ourselves if the fans will love what we're making. Ultimately, Before the Storm was created for all those players who fell in love with Arcadia Bay and its characters. Our challenge every day is simply to not let them down.

Once the prequel wraps up, will we be seeing Life Is Strange again down the road? Or is the team taking it one step at a time?

DONTNOD has announced that they are working on a new Life Is Strange game.