When the first episode of Life Is Strange was released, I was 16 years old. I was cool, I was angsty, and I was a creative powerhouse.
Okay, fine, I was quiet, nerdy, and hyperfixated on creative hobbies. Not much has changed.
It was a series that immediately drew me in, hella cringe and all, and I looked forward to each new episode as they were released incrementally. However, it wasn’t just the game that I was excited for – it was to hear what songs were on the soundtrack.
Life Is Changed. Actually, That’s Terrible, Don’t Use This Title
Fast forward a few months: I’m 17, in college, working away at some coursework in game development. Of course, I hyperfixated on my work and wanted to create an RPG with multiple endings, a levelling system, and varying paths you could take. I titled it The Butterfly Effect, named after the themes of Max Caulfield’s own branching adventure.
But to be a little less subtle, I used some songs from the soundtrack for my levels – Obstacles by Syd Matters, Piano Fire by Sparklehorse, and Something Good by alt-J, to name a few. Did they fit a little pixel RPG? No, absolutely not, but I didn’t care.
Music Remained A Staple For The Series
Life Is Strange 2 continued the trend of having some incredible music that was specifically catered to me, personally. It almost had a distinct direction within the songs when compared to the original’s OST, but remained undoubtedly ‘Life Is Strange’. I still listen to Lisztomania by Phoenix, Natalie by Milk & Bone, and one of my favourite songs, On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz.
As I got even older, the games were a pivotal part of my music taste, allowing me an easy way to discover new artists and songs, with such a fond correlation to them at the same time. Not only was this true for the first game, but I was late to playing the sequel, powering through Life Is Strange 2 during lockdowns in 2020. Some positive correlation was exactly what I needed, as most did.
I’m not quite sure why I was two years late to the party on the sequel, despite loving the original so much. Don’t ask me.
Life Is Strange: True Colors and Double Exposure didn’t quite have the same impact on me for music – maybe it was the change from episodic structure, or maybe it was the change in the studio developing the games. Don’t Nod knows me in a way that Deck Nine doesn’t, what can I say?
I’m proud to look back on numerous songs and artists that I hold dear, and when asked where I first heard them, the answer can be Life Is Strange ten years ago, and the follow-up, which offered so much more. These are games that want to stick with you, and music is a huge part of that – something that Don’t Nod understood perfectly.
- Other Games
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Life is Strange: Before the Storm, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit