When the original Life Is Strange released in 2015 it seemed to be a massive hit with everyone I talked to and quickly become a well-loved series that people are still drawing fan art of today. But what happened to Life is Strange 2?

The fifth and final chapter in the game was released last week without the massive applause and rousing online discussion that came for the first game. It’s easy to blame the several months between the release of each chapter, but fans have proven they'll stick around months for episodic releases when they care for it enough. It worked for the first game and it worked time and time over for many of Telltales Games releases. It could simply be that the audience for episodic games is gone and burnt out with the structure, but I think that for most, a game starring two Hispanic boys on the run in an American that’s presented as very much MAGA ground isn’t as appealing as teen girls, high school drama and the romance that all included.

Chloe and Max’s story in the first game is at times very much like watching a CW Network drama. Yes, it does deal with horrific and mature things, some more successfully than others, but the High School setting is simply an easier point-of-entry compared to Life Is Strange 2 and it's cast of characters. The first game has romance and easily shippable leads with one being performed by Ashly Burch in a loud, instantly memorable and likeable character with Chloe Price. Life Is Strange 2 has one episode that plays with romance, but the story is focused on being about the story of two brothers, with the youngest being often, as ten-year-olds are, annoying at times.