Life is Strange: True Colors review
(Image credit: Deck Nine, Square Enix)
Love, Loss, and Acceptance
Life is Strange: True Colors has finally made its way to the Xbox Game Pass after releasing last year for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia. Deck Nine and Square Enix continue the franchise tradition of presenting a narrative-focused third-person game with soft yet beautiful graphics. Add in another killer mix of musical sequences, and The Load Screen team is along for the ride again, this time with Alex Chen at the wheel.
The story is the best part of any Life is Strange title, and True Colors brings one to remember. Alex Chen finally moves to Colorado after a troubled past full of group homes and a broken family. Her brother Gabe invited her to start a new life in Haven Springs, a small town full of quaint shops and nearby mines. They rekindle their bond immediately, and all is going too well until Gabe’s accidental death. Alex must solve the mystery that caused the tragic incident, and luckily, she has a superpower to help her.
Alex has struggled with the burden of her ability for her entire life, and without full control of it, she has hurt several already. She can read the emotions of others, using those insights to help solve their issues, or she can absorb whole emotions. Intense feelings can overwhelm Alex, and if she is around too much anger, it brings out her inner Hulk. Her special talent gives insights into characters’ thoughts throughout the city, which offer clues that help solve her brother’s tragic death.
(Image credit: Deck Nine, Square Enix)
Her power also comes in handy when Alex pursues romance with a local park ranger named Ryan and the town radio DJ named Steph. Alex is bisexual, and she has options with either of the two love interests, which aligns Life is Strange: True Colors with the entire LGBTQ+ friendly franchise. Players’ choices for Alex feel natural as she builds backstory with both potential partners.
The game’s graphics are soft yet vibrant, with improved lighting and higher detailed textures. Those graphics show off the unique buildings of Haven Springs and the distinct characters that fill them, but not all NPCs are interactable. Players get a glimpse of what a small Colorado town offers, including everything from a flower shop, a tavern, and a dispensary. And no, the flower shop is not the dispensary. The designs for each building reflect elements that establish an everyone-knows-your-name feeling incorporated with the clothes and vehicles common to a mountainside town.
(Image credit: Deck Nine, Square Enix)
The game’s biggest drawbacks are the number and length of cutscenes and limited gameplay because they slow down the overall action tremendously. If the player tries to run too far off the beaten path, the limits show up quickly; a simple step often blocks Alex from advancing. Even musical sequences can go on for a long time if the player does not skip them. Although it is hard to pass up on the awesome music when it includes Radiohead covers and more. However, in a title like Life is Strange: True Colors, the story is the focus, so the dominance of cutscenes and music fits perfectly over a simplified mechanic for controlling the action. The game feels far more relaxing and has its own pace.
Add in the two playable arcade games, and the calming nature of Life is Strange: True Colors rivals its emotional and traumatic story. Despite having limited gameplay, Alex’s heartwarming narrative is worth experiencing for everyone. Square Enix and Deck Nine made narrative-driven game that has a story worth seeing to the end more than once. Find out Alex’s story for yourself on Xbox Game Pass or buy it on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia. The game also has a purchasable DLC called Life is Strange Wavelengths, with more Steph action a year before Alex drops into her life.
Life is Strange: True Colors
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Deck Nine and Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date: 8/12/2021
Played on: PC
