Game Review: Life is Strange - True Colors

 

Life is Strange has always been about taking those chaotic and difficult moments from our adolescent years and putting a creative spin on them. Ever since the first game back in 2013 we’ve seen the franchise release 3 major instalments in the universe, each of which tackle a lot of issues that stem around growing up mentally, physically and socially. The running theme of these titles is the main characters have some kind of supernatural powers which allow them to traverse those issues in unique and interesting ways. Max Claufield had the ability to manipulate and reverse time and Daniel Diaz had the ability to control his environment through telekinesis. These powers served not just as a narrative focus of each of the games but they also served as the main conduit for the gameplay. I’ve always appreciated how the games find ways to balance both gameplay and narrative with these unique concepts and I’m happy to say Life is Strange: True Colors feels like the most refined product of this design philosophy. 

Developed by Deck Nine and published by Square Enix, I must admit I was a bit sceptical about the quality of True Colors going into it. Deck Nine were also responsible for what I consider the worst entry in the Life is Strange franchise; Before the Storm. I was worried that the game was going to be dragged down by the poor writing and character focus that was so prevalent in Chloe Price’s adventure. I must admit though that the scepticism was unnecessary in the end as True Colors feels like the best iteration in the franchise and that’s saying something when you consider how much I adored Life is Strange 2.  

True Colors follows a brand-new character called Alex Chen. After several years in and out of foster care she finds herself in a small Colorado mountain town called Haven Springs reuniting with her brother Gabe who she hasn’t seen in many years.  While acclimatising herself to Haven Springs and bonding with the delightful cast of characters that reside there, tragedy strikes Alex in the cruellest of ways as she witnesses something truly terrible. The set up from here follows Alex as she learns to live in Haven Springs in the wake of this tragedy and discover the secrets behind its origins. While that’s the main scope of the story, there’s also a fundamental focus on defining relationships with the residents of Haven Springs and embracing the small town’s activities and events. As far as Life is Strange narratives go, it’s a really strong and commendable story which I consider a true achievement in this series.  I will admit it’s slow pace won’t be for everyone, but I think it benefits from the slowness as it allows you to soak up the environment and the people within them on a much more intimate level. The underlying mystery behind the tragedy that strikes Haven Springs is captivating as well, it doesn’t feel too cliché and gives you enough tools and nods to make your own observations as time goes by. Part of what makes exploring the writing of this game so enjoyable is the supernatural power behind Alex.

Alex, who like Max and Daniel before her, has a supernatural power. Her power allows her to tune into to the emotional states of the people around her. Anger, Sadness, Happiness, Fear are all emotions we go through in our lives and Alex can feel them in everyone she encounters. These emotions are outlined through auras that shroud them, and each have a distinct colour for the emotion they reflect hence the name True Colors. While she is able to tap into these emotions Alex often doesn’t like to as the emotions can often bleed onto her and depending on the strength of them; they could potentially send her through deep spirals of emotional deterioration. It’s not just people either, objects in your environment can hold an emotional imprint from the memories they relate to and Alex has the ability to reach into snippets of those moments. I think as a set up for the power behind this game, this is the most interesting one yet. Being able to control time and use telekinesis was cool, but Alex’s power lets you truly tap into the emotions of the people you meet. It’s a very vulnerable power and it is utilised more so for character interaction than anything else and it works really well. When you consider the game’s writing and narrative are its central focus, having the ability to read the emotions of people can help you influence the conversations you might have with them, for good or bad. One other aspect of her power I like is the fact Alex has the ability to take the prevalent emotion from people if she wishes. The game makes you really consider this though as it weaves a brilliant query about how much our emotions matter and how they define us. I didn’t expect the game to use this mechanic to get this deep but I appreciate it made the most of it all throughout.

This ability to tune into the emotions of the people around you compliments the character interactions that are littered all throughout this game. In terms of well-defined characters True Colours is packed with so many likable and interesting characters. Part of the allure of a small-town setting is you expect a feeling of a close-knit community and you get that very easily in True Colors. Social media feeds and personal texts between Alex and the town’s residents help extend this feeling but the main foundation behind it is the dynamic between Alex and the people she interacts with. The writing behind Alex and the cast of this game is both mature yet endearing all the same.  I honestly couldn’t believe this was the same developer who did Before the Storm because these characters all felt really-well defined in comparison. Alex herself is an incredibly well realised main character and she has a lot of aspects to her that make her a really relatable anchor into the story. Playing around with the emotions, making key choices that influence the games narrative and pursuing a potential love interest all feel really well set up and defined with the pace of the narrative. It’s almost ironic that a game about reading into emotional states of people was able to read my emotional state quite well and invoke a lot of reactions out of me.

Life is Strange True Colors is the best entry in the Life is Strange franchise. Choosing to be a standalone story as opposed to an episodic release might have been the best choice made for this title. It’s imbued with a really well-crafted narrative which encompasses the typical Life is Strange gameplay formula with complete ease. The supernatural ability to read emotions was a great idea for a Life is Strange concept as it allowed the narrative to be expanded rather than side-lined like in prior games. My confidence in the future of this series is renewed once more and I can’t wait to see where Deck Nine take the franchise next.