My biggest beef with Double Exposure breaking up max and Chloe off screen isn't even about the breakup itself. Like, yeah blah blah blah I ship pricefield whatever, but it's more like a massive red flag that this is a desperate, lazy cash grab.
Like I actually really love the stuff we've seen of the new love interest in the new game. The story itself, with max removed, seems pretty cool actually. I love the idea of a murder mystery plot where you bounce between universes where it did and didn't happen. That's a really cool idea that I would love to see a game of!
The problem is none of it feels Max Caufield. Even if you want to try and justify it by the shit max did in the last chapter of game 1, that was max time traveling to various points of her own life and then popping back up in the present of the world after her changes. Unless it turns out max is the killer, it just doesn't track the same.
It feels like they wrote an entirely separate story for a new mc and pushed Max in as an after thought. Genuinely, if they'd put a new mc in the game I'd be overjoyed for it. Like they wanted to use Max for the marketing pull but didn't want to make one ending canon or put in the work to write a story about a longstanding relationship already in progress. So they just broke em up so they can write another "new couple coming together" plot that's way easier.
Like it or not, Chloe Price is an essential element of the story of Max Caufield. Max's powers being time travel are a clear expression of her wanting to make up for her mistakes in the past, mostly around the harm she did to Chloe by abandoning her. Chloe's death is a result of max abandoning her because she wasn't there to help her friend when she was needed most. Max's devotion to saving her is based on that guilt and the fact she still loves her best friend. Sacrificing Chloe is Max admitting she can't undo the harm she did but trying to stop from hurting others. Sacrificing the bay is her saying she is WILLING to do whatever it takes to make up for her mistakes and make things right with Chloe.
Even if you wanted to do some exploring of what it means to break that kind of bond with someone, you don't do it BY HAVING THEM BREAK UP OFF SCREEN. Lazy, hack, spineless bullshit is what that is.
If you have something interesting to say with a change in direction for a character, have the confidence to stand on it. If not, then either leave it the fuck alone, or put in the work to follow the core of a story to its faithful successor.
Idk, if it really knocks folks socks off I may give it a shot but all I'm saying is this feels like a big warning sign that the team making this sequel kinda don't give a fuck.
izzy806
jacobvanloon
pixelskylines
annaxmalina
janainaart
turnnoffyourmind
vaporwave
