Life is Strange

Life is Strange arrived on mobile in 2018 thanks to a port by Feral Interactive, a studio that has long specialized in bringing major computer and console titles to touchscreen devices. This episodic adventure about student Max, who discovers the ability to rewind time, is built mainly around dialogue, exploring environments, and decisions that carry over into later episodes, so the absence of fast-paced action actually benefits the game on mobile rather than hurting it.

Controls have been reworked into touch taps and finger dragging in place of mouse and keyboard; moving through scenes, examining objects, and dialogue choices all work intuitively, and the game never rushes, so the smaller screen and lack of physical buttons don't limit the experience in any way. Visually, the port preserves the original's painterly, melancholic style along with the accompanying indie music, which is an integral part of the atmosphere of the whole story set in the town of Arcadia Bay. It's precisely the ability to rewind time and redo a conversation that is the central gameplay mechanic setting the game apart from classic adventures with a single correct choice.

It is a paid game with no ads or microtransactions, sold as a complete episodic bundle, matching Feral Interactive's approach to their other ports of similar titles. In its release year, it was one of the proofs that more demanding narrative adventures with a slower pace had their place on mobile alongside the action and casual genres that dominated the market at the time.

Why play it: Suitable for players who want an emotional story-driven adventure with real consequences to their choices and don't mind a slower pace without action elements.