Life is Strange: Double Exposure is putting players back in the shoes of Max Caulfield, the iconic protagonist of the original Life is Strange. And as if that’s not exciting enough, this time she’ll be armed with an all-new power: the ability to enter alternate timelines in which certain characters are still alive.
From the trailers and teasers that Deck Nine has given us, we know that Max will use her new power to solve the mysterious murder of her friend Safi. However, the ability to enter alternate timelines opens up seemingly infinite possibilities for other Life is Strange characters to return. It also leads us to ask the all-important question- will Chloe be in Double Exposure? We’re pretty sure Deck Nine is playing their cards close to the chest and has some exciting surprises in store for us.
10. Joyce Price
Even if you chose the Bae over Bay ending to the first Life is Strange, the powers that Max has in Double Exposure could theoretically allow for key characters from her past to make a return. Though Joyce is Chloe’s mom and not Max’s, she is still an important figure in Max’s childhood. A few texts, emails, or postcards from Joyce could be a good way to link the new game with the classic one.
9. Chris Eriksen
Chris is the imaginative main character of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit who also plays a key role in Life is Strange 2. We don’t have any confirmation on exactly when Double Exposure takes place, but he might now be about the right age to be a college student at Caledon University, where Max is a photographer-in-residence.
8. Skip Matthews
Skip Matthews is a security guard at Blackwell Academy in Before the Storm who makes music on the side. Hopefully, his band PissHead made it big, and Max will hear their tunes on the radio. It would certainly bring back some of that classic Life Is Strange spirit and would be a nice lighthearted touch.
7. Max’s Parents
We don’t know much about Max’s family; they only appear in the original Life is Strange via text messages. But Double Exposure has the opportunity to open up the mystery of their characters a bit more, as it might give Max an even more complex backstory. Regardless of the choices you made and the ending you selected, it seems most reasonable for them to still be in contact with Max and want the best for her.
6. Alex Chen
The main character of Life is Strange: True Colors is a deeply empathetic, caring person who has a personality that would blend well with Max’s. It would be nice to find out more about what’s happened to her since the events of True Colors, and even if her appearance is just in the background, it would likely aid in establishing a more fully intertwined Life is Strange timeline.
5. William Price
Chloe’s dad William is a key figure in the Arcadia Bay chapters of Life is Strange, despite the fact that he passed away before the games began. If we’re opening up alternate timelines, we’d love to see one in which Chloe and William are both present together- though maybe that’s just wishful thinking. If we do see William again, Deck Nine has to be careful to ensure that his return doesn’t retract the importance of the original game’s story.
4. Hawt Dog Man
Hawt Dog Man is an icon of the Life is Strange franchise who’s in every game and timeline. There’s no way his mustard-loving self won’t return in some form or another, and no way he wasn’t going to nab a spot on this list.
3. Rachel Amber
Major spoilers for the first game ahead- no matter how you play the original Life is Strange, you can’t save Rachel Amber. Her presence, however, hangs over the entire game to the point where Max can almost feel it, despite never having met her. In the Life is Strange comics, Max is able to meet Rachel in an alternate reality. What if a similar scenario was possible with Max’s new power? I’d love to see how the two would interact.
2. Kate Marsh
Kate Marsh is a fellow student that Max cares deeply about in the first game, and so it would, of course, be great to see her or hear from her again in Double Exposure. Her storyline is also the first to truly show players just how powerful Max’s rewind powers are and how much of a difference your choices make in the Life is Strange universe.
1. Chloe Price
And now for the question we all want answered- will Chloe be in Double Exposure? In one of the preview scenes for Double Exposure, we find out that Max is keeping a photo of Chloe close but that her friend Safi doesn’t know Chloe. This implies that Max might be keeping her past a secret or that she hopes to escape it. Perhaps the latter is more likely since we now find Max on the other side of the country from where she grew up. Years have passed since the first game, and I think it’s fair to say that Double Exposure‘s Chloe, if she appears, will have to be a very different character than the one we saw in Arcadia Bay.
We’re excited to see what Square Enix and Deck Nine have in store for us when Double Exposure releases on October 29th, 2024.
