Life is Strange: Remastered Collection gets new name and new release date for Nintendo Switch
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Initially slated for release earlier this year, the Life is Strange: Remastered Collection will finally be available on Nintendo Switch soon. Not only that, the title is getting a new name for this particular release. Experience Life is Strange: Remastered and Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered for the first time on Nintendo Switch in the Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection on Tuesday, September 27th.
- Two complete games
- Remastered visuals improved and optimized for Switch across characters and environments
- Improved character animation using full facial mocap performance (Life is Strange Remastered)
- Choice and consequence driven stories with multiple endings
- Harness the power of Max’s rewind ability or Chloe’s quick-witted attitude to change the course of events
- Every track from the distinct licensed soundtrack original scores
With the name change came some confusion among fans. The official Life is Strange account clarified that the Nintendo Switch release includes remastered versions of Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Others were quick to point out that due to these two Life is Strange games never releasing on Nintendo Switch before, the “Remastered” branding doesn’t quite fit. Regardless, this release is optimized for Nintendo Switch and will be available digitally and physically.
According to Square Enix Store’s listing for the physical release, this will be yet another “one game on the cart and the other via a download code release”. Meaning, Life is Strange: Remastered is on the cart and a download code for Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered will be included within the case. For those looking for both games on a physical cart, keep your Joy-Cons crossed that an Asia-English release will save the day and include both. This listing also mentions that “[e]very copy of the Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection includes the ‘Zombie Crypt’ outfit for Chloe, available to wear in Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered”, but doesn’t mention if this is limited to the physical release.
Pre-orders will open on the Nintendo eShop closer to the game’s launch on Tuesday, September 27th.
Written by Jennifer Burch
Illustrator, designer, writer and big Nintendo geek, you can find Jennifer with an N3DS within reach 24/7. As the oldest of three, she has survived many Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart sessions intact in addition to getting her brothers hooked on some really weird games. (Cubivore anyone?)
Life is Strange 2 Switch: Will it Come to Nintendo Switch in September 2018?
Life is Strange 2, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed adventure from Dontnod, has officially been given a release date after over a year of fans waiting with bated breath. But is it coming to Nintendo Switch? You’d think Life is Strange 2 Switch would be a perfect fit for the console with its episodic format and portability but, as we’re about to find out, not even Max’s time-travel powers could fix this mess.
Life is Strange 2 Switch: Is it Coming to Nintendo Switch?
As of writing, Life is Strange 2 has not been confirmed for Nintendo Switch. That’s not to say it won’t appear in the future but, in the context of a September 2018 release date, Switch users are going to have to look elsewhere for the time being.
Life is Strange 2 Switch: Other Platforms
Life is Strange 2 episode one is coming out on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 27, with the following four episodes to arrive intermittently presumably throughout the rest of 2018 and into 2019.
Life is Strange 2 Switch: Reasons for the Absence
While there is no official reasoning (and there probably never will be) behind the lack of Life is Strange 2 on Switch, there are a couple of reasons that could be offered up to explain away the game’s absence from Nintendo’s console(s). Firstly, Dontnod has never released a game on a Nintendo platform; it may just be a case of having no real working relationship with the gaming giants.
Perhaps most likely, however, is the fact that the console architechture makes it too time-consuming and costly to port the game over to Switch. Unravel 2 encountered this issue recently and decided to scrap a Switch port which would’ve added six months on to the release date [via gameindustry.biz] and you’d imagine smaller developers will have a similar mindset, especially for Life is Strange and its staggered episodic format.
Life is Strange 2 Switch: Alternatives on Switch
If you’re looking for similar games to Life is Strange 2 on Switch, you could do worse than looking at the likes of Night in the Woods, which deal with similar themes of loneliness and depression, as well as being heavily story-focused.
Hey, I’m Bradley. I am legally required to tell you that my puns are terrible and I should, under no circumstances, be told otherwise. I’m that weird gaming guy you can’t really fit into one neat box: I love all of the sports games, Madden especially, but I’m equally at home polishing off a 45-hour Japanese visual novel. Also, go and play Danganronpa. Like, right now. Seriously. For my sins, I’m a Crystal Palace and Colts fan which means I’m down in the dumps most weekends – so feel free to mock me over on
Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection [Nintendo Switch] | REVIEW
Life is Strange is a very special game to me, with its perfect balance of emotional storytelling, likable characters, and wonderful soundtrack all ensuring that it will always stand out as one of my favourite releases of all time. Playing it in 2015 when it first came out felt special, and now, seven years on, it hasn’t lost that sense of allure in the slightest.
It has finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch in the form of the Arcadia Bay Collection, which bundles the original game and its prequel, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, into one sweet little portable package. However, some delays to the release as well as the limitations of the console did leave me wondering just how well the game would hold up. So how does it play? It’s adequate, even if it’s a far cry from being the best way to experience the emotional journey of Max and Chloe.
Check out some screenshots down below:
In Life is Strange, players take on the role of Max Caldwell as she returns home to Arcadia Bay, all whilst re-uniting with her rebellious best friend Chloe Price and investigating the disappearance of a fellow student name Rachel Amber. Whilst the story itself brings plenty of emotional thrills and spills, the fact that Max can also rewind time adds a topsy-turvy element where you can alter the course of events that have taken place.
Meanwhile, Life is Strange: Before the Storm takes place prior to Max’s homecoming, with players instead playing as Chloe as she deals with struggles at home and forges a friendship with the aforementioned Rachel. You learn more about the special bond they shared and how important they were to one-another, whilst also uncovering the clues as to what led up to Rachel’s disappearance. There are no time-shifting elements in play here, though Chloe’s fiery personality does allow her to get her own way by backchatting to other characters and winning arguments.
The narratives of both games are emotional and absorbing, with the characters you encounter both a believable and likable bunch that help ensure that the storytelling remains top notch. The situations you find yourself in across both games bring plenty of excitement too, whilst the fact that you make choices along the way to shape the narrative adds a greater sense of consequence to your actions. Some of these can be life or death situations, whilst some will determine your relationship with other characters; both games can take some truly harrowing turns, but the fact that they’re determined by the player makes them even more engaging.
“There are so many good things I could say about both games, but I’ll simplify it to this: they’re a must play experience.”
Just be warned: it can be a very sad game with gut-punch after gut-punch. In some twisted way, that’s what makes the game so appealing, but the fact that it draws pure emotion out of me and brings me to tears EVERY time I play shows just how powerful it is. I don’t want to go into detail so I don’t spoil anything, but yeah, there’s some captivating storytelling here.
When it comes to gameplay, Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection plays like your typical narrative adventure. You’ll move between an array of environments, grab a few items here and there, interact with characters, and solve small puzzles to move the story forward – you’ll also make choices as to how you want to respond to characters and events, with each choice often affecting the things you do or how a character will respond to you. Whilst the aforementioned time-reversing and backchatting elements do tie into gameplay, it’s never in an especially significant way that makes the game feel completely different to play to any other narrative adventure out there. And that’s fine. Sure, Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection’s gameplaymay bring with it a sense of familiarity for fans of the genre, but it does so in an enjoyable manner that helps makes it fun.
Add to that the BRILLIANT soundtrack that fits the tone of each scene of the game perfectly, and you’ll quickly see that there’s a LOT to like about Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection. There are so many good things I could say about both games, but I’ll simplify it to this: they’re a must play experience, especially for those who appreciate emotional storytelling.
Check out some screenshots down below:
So how does it play on the Nintendo Switch? Well, whilst both games are fine to play through, there are quite a few shortcomings. The visuals are a little fuzzy and don’t feel like they’ve held up that well for example, even with the improvements brought with the remastered release. I noticed quite a bit of pop-in on occasions, whilst the character animations feel a bit more stilted when compared to other platforms. I can’t say it’s an ugly game at all because it isn’t, but there’s a significant difference to be seen when comparing the Nintendo Switch release with more powerful consoles.
The loads times can be painful too, so you’ll want something to keep yourself occupied as you transition between scenes. Whilst it’s understandable given that the Nintendo Switch doesn’t have an SSD to speed things up, the wait still felt significantly longer than I’ve had in similar releases on the console. It doesn’t help that there’s a lot of shifting between scenes, with the wait between them sure to draw plenty of frustration from players.
Other than those issues, everything plays alright. Again, you won’t get the smooth frame rate of other platforms, but it’s mostly consistent and never dropped to severely low levels that made it unplayable. There were occasions where the visuals would look great too, so it does have its moments. And hey, it’s great to be able to take the game on the go and play it portable, so it has that going for it. It’s just clear that it’s inferior to every other platform I’ve played the game on, with the Nintendo Switch only being easy to recommend if it’s your only option.
Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection Review
Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection offers two outstanding experiences that still feel special today, even IF the Nintendo Switch version of the games are inferior to other platforms. It’s not that it’s unplayable at all, but rather that it doesn’t have the visual quality or technical performance seen elsewhere… add to that some lengthy load times and it’ll be clear that this is an inferior version when compared to other consoles or PC.
Still, there’s no denying the brilliance of both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and they still hold up well on the Nintendo Switch. It wouldn’t be the platform I recommend playing the games on, but they’re still games you simply HAVE to play.
Life is Strange: Remastered Collection (Switch) Review
The following review of Life is Strange: Remastered Collection (Switch), is in addendum to our original review for Life is Strange: Remastered Collection. released on February 1, 2022 for Playstation, Xbox PC. For our original review, click here.
️While it may be capped at 30fps, the title still shines on the OLED Switch.
️Remains a clinical masterpiece in point-and-click adventure titles.
️Funnily enough, the best version of the remaster.
❌Resolution while docked show’s port’s weakness.
❌Still prefer the original over the remaster.
Let’s wind back to February of this year. Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection was released to a mixed reception, and without question had some issues that needed to be addressed. While the Nintendo Switch version was expected earlier on, we were more than happy to give developers time to iron out any potential problems for the hybrid handheld-home console. It would have been ill fated from its launch to Nintendo’s platform if it had released simultaneously with other systems, so it was wise for Deck Nine and Square-Enix to delay the collection here. To my surprise, the game performs better on the Switch than PC, with some caveats of course.
The issues I initially had with the collection had been polished, so no weird hitches and glitches were occurring, but some sacrifices such as resolution and framerate were on the cards. Capped at 30fps, the title is significantly stabilised for Switch, and looks absolutely stunning on the Switch’s OLED Model. It’s almost like the title had finally found its home on the handheld side of Nintendo’s platform, giving players the opportunity to take the title on the go, without the impeding presence of touch screen controls once plaguing the poorly performing port on iOS. While the experience itself remains identical in gameplay, its presentation takes a minor hit.
If you care to play the title in docked mode – for which I would recommend picking up the original titles for the best experience on PC, PS5 or Xbox – the game bears its weak spots in resolution, showing some seriously jagged models and washed out lighting will have you rushing to pick up the handheld from the dock and forget what you just saw. It does expose the downside to the hardware the port is placed on, but it’s an unfortunately an expectancy when dealing with the Nintendo Switch nowadays. The 30fps cap does itself no favours on TV, especially those with televisions that have lower refresh rates that can completely wash out, or smooth over things with optimised settings that do nothing but blur the picture to simulate a higher frame rate. The point is, you want to play this title on Switch in handheld mode, it’s unequivocally what it’s there for.
There’s only a certain expertise that can pull off this sort of excellence in indie gaming, and Life is Strange continues to be a staple. a household name in gaming for it.
After a myriad of patches that were blazoned upon the Arcadia Bay collection in late March this year, the title has become more polished for other platforms given its setbacks that had made its launch a nightmare scenario. But this could very well be the do-over that the collection needed to convince fans to pick up the game, despite the platform it’s touted for in regards to this specific review. But I do believe that I’ve had the best experience thus far for the collection on the Switch. There’s just something about its homely aura that sat well with me, experiencing this Veronica Mars cross Back to the Future inspired drama. Still as charming as ever, the first game masters the art of storytelling on all levels, while its prequel in Before the Storm tells a less supernatural, and more straightforward backstory to Chloe’s perils in a teenager dealing with trauma and grief.
After all these years, one of the most compelling tales told in gaming gets a deserved re-appraisal that’s “cleaner” on a handheld platform than it is for others. Granted, that’s directly to the collection’s coinciding releases to competing systems while its original iteration still performs outstandingly well. While imperfections still bode some issues in the long run for Life is Strange Remastered and Before the Storm Remastered, the Nintendo Switch version is the best one out of any. A comfortable vibe that took me out of my element and immersed me for hours on end. Tucking in my earbuds, taking over the couch this past weekend and just going through each title was a hella great time. Revisiting the familiar faces of Arcadia Bay, picking and choosing my path depending, spilling Frank’s beans, it was all so exciting.
Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection for Nintendo Switch is well worth the pick-up for anyone yet to play this instant classic. If you have yet to, and want a more casual experience from the game, this is the ultimate choice in how to play these two titles. Life is Strange redefined the point-and-click genre, with DONTNOD directly taking inspiration from then pioneers of the modern point-and-click cinematic genre, Telltale Games. They outplayed the studio at their own game, and bought a category to prominence and mainstream, that only elevated both to new heights. Without question, we can’t deny Life is Strange’s impact on the industry as a whole, with such excellent writing and delivery across the board. There’s only a certain expertise that can pull off this sort of excellence in indie gaming, and Life is Strange continues to be a staple – a household name in gaming for it.
Original Review
Original Review by Dan Rizzo – First Published March 23, 2022.
This one hurt a little. I absolutely adore this franchise, beyond comprehension. Life is Strange happens to be one of our most heralded titles here on DashGamer, and the word of a Remastered Collection had me elated. So bless my eyes deceive me when I began playing the first of two Remasters and in an unfortunate turn of events, it crashes. Not at all what I’ve come to expect from Life is Strange, DONTNOD’s premiere franchise that catapulted them to massive acclaim after the mixed reception met in Remember Me. But it’s not all bad, however far from perfect. Life is Strange has upheld its reputation over numerous entries, with specific themes that aim to tug at heart strings, and enter tumultuous territory within controversial and political topics.
The admirable attempt to bring the point-and-click genre to the forefront of mainstream gaming was effortless as DONTNOD’s storytelling in the original was fantastic, and still maintains that allure to this day. But as a gateway point for gamers that have yet to experience the franchise, is this best way to introduce them to the series? I’m still unsure. It’s as like the remaster still has some work to do, even after Square-Enix announced a litany of patches that should have addressed most of its problems. Yet, I still find myself stumbling through said issues that has seemed to rear its ugly head. You would think that taking the existing framework of both Life is Strange and Before the Storm, capitalising on its pre-existing presentation with additional polish would be simple, right? Well the Remastered Collection has proven that refurbishing and optimising can be more difficult than it seems.
Trivial Turnback.
While the Remastered Collection does an excellent job in reminding you how magical Max and Chloe’s journey is, its shortcomings are immersion breaking to say the least. For the uninitiated, Life is Strange follows transfer student Max Caulfield, who returns to her home town of Arcade Bay, Oregon, after earning a scholarship to attend one of the city’s most renowned photography courses at Blackwell Academy, taught by esteemed and highly regarded photographer, Mark Jefferson. The Veronica Mars meets Donnie Darko tale takes a sudden twist when Max finds herself in a vulnerable predicament after bearing witness to her best friend’s murder, whilst hiding in College restroom. Taking a quick snap for her class project, she’s suddenly trapped behind a stall with an erratic Nathan Prescott, entering the room looking flustered.
The Prescott family are widely known within the community as huge investors for small businesses and donate to the college on a frequent basis, giving Nathan, a ‘squeaky-clean’ record amongst Faculty staff, including Principal Raymond Wells who backs the Prescott’s as a respectable and reputable family. After a vulnerable Nathan enters the girl’s room, he’s flanked by a blue-maned punk, demanding he pay-up for an undisclosed item, which is then revealed to be drugs the duo had been dealing. The pair argue until Nathan pulls a handgun and threatens the girl. Upon shoving Prescott, he accidentally fires the weapon killing the girl in the process. Max rears her head from the stall corner in a panic, but in an odd occurrence passes out and ends up back in class, where she was only mere minutes before aforementioned events.
Not knowing what exactly just happened, Max was reliving her past. Moment-by-moment, minute-by-minute, Mr. Jefferson’s lecture was on repeat with young Max, trying her best to figure out how this was happening, and if she was dreaming or not. A bewildered Max breaks her polaroid camera, a moment which did not happen in her previous timeline, but then begins to wonder if she can rewind time. Reaching out to the broken shards of her camera lens, it’s as if the unit was mending itself yet everything around Max was moving backwards. Max had indeed somehow become capable of reversing time. Using this newfound skill, she suddenly remembers that the girl was about to be shot in the bathroom, and quickly makes an effort to repeat each event until that very moment where she changes the course of history by sounding the school’s fire alarm, alerting everyone to evacuate and diffusing the argument between Chloe and Nathan.
Life is Strange and Before the Storm are and ultimate bundle of joy and should be celebrated. It’s not the perfect way to do it for the moment, but I’m sure there’s going to be future fixes that will amend all prior issues mentioned.
This event alone introduces us the first game’s premise and how it would shape both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm’s narrative, from life to death, triumph and heartbreak and morally challenging players into choosing right from wrong, whether or not it may be the popular choice. Life is Strange makes every decision count, and moulds your path to what would be your personal perfect outcome. There’s a distinct difference made between the conventional Telltale Game, where choices only shape your character, rather this game does shape multiple personalities, their stories, their conviction and how they may be perceived, and this is all due to one small mechanic that reconfigures every fleeting moment. It’s insane how time can add multiple layers to one story, and give different sensations and emotions with each integral change. Still fascinates me.
Be Kind, Rewind.
️A grand revisit to Arcadia Bay, that will have fans reminisce the OG title.
️Massive improvements in facial animation and some material physics.
️Retains dialogue, but adds new tid-bits for impact and emotion.
❌A plethora of bugs hold it back from being perfect.
❌Would have been a grander experience if rebuilt from the ground-up, ala True Colours Engine.
Okay, let’s critique the Remastered Collections issues. Playing the PC version of the game on its base version, I ran into multiple issues, including a crash on cold-boot, framerate dissipation when I had the window active and in full screen, and while they did a spectacular job in re-animating each character and their facial movements, there were moments of deadpan, stoic looks or no lip movement during dialogue. This was something promised to be fixed in the latest roll out of patches, and while I wouldn’t say they remain as consistent they seem to unfortunately persist. The use of pre-rendered cutscenes in-between key plot points is unexpected, as the original prided itself on its “indie” look, but for added effect, it seems that a completely re-rendered animated scenes with new models was an interesting decision.
It would have been appreciated if the clips themselves matched the game’s aspect ratio, framerate and picture quality, which effectively declines drastically as they load and play. A major issue I ran into during these specific scenes was muted audio. I double checked everything I could to see if there was a problem on my end, yet Square-Enix assured us that the patch would fix this. With major story elements taking place during these essential intermissions, I was glad to see an effort made to fix most of these issues, but to still have experienced these deterrents after its initial launch and having to wait an entire month for gigabytes of patches, it was a little disheartening, especially as a massive fan.
While graphical improvements are evident, and make all the difference from the OG’s smeared and smudged textures, the immersion is lost on some minor blemishes that I hope can be finally addressed by the development team. Still, the remastered collection contains the exact same aura as you’ve come to expect from Life is Strange and Before the Storm. Both amazing tales tied into mystique and fantasy that ultimately lead to dire consequences regardless of action and risk. The former before the latter will introduce you to Arcadia Bay, and Max’s strange reunion with her best friend Chloe Price, as its prequel Before the Storm will tell you the tale of Chloe’s tragic life circumstances after the traumatic loss of her father, and how it led to her rebellious ways, influenced by confidant, Rachel Amber. This small town has some serious baggage, and it’s up to you to unravel.
Nonetheless, Life is Strange and Before the Storm are and ultimate bundle of joy and should be celebrated. It’s not the perfect way to do it for the moment, but I’m sure there’s going to be future fixes that will amend all prior issues mentioned. But for the time being, it demonstrates how the small French studio were able to take inspiration from Telltale’s successes and turn it into a formula of their own. A distinct mechanic that redefined the way we understood click-and-point adventure games. The genre would essentially lead the player down a fixed path depending on choice, but Life is Strange turned that on its head and allowed players to make changes in real-time. Experiment with outcome, retell the tale their way and morally decide on the story’s climax. I still enjoyed my time with this collection, but have hopes that it will be given the respect it deserves with a clean slate, and some added spit-shine.
Life is Strange: True Colors Pre-Order Bonus on Nintendo Switch
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Pre-Order Bonus
Expand your wardrobe with four exclusive outfits for Alex, with unique designs that celebrate Valkyrie, the feline fury of the record store, and the other cats of Haven Springs, available to pre-order customers at launch.
Description
A bold new era of the award-winning Life is Strange begins, with an all-new playable lead character and a thrilling mystery to solve!
Alex Chen has long suppressed her ‘curse’: the supernatural ability to experience, absorb and manipulate the strong emotions of others, which she sees as blazing, colored auras.
When her brother dies in a so-called accident, Alex must embrace her volatile power to find the truth – and uncover the dark secrets buried by a small town.
THE TRUTH WILL HURT Discover the shocking secrets behind your brother’s death in an emotional roller-coaster of an adventure.
FEEL EVERYTHING Change fate and change lives with the psychic power of Empathy.
FORGE DEEP RELATIONSHIPS Build trust with the townsfolk – and embrace friendship or romance with Ryan and Steph.
A TRULY PERSONAL STORY Make tough decisions and choose your own future. Freely roam the streets, stores, and hidden spaces of Haven Springs and meet unforgettable characters.
FIND YOUR VOICE And decide Alex’s style, with up to 24 outfits in your wardrobe.
EXCLUSIVE SOUNDTRACK New tracks by mxmtoon and Novo Amor and extensive licensed songs including Radiohead, Phoebe Bridgers, Gabrielle Aplin, and more.
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