man but i love max caulfield, as a character and specifically as a protagonist.
throughout the game, she’s characterized with an air of altruism. she’s an ‘everyday hero’, reaches out and tries to help everyone she meets, empathetic to a degree where she genuinely feels for the discarded objects at the junkyard. she’s shy and kind of awkward but her heart is in the right place, and ultimately, if you choose to, she can make friends with just about everybody.
here’s the thing: as the player, you don’t think about the ramifications of your actions in real-world terms. when you play legend of zelda, you don’t think twice before breaking into people’s houses, smashing their vases and stealing the rupees within. it’s just how the game works. when you play life is strange, you don’t think twice before sifting through people’s belongings and fishing for information they’re reluctant to give. it’s a point and click game! of course you should find out as much as you can. if a character asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, of course you’ll rewind until you get it right, because you want the rewards of succeeding. if you have the option to expose intimate details about a character against their will, and then rewind so they don’t know how you found out and assume you’re just attentive– of course you’ll do that, too.
but max, as a person, is the one committing all these actions. and what really makes it so special in my eyes is that she’s called out for it. the people around her repeatedly referring to her nosiness is one thing, but the scene that really clinches it is in the dream sequence, where nightmare-max flat out tells her: you don’t care about doing the right thing. you’re not some selfless martyr. you abused your power to get people to like you because you know they never would otherwise.
and it’s true. max is quiet, mousy, keeps mostly to herself. she writes in her journal that she never found her niche in seattle, and only makes one offhanded mention of a couple kids she hung out with there. at blackwell, she doesn’t even know her next-door dormmate’s last name. she’s friendly with warren, and with kate, and that’s about it. and even with kate, their bond would’ve never been strong enough to save her unless max had used her powers.
at the end of the game, max can be liked and respected by just about everybody around her, because she exploits her powers to do so. she milks people for information, she lies, she abuses her powers for petty things like getting back at victoria, or getting to fly brooke’s cool drone, or spilling frank’s beans on the floor. her powers make her braver, more sensitive, and more likable to those around her. and it’s something you as a player wouldn’t even find unusual, until the game specifically addresses it in the text, saying: hey, these aren’t just your actions as a player. this is the kind of person max is.
and that’s such great, smart writing. i love that they don’t shy away from making her selfish and flawed, alongside her heroism. at the end of the day she’s still an insecure teen who wants to be liked, and that’s what makes her so real. boy, i love max caulfield!
annaxmalina
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