Life continues to be as strange and awkward as expected in Out of Time, the second episode of Dontnod’s interactive sci-fi/teen drama series.

SPOILER WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for Episode 1: Chrysalis. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of playing the first episode, do not read on.

Life is certainly strange for our teen protagonist Max Caulfield. She spends most of Out of Time dealing with apocalyptic visions of her home town of Arcadia Bay being destroyed by a tornado, and the difficulties of being a teen in a school full of stuck-up pricks. Oh, and she can also re-wind time too.

Chrysalis was an episode full of intrigue and surprises, as would be expected when a teenage girl suddenly discovers she can manipulate time. In Out of Time, she has grown more accustomed to her abilities, resulting in an episode more focused on gradual discovery.

After revealing her powers to her punk-rock best-friend Chloe, Max undergoes a series of tests to show off her skills. Unfortunately, she begins to consider that her powers might not be limitless.

In terms of being a teen drama, Out of Time really ups the ante from the fairly inconsequential events that occurred in the first episode. Surprisingly, it discusses some very serious issues in a sophisticated way.

Kate Marsh, who makes a few appearances in the first episode as Max’s reclusive Christian friend, is humiliated when a video of her making out with several guys at a party whilst intoxicated goes viral.

It’s interesting how the bitchy antics of Chrysalis seemed so insignificant, yet by the end of the second episode its painfully obvious how all those little put-downs and insults affected some of the characters in the long-term. If the juxtaposition between the drama in the two episodes was intentional, then it’s brilliantly written.

Talking of the writing, my biggest complaint after finishing the first episode was the cringe-inducing ‘this is how teenagers talk, kids!’ dialogue that made me want to rip my ears off. Although Dontnod appear to have toned down the ‘hellas’ and the pointless references that plagued every other line in Chrysalis, one character still says ‘awesomeballs’, so they’ll get no points from me.

For what its worth, I stopped noticing the dialogue as much as the episode progressed. That could be because I was so enraptured in the story and the characters, which is possible. However, it’s probably more down to the gaping plot-hole I dug up.

Max has the ability to rewind time. The key mechanic in Life is Strange is that Max has to make a series of difficult choices that will have lasting repercussions on the rest of the story. After making these choices, the player has the option to reverse time before committing to them. It also has some applications in a few puzzles.

In practise, Max stays still as time rewinds around her. Characters flit backwards as they retrace their steps, only to repeat themselves when Max stops rewinding. However, Max moves through time, not space. That means that unless she stays in the exact same spot, which she often doesn’t, it would appear to other characters as if she was teleporting from one spot to another in the blink of an eye. Despite this, nobody ever notices that she’s not in the same place.

Plot-holes are almost expected in time-travel narratives (see Doctor Who), but once I noticed it, it distracted me to no end. And now it will distract you too. You’re welcome.

At least it might distract you from Warren, the completely uncharismatic love interest who pops up through-out the episode like a nerd-themed whack-a-mole, springing forth again and again no matter how many times you slam him back down. Annoying isn’t a strong enough word to describe his persistent sci-fi references/jokes, which go down like lead balloons.

The other characters are strong enough that Warren’s input isn’t a deal-breaker. In particular, the relationship between Max and her estranged best friend Chloe is engrossing.

Out of Time is the best kind of episodic game episode (if that makes sense) as it contains it’s own arcs that can stand-alone, whilst also contributing to the wider plot intrigue. Max and Chloe begin to scratch the surface of a mystery that seems to involve all the powers that be in Blackwell. Wearing its Twin Peaks influence on its sleeve, I feel we might end up asking ourselves ‘who killed Rachel Amber?’.

Despite the slightly sloppy time-travel aspect, it’s hard for me to explain why I love Life is Strange so much. What little gameplay there is feels hollow, like when the player is tasked with collecting five bottles in a junk-yard, and some of the lines of dialogue are delivered as if the actors weren’t given any direction.

Maybe it’s the excellent use of licensed music, or the beautifully laid-back tone of the game, but I just find myself so endeared to Life is Strange. It’s a charming experience that’s as honeyed as it is awkward.

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