The past few days have been buzzing with news about Dontnod. Whether you've never played a Dontnod game and are curious what all the fuss is about, live in an area where you can't yet buy "Tell Me Why," or want something to tide you over until "Twin Mirror" comes out on December 1, now is a good time to try a freebie from the Dontnod team. If you're not playing the Dontnod game and are curious about what all the fuss is about, if you live in an area where you can't buy "Tell Me Why" yet, or if you just want something to tide you over until "Twin Mirror" comes out on December 1st, now is a good time to try out a freebie from the Dontnod team. [Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 is now available for free on all platforms, and the timing couldn't be better: the sequel to Dontnod's most famous game, Life is Strange 2 is a completely different story and characters, but the central themes of coming-of-age and developing psychic powers remain the same. The central themes of adolescence and the development of psychic powers remain the same, but are set against the backdrop of a modern, nostalgic American landscape. Life is Strange 2 has been very well received, incorporating many elements, though not as many as the original, and earlier this year its star, Gonzalo Martin, won a BAFTA for best performance.

The decision to go free-to-play follows in the footsteps of the original Life is Strange, whose first episode was made free "indefinitely" on all platforms in July 2016, and indeed it still is, almost 18 months after the original release. Believe it or not, Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 celebrates its second anniversary next week. However, due to the long release cycle of the sequel, the last episode was only released last December, so things are actually going quite well. Making Episode 1 free a few months after the initial publicity died down seemed to work at the time, and perhaps Dontnod is hoping for a similar resurgence of interest in Life is Strange 2 among those who missed it at the time.

Life is Strange 2 Episode 1 is available for free on Steam for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. If you want to experience the final four episodes that complete the story, you still have to pay. If you want more free versions, you can also get free digital versions of the first "Life is Strange" Episode 1 and the spin-off title "Captain Spirit's Big Adventure" on the same platforms.