Life Is Strange prequel Before the Storm announced at E3 2017 in debut trailer

Deck Nine-developed three-part series looks to expand on the story of Chloe and Rachel.

A prequel to Square Enix's teen classic Life Is Strange is headed to Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 31 August. Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a three-part episodic series set three years prior to the time-hopping escapes of Max Caufield with players adopting the role of the original game's co-star, Chloe Price.

The debut trailer for the prequel series was shown at Microsoft's E3 2017 conference at the Los Angeles trade show. Life Is Strange developer Dontnod recently confirmed that a full sequel is in development, but Before the Storm, which is being developed by Colorado-based studio Deck Nine, should tide fans over for the time being.

Set once again in Arcadia Bay, Before the Storm puts the focus on Chloe before she dyed her hair blue and her relationship with Rachel Amber - the missing girl who played a pivotal role in the events of the 2015 release.

In the trailer, Chloe is shown at several memorable locations from Life Is Strange including the junkyard, Blackwell Academy, the local train track and her poster-decorated room. She is also shown getting into trouble at a local bar and narrowly missing an oncoming train.

A developer diary video confirmed that original Chloe voice actor Ashley Burch is involved in Before the Storm as a writing consultant to ensure the character's dialogue fits the role, but will not voice Chloe in the prequel.

We named Life Is Strange as our Game of the Year for 2015, and the title is beloved for its charming coming-of-age tale and stellar writing, soundtrack and art style. Judging by the trailer alone, those facets appear to be present and correct in the prequel, and it will be fascinating to see how it expands on the backstory and relationship of Chloe and Rachel.

If you haven't played Life Is Strange already, the first series is currently available to download for free for PS Plus subscribers on PS4. We implore you to do so.