Benjamin Williams 
Life is Strangely Portable
When Life is Strange was released, it set new standards for narrative games. With its unique characters, gripping story and the amount of player freedom, it was sure to be a hit. It gathered a huge fan following and even spawned a prequel. And now, Life is Strange is coming to Android; it’s open for registration on the Google Play store.
Life is Strange is a game that breaks away from the ‘hardcore gamer’ stereotype and can be enjoyed by anyone. This new trend of “games for people who do not play games” is exciting and this genre makes gaming more accessible. If non-gamers and gamers alike can enjoy the same narrative experiences, it could lead to a greater understanding of each other’s’ perspectives. Perhaps there would also be fewer accusations of games causing violence.
Why now?
This move by Square Enix comes following an announcement that they are discontinuing their “GO” line of mobile games. In an interview with PCGamesInsider.biz, the studio head of Square Enix stated that the mobile market has so many high-quality free games that it is hard to convince players to spend $5 on the “GO” franchise. Perhaps Square Enix are aiming to market their games to a wider audience. The “GO” games were trying to specifically target mobile players but were not very successful.
Life is Strange was released on the App Store to moderate success but Android users may revive interest in the game. A new group of fans could regenerate the community, providing their own takes on the story and theories. It may inspire other developers to port their games to mobile, especially narrative games that require simple inputs. Infinite Fall, the team behind Night in the Woods, announced last year that they are releasing their game on mobile in 2018. Additionally, we have the enormous amount of indie games ports to the Nintendo Switch, so portable gaming may come back in a big way. Either way, Life is Strange will be in good company on its new platform, joining classics like Thomas was Alone and Surgeon Simulator.
