If you're wondering how deep your Life is Strange knowledge has to be in order to appreciate this, I'd say it'd work eminently well as a standalone. Even though Wavelengths builds on both True Colours and the previous LiS stories, as someone who's only played through TC, and about half of the first LiS, I didn't need any more context for it to become one of my favourite things I've played this year. I loved the way it folds the relative monotony and constraints of its setting and structure into the storytelling. Crucially, it's not one of those things where the developers tries to excuse their choices by mocking and lampshading them, it's more like they actively use their limitations to heighten the immersion, to put the player into the headspace of the character they're playing as.

Like I said, I'm really not familiar enough with the previous games to know exactly how Wavelengths would play to tried and true LiS-heads, but I will say that the parts of this that hit me the hardest emotionally, were the ones that seemed to draw the most on that mostly-unknown-to-me history. Which is a pretty impressive feat on Deck Nine's part.

Oh, and a quick practical note: this is a pretty meaty game for a piece of DLC, so be aware that you're heading into a 3+ hour session if you want to play through it in one sitting.

Life is Strange: Wavelengths é uma expansão que tinha potencial, mas acabou entregando quase tudo proposto de forma rasa e pouco profunda. Embora estejamos falando de uma DLC, isto não é justificativa para a falta de aprofundamento dos personagens e da narrativa. Como dito anteriormente, Steph é uma das minhas personagens favoritas de LIS, portanto, acredito que ela poderia ter tido uma construção muito melhor do que apenas pequenos conselhos na rádio e interações no celular.

Além disso, os aspectos da vida da protagonista poderiam ter sido melhor construídos, para que então uma carga emocional estive presente. Assim sendo, é decepcionante que após True Colors, um game que cada segundo transmite uma emoção diferente ao jogador, na DLC de Steph, a carga emocional seja mínima. Claro, emoções é algo subjetivo, me refiro aos esforços da narrativa em entregar situações emocionantes e de forte impacto, algo que ocorreu a quase todo momento no jogo base.

Por fim, Life is Strange: Wavelengths tinha tudo para ser uma grande DLC de personagem e finalmente dar o destaque que Steph merece. Entretanto, a narrativa que poderia ter sido melhor trabalhada acaba tornando a experiência apenas um complemento para True Colors, sendo que no fim, não causa o mesmo impacto emocional do jogo base.

Me da que si me juego el Before the Storm va a ser más por Steph que por Chloe.

Es un DLC sencillito, con su parte emotiva (que supongo que me llegaría más de haber jugado lo anterior), pero yo me quedo sobre todo con el día a día de Steph como DJ. Éste es uno de esos juegos en los que un trabajo que seguramente sería un coñazo en la vida real te acabe molando, y de hecho no me importaría probar algún juego que sea íntegramente de este estilo en algún momento. Además he podido conocer un poco más a Steph, y ya con eso ha sido suficiente.

Reviewed for Budgetgaming.nl

Life is Strange: Wavelengths is a cool extra chapter in the Life is Strange series that musically ties together two already existing stories. Especially players who are familiar with the original Life is Strange and Before the Storm will get a lot of satisfaction from this extra chapter. Still, it doesn't quite sit well with us that extra payment is required for this chapter while True Colors was already on the short side compared to other games in the series.

Read the full review here (Dutch):
https://www.budgetgaming.nl/columns/columns-494.html

It could've been a total failure considering the restrains and limitations of the DLC, but somehow they made it work. The amount of tasks they give you is refreshing and satisfying to tick off, the song selection is on point, and if you're invested in Steph as a character you'll love reading her messages, exploring her trauma (in relation of your choice for Arcadia Bay in the first game) and trying to find her a partner on dating apps. Played the base game on Game Pass and I used Reward points to pay the DLC, so not necessarily the ideal person to talk about value, but I'd wait for a sale. $12 for a 3/4-hour experience that takes place in the same place and has off-screen VO for almost all of it seems pretty steep.

Smaller in geographic and topical scope than was 'LoS: True Colors,' but there is a real charm to 'Wavelengths.' Until this side-story, I never clicked with Steph. She always seemed to be trying too hard. And was stand-offy in all the wrong moments. But 'Wavelengths' helped me to understand how Steph was uniquely impacted by the events of 'Before the Storm' and the original 'LoS.' And I cared. And I warmed up to her. I love the seasonal approach to the storytelling here. Though you never leave the record store, you really feel the seasonal changes and the year slipping away. I predicted the final moment of 'Wavelengths,' but it didn't make it any less magical when it happened.