Life is Strange 2 Switch Review – Los Hermanos Lobo

Life is Strange 2 has always resonated with me for particular reasons. Admittedly, some of it is hearing Spanish despite never really being fluent. However, the real draw is the familial bond between Sean and Daniel and how the former instantly steps up to take care of his little brother.

This formula works very well and is a better way to deal with a main character without any powers. I’m still not a fan of how fast Sean decides to run from the cops, but it’s a convenience of writing that I am happy to forgive. After all, having just seen his dad shot and his little brother showing supernatural abilities, what else could I expect a sixteen-year-old to do?

Still, despite these minor grievances, I thoroughly enjoyed Life is Strange 2, possibly my favorite entry in the series. So, when the Switch release was announced, I was excited to check it out and see how it would fare during the conversion to a portable form. It’s safe to say it fared better than the original two games.

First off, there is minor stuttering that happens sporadically. While noticeable, it doesn’t happen often enough to make it unenjoyable. Instead, the world stops for a fraction of a second and then resumes play as if nothing happened. The really jarring portion was the fact that some textures appeared blurry.

This issue appears mostly in background elements, especially floor and wall textures that most players may not focus on during regular play. I only noticed it during cutscenes when the camera is pulled closer to these elements, especially when Sean is on his laptop with Lyla. Blur effects are used and do help during most scenes to cover up this flaw.

Another problem is that the characters look more clay-like during the opening scenes. This was primarily pronounced on Lyla and Sean when they were sitting down. After comparing it with the release on PS4 that I had, it appears that some lighting effects were reduced to reduce the impact on performance.

This issue starts to alleviate as Sean goes on the run longer, and it becomes apparent that being on the run is taking its toll on him. Adding shadows to his cheeks and bags to his eyes makes him look more natural and fixes most of the issues I had with the beginning scenes.

The final issue some might have is the missing prologue chapter Captain Spirit, which chronicles a day in the life of a small boy dealing with his powers. The choices from this chapter would impact chapter 2 if completed. I checked the E-Shop and noticed it wasn’t available for download on the switch. This content is a small part of the experience, but it does add to the customization of the story.

The Switch version of Life is Strange 2 is not the best version of this adventure. However, this doesn’t make it a terrible choice. The experience is serviceable on both handheld and docked modes, and while the models lack graphically, as the game progresses, shadows and dirt make them look more natural.

Unfortunately, players won’t find anything new or impressive with this port. Regardless, I recommend this version to those who haven’t played it before or are looking for a new title to play while on the go, proving that a tale of two brothers is excellent no matter what version players decide to play.