Hello!

It’s been a very long time since I wrote something for this blog. Writing for Windows Central has definitely been an amazing experience, but between it and college, there’s little time for hobby writing.

I haven’t forgotten about this site, though, and upon finishing my review playthrough of Life is Strange: Before the Storm early Thursday morning, I knew that I had to write about how I felt in a less structured setting than a review, in which things like gameplay were taken into account. This type of article isn’t what Windows Central is looking for right now, so it’s perfect for the blog.

A word of warning. This article will have some spoilers about the story.

Without further ado…

Stepping Into Chloe’s Shoes

Before the Storm’s first episode puts us directly into the life of the then sixteen-year-old Chloe Price. As you’d expect after spending time getting to know her and her personality in the original Life is Strange, Chloe is almost a perfect representation of what is today considered the “edgy teenager”.

Rebellious, angsty, and full of attitude, Chloe in her adolescent form initially seems like someone who aims to do nothing but cause trouble for everyone around her. As we eventually get to see a clearer picture of her past, however, it becomes quite apparent that Chloe’s life hasn’t been sunshine and roses.

The Effect of Abandonment On A Young Mind

Indeed, when we examine Chloe’s background, there are a trio of events that terribly disturb Chloe, making her feel abandoned and alone in the world.

Father’s Death In Car Crash

At the age of just fourteen, Chloe lost her father William when he was killed in a fatal car accident.

Obviously, this would have a gigantic negative impact on anyone, but two particular aspects about the situation made it even worse in Chloe’s case; her young age, and the incredibly close relationship that she shared with William.

The loss of parents has been found to correlate to anger and confusion in children and teenagers. In addition to this, it often can lead to depression as well — something that Chloe often displays warning signs of during Before the Storm’s introductory episode. Having that father figure suddenly ripped from her development clearly did terrible damage to her emotionally.

Of course, this is worsened even more by the tight and love-filled relationship between William and Chloe. Due to the fact that he meant so much to her, his abrupt absence from her life left a gaping hole in her heart. Even though he didn’t do it on purpose, in a way, he “abandoned” Chloe right as she was going through puberty — a stage when young adults are going through a slew of physical and mental growths. A stage where they’re being flooded with new hormones and developments that leave them with confusion.

A stage where adolescents need their parents the most.

Max Leaving Arcadia Bay

Soon after the death of her father, Chloe’s best friend Max, left Arcadia Bay with her parents in order to live in Seattle. It’s never clearly explained why, though bits and pieces of dialogue indicate that the city offered Max some good opportunities for her photography.

Following this, Max’s life in Seattle became very busy, and her and Chloe gradually began to fall out of touch. Two years later, and Chloe hasn’t heard anything from Max in months.

The point I want to make here is that Max’s sudden departure from Chloe’s life only added on to the abandonment feeling that Chloe was experiencing. And, like the loss of a parent, the loss of a close friend has been found to cause stress and feelings of loneliness.

Right when Chloe needed the support of a friend the most, Max was gone. And whether or not you blame her for that (for all we know, there could have been other reasons for the move such as financial issues with her parents) you can’t deny that this would easily make things worse for Chloe.

Joyce Marrying David

The icing on the emotionally distressing cake for Chloe was the addition of David into her household life. When her mother Joyce remarried not long after William’s death, Chloe felt that she was “replacing” him. She felt that Joyce was trying to have David “fill the gap” in their family.

Of course, Chloe hated this, and that isn’t an uncommon response, either. Studies show that children in second-marriage families struggle significantly more than those in first-marriage ones.

As a result of this, Chloe feels that even her own mother is “abandoning” her in a way. By thinking that Joyce is trying to put the death of William behind her to forget about him, she feels like her mother has already moved on, leaving her to grieve alone. On top of this, David, who tries his best to be Chloe’s new father, instead ends up being nothing more than someone overstepping their boundaries in Chloe’s eyes.

She thinks that David is trying to replace William. Something that no step-parent can ever do, in my opinion.

The Big Picture

So, let’s review what we’ve established so far:

Chloe’s father, who she was extremely close with, died when she was 14.

Chloe’s best friend since childhood, Max, leaves Arcadia Bay shortly after.

Joyce remarries to David, leaving Chloe to feel that she has forgotten William’s memory, and that David is trying to replace William.

Chloe is only 16, and has been going through these feelings for two years already. She doesn’t have a fully mature and developed mind.

In summary, the young Chloe feels that she’s being abandoned at every turn. Her father dies; her best friend leaves when she needs her; and she feels like her mother is forgetting the family they used to have, disregarding how Chloe herself feels.

To me, it’s obvious that Chloe is very resentful of the people in her life. She thinks that nobody considered how she felt throughout the stressful and painful aftermath of the death of her father. Because of this, Chloe begins to not care about them in return.

The Person Underneath The Armor

When we peel away the attitude and anger that Chloe surrounds herself with in order to shut herself away, though, we see a creative, friendly and funny individual trapped inside.

Nothing shows this more effectively than the Dungeons & Dragons scene in the first episode. When offered a seat in the game, Chloe sits down and, despite her initial skepticism, has some real fun. But, why is it that Chloe was friendly and open to these students, but not like this to anyone else?

The answer is because they extended a hand to Chloe. They offered to take her into their group and befriend her. When people show care towards Chloe, she begins to open herself up and we get to see her actual personality.

That, my friends, is the secret. The vast majority of Chloe’s authority figures and peers see a rebellious, violent and angsty individual, when in reality Chloe is reminiscent of a wounded animal, lashing out at anyone that gets too close in order to protect themselves from more pain. If those people would instead sit down with Chloe and make an attempt to see things from her perspective and approach her kindly, they would have a much better understanding of how she really feels and why she acts how she does.

Rachel Amber

Though not as much as Chloe, Rachel’s own behavior in Before the Storm represents a contrast to Chloe’s style of lashing out at everyone — pretending that nothing is wrong at all.

Indeed, Rachel hides her issues regarding her father’s adultery with an impenetrable facade right up until she physically sees him kissing his new lover directly. At that point, her wall slowly begins to deteriorate until it finally collapses and all of her emotions come shooting out during the scene in the junkyard.

Here we see a similar situation being handled in a different way. Rachel also feels “abandoned” in the sense that her father is ditching her family for this new girlfriend. But instead of taking on Chloe’s style of pushing everyone away, she curls up in her shell and puts on a mask of happiness and joy.

What Should We Take Away From This?

Both Rachel and Chloe’s situations represent struggles and emotions that teenagers around the globe experience. Divorce of parents, loss of friendships, pressure from education — it all wears down the young and still developing minds of the adolescent.

This game is sending us the message that young adults need the support and the understanding that friends and family can provide. If we simply assume that they’re fine (Rachel) then we may not pick up on the signs that they leave that they’re hurting inside. They are there. We just have to make sure that we keep an eye out for them, even if the person seems absolutely okay.

If we simply label any young adult who behaves radically as “your average moody teen” (Chloe) than they will continue to feel that they’re not important to those around them. Instead of reacting negatively, we should try and initiate a positive experience by showing them kindness and and lending an open ear, instead of assuming that they’re acting like this for no reason.

In conclusion, society in general should take it easy on the adolescent. Life at that age can be (and often is) a very confusing, painful experience for those growing up in rough households or poor social situations, and I think that if the adults and other teenagers in the lives of people like this were to make a conscious effort to understand their plights and be supportive and encouraging, it would go a long way in improving their struggles — and in turn, everything else.

Author’s Notes

Thank you so much for reading! I really enjoyed writing this one, I think that Before the Storm’s writing is absolutely phenomenal so far and I really believe this moral was something the developers were trying to push. Even though it’s just the first episode, I have a feeling that this theme will be explored further in the coming chapters of Before the Storm. Let me know what you think!

Due to Windows Central and college work, I don’t have much time for this blog anymore. That being said, I’m going to start making a conscious effort to write at least one article per month here, two if I can manage it. Can’t forget where I started, now can I?

Oh, and for fellow Halo fans out there, it’s more likely than not that the next post you’ll see on here will be the first chapter of this…

So, you know.

Be excited for that.

Until next time, eat good food, play good video games, and remember… ray shields are overpowered.

With Love,

Lor