Life is Strange episode five: Polarized

ONE of the sleeper hits of the year, Life is Strange shows what can be accomplished in modern games with immersive storytelling.

The episodic series, which has now drawn to a close with the fifth instalment 'Polarized', threw out traditional gameplay in favour of stripped back controls and a focus on choices and the consequences that follow.

For those new to French developer Dontnod's game, it is about an Oregon photographer student called Max Caulfield who discovers she has the ability to reverse time.

A premonition of a devastating tornado and saving the life of her best friend Chloe sets off a series of events.

Life is Strange is a truly engaging experience as it allows you to play an active part in what follows with your decisions, who you befriend and who you turn against.

There are twists, turns and revelations and it is all tailored to the individual player.

With episode five bringing the game to its crescendo, everything becomes more dark and dramatic in Polarized – think a TV series finale.

You also get a sense of where you went right and wrong in terms of who you placed your trust in earlier in the game.

But there are also surreal, nightmarish moments in the final scenes which helps build up the foreboding tone.

As a whole, Life is Strange will take you around 15 hours to complete and, like a good TV series, you invest in the characters in that time.

So expect a heartbreaking finale and more proof that games that can aspire to being art.

DAVID MORGAN