Life is Strange True Colors Review
“An emotional masterpiece.” Written by: Ethan (ChaoticAether)
Image Credit: DeckNine
I’ve had what you would call a rocky relationship with Life is Strange. When I first tried to play the original game in 2015, I stopped after less than 30 minutes due to its cringey dialogue and rough vocal performances and animations. In 2016 I gave the game another shot, but this time it was different, with me emotionally resonating with the game and appreciating the indie movie aesthetic the game had to offer. In 2017, I picked up Before the Storm, and fell in love with the tragic story of Rachel Amber and how it emotionally impacted me in a way no game had ever done prior.
Then Life is Strange 2 happened, and as much as I wanted to love it, it just never really clicked with me. Maybe it was the release schedule, the games sketchy pacing, the uninteresting power or the lack of interest in the main protagonists, but Life is Strange 2 made me fall out of love with the series, leading me to conclude that my love for the series may have started and ended with Arcadia Bay.
Then, back in March, True Colors was announced, and I felt that love for the franchise slowly come back the more I saw of it. The stunning visuals, amazing character models, performance capture, and premise made me quietly optimistic for the game, hoping that on release it would reignite my love for a once beloved franchise for me.
Well 6 months later, I’m delighted to say that not only did True Colors bring back my adoration for Life is Strange, but it surpassed every one of my wildest expectations to make it my favourite game in the franchise. It may not be the grand emotional teen drama of its predecessors, but its nuanced storyline, outstanding art direction, phenomenal character performances and thought provoking soundtrack make the story of Alex Chen and Haven Springs come to life in a way I never thought it would, culminating in an adventure that you wouldn’t want to miss.
Image Credit: DeckNine
Life is Strange: True Colors takes place in the spring of 2019 and has you take on the role of Alex Chen, a 21 year old who has lived in the foster care system for the past eight years and has been separated from her brother Gabe since he was sent to juvie years prior. After years apart, Gabe has finally contacted Alex, and suggests that she moves to his current residence in Haven Springs, a rural mining town in the countryside of Colorado, to rekindle their relationship and to hopefully give her the fresh start in life that Haven has already provided him. After initial hesitancy due to the prior emergence of a weird power that allows her to read, understand and be enveloped by people’s emotions, Alex takes Gabe up on his offer and starts her new life in the small community of Haven, meeting and building friendships with the local residents. After a short period settling in to the town, a tragedy occurs that shakes the foundations of Haven Springs’ Community, and Alex, now seeing her power as a gift instead of a curse, decides to work out what truly happened that day, and to figure out who is truly responsible for the so-called accident.
The story feels like a return to a lot of the concepts of the original Life is Strange, and you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that this is intentional. The mystery in a rural local community is quintessentially Life is Strange, and the comparisons don’t stop there. The game prioritizes you getting to know the local community. From flower shop owner Eleanor, to adopted granddaughter Riley, to local policeman Pike and local bar owner Jed, the game goes out of its way to develop its secondary characters to give Haven the feeling of a lived in community just like Arcadia Bay, a trait I felt was greatly missing from Life is Strange 2. These characters are not just set dressing though, as they each play an important role in your time in Haven, and the interactions between them and Alex are some of the most genuine and engaging conversations I have had in the franchise to date.
This of course is backed by the excellent writing and character storytelling of the main cast. Alex Chen is the perfect Life is Strange protagonist. She’s introverted, retrospective, but opens up to the people around her, being the most emotionally strong and charming protagonist the franchise has seen to date. I related so hard to Alex, whether its her issues with mental health, her uncertainty of her future, or her finding happiness in the smallest things and memories, Alex made me connect with the game in a way I didn’t know I would prior to playing. This is massively helped by her brother Gabe, who is a funny, geeky guy who after being on screen for less than a minute will instantly make you feel a long lost connection with him. His character feels like reconnecting with a family member, and the way he interacts with Alex and the people of Haven makes you instantly connect with him and who he is as a person. He’s backed by his girlfriend Charlotte and her son Ethan, who both bounce off of him well and help develop Gabe both at the start and throughout the story.
The same can be said about the two main love interests of True Colors, and for the first time in the series history, they both feel well developed and established. First up is Steph, a more classic style Life is Strange character in her demeanor and performance, and a reprising character from Before the Storm. She’s a punk rock drummer, LARP master and works in a record shop that doubles as a local radio station, a genius idea which I wish was more of a thing where I’m from. She’s pretty damn bad-ass, funny and her relationship and interactions with Alex feel natural if not a little outgoing. The other is Ryan, Gabe’s best friend who lives in Haven with his father Jed. He’s a park ranger, kind, a bit of a dork and is more of the introvert to Steph’s extroverted nature. I honestly had low expectations for Ryan due the series’ history of terrible male love interests, but he honestly caught me off guard. I know most people will romance Steph, but in the end I chose Ryan due to his kind-hearted nature, the scenes he and Alex share throughout and just because I felt he fit my version of the story better. Whichever route you take, including the choice of not romancing either, both characters are truly fleshed out, allowing you to choose your path without either option feeling forced or the “right” choice.
Everything this game nails in the story department I feel is due to feedback from the first game and Before the Storm, and True Colors manages to strive where the original dropped the ball. The second half of this game feels like a second attempt at the final few episodes of the first game, but it does this in a way that actually heightens the story. No more dropping the ball with the final episode, True Colors manages to stick the landing while simultaneously feeling fresh and new using similar concepts found in the previous installments.
Image Credit: DeckNine
The story is told through the tried and true classic style of Life is Strange gameplay. The story takes place over 5 episodes, with each being roughly 2 to 3 hours and tasking you with various tasks to uncover the secrets behind the history of Haven Springs. Walking around, interacting with the environment, talking to people, solving light puzzles and making choices are your main ways of interacting with the game world. Some of these choices have minor effects on the story, such as differing dialogue options or ways in which the scenes play out, whereas others have much larger implications and may impact the story as a whole in the long or short term. None of this is new for returning fans, and choices still feel superficial in the grand scheme of the story, but are still done competently, with me still pondering over decisions for far longer than I probably should have. The game does mix up the gameplay in some aspects though, with small side quests being added to some episodes, and a change up to gameplay styles in episode 3 that I won’t spoil here as I don’t want to ruin the moment. The overall changes are minimal, but they add enough to a solid structure for it to not get stale over the 12 hour run time.
The biggest change to gameplay is that of the new Empath powers. At any time while you're in control of Alex, pressing the left trigger allows you to see the emotional state of the people around you. Red is anger, blue is sadness, purple is fear, you get the idea. Interacting with these emotional auras allows you to hear characters' internal monologues. The power is used in various ways and makes for some interesting puzzles. Some puzzles may require you to use the information gathered to find a solution to the person's emotional turmoil, others may require you to put someone in a certain emotional state to gather information. The larger puzzles involving this power require you to tap into the person's emotions, harness it, see the world from their perspective, and attempt to resolve the problem facing them. I’m not going to lie, the powers of an Empath feel right at home with life is strange, solving a heavily emotional problem with the power to read the emotions of people around you rocked. I once used to question if life is strange would ever have a power that fits quite like time travel, and the powers of an Empath did just that, giving me hope to see more unique uses of powers in the series’ future.
Image Credit: DeckNine
Story and gameplay is only half the battle though, as so much of the DNA, feeling and “aesthetic” of Life is Strange revolves around the unique presentation of the series, and I’m happy to report that True Colors is not only the best looking life is strange game, but it's one of the most visually appealing games I have ever played. Almost everything in this game got an upgrade. From the brand new environments that look and feel straight out of an indie movie, to the new lighting engine making the rays of light feel like they are interacting with the world around you, Deck 9 have nailed the look and vibe of the Life is Strange universe in a fidelity we have never seen before. This is emphasized by the gorgeous new character models and mocap performances, which make the story feel more genuine and impactful. Some models like Ducky still have that certain kind of Life is Strange janky charm, but on the whole it is a big step up from the prior entries. This is matched by the incredible vocal performances, with most of the actors bringing their A game to the indie movie like roles most people know and love from the series. There are still a few performances that do feel overdone, but the days of hit and miss acting from the first game seem to be long gone. The performances are matched with what I believe is the best soundtrack in life is strange history. The licensed music and original score blend together to create a vibe that perfectly matches haven springs, and the use of mxmtoon as the singing voice of Alex was a much appreciated surprise as a fan of her work. The soundtrack blends both the introspective and lively moments wonderfully, and captures that modern nostalgic aesthetic the franchise is known and loved for perfectly.
The only downside with the presentation is that of the games performance. Even on the new consoles, performance is locked to 30 frames per second and load times are longer than you would want on the new systems. None of this is deal breaking, and after a few minutes of adjustment you’ll probably forget about the small issues like I did. But a 60fps option and faster loads could be a nice quality of life edition, either for this game in a patch or for the new remasters of 1 and Before the Storm coming early next year.
Image Credit: DeckNine
Summary
True Colors is a must play game, and has not only become my favorite game in the franchise, but my favourite game in the whole genre. It’s outstanding characters, art style and narrative made this a short but sweet game that blends the good times with the bad. By the time my story in Haven Springs came to a close, I felt something I had never felt at the end of a Life is Strange game before: hope. True colors is a whirlwind of emotions. It covers depression, anxiety, loss, pride, anger and a whole bucket full of negative thoughts and emotions, but at its core True Colors is a story about finding the joy in life. It’s about overcoming your trauma, about learning to forgive yourself and others, about finding your place in the world to call home and creating your own family.
True Colors is about moving forward, helping others and finding your best life, and I don’t think a game or character in Alex Chen has emotionally connected with me like this before. I may have dark days, days where I’m emotionally drained and we cannot see a path ahead of us. Days where my mental health is getting the best of me. But True Colors showed me that although the dark days happen, it’s important to look to the future, to walk towards that light of hope and find your happiness. Welcome back Life is Strange, and thank you for the memories.