Even the smallest choices matter in Life is Strange (preview)

Time reversal is nothing new to games. Recently, titles like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and breakout indie hit Braid used time rewinding to great effect in platforming. Racing games have also made use of time turn back. My barely decent racing times in the Forza Motorsport franchise serve as proof. Dontnod Entertainment’s latest adventure — one they call a mix between Gone Home and The Walking Dead — also lets you turn back time.

Dontnod’s previous effort, Remember Me, also centered on a time-rewinding mechanic. But everything else about Life is Strange is new for the Paris-based studio, and it brings a bunch of firsts for publisher Square Enix as well. The game plays out across six episodes, all of which will be spent drawing the player through a rich narrative, telling the story of a girl and her friend reunited in their hometown after five years apart. It’s a story-focused experience that goes all-in on character development, ditching action completely.