Hello! I’ve prepared a detailed walkthrough of Life is Strange for you. The walkthrough guide for the whole game was too long, so I divided it into 5 episodes.
Let’s start with a complete walkthrough of the first episode of Life is Strange. I’ll tell you where to find all the photos. I will also analyze all the important (and not so important) choices in the dialogues and their consequences.
Episode One: Chrysalis
Chapters list:
We play as Max Caulfield, and the first thing we see is a storm and a huge tornado. This is where the first episode of Life is Strange begins. We wake up right in the epicenter of a deadly cataclysm. We get up and move towards the lighthouse.
When we reach the lighthouse, a tornado will hurl a boat into it. The structure will collapse, and we will wake up to a lecture by Professor Jefferson.
School
Photos – 1
At this point, we examine all the items on the table and throw a pencil.
We can also take selfies with the camera. Taking a selfie will cause Jefferson to interrupt the lecture. He will ask a question, and we need to select one of the answer options.
- You’re asking me?
- I did know…
Both options are correct.
We stay until the end of the lesson, and we can explore the classroom. There will be notebooks scattered on the left side, and on the right, we can interact with Kate and engage in conversation with her.
There will be an inscription on the table in the center of the classroom. Take a photo (1) of it.
After that, we approach Jefferson and have a conversation with him. We can choose any answers, as they won’t affect the future storyline.
In the classroom, you can see posters, photographs, and other items. After observing, we then leave the classroom.
At this point, Max puts on her headphones, and we head towards the music to find the restroom. We go straight, and along the way, we can interact with some students.
On the first set of yellow doors to the right, there will be an announcement about the missing girl, Rachel Amber.
We continue straight and then turn right to find the restroom nearby.
Approach the sink and have Max wash her face.
Shortly after, a blue butterfly will catch our attention. The butterfly will land on a bucket, and Max will want to take a picture of it.
In the next scene, Nathan Prescott enters the restroom. He checks for strangers but doesn’t notice us and starts talking to himself.
Chloe enters the restroom a minute later, and they begin to argue. A gunshot is fired.
At that moment, Max jumps out of her hiding place and, in an emotional shock, accidentally rewinds time (without understanding how she did it).
We return to Jefferson’s lecture just as Max drops her pencil. Max, in shock, recalls the entire sequence of events that happened in the classroom, confirming that time has indeed been rewound.
Max accidentally knocks the camera off the table, causing it to break. At this point, the game introduces our ability.
We rewind time until the camera is restored. We take a selfie again and request to go to the restroom. We are not allowed to leave and are accused of irresponsibility once again.
We rewind time once more and listen to the same question from Jefferson.
This time, we know the correct answer – The Daguerreian Process.
When the lesson ends, we head to the restroom. When we reach the door leading out of the classroom, Jefferson intercepts us and asks about the photo contest.
We answer: “John Lennon said…”
Next, we quickly go to the restroom.
Attention! We need to act quickly now. Here is the action plan in stages:
- Move the mop cart away.
- Pick up a hammer.
- Reach the fire alarm button and save Chloe from death.
We leave the restroom and talk to the security guard. The conversation is interrupted by the principal, who instructs the guard to let us go.
Next, we have the option to talk to the school principal.
He asks us if we want to tell him something. Max can choose to share what she witnessed in the restroom about Nathan and the gun or choose not to talk about it.
These answer options have consequences:
REPORT NATHAN
The principal will learn about it but won’t believe it. Nathan’s treatment towards us will worsen, and Chloe will express her discontent with this choice.
HIDE THE TRUTH
Nathan’s aggression will be reduced, and he won’t write a threatening message on the wall in Max’s room or send a ton of messages. However, in the last episode, Max expresses regret to David for not reporting Nathan and the gun.
I chose the second option and did not tell the principal about what I saw.
After the conversation with the principal, we leave the school.
Campus
Photos – 2
We go outside, and now we can interact with other teachers and students. Miss Grant will be standing in front of the entrance on the right, offering us to sign a petition against the surveillance cameras that the local security guard, David (who is also Chloe’s stepfather), wants to install.
Here, we have the freedom to choose.
- If we sign, the petition will be successful, and we will receive praise.
- If we don’t sign, Miss Grant won’t be able to collect enough signatures.
Hayden is sitting near the tree, and we can talk to him to learn more about the Cyclone membership club, the missing Rachel, and Nathan Prescott.
We spot Brooke playing with her drone nearby. We can ask her to let us control it.
In response, Brooke will ask us a question about the drone, and initially, we won’t know the answer. As a result, she will ask us to move away and not interfere with her. We examine the box from the quadcopter and rewind time. This will give us the answer to Brooke’s question.
We engage in another conversation with Brooke and provide her with the correct answer – “That’s a HiFly drone”.
Max will compliment her toy, and a pleased Brooke will give us the remote control for the drone.
Shortly after, we receive a message from Warren on our phone, arranging a meeting in the parking lot in front of Prescott Dormitory. However, we will go there a little later. For now, let’s finish everything in the schoolyard.
Next, we encounter local skateboarders on the stairs, and we can talk to Justin and take another photo.
During the conversation, Justin will criticize us for being ignorant of skateboard tricks and refuse to show us his skills. We rewind time and engage in dialogue again.
Now, we have a new answer option – “I came to Noseslide”.
He will then ask which trick we want to see, and we’ll request a “Tre-flip”. Trevor attempts the difficult skateboard jump but falls, and we have the opportunity to approach him and capture the moment – we take a photo (2).
Afterward, you can backtrack a bit and capture a photo (3) of the monument in the campus center.
Then, we can talk to Daniel, who is painting by the tree. He wants to draw us, and if we agree, Max’s portrait will be published on Facebook, and Daniel himself will want to go to the party in the future.
If we refuse, Daniel won’t want to attend the school party (you will need to use your ability).
I suggest agreeing with Daniel and letting him paint our portrait.
We can gather some information about Rachel from him, but other than the fact that she was his favorite muse, we won’t learn anything else. We continue on, and on the bench at the wooden table, we can talk to Evan.
Max will ask to see his cool photo album, but in response, he will ask us another question. By answering correctly, we can appreciate his work.
The correct answer is Robert Capa.
Only after that will we be able to look at his photo album and admire the unique pictures.
Now, we can head to Prescott Dormitory.
Dormitories
Photos – 1
Alice will be seated on the right bench, and Zachary plays football nearby. Victoria is seated on the steps in front of Prescott Dormitory, and a little further, we will find Kate sitting on a bench. We can talk to everyone, saving Victoria for last.
In front of Kate, there is a squirrel by the tree that we can photograph (4).
The squirrel can be found to the right of the tree.
Our objective is to reach Prescott Dormitory and retrieve a flash drive for Warren. However, the path is blocked by Victoria. We talk to Victoria, and she refuses to let us inside. It’s time to ruin her day.
First, we head to the janitor’s room and turn the valve to increase the water pressure.
As a result, Victoria’s shirt gets wet, and she gets upset. After that, we can use the paint bucket that is near the stairs.
We rewind time to the moment before the janitor approaches the bucket and break the handle.
Afterward, we return to the janitor’s room and turn the valve again, increasing the water pressure on the sprinklers. This forces Victoria to climb up the steps, and the bucket of paint falls on her.
Victoria’s friends go to fetch a towel, leaving her alone on the steps. We approach and talk to her.
Now, we face an important choice that will significantly impact future events.
We can:
MAKE FUN OF
In this case, Victoria will delete Max’s photo from her phone and will be more friendly towards us.
In the fourth episode, she will believe us when we reveal the existence of Jefferson’s Dark Room.
COMFORT
Victoria will not delete our photo and will post it on her page. Throughout the game, she will treat us with hostility, such as causing a mess in our room, painting a mirror, and stealing a photo.
In the fourth episode, she won’t believe us when we talk about the dark room.
In my playthrough, I chose the first option and supported Victoria.
After a brief conversation, we head to Prescott Dormitory.
Girls’ Dormitories
Photos – 2
Our room is located at the end of the corridor. Before entering our room, we can examine the posters hanging on the notice boards.
Important! Kate is being bullied and may be driven to suicide in the future.
Before going to our room, we have a crucial task. We need to erase the sign on Kate’s door (number 222).
To prevent Kate from harming herself, we need to provide her with our utmost support. One way to do this is to erase the offensive messages on her door.
We can only enter our room after that. On the door, there’s a mirror where we can take a photo (5).
Afterward, we can explore the rest of the room, including art books, photographs, a drawer, a stereo system, a guitar, clothes, and a poster.
Near the window, we find a large pot with a plant named Lisa:
- If we water it, Lisa will appear healthy and thrive.
- If we don’t water it, Lisa will dry out.
We can also sit at the laptop. On the very first page, we will see the portrait that Daniel posted (we agreed to pose for him on campus).
Near the laptop, there will be a note from Dana. She took the flash drive, so we need to go to her room.
Once we step into the corridor, we will see that Juliet has locked Dana in her room. We approach Juliet to find out what’s going on. It turns out Dana was flirting with Juliet’s boyfriend.
Juliet will not be in the mood for a conversation and will reproach us for never talking to her. To find out more details about the conflict, she asks us if we know Dana’s last name.
Here, we answer – Juliet Watson.
When we answer correctly, Juliet will share what happened, and Dana will shout from outside the door that Victoria is to blame and that all the evidence is hidden in her room.
Now, to retrieve the flash drive, we need to visit Victoria’s room. We go back – her room (number 221) is located opposite our room.
Photographs will be hanging near the door. We can rearrange them and create an interesting installation, then take a photo (6).
I recommend using time rewind to restore the collage of photos to its original form. This way, we won’t provoke Victoria and worsen our already difficult relationship with her.
We examine her room and find evidence on her laptop – a message addressed to Taylor in which Victoria boasts about how she caused a conflict between Dana and Juliet.
We print out the message and show it to Juliet. Afterward, the girls allow us into the room, and we can retrieve the flash drive from the table.
In Victoria’s room, we can also find a pregnancy test in a box below the table.
Once we take it, Dana will become upset. We rewind time back and ask her leading questions, allowing her to share her story.
A new dialogue branch will appear – “I heard a rumor about you”.
It turns out that Dana was pregnant but had an abortion, and the rumors never stopped.
Now, we can leave the Prescott Dormitory for women and make our way to the parking lot.
We step out into the yard, and Alice is sitting on the left with her book. After a few seconds, a ball flies over her head.
Important! If we help Alice avoid injuries four times throughout the game, she will dedicate a poem by Robert Frost to us in the end.
When Alice gets hit by the ball, we rewind time and warn her – please move. As a result, the ball hits the window, and we can take a photo (7) of the broken window.
Next, we leave the Prescott Dormitory courtyard and head towards the parking lot.
As we approach the gate, we witness an unpleasant scene – the guard David scolding Kate. At this point, we face an important choice.
TAKE A PHOTO
In the future, Kate will reproach us for not standing up for her. However, Chloe will be able to use this picture in a conflict with her stepfather, David, accusing him of threatening a student at Blackwell.
In my opinion, this is the less favorable option, as it will only complicate the further rescue of Kate.
INTERVENE
Max will be pleased with herself, and Kate will be grateful to her.
In the second episode, when Kate is on the roof contemplating suicide, we can tell her, “Everything will work out” or “You are important to me” and she will believe us.
For me, the choice is clear – to INTERVENE.
After that, we can proceed to the parking lot.
Parking Lot
Photos – 1
Before approaching Warren, we can talk with Juliette (sitting on the left) and inspect various objects in the parking lot. By the way, here we can take another photo.
On the right in the far corner is a large van belonging to Frank; we can draw a picture on the glass and take a photo (8).
Then we can approach Warren. During the conversation, Nathan Prescott (the one with a gun from the toilet) will approach and begin to threaten us. Warren will step in to defend us, resulting in a fight. Suddenly, Chloe will appear in her pickup truck, and we jump into her car and leave.
Chloe’s House
Upon entering Chloe’s room, she ask us to turn on the music. From this point on, we can explore the room, including a postcard, drawings in a drawer, a bag with dirty items and sneakers. At the top of the closet, there’s a box containing a glass ball and a report card.
When we interact with the box, it falls and the ball breaks. However, we can rewind time to ensure the memorabilia remains intact.
Next to the bed, there’s a cabinet with various belongings. Max will comment on Chloe’s new style when examining it. On the nearby wall, there are growth marks, and below that, a suitcase filled with cigarette butts and empty bottles.
Near the TV, there’s a stereo system that needs to be connected to electricity. At the bottom of the room, there’s a box with old photos of Chloe and her deceased father.
Behind the TV, we find an outlet, and it should be turned on.
Now we need to locate the music disc, which can be found in a box under the bed.
Inside the box, we discover photographs featuring Chloe and the missing Rachel. However, Chloe abruptly takes them away. A conversation ensues, where Chloe talks about Rachel and what happened to her during the period when we left Arcadia Bay.
After the conversation, we return to the stereo system and turn on the music. We are then directed to the garage to retrieve tools to fix our camera.
We leave the room, but instead of going down to the first floor right away, we decide to explore the parents’ bedroom, which is through the door on the left.
It’s important to note that we open a window in the parents’ bedroom. From outside, we find a wounded jay that needs to be saved. This is crucial to take another photo.
To save the jay, we rewind time and open the window, allowing it to fly into the house without crashing into the glass. We will encounter the jay again in the third and fourth episodes at Chloe’s house.
If we ignore or neglect saving it, we won’t be able to take a photo later.
In the bedroom, we can observe various items such as the closet, the photo on the table, the book on the bedside table, the army dog tags in the drawer, and the papers on overdue accounts on the table. After exploring the bedroom, we proceed to inspect the bathroom.
We then go downstairs to the corridor, where we come across letters regarding overdue accounts. In the kitchen, we find photographs on the refrigerator, a jar containing savings for travel, and magazines on the table.
At this point, I recommend not skipping any subjects and spending time studying these items. It will help us gain a better understanding of the family’s history.
Next, we proceed to the garage. Our objective here is to gather as much information as possible about Chloe’s stepfather, David. Therefore, we carefully examine each box.
In the boxes on the left, we discover documents confirming that Chloe’s stepfather is the same guard from Blackwell Academy.
In the corner, there is a weapon locker with one gun missing.
In the adjacent hanging cabinet, we find a TV displaying surveillance cameras throughout the house. We should inform Chloe about this discovery.
At the very top, we find documents that fall onto an oil stain and become dirty. We thoroughly study these documents and come to the realization that David has indeed arranged surveillance on Kate. To prevent potential complications for Chloe, we rewind time and ensure no evidence is left behind.
After collecting all the available information in the garage, we pick up the tools located on the washing machine. However, due to our height limitations, we need to find an alternative method.
We turn on the washing machine, causing it to shake and the tools to fall. As we rewind time, we notice a cardboard box at the bottom, so we push it deeper.
Now we turn on the washer again and retrieve the toolbox. We can then go back to the room upstairs and have a talk with Chloe. She will see the photos we took today, specifically the one with the blue butterfly on a metal bucket. She’ll realize that we set off the fire alarm and saved her life.
During the conversation, I answer honestly and don’t dodge any questions (Chloe can be trusted). I admit that we were in the toilet and heard the conversation with Nathan. After the conversation, Chloe turns up the music and starts dancing. We can take a picture of her.
The fun is interrupted by the sudden return of David, Chloe’s stepfather, from work. Chloe tells us to hide, and we quickly try to climb into the closet. However, the floor lamp falls and brings down the shelves.
We rewind time, move the floor lamp to a safer position, and then climb into the closet.
We witness a family quarrel. David asks Chloe about the missing gun from the garage, and she claims to know nothing about it. Then he finds a joint of weed on the table, and we face another important choice:
STAY HIDDEN
Our friend will get upset. In the second episode, Joyce (Chloe’s mom) will express that Chloe is not ready for independent life and needs Max’s help. We will not be suspended from school. However, in the third episode, Chloe will bring up the joint, and in the fourth episode (if we don’t delete the message from the answering machine), David will inform Officer Barry about Chloe’s possession of the joint.
STEP IN
Chloe will be very pleased with our courage, and this act will likely result in changing the screensaver on her phone to a photo of Max. Chloe confesses that she stole the gun from her stepfather. In the second episode, we will be blamed for possessing the joint (Joyce will say that we are a bad influence on Chloe).
In the third episode, Chloe will joke about it, and in the fourth episode (if we don’t delete the message from the answering machine), David will tell Officer Barry that Max smokes weed.
For me, the choice here is also quite obvious – STEP IN.
Chloe is our friend, and we can’t leave her in such an unfortunate position. Plus, she’s the only person in Arcadia Bay we can confide in.
We leave the closet and take responsibility for the joint. David starts threatening us with serious consequences, but Chloe stands up to him and shows him the stolen gun.
Now we can leave Chloe’s room by climbing out the window (although it’s unclear why we couldn’t just leave through the door). By the way, due to the fact that we stood up for her and took the blame for the joint, Chloe follows us out the window.
Cliff
Photos – 2
We find ourselves on a cliff overlooking the lighthouse. Instead of heading upstairs to find Chloe, we decide to go back. On the stone, we notice the same blue bird that we rescued in the parents’ bedroom.
We take a photo (9) of the blue bird. Now, we can finally climb up to the lighthouse.
Approaching Chloe from behind, we take the final photo (10) of this episode.
Afterward, we sit down on the bench and continue our conversation.
Let’s discuss what we discovered in the garage. One by one, we share our findings and stories. A friend reveals a tale about Nathan and explains what was found in the toilet.
As it turns out, a wealthy boy drugged Chloe, causing her to pass out. When she woke up, he was hovering over her with a camera. Luckily, she managed to escape.
Afterward, she demanded money from him to keep quiet about the incident. However, the guy was not at a loss and threatened her with a gun.
Towards the end of our conversation, we find ourselves back in the midst of the storm (we simply moved), following the ghostly deer.
Be careful! Along the way, everything starts collapsing, so we need to rewind time periodically to avoid being killed by the destruction.
A fallen tree blocks our path, so we rewind time once again. As we climb the stairs, the situation repeats itself, and it happens again at the top of the lighthouse.
Upon reaching the summit, we witness the full force of the natural cataclysm.
Next to the bench, we find a newspaper dated October 11, four days before the disaster.
We turn back.
Chloe mentions that we blacked out. Max decides it’s time to reveal the whole truth to her friend about the visions and the ability to control time.
This concludes the first episode.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the first episode of Life is Strange and collected all 10 photos.
Now, let’s proceed to the second episode of Life is Strange.
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