Final answer:
Max Caulfield returned to Arcadia Bay to attend Blackwell Academy to study photography, rekindle friendship with Chloe Price, and confront past complexities.
Step-by-step explanation:
One reason why Max came back to Arcadia Bay in the narrative-driven game Life is Strange was to attend Blackwell Academy. Max Caulfield is a protagonist with a passion for photography, and her enrollment in Blackwell is primarily motivated by her desire to study under the esteemed photographer and teacher Mark Jefferson. However, as the story unfolds, other deeper and more personal reasons for her return are revealed, including rekindling a friendship with her childhood friend Chloe Price and confronting the complexities of her past in Arcadia Bay. Through the course of the game, players explore themes of friendship, time travel, and the impact of choice.