The first Life is Strange, developed by DONTNOD Entertainment back in 2015 is one of those games that I look back at as influencing my current taste in video games. I ended up skipping Life is Strange: Before the Storm and only really dabbled in Life is Strange 2, so I was kinda ready to jump back into this narrative franchise again with Life is Strange: True Colors, this time with Deck Nine at the helm. I was worried about the format changing with all the episodes getting released together and if it would be able to capture the same feeling that I had with the original. Well after finishing it, I can say with 100% certainty that Deck Nine nails it and is really able to make this Life is Strange game and really the series their own.
In True Colors, you play as Alex Chen who has bounced around from the foster care system, to a psychiatric care facility to finally moving to Haven Springs to be with her older brother Gabe. You quickly learn that Alex is a unique person, and in Life is Strange fashion you learn that she has the superpower of Empathy. While it is not as flashy as the powers of previous Life is Strange protagonists, it actually seems to be the most useful. Using her ability, Alex is able to read peoples emotions by the color of their aura around them, which in turn makes Alex feel the same emotions. It pretty much turns Alex into a human mood ring and is an interesting twist on usual superpowers.
One of the biggest improvements that True Colors has over previous entries in the Life is Strange series are the supporting characters. In previous versions, characters that did not fit into the main plot line felt really under utilized and kinda brushed off to the side. That is not the case here, as each of the named Haven Springs community members feel important to the plot, no matter how big or small their actual part is. My favorite example of this comes with the character Duckie, who is one of the longest members of the community. When you first meet Duckie, you think he is just a lovable old man who might end of drinking more of his favorite whisky than he probably should, but once you go through more of the story you learn about him losing the love of his life in Haven Springs, which is why he never goes to the big spring fest the town throughs every year. All of this is optional and missable, which could play into what happens in the final chapter of the story, but it really makes the town of Haven Springs feel lived in and has a history, that it was not just created for this game.
Speaking of losing ones we care about, one of the biggest themes for this game is grief and dealing with loss. As someone who this year has had to go and if we are being honest still going through the process of losing a parent, the way this game handled the grieving process felt like I was being seen. Dealing with grief is not the same for everyone, and this game does a great job of understanding that.
The best example in game is when talking with Charlotte, who is dealing with the loss of her significant other, someone who was stepping up as a father figure for her child. Alex tries to help her, and when she uses her power she sees that Charlotte blames her child for his death. You see her go those emotions, eventually just being angry with herself for even having the thought and contemplating suicide. This is also the first time where the choice comes up whether Alex should try to fix someone’s emotions to make them feel better or let them go through the natural process of processing their grief and sadness. It is a moral choice that I kinda wished the game went into more.
There is not enough praise for Erika Mori (Alex’s voice actor) and mxmtoon (Alex’s singing voice) who come together to create the best main character in the Life is Strange series. Usually in these series of games, the main characters are a pairing (Max and Chloe, etc) but with True Colors putting its focus on one, you end up with better understanding of how Alex works, who she is as a person, and you see her grow through the 5 chapters of the game. I usually enjoy the anthology nature of Life is Strange, but I would not be upset to continue through another game with Alex Chen, that is how much she resonated with me. While the choices you make don’t steer the main plot too much, because the focus is on Alex so much the choices help make Alex feel unique to your playthrough.
This is easily the best looking game in the series and it is not even close. The game comes across as extremely photogenic and by the end I had taken well over 200 screenshots using the PS5 share button. Whether it was the zen moments when you sit down and contemplate what is going on or the facial reactions on the character’s faces, this game is ready for its close up. When I think about what games made me realize when are in the next generation of consoles, Life is Strange: True Colors will be high on that list.
There are some minor complaints that I have with it, like the romance storylines with Steph (who I chose) or Ryan feel kinda rushed, which is a bummer since both characters have good chemistry with Alex. I enjoyed what we got, but was left wanting a little more. I also wish we got a little more of exploring Alex and Gabe’s childhood because what we did get in Chapter 5 was so moving. Some of me wishes that the game could have touched on her Asian heritage more
While the game is not perfect and has its share of minor flaws, none of those flaws could ruin what a fantastic narrative experience True Colors is. By the end of Life is Strange: True Colors, I was sad that my time being Alex was over, it felt like I was being left by someone who I had only known for a little while but had already become an important part of my life. Rarely does a game do that for me, but Life is Strange has been able to do it twice. If you like narrative games like this or even if they are not something you usually gravitate towards, I think you would be doing yourself a disservice to not give this one a shot.
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