Will Chloe Be in Life Is Strange: Double Exposure?

Life is Strange: Double Exposure features the unexpected return of Max Caulfield, protagonist of the original Life is Strange. But what about her best friend/sort-of-girlfriend? Will Chloe be in Life is Strange: Double Exposure? Here’s what you need to know, with spoilers for the original game. 

Will Chloe Be in Life Is Strange: Double Exposure?

It’s possible but unlikely that Chloe will make an appearance in Life is Strange: Double Exposure, but not as a major character. Developer Deck Nine has yet to confirm whether she’ll appear, and she’s not in the debut trailer. The problem is that Life is Strange had two endings, only one of which saw Chloe live.

Some Life is Strange games read players’ saves and give a brief nod to the events of the first game and their choices. But neither Deck Nine nor Don’t Nod, who have developed games in the series, have declared one particular ending as canon. Even if they did, fans probably wouldn’t take well to their decision — a choice that had huge, huge weight — being overwritten.

Instead, it is likely that Max will reference Chloe at some point during Life is Strange: Double Exposure, by talking about her death or how they drifted apart. That might certainly irk those who ship Chloe and Max, but it’s less jarring than having their previous choice binned. However, if developer Deck Nine is really sneaky, there may be a loophole.

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Could Draw Upon the Comics

Max’s ability to jump between realities may seem new to those who’ve only played the games, but Deck Nine could be taking cues from the Life is Strange comics. There was a whole run of comics that followed on from the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending, which saw Max hopping between parallel realities. After many, many trials, and a massive 27 issues, she ultimately ended up in a relationship with Chloe.

The comics’ canonicity is questionable, again because it chooses one of the two endings, but it does present a way to reunite Chloe and Max. The trailer reveals Max is hopping between two worlds, but why not more? Deck Nine could have Max jump to a world where the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending happened, without invaliding the player’s head canon. The problem with that, and the reason it probably won’t happen, is that it could also alienate new players, those who don’t know who Chloe is (and don’t really care).

Ultimately, Chloe probably won’t be in Life is Strange: Double Exposure. She may end up being referenced at some point (as dead or alive) if you’ve played the original game and kept your save around, but it’s doubtful we’ll see her appear in-game.