love can take a lot of different shapes and forms. it's interesting because love is a universally understood word yet it's meaning can be unclear depending on who you talk to. you don't just feel one type of love, you feel all sorts of types of love.

life is strange 1 focuses on a love between the truest friends you could possibly find, sometimes blossoming into something more real, more tangible. and it deals in all the heartbreak and pain that such a love can bring.

before the storm focuses on a lover's affection. two people, troubled in different ways, drawn together by the ebb and flow of the universe, and feeling this heart pounding, stomach churning, head dizzying adoration for one another, and having that love burn the whole place to the ground.

but life is strange 2 focuses on a much different kind of love, the bond between brothers. family tied together by something so much greater than the individuals, and not just the consequences and pitfalls of that love, but the power it gives you.

daniel discovers his power from loss of a loved one, sean discovers his inner strength and willpower from the desperation to keep a loved one safe, karen finally discovers who she truly is by throwing away her life to save a loved one. it bleeds in every part of the narrative. and yeah, that love causes sean and daniel to make some missteps and mistakes, fall apart at the seams, and maybe just hate each other a bit.

but it also inspires their courage, their independence, their worldview, their art. everything in the game stems from that one single thing, sean's devotion to daniel, and daniel's admiration for sean. there's something inherent to feeling this kind of love and being, not just a human being, but a living, breathing creature on this planet. it's a feeling created by nature itself, forged in the fires of creation, and no amount of bigotry or fear or whatever else could tear it down.

i think some things are handled a bit clunkily, i think the pacing is all over the place, the music is less prominent and less powerful than the last 2 games, and not everyone is bringing their A game voice performance wise, but this is undoubtedly a really great story being told with some absolutely stunning visuals, and definitely an experience i would recommend.