Life is Strange: Before the Storm Complete Edition

Life is Strange: Before the Storm Complete Edition is a third-person episodic adventure for PC, although the current Steam listing uses the official name Life is Strange: Before the Storm rather than Complete Edition. The catalog-style Complete Edition label generally refers to the main three-episode story together with the Deluxe content, including the bonus episode Farewell, Mixtape Mode, and Chloe's additional outfits.

Developed by Deck Nine and published by Square Enix, this prequel shifts the focus from Max Caulfield to a younger Chloe Price. It is a character-driven story about Chloe's friendship with Rachel Amber, her conflict with Blackwell Academy, and the choices that shape how she responds to pressure, grief, loyalty, and betrayal.

Chloe's story is built around choices, not superpowers

Before the Storm takes place in Arcadia Bay before the events of the original Life is Strange. You explore familiar locations, inspect objects, talk with residents, and make dialogue decisions that influence relationships and later scenes. The camera remains third-person, with movement and interaction taking place in compact environments rather than a large open world.

The most important difference from Max's adventure is the absence of a rewind ability. Chloe cannot undo a conversation after choosing an answer, so decisions feel more immediate. The game replaces supernatural manipulation with Backtalk, a risk-and-reward dialogue system that lets Chloe provoke, pressure, or outmaneuver another character by identifying the right verbal opening.

Backtalk is not a conventional combat system. It is a timed conversational challenge in which reading the situation matters more than reflexes. A successful exchange can open a new path or change how a character treats Chloe, while a failed attempt may close off an option. This makes Chloe's attitude a gameplay tool rather than just a personality trait.

Exploration also includes optional interactions, graffiti opportunities, environmental details, and small activities that reveal more about Arcadia Bay. The main loop is deliberately calm: move through a location, investigate what stands out, speak with characters, choose a response, and live with the consequences.

Rachel Amber and the emotional center

The central relationship is between Chloe and Rachel, a popular Blackwell student whose public confidence hides private problems. Their connection develops through conversations, escapes from routine, and shared attempts to understand what is happening around them. The story is less concerned with solving a supernatural mystery than with showing how two teenagers influence one another.

Relationship-driven storytelling is the game's defining system. Choices can change the tone of scenes, the information Chloe receives, and how characters respond to her later. Not every decision creates a completely separate storyline, but the game consistently uses dialogue, optional discoveries, and contextual reactions to make choices feel personal.

Chloe also keeps a journal that records her thoughts and helps frame the story from her perspective. The journal, graffiti, school spaces, abandoned locations, and music work together to create a more intimate portrait of a character who is angry, defensive, and still trying to decide what she wants from other people.

Players looking for a mechanically dense adventure should set expectations accordingly. There is no traditional inventory economy, skill tree, combat progression, or open-ended quest structure. The challenge comes from interpreting conversations, noticing environmental details, and deciding which emotional risks are worth taking.

What the Complete Edition-style package includes

The core story contains three episodes following Chloe and Rachel. The structure is episodic, but the complete package is designed to be played as one continuous narrative rather than as separate standalone chapters.

The additional Farewell episode shifts the perspective to a younger Max Caulfield and explores Max and Chloe's childhood friendship. It is best understood as a companion chapter that adds context to their bond, rather than as a continuation of Chloe and Rachel's main storyline.

The Deluxe content also includes Mixtape Mode, which lets players create a playlist from the licensed soundtrack for a cinematic listening sequence. Chloe receives three extra outfits: Punk Doe, Hawt Dawg Man, and Illuminati. These are cosmetic additions, while Farewell provides the substantial narrative expansion.

Because storefronts separate the base game, Deluxe Upgrade, Farewell, and outfit content into related products, players should check the exact package name before buying. The phrase Complete Edition is useful for catalog searches, but the official PC storefront naming is centered on Life is Strange: Before the Storm and its Deluxe Edition bundle.

Who should play it

Before the Storm is a strong fit for players who value dialogue choices, character relationships, atmosphere, licensed music, and compact story-focused exploration. It is especially suited to fans of Chloe, Rachel, and the Arcadia Bay setting who want more context for the original game's characters.

It also works for players who prefer narrative games without combat. The pacing leaves room to examine bedrooms, classrooms, trains, theaters, and other locations, while optional interactions reward curiosity rather than mechanical mastery.

The game is less suitable for anyone expecting Max's time manipulation, a large mystery investigation, frequent puzzles, or major branching routes with entirely different campaigns. Its decisions mainly shape conversations, scenes, relationships, and presentation. The appeal is the emotional build-up, not a large collection of radically separate endings.

Players who enjoy episodic character dramas like Tell Me Why will recognize the emphasis on conversation, memory, family pressure, and choices that affect how people understand one another.

PC features, controls, and localization

The PC version is a single-player adventure with Steam achievements, Steam Cloud support, Steam Trading Cards, and Family Sharing. It does not provide online multiplayer, local co-op, or a competitive mode. The game is designed for keyboard and mouse, and official documentation also confirms gamepad support.

Controller play is useful for relaxed exploration and cinematic scenes, while keyboard and mouse can feel more direct when examining objects or navigating dialogue prompts. The control scheme is built around movement, looking, interaction, journal access, and dialogue selection rather than precision action.

The original PC edition provides English full audio with subtitles and interface support for French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. The separate Remastered release has a different storefront identity and expanded language listing, so buyers should not assume that the original Complete Edition-style package includes every language associated with the remaster.

There is no announced PC feature set built around mod support, dedicated servers, cabinet play, or split-screen. The important platform strengths are full controller support, cloud saves, achievements, and the ability to experience the complete episodic story through one PC library.

Related choice-driven adventures

The closest comparison is the original Life is Strange, but it is not linked here because the existing related page already references Before the Storm, which would create a reciprocal internal-link relationship.

For a longer choice-based series with higher stakes and a survival-drama tone, episodic decision games such as The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series offer a useful contrast. Telltale's series emphasizes group survival and moral pressure, while Before the Storm stays focused on adolescence, intimacy, and the consequences of personal loyalty.

These comparisons also clarify what Before the Storm is not. It is not a traditional point-and-click game built around complex inventory puzzles, and it is not an action adventure with combat encounters. Its strongest systems are conversation, exploration, characterization, and the gradual accumulation of emotional context.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm Complete Edition FAQ

Is Complete Edition the official current PC title?

Not on the current Steam listing. The official storefront name is Life is Strange: Before the Storm, with a separate Deluxe Edition bundle and related content. Complete Edition is a useful catalog description for the package containing the main story and additional Deluxe content.

Does the package include all three main episodes?

Yes. The main Before the Storm story consists of Episodes 1 through 3. The Deluxe content adds Farewell, which is a separate bonus episode centered on Max and Chloe's childhood.

Does Before the Storm have time travel?

No. Chloe does not have Max's rewind power. Instead, the game uses Backtalk, dialogue choices, environmental interaction, and relationship consequences as its main decision systems.

Is Farewell part of the main Chloe and Rachel story?

Farewell is connected to the wider Arcadia Bay narrative, but it is structurally separate from the three-episode Chloe and Rachel story. It focuses on Max and Chloe at a much earlier point in their friendship.

Does the PC version support controllers?

Yes. The PC version supports gamepads as well as keyboard and mouse controls. It is a single-player experience and does not include co-op or split-screen play.

Which languages are supported?

The original PC edition supports English full audio, with interface and subtitles available in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. The separate Remastered edition has its own language listing and should be treated as a different product.