Episodic, story-driven narrative video games have been increasing in popularity. Telltale, notable titles include The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Game Of Thrones, was the catalyst in this phenomenon. Life is Strange falls under the same category. Developed by a French studio, DONTNOD, the shockingly realistic high school characters embark on a journey of time travel and the serious consequences of changing the past, The Butterfly Effect. In this five part supernatural experience the player will have to make tough decisions, face life or death situations, and ultimately make the choice of playing good or evil Max. This game has been so successful that the publishers of Square Enix decided it was time to bring this adventure to Japan!
Square Enix’s official Youtube channel released a trailer (shown below) showing the characters’ Japanese voices as well as announcing the game will be available on Playstation 3, Playstation 4, and PC. It seems that it will be released in episodes as well as the original Western release. The wait for new episodes was excruciatingly painful, but we, the fans, endured the cliff hangers and various pit falls in hopes of redemption in the next arc.
The fifth and final episode of Life Is Strange has been yet to be released. This is the perfect time to localize it, giving the Japanese audience a chance to catch up before the big finale.
The tone of this trailer encompasses the plot of the game, perfectly summing up your role in the crazy journey that is Life Is Strange.
Life Is Strange now has a Japanese website and an official Japanese Twitter account.
- Max’s Japanese voice, Kumi Tanaka (Anne in Papillon Rose), gives off the perfect blend of awkwardness and sarcasm.
- Chloe’s voice actress, Lynn (Maya in Sabagebu!), gives an air of confidence and feisty nature we are all too familiar with.
This localization will undoubtedly exceed my expectations.
Source: Rocket News 24, Square Enix
