Life is Strange 2 stands out for being an overtly political game, explicitly tackling racism in a post-Trump America. But racism isn’t just an isolated act of violence, it’s woven into our institutions and our everyday lives. Especially in light of current events, it’s time to take a deeper look at how racism is represented in Life is Strange 2.
Obviously, this video contains spoilers for Life is Strange 2.
Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GameAssistYT
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GameAssistYT
Merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/game-assist
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/gameassist
Buy some books! (affiliate link): https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/GameAssist
Credits:
“Gaslighting”, Cambridge Dictionary, (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gaslighting)
“Decolonisation is Not a Metaphor” – Eve Tuck (https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/18630)
Abolitionist Futures – for social + transformative justice, against prisons + policing (https://abolitionistfutures.com/)
Music Credits:
Into The Woods – Jonathan Morali
Lisbeth – Jonathan Morali
New Perspectives – Jonathan Morali
Nightbus – Jonathan Morali
Winter Woods – Jonathan Morali
Resources:
Fonts: Poppins, Fredoka One
Artwork: Fiona Marchbank @FionaCreates
Media Logos: Wikimedia Commons
45 Comments
Life is Strange is a great franchise, but I must say I like this one especially because it actually has the most to say out of any of them. Awesome vid!
This video was so interesting, thank you to talk and analyse this game
LIS2 is my favorite of the series! Besides doing a great job making our actions have consequences, i actually liked how “political” it is. As a black person who has experienced alot of racism it was still eye opening to see the experiences that other people have. It always bothered me how reductive people are when talking about it. I feel like a lot of the things brought up in the game were meant to be uncomfortable and thought provoking, but because it was institutional racism instead of school bullying people immediately wrote it off as bad. This is the first time I’ve heard a really good deep dive. You immediately hooked me by dissecting the wolf metaphor, which I hadn’t thought too hard about, and I love how well researched and worded this is.
LOVEE this video
I never experienced racism and that's why it hit me even more in the game. I love all Life is Strange games but this one has my whole heart (broken)
I can't really speak on behalf of how accurate or inaccurate the depictions of discrimination or prejudice against Mexican-Americans may be cause I'm white as mayo, but I played LiS 2 last year, and the brotherhood aspect of this game hit on a whole different level to me, and was part of the reason I ended up liking this game even more than the 1st LiS game. Obviously the 1st game is great, but it's much harder to relate to the day to day life of a woman in college than it is to relate to these two knuckleheads. There's a variety of reasons that I related really hard to this game: A. I myself am a younger brother, and I can say, they definitely nailed the writing for Daniel. He feels like he could literally be someones younger brother, or a childhood playground friend, he just feels so real (I also played Minecraft a lot just like Daniel did back when this game came out, and a while before it as well). B. I'm now 17, and was 16 when I first played this game last year, working my first job, nervous about having to drive while trying to get my license, I listened to the same type of music Sean does (I love the Streets and was super shocked hearing one of their smaller songs in a game), and I enjoyed drawing personally (though I wasn't/still am not nearly as good as Sean. My older brother, Tristan, would skateboard and smoke, was artistic, and was also pretty athletic. I'd annoy him, he'd tell me to get out of his room, and I'd do random shit while he hung out with his stoner buddies. He's 24 rn, so I guess when this game came out, I swear it would be like this game is literally just mirroring his life (but he never really plays video games tho, so I guess he'll never know), as he is very similar to Sean and this game is based in 2016, when my brother was 17 going on 18. So yeah, heavy feels this game brought on for me because I know how it feels to be a younger brother, I know how my older brother was and probably felt, and now as a 17 year old, I can relate to Sean as well.
this is genuinely the best life is strange analysis i've seen. life is strange 2 is one of my favorite games ever and i firmly believe it changed my life. i'm so sick and tired of people disregarding it as it's "too political," when in reality, they're just too racist. i don't wanna insert myself, as a white person, in this conversation, but i will say this: i first played lis2 when i was 14 and coming into my own individuality, forming beliefs independent of my complicitly racist family's. though it may be unfair to site this game as the only thing that allowed me to develop a progressive and liberal mindset, it was definitely a major instigator. i am so thankful for lis2 and other forms of media that demonstrate oppression and how much it's intertwined in our society. sadly, i was taught to hate before i was taught to love, but sometimes all it takes is a story for one to unlearn years of bigotry.
Unfortunately, the "high morality vs low morality" terms are used officially, like on the official LIS channel showcasing all the endings (and so is "Redemption" for the surrender option).
I overall "thought Daniel to follow the rules of society", but only because 1 – I was afraid to make their situation even worse and add more stuff for the cops to blame them for and 2 – on the other way he is completely ok with killing people, hurting animals, lying to his friends, and even rejects certain "childish" things (like if you draw him as a more childish superhero he complains that he "doesn't look badass enough"). If we were playing as Daniel, I wouldn't mind going on the other route. I actually think it's super cool to see him using his powers to fuck shit up. But since we're playing as Sean, I felt a certain responsability into trying to make him be a "good person".
I'm actually latino but I'm brazilian and white/white passing (my dad is half black, but my mom's white and my skin's white as a paper) so the game sits on this very weird fence for me where I can kinda relate with the oppresion but at the same time I can't. A cop wouldn't look at me and think I'm dangerous. But I wonder if when people knew my name and where I come from if I would be seen in a different way than before.
Just another white woman telling us Latinos how oppressed we are 🙄 I could tell it was coming when she introduced herself as “she/her”
At least come up with some facts or statistics or something about how we are oppressed in the criminal justice system.
FUCK-MAX AND CHLOE-SORRY-I LOVE THOSE LESBIANS TO BUT-IM CHOOSING MY WOLF BOYS INSTEAD-no but honestly this was amazing. I love how you talked about the way the men that Sean gets beaten by can move on from that. No white person will ever-EVER-understand. Yes you may understand your privilege, ya you can try and be an ally but never will they understand the feeling of being truly hated for simply being alive, and getting no answer as to why your being is wrong.
As an Immigrant who lived in Australia for many years and returned home, which isn't even America but still, this game clicked with me so hard, to the point where I actually got Blood Brothers ending on my first playthrough. I think only those who were immigrants truly understand how hard this game can feel sometimes. Your video is so on point. Thank you.
Tank you for doing this video, you really opened my eyes. I never considered myself being a racist, I truly hate racism! But I have no words now for how ashamed I feel right now, that I didnt see even half of the gaslighting you pointed out. I even chose the surrender option in the end, because I really thought the truth will be on my side/ seans side. I was crying when I saw Sean so broken in the end and taken half his life away. I was so naive! I finished the game yesterday and I cried a lot during this game, but seeing your video made me cry again, how I could choose the surrender option. How I could not see that Sean would never have a chance from the very first moment his dad was killed. I even agreed somehow with these moralic-non moralic-comments, because you still had to choose if you kill/hurt people in the end. But I did not see that the wolf brothers are forced to do this, if they will fight for their rights and lifes, because the system would never give them a chance. Even if they have to live their life in mexico in half a violent way, it is because they are faced with violence. It is the system to blame.
I read in comments a lot about morality and non moralic endings. But know I see that this way of thinking is so racistic without even noticing! Is this the most dangerous racism in the long way? It is creepy that so many people have written this. I hope these persons also never meant to hurt and will also learn the meaning of their words. For me I have learned a lot through this game and your analysis of it. Thank you really for this effort! I know this might sound exaggerated (I truly hope it doesn't) but because of your thoughts to this game I learned an extremely important thing about humaneness.
had to put this in double speed bc she talks 3 words per minute but very well said
This game truly is a gem that often gets overlooked amidst mixed reviews. Personally, I've never been as deeply immersed in a game as I have been with this one. I've replayed it seven times just to explore all the possible endings, and each playthrough leaves a lasting impact that resonates with me. Despite the potential backlash, I would wholeheartedly welcome a longer remake. Don't Nod stands out as one of the few studios that treat their stories as genuine art rather than mere commodities, and this dedication shines through in their exceptional end results. While True Colors fell short of the original Life is Strange's status, Life is Strange 2 managed to capture that essence brilliantly. It's important to recognize that consuming media purely for fan service undermines the depth and artistry of storytelling, as someone who's passionate about writing myself.
uma das maiores e melhores análises de life is strange 2 que já vi. tentei escrever esse comentário em inglês mas não consegui escolher as melhores palavras para descrever o quão preciso e incisivo esse vídeo foi para mim, materializou em palavras todos os sentimentos que senti ao longo do jogo e me fez observar em outra perspectiva. parabéns, estou muito emocionado!
i LOVE lis2. what a wonderful essay, i really appreciate it. playing the game was eye opening to me, but this video put things into perspective for me even more. i like educating myself on this subject and this essay helped me. thank you.
21:37 this is also what happens when we talk about Israel and Palestine. Israels are killed and Palestinans die and this has been going even before the current Genocide started.
strange, but i liked that most of the blatant racism happens abruptly and out of nowhere. I understand it angers people but that’s genuinely what it’s like as a brown person. its absolutely useless, no one gains anything from it, and that’s how it is IRL. and just like in the game, you have to move on like nothing happened.
hi! (sorry if my english is not perfect) i know this is old, but i just wanted to say that lis2 is my favorite game and i loveeee your lis analysis, im really fascinated about how great your channel is, (im actually trying to do something similar but in spanish lol), and as a trans ftm borderline and latin person (and someone who lost their mother), i relate a lot to some things you say. im happy such channel exists, being honest it gives me hope, i feel less alone for some reason
anyway, im not good explain myself and less in a language that's not my mother's language, but really, really, thank you for creating this vids and this cannel.
just one thing, i know you didn't do it on purpose but when you say "America" you're actually referring to North America or USA specifically, America is the continent and we're actually pretty tired of north americans referring themselves like they're the only americans, sorry if i didn't explained myself well.
<3!!
this is such a late comment but i just wanted to say how much i love this video essay. coming from the first game i had my doubts on if i would like it or not but holy shit was i blown away. its just a rollercoaster of emotions playing this game and jesus did i want to baul my eyes after finishing it. on my first play through i got the blood brothers ending but i really dont know why this is a "bad" ending. though out the game i chose the only choices to protect sean and Daniel and tried to not harm anyone. this just shows hows fucked there situation was and how despite all the trouble they still managed to push through. great video essay
wolf brothers forever
I love how you are the only one talking in depth about the political side of LiS2, when the entire story is about literal racism. I only picked up again and finished the game this week this video was a great read
incredible analysis on this beautiful (but also incredibly tragic) game
thank you for acknowledging even the little details, no other game has made me feel all emotions so strongly like this one did
Tbh imo life is strange 2 was way too woke the first game had small elements of pride and real life situations like bullying and depression but two felt like they went too far shoving it down our throats all the time I get racist exist I hate corruption and racism but the first game did it where it felt like reality the second felt like they made it cartoonish with seriousness it happened all the time in the story just lis2 really annoyed me almost everyone in 2 was racist again I get that exist but not almost everywhere where it just feels like stereotypes In lis1 like I said there was elements and imo handled it better this is probably a hot take for lis2 fans but again with all respect for other people opinions this is just mine I tried playing lis2 but just felt bored and annoyed ik some people hated Chloe yea she’s annoying but I felt the connection between max and her worked ig I can’t judge because it’s not the same since one r friends and they are blood brothers so it’s different but it just didn’t click for me this game story just doesn’t make sense to me it seems to be talking about reality but in a un real way the supernatural elements out of this game it not being called lis might actually make this game more likable with some things changed tbh it’s just the writing for me
bro what is this video. The fact that you made the grandparents look bad is hilarious. I knew this was bs when u said if youre a police officer, youre automatically racist. wtff. you also mentioned how parting ways (arguably the best ending) is bad for daniel WTFF LMFAOO. u hallucinate a lot of a racism, when theyre not there in this review.
i love life is strange 2, but the parts you mentioned in were actually the reason i didn't rate it a 10/10 game. as a person of color myself, i found these interactions more forced than anything. it made me roll my eyes, i get what they wanted, but i came to play this game to destress not for a political narrative to be pushed down my throat. i get i might not be their target audience, but i feel that they should have done it with the same approach as the first game. this time with better writing and less side characters, and more focus on the brothers. i really would have liked to the see the game actually focus on the brothers more, instead of inserting these moments. it should have displayed the culture of mexicans love for their family and built the relationship between brothers better so choices would effect more than just the last min of the game. the gas station i can excuse, but the beating in the middle of the night or the boarder felt so jammed in there.
not you just saying that every repubican is racist. i cant believe that you can hate your own country that much. also i cant stand that you keep being so serious talking about this brain dead, brain rot bullshit. its always these 1% african people talking about "opression" and "evil state of USA 🥺"
Re-watching this video about a year after I initially saw it, and again, I am blown away by the thought and empathy put into it. I even had to pause the video and talk to my dad about the game and your video in the middle of it.
It really is astounding to me that people associate color of Sean’s glqss eye as his morality, but honestly (and though I COMPLETE agree with your assessment on the game’s endings), I think the developers of the game intended it to be linked to morality, because of the gang violence association if the brothers make it to Mexico. it sucks, but like. It’s not a perfect commentary, but it’s a good one in other areas. Still love the game
To me, separating Sean and Daniel is completely pointless because I felt like the game was showing that no matter what any of the brothers desire personally, the only way they can truly live is by being together and that is the value that matters the most. I played just like you did when you got the Blood Brothers ending and I can't accept any other ending as a better one. Sure they weren't really safe but none of the endings are perfect happily ever after that's not realistic for such young people that went through that much trauma, their lives are already kinda ruined and the only thing that brings me comfort is knowing they are together.
Thank you so much for this. I’m not great at putting my thoughts into words and this perfectly articulated why I was put off by most of the adults that helped Sean and Daniel. Even if someone is not malicious with their prejudice and ignorance, it still harms a POC at the end of the day. This game was not just heartbreaking because of what the Diaz brothers went through, but also because a prejudiced society placed them in this situation and continued to harm them even if they made choices that aligned best with “good” morals.
Also, the detail about the important choices being placed on a certain part of the screen and showing what they represent is genius and I didn’t catch it before!
this is so good – you really voiced so many of my biggest qualms – the way the community frames it as a 'morality' meter [I didn't know that wasn't an in-game thing], the way Sean is both demonized and infantilized and the way he's expected to sacrifice himself for Daniel's sake [which isn't what Daniel needs in the first place, and is just a tool used against Sean to make him submit], the association of mexico with gang violence… thank you for this. it felt really good to hear from someone who gets it. and i love what you said about the wolf metaphor! it's such a good one and it works so well. wolf brothers 4 life.
I found this video super late, but i once again played through the game and needed to address how emotional this game makes me. My favorite game out of them all, because of how raw it felt.
Growing up as a mexican-american in a predominantly-white suburbia, this game made me confront a lot of things that were uncomfortable for me to experience. I am for the most part american, growing up with little connection to my mexican heritage on my dads side with them being 3rd generation americans by the time i came into the world. Despite feeling that disconnect, i am still brown, and my brother is white. Both share same parents, and for the most part experiences werent too different, at least until i started paying attention. The microaggressions that started to add up towards me for things out of my control made this game hit hard in those areas (particularly the grandparents and their "loving nature" concealing their political and racist beliefs that would contradict what they preach).
In an exploration of systemic racism, it was frustrating seeing the limited dialogue responses when Sean is always asked why he ran instead of waiting. It was frustrating to the point that at first i felt like it was just bad writing to avoid an easy explanation. But in Sean's eyes, how else can he articulate everything going on? Especially how does he articulate this to those who trust a system blindly because they dont have a reason to question it personally? This lack of agency in how Sean experiences the world led me to pour all i could into making sure Daniel got the best life he could ask for given the circumstances. Sean is probably my favorite character in all of the LIS games, and i really attached it to the big brother role he plays. I made it my priority to ensure Daniel will not give into violence when he can, and to not lose sight of his inner child. I didnt want him to bear the brunt of the consequences. I didnt want Sean to either, because the system is unfair and everything about it is unfair. But i ended up surrendering myself and got the "Redemption" ending.
To be clear, i hate that the ending is called that because that is not what I view it as, and I equally hate the "high/low morality" mechanic being named as such. I dont view it that way. I chose this ending though, knowing how unfair this would be to Sean, only because as Daniel's big brother, I thought Sean would want Daniel to live as normal of a life as he could, even if it is with racist grandparents. I guess it was a choice made with hope for change in mind.
Sean gets out 15 years after, and has Karen, Lyla, and Daniel there for him. He will need that support, even if Daniel and him live separate lives as shown by the end. But Daniel got to live his whole life as normal as he could be, with a best friend and loving family figures. Karen is in the picture now, and it even seems like her relationship with Claire and Stephen is improved, which gives me hope that they can still unlearn their racist beliefs (especially seeing Sean in prison for so long). Theres no guarantee, but i hope. Seeing Sean and Daniel return to the camping spot fron episode 1 breaks my heart, because everything came at the cost of Sean. Maybe its the self-martyr in me, but i accepted this as if I was a big brother doing what it took to give Daniel his best life, even if it meant taking the brunt of everything wrong in the world.
It definitely is not a happy ending (for me none of them are), but it felt like the thing Sean would do, even though that is influenced by a dead dad whos words of protecting daniel haunt him. It felt disturbingly fitting for how bleak the world is. I cant even imagine thankfully how hard it woudl be to lose 15 years of your life after EVERYTHING and to have to rebuild yourself, even with support. Yet i did it, and it hurts, but i guess thats the ending that resonated most with me.
"Lone Wolf" is arguably the worst out of them, because Sean straight up gets murdered unwillingly which just horrified me. Daniel makes it ot mexico though he didnt even seem to want that as much as he just wanted freedom, and now he is alone. Plus, he just heads down a dark path and i dont see any redeeming qualities about this ending, especially if you played thriugh the game teaching daniel to protect himself and sean first then go back on your word. It feels likenthe ending where someone thinks the choice to surrender now IS the choice to go back on how you raised Daniel, only to find out you made that choice too many times and now you pay the price. Depressing stuff.
The "Blood Brothers" ending is my second-favorite ending because i dont see them using violence as something malicious in this one, and of course they have each other. My main issue is that Daniel doesnt get really what he wants out of this aside from his brother. They are both likely stuck in Mexico forever, and wont see Lyla, Karen, Claire, Stephen, or anyone they left behind ever again (at least thats the vibe i get). It just disheartens me, and ultimately its why its not my preferred ending. I just feel like they traded one cage for another, but theyre together at least.
The ending where they are separated is interesting, because this one feels like Sean gets what he wants out of life but it is as Daniel's expense. I dont like that Daniel is on house arrest, while Sean gets to have a beach house and drink coconut cocktails. It still seems like he will still live a happy life but under a watchful eye.
I mean all of the endings still have the weight of systemic oppression carried out in them, an ever-present force no matter the distance. I feel like in both Mexico endings, the reality is that they are stuck there for life. The government will be looking for them until there is no more government, forever added to a list. Blood brothers gives them the peace of mind they have each other, just isolated and locked away metaphorically. Lone wolf is just daniel forced by the injustice of the world to enter down a dark path that breaks you thinking about how he was just a kid, and how now Sean's efforts were in vain regardless since he is dead. The ending of them separate but both relatively happy feels like a compromise, but one that again leaves Sean content but never to see anyone he loves again. Daniel will always be watched and just the image of this kid being on house arrest waving to stephen mowing grass outside hurts me. He truly feels like a prisoner. And then the ending i chose. Sean gets all of the system oppression weighed on him and pays the price. I think him getting out after so long is just sickening to think about, but it is balanced out by the fact that at the very least, Daniel was never exposed for his powers and is not going to be watched by the government. Sean can now rebuild his life and heck, in this ending both will have the freedom to even possibly see Mexico one day together. All of it is just hopes and dreams, and all of it comes at a cost that understandably people consider unacceptable, but I felt it was the most unfair but most hopeful to me.
Maybe i see things from a skewed perspective but damn this game hurts me every time i pick it up. I didnt want Sean to surrender at the very end but every outcome has their ups and downs (except lone wolf, screw that ending) in different spots. I chose to concentrate the consequences for the hope of rebuilding Sean and preserving Daniel's chance for a life on his own terms. Sorry if this is a jumbled rant I am just passionate about this game. Also i really appreciate this video and your analysis of everything; it is sorely missing these video essays when every other game gets analyzed to bits.
Sean was possibly more screwed as he is a queer person of color.
It really feels like he cannot catch a break. Like all he does is “wrong” but is still such a caring boy and parental figure for Daniel. He is my favorite Life is strange character next to Max.
as a white person, i didnt even catch most of the gaslighting present in the game. the characters like claire really do an amazing job at making sean, the player, feel bad or guilty for shit that was not his fault nor within his control. the comment on daniels illness was a perfect example. amazing essay, amazing game
i watched this video a couple hours ago and i couldn’t stop thinking about it so i just had to come back and let you know that you did an amazing job with articulating the deeper meaning behind this game. during my play-through i never even noticed how every white character that interacted with them (their grandparents, brody, and the lady from the cult church) were gaslighting sean and his feelings when HE is the victim of racism in america. you did an amazing job showing just how heartbreaking this game is, the deeper meaning behind it, and how it’s not JUST a story about two brothers trying to get to mexico. amazing video essay! (also thank you for the closed captions. as someone who’s hearing impaired i can’t tell you how much we appreciate when channels take the time to make correct subtitles)
As soon as you said your pronouns I clicked off
this video really is everything because i overlooked a lot of what people where saying because of how intense the game was like woah. it feels cathartic to hear people talk about this game because i felt like i was going crazy.
Whats your thoughts on people of color who say most of the racism presented in the game wasnt well delivered and overexaggerated?
I decided to surrender because I thought that it would end the pain that Sean had to go through but it didn’t. Daniel got a good future but Sean lost 15 years for it. I thought if we went to Puerto lobos Sean would still be subject to the law and an even worse life. Looking at Sean cry in his brothers arms ended me in every way possible because he just didn’t deserve it. It’s making me question if living an unsafe life together is better than living an unsafe life alone, which is what Sean would have in redemption. Anyway this game fully embodies how prejudice grows and how there is no freedom for the brothers no matter how moral or immoral you wanna play.
Whats the background music u use?
33:59 thank you, I absolutely hate that it's called the "redemption" ending a more fitting name would be "punishment" because you don't need to be deserving to receive punishment
Edit* im honored to have gotten a heart
This was a great video, really insightful and extremely informative this game is very allegorical, I like you couldn’t play this again I didn’t want to go through all that heartache all over again, but I loved this game so much.
Have you played another play-through of this game since 2020?
This game sucked comparatively to every other game in the series
39:50 We don't know the reasoning for the color of Sean's eyeglass. It's either whether he's in America or in Mexico, OR based on his final decision to surrender or cross the border.
"Morality" isn't a community-given name. It's in the files of the game. And "Redemption" isn't a community-given name either. It's the final chapter's title in-game. You can check it yourself.
It's called "Redemption" because Sean redeems himself as a brother. At the start of the game, he blames himself for neglecting Daniel, which resulted in Daniel going outisde and well, you know the rest. Now, he's willing to pay the price and step up to be a better brother.
life is strange 2 is so cool i wish seattle was real
This game has 2 wolves inside of it and they’re both shitty characters.