Haven’t played ‘Life is Strange’? Here’s you chance to get the first episode free

By Gabe Gurwin Published July 20, 2016

Life is Strange was one of 2015’s best games, with wonderful characters and heartfelt vocal performances , as well as a unique time-travel mechanic that changed how players approach choice in video games. While we hope you’ve had a chance to play Dontnod’s masterpiece already, if you haven’t, Square Enix has a mighty fine deal to get you on board: The first episode will be completely free.

“By making the first episode of Life is Strange completely free, we’re very excited to be able to open up Life is Strange to a host of new players and really look forward to seeing their reactions to the game throughout our vibrant community,” says Square Enix community manager Toby Palm.

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The first episode will be free starting Thursday, and the announcement comes will an all-new trailer showing off the beautiful Arcadia Bay. The impending destruction of the town by an enormous tornado drives protagonist Max and her best friend, Chloe, to literally race against time — and the mysterious disappearance of local student Rachel Amber has the two girls questioning everything they hear.

Even if you’re not typically a “story first” player, we highly recommend giving Life is Strange a try. The first episode is one of the best in the entire season (the second is a tad dry, but it picks up steam again quickly), and the Pacific Northwest setting is stunning, with tall trees and a beautiful beach.

But if you’re looking for something different from Dontnod Entertainment, you’ll want to pay attention to the studio’s newest project, Vampyr. Set in the early 20th century, the action-RPG casts you as surgeon struggling with his vampirism and desire for blood.

Life is Strange is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Mac, and PC, with individual episodes costing $5 and the full five-episode season costing $20. The first episode will be free on all available platforms.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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