Life Is Strange 2 / YMMV

Accidental Aesop: The scene where Mr. Diaz is shot seems to be a straight example of Police Brutality, but it's also a good lesson about gun safety and the importance of proper training and temperament in those that wield them. The officer's panic and disregard for basic gun rules escalates a misunderstanding into a fatal accident, which would have been avoided if he'd obeyed gun safety rules and kept his finger off the trigger and away from people he didn't intend to kill.
Adorkable: Finn's shown to have a dorky side, as when he happily asks Merrill for a raise when the latter compliments his work or puts on a hilarious Scottish accent when cutting Sean's hair.
Alternative Character Interpretation:
- Is Doris Stamper also a racist Bitch in Sheep's Clothing like her husband, or is she actually disgusted with Hank's vigilante unlawful arrest of Sean? Being a choice-determinant game, Doris' views on the Diaz brothers change depending on how the gas station visit goes. If Sean doesn't act suspicious and looks tidy, Doris is quite cheery and nice towards the brothers, and even gives Sean a bear keychain free of charge. If he does things like begging for food from the Californian family and/or doesn't wash up, Doris can either be suspicious or stern. Either way, as Hank explains that he has Sean tied up in the backroom, Doris questions this decision, but ultimately leaves it in her husband's hands, and later episodes don't show her attempting to show any support nor disdain for the brothers, so it's up in the air whether she's a Cool Old Lady who has problems with being an Extreme Doormat or she does have subconscious, less extreme racism inside of her which allows her to let Hank treat Sean any kind of way.
- Stephen Reynolds is interesting because there seems to be a side to him that's not quite touched on in-game. If you take the time to snoop around his little office, you'll notice that he owns a cap that looks suspiciously like the "Make America Great Again" cap, and he also owns a book on patriotism. In Karen's room, she owns a CD that looks like "Rude" by Magic!, which is a song about a father disapproving of their daughter's boyfriend, who insists that he'll marry her anyway. This begs the question, did Stephen at some point disapprove of Esteban marrying his daughter? Was it a general fatherly protectiveness or was it racially motivated? Stephen can be seen in a photo standing next to Esteban on his and Karen's wedding day with a pretty cheery demeanor and he seems to enjoy the company of his half-Mexican grandsons so it's not really clear. He's also a huge Nice Guy and could optionally be a Secret-Keeper for Daniel's powers so it's a very interesting way to look at him.
- It's made clear in Episode 3 that Finn has problems with being selfish, and tries to manipulate Sean and Daniel into robbing Merrill after the brothers are fired. However, there's some leeway in exactly how selfish and manipulative he is, especially concerning how he'll only kiss Sean if Sean agrees to go along with the heist. Did he express his attraction to Sean to manipulate him even further into going along with the plan, or was it a spontaneous, wholly genuine decision due to him being so happy that Sean agreed with him?
- Mike Wilson is the skinny friend of Chad Michaels, the racist who gives Sean hell in Episode 4. He is shown at first to be rather giddy about the idea of messing with Sean, and is the one to point out that he should've saw the sign indicating that he's on their property. However, as Chad increasingly antagonizes Sean, Mike starts becoming uncomfortable and begs Chad to just leave him be. If Chad beats up Sean, Mike will give the latter his stuff back and tell him to get out as soon as he can, horrified by his friend's actions. Is he one of the rare cases of Even Evil Has Standards that Sean has met on this journey so far? Is it possible that he was not in fact a racist at all and was only pissed with someone trespassing on his property in general? How many other people of color has he and/or Chad harassed prior to Sean, if any?
- Nicholas Durand is Reverend Lisbeth Fischer's muscle, who has a very violent past and has no problem threatening Sean with a gun. In the finale of Episode 4, at Lisbeth's request, he will beat Sean senseless, but is increasingly concerned by the amount of damage she wishes he inflict. Lisbeth eventually demands Nicholas shoot Sean dead, to which he notably has a very hard time doing the deed, and thankfully never gets the chance to thanks to Daniel's interference. Just how despicable is Nicholas, really? Would he have really killed Sean? Was he similarly corrupted by Lisbeth, as was Daniel?
- Why does Daniel have a tracking device on him in the "Parting Ways" ending? Some believe that he is under lenient house arrest, and the device is on him to ensure that he doesn't go out of the country to visit Sean. Others believe that the government is tracking him because they are aware of Daniel's telekinetic abilities and are checking to see how they develop.
- Lisbeth Fischer is unquestionably a twisted and narcissistic individual, but according to her backstory, she had her first spiritual experience as a child, and began ministering shortly thereafter (by implication, this would make her a child preacher). It's quite possible that her self-centered personality stems from being encouraged (or even forced) to take on a position of religious authority when she was too young to handle the responsibility, which would mirror her own expectations for Daniel.
Angst Dissonance: Daniel is more insolent in Episode 3, constantly bickering with Sean and complaining that he isn't being treated as an adult. This sort of attitude is understandable given the amount of trauma that Daniel has experienced - in fact, if the player chooses to go to bed with him, Daniel explains that his anger and rudeness are specifically because his grief overwhelms him. However, many players aren't sympathetic to his problems, instead complaining that he's being "a brat" for little reason.
Angst? What Angst?: According to David in the Save Chloe ending, Max and Chloe were able to move past the destruction of Arcadia Bay, which also resulted in the death of the latter's mother, in a relatively short amount of time. The one time you hear from them is them having a cheerful conversation about their travel plans with David. However, it's worth noting that Chloe's new hairstyle — long with acid green tips — is likely actually just her iconic blue inverted bob faded and grown out over the intervening three or four years. This is suggestive of a sudden lack of interest in maintaining her personal appearance that could be indicative of depression — especially coupled with her decision to black out her tattoo sleeve, which Word of God confirms she did out of guilt and in remembrance of the victims of the Arcadia Bay disaster. So Chloe, at least, might not have been doing so well after all; and it's possible that David's interpretation of how quickly she moved on might be due to his own biased perspective on how people should express grief, something they previously fought about in Before the Storm (not to mention that Chloe might be putting on a brave front around him to spare his feelings).
Anvilicious: The game takes several hot topics in modern America and covers them with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. In the first episode alone, Mexican brothers Sean and Daniel face suspicion and discrimination at almost every turn, an incompetent trigger happy cop freaks out and shoots their father dead, and Sean is held captive by a bigoted redneck spouting racial slurs who makes it very clear which way he voted in the 2016 election. Examining Sean's message history with Lyla also shows an exchange where they are terrified for the future of their country over whether "he" will win the election.
Awesome Moments:
- Darker in context, but Daniel's display of telekinesis in the Blood Brothers ending, wiping out a road block of cops, even creating a shield of telekinetic force that blocked gunfire, then slinging out waves of telekinesis to knock cars and officers away. Causing an explosive force behind them to obliterate two cop cars, and finally one last blast that destroyed the closed gate.
- Another dark one in the Lone Wolf ending, an older Daniel gets hounded by a gang of 3 criminals and knocks two of them away with just a look, and then slowly walks toward the leader who pulls a gun out. Daniel just forces the leader to point the gun at himself, but spares him, it's revealed that the two other thugs were also just knocked out and not killed. Daniel's honed his control so much that he didn't even need to gesture to use his powers.
- In the endings where Daniel stays in the United States, he will inevitably save a school bus, he may not be an active superhero, but he helps people when he can.
Base-Breaking Character:
- Finn is this after Episode 3. Some enjoy his charming and roguish moments and do like how he's the only one of the trimmigrants who is doing something to make sure they have a permanent home but others dislike how he basically manipulated a child like Daniel and possibly Sean into joining him in a dangerous heist. Much like Chloe in the first game, being the gay option who's morally dubious can leads towards debates on whether he really loves Sean or manipulates his crush on him for his It's All About Me attitude and his apology in Episode 4 if he's alive has been debated if he was being sincere or is looking for a way to escape responsibility.
- Karen is a pretty complicated character reception-wise. There are those who do understand the whole Parents as People arc with her and how despite not regretting leaving the family, does want to make up with Sean and be the mother he was denied having. Others have felt that what she did and how she felt was too little, too late and and are annoyed that a mother who basically abandoned her sons and being sympathized by the game is a huge case of Double Standard between what she did and what if Estaban did the exact same thing.
Better on DVD: 2 is overall the lowest-rated by players of any Life Is Strange game, with a major complaint being that the long gaps between episodes (the release schedule took place over 16 months, with a three-to-four month gap every time) made it hard to remember what was happening in the story by the time the next one rolled around.^note Now that the full season is available, that criticism is starting to die down thanks to new players being able to go through the story at a pace that suits them better.
Contested Sequel: The dramatic shift in tone and play style compared to the first game put off quite a few fans, while others appreciate the fact that the Totally Radical dialogue is toned down and enjoy the relationship between Sean and Daniel. There also a matter of how it's tackling hot button issues, which some people liked while others find it Anvilicious in a bad way.
Crossover Ship: A platonic example. Sean is pretty frequently paired with Clementine, envisioning the two as best friends or even Back-to-Back Badasses. It makes sense, considering how close this game and The Walking Dead: The Final Season released their episodes, both being the caretakers of children, and the two being Bisexual people of color protagonists in Adventure Games. They also both end up with serious injuries that result in an amputation the course of their stories, just to keep up the weird similarities.
Ensemble Dark Horse:
- Lyla is popular in the fandom for being a young Asian woman, for being best friends with Sean without any romantic undertones, and for her playful yet caring attitude to both Sean and Daniel. When she didn't make any sort of appearance after the second episode, besides a few mentions of her in a flashback, many fans were disappointed. An interview with the lead writer reveals that Lyla wasn't supposed to show up at all after Episode 1, but made a re-appearance due to how popular she had become with fans. If certain steps are followed, Lyla will show up in one of the endings when Sean gets out of prison.
- Brody quickly became a fan favorite for his odd but lovable nature, and the fact he goes out of his way to help the Diaz brothers without asking for anything in return. He not only saves them from the racist gas station owner, he gives them money and supplies so they can continue their journey, along with buying them a motel room for the night.
- Cassidy has been very well received for her very friendly demeanor and for being the first friend Sean has made that’s around his age since he made his journey. Her presence in Episode 3 had earned her more fans for her role as a potential love interest with good chemistry with Sean, along with her more level-headed approach in dealing with Merrill, and for showing a great deal of concern with Finn's decision to convince Sean and Daniel to steal from Merrill in payback for being fired by him.
Fanon:
- The heightened prevalence of Animal Motifs in the game, with the brothers frequently comparing themselves to wolves, along with Sean's various doodles of anthropomorphic characters (including, at one point, a "trash panda persona", as well as a drawing of himself as an anthropomorphic animal), has led to the idea within fandom that Sean is a furry.
- When giving Sean a haircut, Finn puts on a faux-Scottish accent and welcomes him to the "McNamara Salon". Some fans interpret this as McNamara being Finn's surname. This is eventually confirmed in his character profile video.
Fanfic Fuel: If you chose the "Sacrifice Arcadia Bay" ending of the original LIS, this game reveals that Max and Chloe are still together and living in New York. What type of life have they been living during the past 3 years?
- The potential for Sean and Daniel to meet with Max and Chloe is very popular, especially as of Wolves, as David Madsen is a member of their mother Karen's community, Away, and Max and Chloe are known to frequently drop by to visit him.
Fourth Wall Myopia: Players are primed to hate the antagonists because they are either racist or are against the pair because they are on the run for the murder of a cop. However, only the players are actually aware of a few things:
- A) The cop was careless and cowardly, he shot Esteban because the cop couldn't respect basic gun safety (i.e. don't point it at someone unless you plan to use it).
- B) Players of the first game are already aware that telekinetic powers exist in the game's universe and the cop's death was simply an accident because Daniel activated his power in a peak of emotional distress and trauma.
- C) Some of the antagonists have a legitmate grievance against Daniel and Sean depending on player choices:
  - In Roads, Hank will imprison Sean and Daniel under the belief that Sean stole from him (which can be confirmed if Sean actually does steal from store before being confronted, but the accusation is driven more by Hank's racism towards Hispanic Americans and Latino Americans than any actual sense of justice).
  - In Wastelands, Merill catches Finn and Daniel trying to steal from him and not only holds the gun at them, but he points it at Cassidy and Sean as well because Merill thought they were all together. (Even though the players know that Cassidy and Sean were just at the wrong place at the wrong time and were actually trying to stop the heist).
  - Wolves even draws attention to this by having a cop point out the unlikelyhood of a series of random accidents following Sean and Daniel across the United States. Even though players are fully aware of the circumstances of those events.
Franchise Original Sin:
- Quite a few players who tried to get Sean and Finn together were put off by the fact that Sean would need to agree to his heist plan in order for them to get romantically involved. This isn't something new, and was just as hated in the first two games as it was here. In Season One, in order for Max to get in Chloe's good graces, she had to go along with a majority of her bad deeds, and if she didn't, not only would she be locked out of a romance, but she'd be guilt-tripped for disagreeing with Chloe. Similarly, in the prequel, while it's not as blatant as in the original game, Chloe will need to go along with a good amount of Rachel's more iffy actions in order to have a high intimacy with her.
- The first game was dialogue heavy and gameplay light, but it cleverly synthesized this by allowing Max to use her powers to manipulate conversations, and there were more classic set pieces as well, such as the stealth sequence in Episode 4. In this game, Daniel's power is limited to set points in the game, and even general gameplay diminishes over the course of the season, until the only non-dialogue-based interactions in Episode 5 are mucking around Away and dealing with the police during the jailbreak.
Friendly Fandoms: With fans of The Walking Dead (Telltale) video game, particularly The Final Season, due to similarities in characters and genre. Both are episodic, choice-based adventures games starring a bisexual teenage protagonist of color who has to take on a protective elder sibling role for a much younger character. What's more, The Final Season ended around the time that Life Is Strange 2 debuted, allowing fans of the former to easily transfer over.
Good Bad Bugs: A hilarious glitch can happen in Episode 2, which leads to Chris and his father getting stuck in the marketplace and unable to return to their car. As a result, the car door opens and closes by itself, and the brothers drive off with no-one in the front seat (leading to jokes that Daniel was using telekinesis to steal the car).
Harsher in Hindsight:
- In Episode 3, there were some complaints that Daniel seemed like a brat to Sean for enforcing the rules, even if you were lenient to him. Episode 4 reveals that even he thought so too and this was the main reason he joined a religious community that turned out to be a cult and nearly brainwashed him.
- While police brutality against minorities is certainly nothing new, many people took issue with Esteban's death at the beginning of the game, saying that it was unrealistic and that the game was forcing a political agenda. In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, and the many horrific videos of police officers attacking peaceful protestors, it should be clear to everybody that this is a very real problem in America, and the game was simply pointing out the reality we live in.
  - The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit also contained a newspaper stating that riots in Seattle ensued from the death of Esteban. Riots similarly broke out in real-life Seattle following the unjust murder of George Floyd.
- Also in the 3rd game, the two work on an illegal pot farm in California and end up being aimed at with a gun along with a few other accomplices in a building on the property. In 2020, a shootout occurred that ALSO was in an illegal pot farm building that is damn near that same area in California. So the scene where all of the characters are seen laying unconscious on the floor seemingly dead is pretty hard to stomach when taking the real life tragedy into account.
- One of Sean's worries was how he and Daniel would be separated from each other and sent to a foster care system if he stayed behind after his father and a cop got murdered. In the next installment of the series, this is exactly what happened to the main character, Alex, after her father walked away from the family and her being an empathic and abused by the system made her life a living hell, almost justifying Sean's own fear about Daniel.
Hilarious in Hindsight:
- The first game was turned down by several publishers, who suggested they change the lead to a male. For this sequel, DONTNOD decided to give the suggestion a try.
- Before the first episode was released, there were complaints that Sean seemed like a typical straight male protagonist. Episode 3 reveals that Sean is bisexual, making him a very atypical male protagonist. ^note And then following game has another bisexual protagonist of color (albeit female again), again pushing the whole "typical straight white protagonist" thing away even further.
- Upon its reveal, a good portion of the series' fans dismissed this game entirely for making an entirely new story with absolutely no connection to the first two games. Starting a new game straight up asks you which Season One ending choice you picked, and we see the aftermath when Brody drives Sean and Daniel to the overlook of Arcadia Bay in Episode 1. If that's not enough, Episode 5 is one big Fanservice package with the appearance of David Madsen, who has Took a Level in Kindness and brings with him plenty of call-backs to as well as much more resolution to the ending you chose for Season One.
- Due to their strained relationship, Sean often refers to his mother by her first name, which happens to be Karen. By 2020, this has become slang for a middle aged, middle class, white woman who is confrontational about trivial matters^note. This gives it a completely different interpretation. What makes it even funnier is that the writers seem to have been well aware of the connotations of naming the racist redneck who bullies Sean in Episode 4 "Chad."
I Knew It!:
- A lot of people predicted that one of the endings have Sean die during the journey to Mexico.
- Many people also predicted that we would see Max and Chloe in some shape or form.
Launcher of a Thousand Ships: Just like Max and Chloe, Sean is shipped with a bunch of supporting characters in the game, in-game romance potential or not. This includes Lyla, Cassidy, Finn, Jacob, and even Daniel.
LGBT Fanbase: Carried over from the first game only this time, bisexual males make a noticeable fanbase, happy that the main protagonist is a male bisexual teenager who at one point, is learning about his sexuality, something that was rare when the game came out.
Misaimed Fandom: There's a good number of people who like the Blood Brothers ending, feeling that it makes Sean and Daniel look badass and that they are happy together. This ending is supposed to represent that life isn't as perfect as fans make it out to be, with Sean sacrificing his dreams to give them some income, facing constant attacks from criminals, them being heavily implied to be criminals themselves and an implication that Daniel is casually using his powers to murder people, with one news article shown the same as another from the Lone Wolf ending, making it no better or worse than the rest of the endings (with the exception of Lone Wolf).
Moe: Daniel is an adorable nine-year-old boy who loves video games, animals, and being with his big brother. He's physically cute looking with big dark eyes and fluffy hair, and likes cuddling up to Sean. Daniel is especially sweet when it comes to him looking after his puppy, Mushroom.
One-Scene Wonder:
- Anton, the truck driver who picks up Sean if you choose to join him in Episode 4. Despite looking like he's going to be a racist, he's kind and helpful to Sean, not caring about how suspicious he seems because he's clearly dehydrated, gives him a sandwich which Sean feels is the best sandwich he ever had, and even gives him a warning about how bad Haven Point is. Sure to give a long lasting impression for the entire episode.
- David Madsen could count for his short yet impactful appearance in the final episode, now a member of Karen's community in Arizona and all-around a much better person than he was back in Arcadia Bay. Not only does he serve as a huge surprise to many players that expected absolutely little connections to Season 1 if at all, but he brings with him plenty of call-backs to said game, complete with the epilogues to both endings.
Platonic Writing, Romantic Reading: Thanks to their touchy-feely interactions in Episode 2, many players initially had the impression that Cassidy and Finn were a couple, and predicted that Finn would be Sean's rival for Cassidy's affections. This was quickly forgotten in Episode 3, which took pains to undo the Relationship Writing Fumble and establish that Cassidy and Finn are genuinely just good friends; while they do end up in a Love Triangle, it's because they're both interested in Sean.
Player Punch:
- Esteban's death, even for players who saw the dead parent coming a mile way (or were spoiled thanks to promotional material), hits hard because he was a genuinely warm and hardworking father whose murder was sudden and unjust.
- Episode 2 has the death of Mushroom, which was the worst for players who felt that she'd become the Team Pet for future installments.
- If Daniel was led down the low morality path by your past choices and you choose to have Sean surrender in the finale, Daniel will drive the car himself and move the roadblock and several cops out of the way. The ensuing barrage of gunfire causes Sean to get hit in the throat and bleed to death almost instantly as a result.
Ron the Death Eater: Much of the fandom has interpreted Officer Matthews as a racist cop and a searing criticism of contemporary American law enforcement. The game itself treats him more charitably, making a point out of showing how dire and threatening the situation looked from his perspective (it wasn't actually either, but it certainly looked pretty bad). The player at one point gets to choose between having Sean blame Matthews or blame himself, with the implication being that neither choice is entirely justified.
Ship Mates: Despite the potential rivalry, Sean/Lyla shippers and Sean/Cassidy shippers are very civil towards each other. Sean/Lyla shippers portray Cassidy as the Cool Big Sis while Lyla, being Sean's best friend, acts as his wingman for Sean/Cassidy shippers.
Shocking Moments: Was anyone prepared for Sean losing an eye at the end of Episode 3? The prospect of seeing a sixteen-year-old kid get maimed for life was probably not one many people were expecting from a Life is Strange game, especially since there's no way to prevent it from happening. (Contrast the first game, where saving Chloe from having various awful things happen to her was a major running theme.)
Strangled by the Red String: The game pushes you hard into a romance with Cassidy during Episode 3, with lots of non-optional scenes centered around spending alone time with her. In both Episodes 2 and 3, virtually every dialogue option with her to forces the player into flirting with her, and there's no option to turn her down early. After all that flirting, if you repeatedly reject her sexual advances, she'll eventually get angry about it, with the only non-confrontational way to turn her down being admitting an interest in Finn, which you can only do if you kiss him — and regrettably, like in previous games, the Gay Option of Finn is locked behind making morally dubious choices, which sends an unfortunate message. Finally, it's possible to sleep with Cassidy, but only kiss Finn.
Strawman Has a Point: A stall owner criticizes Cassidy and Finn, whom he sees as hoodlums, for not putting a leash on their dog in public. As a response, he is mocked for his views, and the player is also given the opportunity to allow Daniel to prank him for daring to confront them over their dog. While calling the two "parasites" when they refused was unnecessary, some saw the stall owner as being reasonable with his claims, considering that he's right to be worried about a stray dog potentially causing trouble in the stalls while he's trying to sell his merchandise to the public, and especially when earlier on in the story, Mushroom died, because the dog was allowed to roam outside unsupervised and was quickly killed by a mountain lion.
That One Level:
- Episode 3 is sometimes loathed for its weed cutting sections.
- Episode 4 has the interminable section where Sean is walking along the highway, which also disables your run button if you use it for too long.
They Changed It, So It Sucks: While the game still got a positive overall reception, it is the lowest-rated LIS game by both critics and audiences. Though undoubtedly the original was always going to be a Tough Act to Follow, much of the negativity towards the game stems from the more obvious changes: having the story focus on male protagonists; the playable lead not having a superpower of his own^note; the road trip plot meaning that there was less connection to recurring characters and locations; and the central relationship being between siblings rather than unrelated friends, precluding the potential to develop into a romance. There are also those who simply can't accept a Life Is Strange story that doesn't continue the Arcadia Bay arc and/or have Max and Chloe as the leads.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Some fans feel as though Chris was underused in this game, being limited to only half of Episode 2 and cameos in Episode 4 and 5. Some even feel like the game should've been about him after leaving such an impression with The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. Many fans were very excited to see his friendship with Daniel especially, but sadly, their interactions were mostly off-screen.
- Because of the road trip nature of the story, every character apart from Sean, Daniel, and arguably Karen gets at most one-and-a-bit episodes where they have a significant role to play. Plenty of characters in addition to Chris (like Lyla and Brody from Ep.1; Cassidy and Finn from Ep.2&3; Jacob from Ep.3&4; the rest of the trimmigrant group from Ep.3, especially Hannah and Penny; Sarah from Ep.4; and the residents of Away from Ep.5) were popular enough that fans would have liked to see where their stories went, only to have them relegated to brief cameos at most — usually in the form of letters, photographs, and emails — for the rest of the season.
- There are even some players who would have liked Esteban to get more screen-time due to his general likeability, though of course since his death kicks off the whole plot of the season most will admit there's a limit to how well this could have worked.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
- Chris and his problems at home touched the hearts of many Captain Spirit players, to say the least. Before the official reveal of Life Is Strange 2, fans had hoped that either this game would be about Chris growing up with a broken household into his teenage years or later, upon the reveal of Episode 2 finally continuing where Captain Spirit left off, that Charles would get his proper comeuppance for his actions. Sadly, half of Episode 2 isn't even in Beaver Creek, and the half that is barely touches upon Chris's home life beyond Sean being able to talk about it with the former and Charles. On a smaller note, Chris's interactions with Daniel were also anticipated, but are mostly off-screen either in time skips or because Sean is directing his attention elsewhere.
- Assuming the teaser trailer is canon, then there's a recording of Daniel's superpowers, but no one seriously comments on it. Anytime the news mentions the dead cop there's no discussion of how a small boy could send a grown man flying. It could have added a layer to the hiding from the law storyline, if Daniel was known to the public as the kid with superpowers. Inspecting Stephen’s computer in Episode 2 shows that people on the internet noticed how weird the murder of Matthews was, coming up with a plethora of conspiracy theories, so it’s evident that Dontnod acknowledged the type of reaction the tragedy would’ve garnered in real life but sadly didn’t use this as frequently as they probably should’ve.
  - On a related note, many fans were hoping that behaving decently and strengthening bonds with characters like Lyla and Brody would encourage them to campaign to clear Sean's name at the end and maybe secure a happier ending. There are a few hints in lore documents that Sean's classmates and some of his friends do publicly raise questions about the improbable nature of the charges against the Diaz brothers, but this never comes to anything and has no bearing on any of the possible endings.
- We don't see much of Daniel's time with the cult in Episode 4, and can only gather bits and pieces of what his life there was like through investigation. Not only would it have helped to show how he was brainwashed, but it also would've filled more of the gaps between his development in Episodes 3 and 4.
Toy Ship: Fans ship Daniel with Chris, the protagonist of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, as he saves Chris from falling with his powers. In Episode 2 the two of them quickly bond and foster an adorable friendship, with Chris distraught that Daniel has to leave at the end.
Unexpected Character: While players had been predicting a small amount of cross-over from Life Is Strange (and The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit had already confirmed the shared universe, via Chris's mother attending Blackwell Academy and being a fan of Mark Jefferson in her youth), very few predicted that David Madsen of all people would make an extended cameo appearance in the final episode of Life is Strange 2.
- On a related note, if the player saved Chloe in Life is Strange, Victoria Chase will be confirmed as another survivor of the storm and appear in a small Easter Egg, in the form of a letter written to David.
Unintentionally Sympathetic: Jacob sending Daniel to a cult leader is admittedly not his best idea and Sean and the game does have every right to call him out on it but many still felt that at best he did the right thing by taking a minor with him to ensure that he goes to the safest place he can think of in the heat of the moment and at worst, an honest mistake due to holding some residual Stockholm Syndrome. And unlike the others characters in the game who do something dangerous or criminal, Jacob admits that what he did was wrong and does everything he can to make things right and save Daniel.
Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
- A criticism of the game that’s becoming more and more common is how Sean and Daniel’s entire predicament could have been avoided had they waited for the police or turned themselves in sooner into their journey instead of running away and putting themselves in more danger, while also racking up more charges. It doesn’t help that not only were the excuses Sean gave unconvincing, such as a fear of being split up from Daniel (which isn’t worse than going to jail for murder), or going to juvie (for the initial crime that they can’t prove he committed), but also, the grandparents also shared the same sentiment the critics did during their discussion with him. In the end, he was just a kid that didn’t have his priorities straight and it cost him in the end, with some finding it hard to sympathize with him because of this.
- A lot of fans don't really accept Karen's explanation as to why she abandoned her family shortly after Daniel was born. While many are okay with her realizing that she's not fit as a mother and giving custody of the children to Estaban, the fact that she was never involved in her sons' lives since she left to the point where Daniel doesn't even recognize her when they first meet, makes her seem as somewhat of a deadbeat and how the game tries to sympathize her has caused fans to point out the Double Standard of the issue.
- While Cassidy is a popular character overall, some players were put off somewhat by how badly she reacts if Sean refuses to sleep with her immediately after kissing her at the lake. (It's not hard to see why since it does present a bit of a Double Standard, as a male character pressuring his female love interest — especially one who's a few years younger, considerably less experienced, and all but stated to be still a virgin — to have sex mere minutes after their first kiss would probably not be treated as an overall sympathetic figure.) It's also pretty jarring considering how easygoing and understanding Cass is shown to be the rest of the time.
Unnecessary Makeover: In Episode 3, it's possible for Sean to receive a haircut after numerous complaints from his friends about his longer, shaggier style. A lot of fans, however, prefer the longer hair over the mohawk hairstyle that Finn gives him.
- And by the next episode, the option is irrelevant, since Sean will have a buzz cut.

YMMV / Life Is Strange 2

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