A comedic skit on TikTok makes fun of the point-and-click mechanic iconic with theLife is Strangegames, which often results in meaningless, dull narration from protagonists.
TheLife is Strangegames, as well asDONTNOD’s neighboring gameTell Me Why, all begin basically the same. Aside from some dramatic cutscenes, the protagonist appears in their room or a familiar area, where the player can walk around and take a look at random objects. Here, they have an opportunity to look at everyday objects, which reveal minute details. For example, inBefore the Storm, Chloecan look at a random paystub on the ground that doesn’t belong to her, which prompts her to say how scared she’d be if she owed someone $1,000.
RELATED:Life is Strange: True Colors Announced With Release Date, Ditching Episodic Format
A TikTok from creator alfredo2go2 pokes fun at this point-click mechanic that is mostly pointless dialogue, sometimes with strange and unnatural language, though the purpose is to get to know the protagonist. But his skit is painfully on the nose. He takes a look at his keyboard, which reveals that he can’t recount how many days he’s spent “tickling away” at those “ivories.” Then, he looks at his dartboard, attempts a throw, and, hilariously, misses, which ultimately leads to nothing productive. The TikTok can be seenhere.
Life is Strangemight be the biggest offender of this awkward, pointless dialogue. After a dark and rainy opening scene, Max finds herself in her photography class, where she can look at a number of belongings on her desk, such as her pencil case, which follows up with Max saying, “I should upgrade to the twenty-first century.”
This awkward dialogue, which might ring true for the high school-aged characters, is one of the biggestcomplaints players have aboutLife is Strange.
Though this mechanic does become essential during the firstLife is Strangegame, especially in relation toKate Marsh’s arc, which involves invasively poking around her room. But that doesn’t take away from how brutally honest alfredo2go2’s bit is.
This is true across DONTNOD’s iconic series asTell Me Why, but the mechanic was first popularized byTelltale Games. Rather than mowing down enemies with a sword or a gun in most action-packed games, the tension in point-and-click adventures mostly comes from the decision-making. ButLife is Strangebecame was that series that exhibited the fruitless narration, which is often made fun of by players.
Life is Strange: True Colorslaunches September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
