It’s been a decade of rewinding the clock, and the time has finally come to bring Max Caulfield’s story to an end. Following a tease of a livestream, Square Enix has unveiled Life is Strange: Reunion, the direct sequel to 2024’s Double Exposure that seeks to reunite the franchise protagonist with Chloe Price.
Yes, as in the same fan favourite and Max’s best-friend-slash-former-lover from the original title. Both characters will also be playable for the first time in the same outing, with gameplay switching between two perspectives and each of their respective abilities: Max and her signature rewind power to redo decisions and manipulate the environment to solve four-dimensional puzzles, alongside Chloe’s Backtalk dialogue mechanic from 2017’s Before the Storm, which elicits further responses from others in ways the former cannot.
The question here, then, is how Chloe can return if players previously witnessed her death in the first game? As it turns out, Max’s reality-shifting actions during the events of Double Exposure somehow brought the former back, but with memories of a past she never lived. An understandably confused Chloe seeks Max out at Caledon University for answers, setting the stage for one final ride together.
Returning to the helm is Deck Nine, which has worked on the series since Before the Storm, and it’d be interesting to see how the studio plans to conclude Max’s saga, considering that original developer Don’t Nod Entertainment never intended for the characters’ stories to continue beyond its initial run.
“We couldn’t dismiss the tragedy at the heart of Max and Chloe,” Life is Strange senior brand manager Andrew James said in an Xbox Wire blog post. “Their reunion could be no quick fix.
“Max and Chloe’s relationship is at the core of the story, a relationship that YOU will choose how to develop over the course of the game,” he added. “Whether Chloe lived or died in Arcadia Bay, and whether she and Max were friends or lovers — these choices are key not just to the past you’ll confirm as you play, but to the future you’ll fight for the chance to build.”
Life is Strange: Reunion will be available for US$40 when it launches on 26 March 2026, with a US$50 Deluxe Edition featuring a digital soundtrack, art book and comic, and access to a behind-the-scenes documentary with returning Max voice actor Hannah Telle and Rhianna DeVries, Deck Nine’s actress for Chloe. A Collector’s Edition, retailing for US$100, is also available, bundling in a range of physical goods that include a 12-inch vinyl soundtrack and custom double-sided guitar picks with six unique designs.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
