'Life Is Strange: Before the Storm': Ashly Burch Not Reprising Role; Everything Else to Know About Prequel
As previous reports suggested, the hit episodic graphic adventure video game "Life Is Strange" is indeed getting a prequel titled "Before the Storm" with Deck Nine at the helm.
The three-episode prequel, which will be an Enhanced title for the newly unveiled Xbox One X, is set three years before the events of the original game and will feature younger versions of Chloe Price and her best friend Rachel Amber.
However, Ashly Burch will not reprise her role as Chloe in "Life Is Strange: Before the Storm" due to the Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA strike, as she revealed on Twitter.
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Video game voice actors in the union such as Burch started the strike in mid-October last year as they demand for residual payments and safer working conditions.
"Chloe means a lot to me," she said in another tweet. "Grateful for the opportunity to consult on her character," the Emmy nominated writer went on to say.
Burch is not out of the franchise for good though. While actress Rhianna DeVries will be the voice of Chloe in "Life Is Strange: Before the Storm," Burch joins the writing team to write dialog for the character.
"Life Is Strange: Before the Storm" will tell three stories set during the time Chloe meets Rachel. She does not have the rewind power that Max Caufield has, which means every action she makes comes with a different set of risks and consequences.
"Chloe's sharp tongue will require her to live with whatever she says and as before, every single action and choice will have a direct consequence in the short, mid and long term," DONTNOD Entertainment wrote on its blog.
One of the three episodes of "Life Is Strange: Before the Storm" focuses specifically on that. Titled "Backtalk," this installment is described as "a risk and reward conversation mode" in which Chloe will use her "barbed tongue" as her ultimate weapon "to provoke or get her way."
Each episode will take six to nine hours to complete. The Deluxe Edition comes with a bonus "Farewell" episode for those who want to play as Max for "one final time." It will be released after Episode 3.
This will be the only aspect of "Life is Strange: Before the Storm" in which Max is featured. DONTNOD explained on its website why such is the case.
"We know that many of you would love to see more from Max. Due to the way in which the first game ended, we didn't want to canonize one group of players' choices over the other — a sentiment echoed strongly by our community," the game developer wrote.
Set for release August 31 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, "Life Is Strange: Before the Storm" will be priced at $16.99. The Deluxe Edition is at $24.99. Check out the screenshots here.
