Life Is Strange

CAN you think of a terrible moment that you would give anything to change if you could turn back the clock?

It is the kind of thought that runs through most people's heads at some point or other and that is what makes Life Is Strange so appealing and universal despite its narrow setting at an Oregon academy.

You play as Max, a photography geek navigating various student cliques.

But in some ways that is incidental because the 18-year-old can travel back in time and alter the events that are unfolding in front of her – albeit briefly – she can rewind time by about a minute.

The game's French developer, Dontnod Entertainment, is not interested in how Max got this power but the what ifs and the idea of choice and it will get you thinking even if some of the dialogue is a little cheesy.

Life Is Strange is now up to its third of five episodes and so mentioning much about the plot goes into spoiler territory.

But basically this instalment focuses on Max's relationship with her best friend and troubled soul Chloe after they break into Blackwell Academy.

There are omens of bad things to come – think dead birds and freak snowstorms – and Max also finds a way to travel further back in time but at great cost.

The episode ends with a shocking cliffhanger which suggests big choices and even bigger consequences to come as the compelling game leads up to its conclusion.

- Life Is Strange episodes one to three are available to download on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows

DAVID MORGAN