A comedic skit on TikTok makes fun of the point-and-click mechanic iconic with the Life is Strange games, which often results in meaningless, dull narration from protagonists.
The Life is Strange games, as well as DONTNOD's neighboring game Tell Me Why, all begin basically the same. Aside from some dramatic cutscenes, the protagonist appears in their room or a familiar area, where the player can walk around and take a look at random objects. Here, they have an opportunity to look at everyday objects, which reveal minute details. For example, in Before the Storm, Chloe can look at a random paystub on the ground that doesn't belong to her, which prompts her to say how scared she'd be if she owed someone $1,000.
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A TikTok from creator alfredo2go2 pokes fun at this point-click mechanic that is mostly pointless dialogue, sometimes with strange and unnatural language, though the purpose is to get to know the protagonist. But his skit is painfully on the nose. He takes a look at his keyboard, which reveals that he can't recount how many days he's spent "tickling away" at those "ivories." Then, he looks at his dartboard, attempts a throw, and, hilariously, misses, which ultimately leads to nothing productive. The TikTok can be seen here.
Life is Strange might be the biggest offender of this awkward, pointless dialogue. After a dark and rainy opening scene, Max finds herself in her photography class, where she can look at a number of belongings on her desk, such as her pencil case, which follows up with Max saying, "I should upgrade to the twenty-first century."
This awkward dialogue, which might ring true for the high school-aged characters, is one of the biggest complaints players have about Life is Strange.
Though this mechanic does become essential during the first Life is Strange game, especially in relation to Kate Marsh's arc, which involves invasively poking around her room. But that doesn't take away from how brutally honest alfredo2go2's bit is.
This is true across DONTNOD's iconic series as Tell Me Why, but the mechanic was first popularized by Telltale Games. Rather than mowing down enemies with a sword or a gun in most action-packed games, the tension in point-and-click adventures mostly comes from the decision-making. But Life is Strange became was that series that exhibited the fruitless narration, which is often made fun of by players.
Life is Strange: True Colors launches September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.