Life is Strange: Double Exposure
PS5

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

(ESRB - Standard)

Oct 29, 2024
Publishers:
Developers:
Offline play
Yes
(*) Download required
No*
(*) Download required: Minor content missing or a lot of bugs present with a patch recommended (more details bellow)
(*) Disclamer: PS5 consoles with detachable disc drive: PS5 Slim (CFI-20xx models) and PS5 Pro (CFI-70xx models), require an internet connection to activate the disc drive at the setup.
Comments:

~ V1.000.000 (23.46GB / "Ver. 1.0.969308.2408091039" via in-game menu) on disc

Completely playable offline with no download required although a patch would be recommended due to various technical issues & potentially inconsistent story details (see 'Section B' notes below for the latter point).
Utilized default settings except for switching to 'Performance' mode & disabling subtitle options for a majority of the experience.
Finished on the 'Sacrifice Chloe / Save Arcadia Bay (A.B.)' timeline. Other legacy story route was untested for reference & all attempted trophies unlocked as necessary with minor exception to 'Frame Fatale' which appeared earlier than intended (see general notes below).

A number of bugs surfaced during both checkpoint reloads & direct continues that likely could've been avoided in a straight playthrough and, thus, it's suggested to completely beat a chapter before exiting the game.

-- The 'Exclusive Cat Content' DLC side-quest isn't on disc despite the presence of its respective trophy list. An advert notification even appears before the second chapter that encourages obtaining the digital add-on as starting without it serves as a point-of-no-return on a chronological level outside of beginning a new save file.
-- Pixelated pop-in, ghosting particles & rare grid-line effects occur quite frequently after camera angle shifts or activities during cut-scenes although it doesn't happen on every single occasion. Various aspects of character models experiencing minor clipping issues are also present.
-- Max's internal monologues & NPC chatter can frequently cut off or play over other pieces of dialogue, such as examining points of interest, looking away with the camera, etcetera. Several instances were environmental sound bytes / conversations needed the camera pointed away from their source in order to be properly heard. Checkpoint reloads appear to have a habit of impacting sound files, particularly related to infrequent / absent audio. Typos are also present through the game (ex. chapter objectives, bust image plague and so on).
-- The "Frame Fatale" trophy, which appears to require taking all optional photos throughout the game with debatable miscellaneous requirements (ex. double exposure effect, pose prompts), unlocked much earlier during the second chapter at the laboratory office. It's supposed to register once all the conditions have been met in the bar during the final chapter.
-- During "Chapter 1," after taking a photo of Moses casually posing with a telescope, his character model would teleport back to examining the nearby computer. Later on, while Max speaks with Yasmin on the phone, the photograph of Max & Chloe together in Arizona from the other story route is erroneously displayed on the picture wall. Before speaking with Moses after he relocates to the FAB, a reddish cylinder can be seen sticking out of the loose note found near the faculty staff mail boxes upon examination.
-- During "Chapter 2," while taking the photo of Safi & Yasmin at the Snapping Turtle booth, the latter character teleports inside the table looking away from the camera. Restarting the checkpoint doesn't fix this issue, but Yasmin returns to normal outside the snapshot activity. After reloading several checkpoints while speaking with Lucas in the FAB, his character model kept appearing inside the nearby table. Exiting & re-entering the FAB via the faculty section fixed the issue. After reverting back to the 'living world' with Lucas's briefcase key, the container was already open yet the interaction still progressed successfully like it was still locked.
-- During "Chapter 3," after reloading a checkpoint around Vinh & Diamond having an echo conversation in the Admin Building, most dialogue with Lucas in the FAB immediately afterward had no audio & sound. Subtitles had to be toggled to follow the situation. Subsequent reloads & another disc install didn't fix it. When looking to see whether re-entering the area could remedy the problem, the entrance door to the Admin Building was open into an incomplete facility void although it couldn't be accessed. The following scene between Max & Safi also didn't have audio, but everything returned to normal in the next location at the bar. After having the optional "concert" with Amanda at the bar, one of the unique item notifications kept popping up in the upper left corner through the rest of the game at random intervals.
-- During "Chapter 4," the table between Safi & Max would appear closer to the latter during zoomed out moments when it wasn't being used directly in the scene. At the bar after a certain story event has occurred, Gwen appeared to be looking at a cell phone, but it was seemingly invisible. A floating Polaroid camera can be seen at random during a few quick moments around the bar booth with Moses.
-- During "Chapter 5," Gwen had two bottles of alcohol outside at the bar during the storm with one in hand & another floating stationary. In the final portion at the bar, most character models during cut-scenes had minor ghosting effects.

SECTION B
-- During an abandoned save file to briefly sample the 'Save Chloe' route, multiple details are present from the 'Sacrifice Chloe / Save A.B.' timeline which appears to confirm leaks that this game was originally designed to canonize that specific ending. A small list of inconsistencies from the first chapter are available below:
~ (1) Although messages are available from Chloe across social platforms, right at the start of the game, Chloe's mother Joyce has texts in which she expresses grief over the anniversary of "losing her daughter." Later in the first chapter, however, it confirms Joyce was killed in the hurricane & her photo can be placed on Max's wall.
~ (2) As Max cleans her place before Amanda arrives, a photograph of Chloe from the 'Sacrifice Chloe' route appears under her bed before it switches to the appropriate image of Chloe & Max together in Arizona. However, during the same scene where Yasmin calls Max to talk about meeting after Safi's death, the image swaps over to the 'Sacrifice Chloe' photo on Max's wall.
~ (3) Victoria Chase is a fashion photographer across both timelines instead of specializing in natural disasters which is supposed to occur in the "Sacrifice A.B." timeline.

Tested by Community Report on Base PS5