Skip to main content

Ashly Burch, Hannah Telle return to ‘Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’

Farewell - Behind the Scenes
Deck Nine’s prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm returned players to Arcadia Bay and the troubled Chloe Price, but it came with one major change: her voice. Due to a SAG-AFTRA strike, original voice actor Ashly Burch was unable to portray the character in the game, instead only working as a story consultant. The strike recently ended, though, opening the way for Burch to return to the character in a new bonus episode.

“We’re very excited to tell you that Before the Storm‘s bonus episode “Farewell” will be releasing in early 2018 and in even more exciting news, Hannah Telle and Ashly Burch will be returning to play Max and Chloe!” said a post on the game’s Tumblr page. “As you are all aware, Ashly has been working with the writing team at Deck Nine and we’re ecstatic that she will be returning to play the role of young Chloe.”

Recommended Videos

Rhianna DeVries, who voiced Chloe in the main Before the Storm episodes, will also be involved in production. She’ll provide motion capture work to go along with Burch’s voice acting in “Farewell.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Telle’s character Max was not a focus of Before the Storm, though she was the protagonist of the original 2015 game. You’ll be playing as Max in “Farewell,” and it will likely be the last time we see Max and Chloe together in the series.

“I think the fans are really going to love this episode, because it shows a side of Chloe and Max’s friendship that we’ve never gotten to see before,” Telle said in the video. “You really get to see this relaxed best friend ‘back and forth.'”

Original developer Dontnod Entertainment is currently developing a second season of Life Is Strange, but it’s expected to feature an entirely different cast of characters and story. Given the ending to the first season, it’s unlikely that the game will return to its time-travel mechanic. The studio is also currently developing Vampyr, an action-role-playing game planned for release in 2018.

“Farewell” will be available next year as part of the Life Is Strange: Before the Storm “Deluxe Edition” on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The game’s first two episodes are available now.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Square Enix shows off Life is Strange: True Colors, Black Panther Avengers DLC
Life is Strange True Colors

Square Enix on Thursday held its first Square Enix Presents livestream, which featured new games and updates on upcoming releases. The event revealed the game Life is Strange: True Colors and new DLC for Marvel's Avengers that brings Black Panther to the game.

Life is Strange: True Colors is the latest installment of the critically acclaimed Life is Strange franchise. Set in the small town of Haven Springs, the new game features an all-new protagonist named Alex who has empath powers. The full game launches on September 10 and will not release in episodes like previous installments.

Read more
Tomb Raider, Life is Strange will headline Square Enix’s first digital showcase
Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review

Square Enix will hold its first digital showcase event, called Square Enix Presents, on March 18. The presentation will reveal a new Life is Strange game, as well as news on the Tomb Raider franchise.

The digital show will broadcast on Square Enix's Twitch and YouTube channels at 10 a.m. PT on Thursday, March 18, and run for 40-minutes. Square Enix calls this the "first show" in a series that will continue throughout the year.

Read more
3 new PS Plus games that you should play this weekend (December 20-22)
Frey in Square Enix's Forspoken.

The latest batch of new PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium game catalog additions was released this week. As a result, PS Plus subscribers have a ton of new options when it comes to what to play as we approach what is many people's holiday break. Games from this most recent batch are what I'm recommending people check out this weekend. One of the titles is technically a Christmas game, so it's fitting to play this time of year, while my other recommendations are good options if you're looking for something to play with others.
Forspoken
Forspoken - Official Launch Trailer

Square Enix's Forspoken is a high-profile action RPG console exclusive that was released on PlayStation 5 in 2023. While its quip-heavy dialogue definitely isn't for everyone, the way it incorporates the player's magical abilities into combat and traversal is truly exhilarating. Dashing through large fields, surfing on top of water, and launching bullet-like streams of rocks at enemies is immensely satisfying. Forspoken's Isekai adventure technically begins with the main character, Frey, being whisked away from New York City around Christmas. That technically makes this a Christmas game, giving you all the more reason to check it out this weekend.

Read more