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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | I wish I could stay in this moment forever. I guess I actually can now... But then it wouldn't be a moment. | „ |
| ~ Max Caulfield. |
Maxine "Max" Caulfield is the main protagonist of the Life is Strange video game franchise.
She is a shy, introverted photography student who returns to her hometown of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, after several years away. In the first game, she discovers that she has the ability to rewind time, which allows her to undo or alter choices she makes.
Its sequel Double Exposure takes place ten years after the events of the original and follows Max, now a resident photography student at Caledon University. When her powers resurface and evolve, granting her the ability to shift between alternate timelines, she must use them to uncover the truth behind the murder of her best friend, Safi.
She is voiced by Hannah Telle.
Her Heinous Ranking[]
What Makes Her Heinous?[]
General[]
- Although she is generally a kind-hearted and loving person, she has corrupting flaws that can be more or less pronounced depending on player choice, such as being hot-headed and short-tempered, acting mischievous and reckless (especially when using her powers), and having many "Kick the Dog" moments.
- While the Life is Strange franchise has fairly high heinous standards, due to Mark Jefferson drugging, kidnapping and possibly raping numerous younger women and students of his, Nathan, who killed Rachel Amber and covered up her death as well as possibly trying to rape Chloe after having drugged her, or Safi, who attempted to kill her own mother, Max manages to stand out due to having the highest potential kill count out of any character in all of the games combined.
Life is Strange[]
- She can choose to not intervene when David is harassing Kate.
- She can mock or antagonize Victoria by deliberately spilling paint on her and then taking a picture while making fun of her.
- She helped Chloe break into their school, steal important files about Nathan, then went skinny-dipping in the pool.
- She can steal money from the handicapped access fund.
- She can pour Frank’s breakfast on o the diner floor before rewinding.
- After learning that Jefferson drugs and kidnaps his young female students and is targeting Victoria, Max can choose not to warn her.
- On multiple occasions, she can cause Frank and/or his dog to be killed, and may choose to let them remain dead despite having the ability to rewind time.
- Although she had good intentions, Max attempted to use her rewind abilities to resurrect Chloe's father, which created an alternate timeline where Chloe is paralyzed and suffering to the point and asking Max to help in her assisted suicide.
- In the “Sacrifice Arcadia Bay” ending, she can chooses to let the entire town be destroyed, with only a few survivors remaining, those being Max and Chloe themselves, Kate (if she is still alive at this point), Victoria, and Chloe's step-father David, who makes a brief appearance in Life is Strange 2.
- Although an exact death toll isn't given if Max chooses to sacrifice Arcadia Bay, both she and Chloe mention multiple times that countless people will die. In the game’s final cutscene for this ending, Max and Chloe are seen driving through the town the following day, which is completely empty except for wildlife, with no other people in sight. Considering that Kate and David are the only other characters confirmed to survive this ending (with Victoria being confirmed as a survivor in the second game), this implies that Max knowingly lets hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people die in order to save her best friend/love interest.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure[]
- She breaks into an abandoned bowling alley with Safi and ignores her own warning not to touch anything.
- She can vandalize Lucas’s cutout or lower Loretta’s grade out of spite.
What Makes Her Inconsistent?[]
- She is a player-determinant character, meaning that all of the heinous acts she commits are entirely up to the player's degression, including letting Arcadia Bay be destroyed.
- She is a non-villain who commits countless heroic acts, including (but not limited to):
- Preventing Kate Marsh from committing suicide.
- Saving Chloe’s life multiple times using her Rewind powers.
- Uncovering the truth about Rachel Amber’s disappearance.
- Having Jefferson and Nathan arrested for their crimes.
- Saving numerous Arcadia Bay residents during the storm.
- Sacrificing Chloe to ensure the town’s safety.
- Investigating Safi’s murder.
- Risking her life to save Safi after she falls into a frozen lake.
- Exposing Lucas Colmenero for stealing Maya Okada’s work and contributing to her suicide.
- Stopping Safi from killing Yasmin.
- Freeing everyone from the warped reality by merging the two timelines.
- She is very sympathetic. In both games, she confides in her journal (and sometimes to her friends and loved ones) about how she feels like an outcast, and that she's rarely sure if she's doing the right thing. She struggles with self-doubt, anxiety, and the pressure of making impossible choices, such as having to choose whether to sacrifice her hometown, or sacrifice her best friend/girlfriend.
- She cares deeply about several people and genuinely wants the best for them, particularly Chloe, Kate, and Warren.
- She is generally selfless, and makes an active effort to stand up to injustice, including putting the well-being of others, even people she barely knows, above herself.
- After learning about Nathan's troubled homelife and drug addiction, she attempted to reach out and offer support, despite how awful of a person he is.
- She frequently shows remorse for her actions. If she makes a choice that harms someone, intentionally or not, she often expresses guilt or regret, and the Rewind mechanic reinforces her desire to correct mistakes, showing that she cares about the consequences of her decisions.
- If she accidentally gets Frank's dog killed by tossing a bone toward the road, she shows immediate regret and says aloud that what she did was wrong and that she should go back and fix it (although, the player can choose not to).
- She is extremely affable and generally kind, thoughtful, and considerate. While she can be shy or awkward, she forms deep, meaningful connections and works hard to support those she cares about.
Trivia[]
- She is currently the only character from Life is Strange to qualify as Inconsistently Heinous.
- She is also the only Life is Strange character to be both Inconsistently Heinous and Inconsistently Admirable.
- It is unknown if her counterpart from the upcoming TV series will qualify as Inconsistently Heinous.
External Links[]
- Max Caulfield on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki
- Max Caulfield on the Heroes Wiki
- Max Caulfield on the Life is Strange Wiki
- Max Caulfield on the Love Exalted Wiki