Life is Strange: True Colors

Another entry in the beloved Life is Strange franchise! We have the amazing indie music, lovable cast of characters, a fantastically wild yet relatably grounded storyline. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love, and you'll be in awe. It's safe to say this one checks all the boxes that make the franchise so great!

Here, we are introduced to Alex Chen, a young woman who went from foster home to foster home all her life since she was 11. She is finally reunited with her older brother after years of attempting to track her down. Tragedy strikes and Alex is determined to investigate.

I am a massive fan of the first "Life is Strange," as well as its prequel spinoff game, "Before the Storm." In fact, those games had such an impact on me that I single handedly credit them for sparking my gender dysphoria, as well as the second wave of my depression; both games are unspeakably beautiful, but also crushingly sad - both games made me weep harder than I cried at my own grandpa's funeral. And upon completion of both games, I found myself depressed for months, only wanting to immerse myself back into the world and its characters. To put it simply, the "Life is Strange" video game series has had a very big impact on me, with the two games mentioned above standing tall as my top two favorite video games of all time.

"Life is Strange 2" is a different story entirely. With its overt political commentary and heavy handed writing, it felt short as to what made the first game great. However, despite its shortcomings, it still managed to have enough thrilling and shocking moments to keep me engaged until the end. Enter "True Colors," the latest entry in the "Life is Strange" series. Is it a return to form, or does it follow the same traps as its predecessor?

From the endearing setting to the charming cast of characters, in many ways, "True Colors" follows the footsteps of the first "Life is Strange." At first glance, there's a lot to like - we once again play as a female protagonist, and unlike in "Life is Strange 2," this time we play as someone who has supernatural abilities that they can use to their advantage. Our main character, Alex, voiced beautifully and tenderly by Erika Mori, is a somewhat lost soul - she seems to want to belong somewhere, but she's having a hard time finding her fitting, especially with her special power that allows her to see people's auras when they are experiencing strong emotions; so, when someone is very mad, Alex will see them glow red - when someone is sad, she will see them glow blue - you get the point.

It's an intriguing power, and one you'll most likely want to experience. Truth be told, its hard to imagine a better power than what we get to play in the first game in the series, but "True Colors" comes close in offering a relatable, emotional ability that serves primarily in more closely engaging the player with the characters that inhabit the world. With that said, it's perhaps most surprising that "True Colors" starts to fall short because of the fact that it lacks a relatable emotional hook.

Without spoiling anything, this game offers up a story that, I believe, few will be able to relate to in a meaningful way. While small in scope, the game's central conflict was simply too large in scale for me to connect with. And perhaps this wouldn't have been a big deal if "True Colors" spent a lot of time building up its world and its characters, but it doesn't. Every one of the five chapters in this game are ridiculously, unforgivably short. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if each chapter could be completed in about 30 minutes if you decided to forgo all side missions and optional discussions. Because of the rapid pace and short length of each chapter, the game feels half baked and rushed, never allowing enough time for players to feel adequately and emotionally connected. Hell, even the romance in this game, if the player chooses to pursue one, isn't fleshed out until the later few episodes.

However, despite this game's shortcoming, there is a certain charm to it that remains infectious. Even though I didn't get much time in the world or with the characters, I find myself loving both and wanting to dive back in. There are many individual moments of beauty in this game, and many sequences that I have looked back on fondly and want to experience again. At its best, this game echoes the perfection of the first "Life is Strange" - I only wish "True Colors" was given more breathing room to fully flesh out its world and the people in it.

Life Is Strange: True Colors is the fifth entry in the series and the third main instalment. This graphic adventure game is based upon decisions made by the players that will have significant impacts later on in the game, leading to a multitude of possible different endings and offering much replay value. The game consists of five episodes of roughly four hours of length which makes for about twenty hours of entertainment in total with all the side quests. If you play the game without the side quests, you could perhaps even finish it in roughly twelve to fifteen hours.

The story of the game revolves around twenty-one-year-old Alexandra Chen who leaves her foster home and psychologist behind to start a new life with her older brother in rural Haven Springs in Colorado. The siblings were separated after the tragic death of their mother shattered their lives and the father's failure to adapt to the new situation tore them apart. Alexandra Chen had several negative experiences in foster families and homes while her brother Gabriel spent some time in prison. Arriving in Haven Springs feels like paradise to the initially shy Alexandra Chen. Her brother is caring, dynamic and welcoming to her and she soon spends time with friendly new acquaintances such as park ranger Ryan Lucan and record store owner Stephanie. She even gets the opportunity to stay at her brother's beautiful apartment since he spends much time with his girlfriend and artist Charlotte and her quirky son Ethan who have their own apartment. When Alexandra gets offered the opportunity to help out at local bar Black Lantern by friendly owner Jed, everything seems to be going fine. However, appearances are deceiving as Alexandra struggles to understand the supernatural power that allows her to detect and sense other persons' emotions. Things take a more complicated turn when tragedy strikes on her first night in town. Alexandra Chen has to dig deep into her own past and discover the dark sides of this seemingly idyllic place to come to terms with the dramatic series of events unfolding around her.

This game convinces on numerous levels. First of all, the location of Haven Springs is gorgeous with a wonderful bridge, an old school record store, a cozy tavern, a luminous rooftop garden and a park right next to a lake with snowy mountains in the background. The graphic design for this game is absolutely outstanding and anyone considering her-, him- or themselves an artist should purchase this wonderful game for that reason already.

Another particular strength are the diversified characters who all have to deal with their inner demons but also show moments of hope, joy and love - even the villains. Some of these great characters are resilient brother Gabriel Chen who has been looking for his sister for many years, poetic taxidermist Reginald McCalister III and empathic flower shop owner Eleanor Lethe. Stephanie Gingrich, from the previous instalment Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, makes an impressive appearance as energetic radio show host and record store owner. The most interesting character however remains protagonist Alexandra Chen, a tender, shy and insecure youngster who has suffered much in her past but gradually becomes a resilient, hopeful and helpful young woman you could easily imagine as your friend.

The story is also above average as the numerous side quests offer interesting details about the charming characters. The final episode that puts the different pieces together might offer a few minor twists as well. The ending sequences are very entertaining as usual and make you want to discover the numerous different outcomes.

The only element one could criticize the game for is that it keeps things very safe and is exactly in the key of its four predecessors. Due to its wonderful characters and graphic excellence, it easily triumphs over its three immediate predecessors while the first original video game still remains the greatest in the series because of its absolutely astonishing story line.

Fans of the franchise can't go wrong here as this release can be celebrated as a triumphant return to form. This game would also serve as a decent introduction to the franchise. If intriguing characters, colourful graphics and twisted stories with depth are your thing, then you can't get around this game. It's also possible to purchase additional mini-game Wavelengths that further explores Stephanie Gingrich's story between the events shown in Life Is Strange: Before the Storm and Life Is Strange: True Colors. Said mini-game is roughly four hours long if you really take your time but can also be completed in half the time if you want to.

To keep it short, Life Is Strange: True Colors is one of last year's better games and makes us look forward to experiencing the future of this vibrant franchise on the pulse of time that invites us to dream ourselves far away.

The story does not have too much to offer, it's simple, not very complicated, the choices do not matter a lot. This game does not compare to the original LIS, but it's way better than the second one. As a comparison the first game being the largest black hole in the universe this is just an ant and the second one a grain of sand.

It's an example of how good music can make a game that is not as well thought in the matter of storytelling and mechanics, to be good. If the game didn't have the awesome soundtrack it would be a 4/10, not an 8/10. The soundtrack is awesome, the zen moments are an awesome idea, a thing that I was doing since I started gaming it's now supported and encouraged by developers. I found myself sit 15 minutes or more in a zen moment just watching the beautiful graphics and feeling the song.

But still, the soundtrack isn't as good as the first game, but it's still very good. But I was expecting way more, given that Alex is intro music. And music being the central theme that revolves through the game. In the first game that was the photography and in the second drawing. So I think we deserved more attention to the music. We received less music than in the first game.

For the story, I don't know how you can miss this bad, with the background being so perfect, lonely, and peaceful town, Alex the protagonist that is a newcomer and is awaiting to see the mysteries that the town can offer. It could be much better, anyone can think of something better. So I must assume that they did that on purpose, the story is so simple on purpose, like a manifest that things aren't always so complicated and complex. I respect the writers' decision, the game didn't make me burst into tears like in the first list, but it didn't make me wish that it ends faster like the second one.

The graphics are awesome, the eyes of the characters are so cool, like how the move, respecting the classic lis art style, is so beautiful. The town the Main Street, the road, omg just fills you with an ease and peaceful emotion.

Another thing that I noticed, playing this on the ps5. Is the dualsense missed opportunities. The game has dual sense support, but it's not there in all of the cases that it could be. I mean it isn't hard to feel on a playthrough where that feedback is missing and you are wondering why so easy to find those spots.

I think biggest the problem with this game is that the first one exists, the game is worth playing and buying, one of the best games of this year, but when you compare it with Life Is Strange, the original, you even can't compare, the masterpiece of gaming and storytelling it's hella light-years away from True Colors.

I have to admit that I was worried for this game. I was such a Huge fan of the original Life is Strange, I was absolutely obsessed from the start. But after Life is Strange 2 released it left a bitter taste in my mouth. The characters in that game just didn't click for me. So long story short the lead up to this game was quite intense, I got quite worried when I found out Deck Nine was developing this title and that Dontnod had stepped away. But I just have to say I'm so happy I was wrong. Deck Nine blew it out of the park, they really did. It was almost as if they revived the soul of Life is Strange. True Colours was a spectacular Journey that I thoroughly delved myself into. The Character's were believable, they made me care about them. The plot actually quite surprised me. There was more mystery than I originally thought, which helped to keep me invested. I experienced a few bugs, probably two, so it wasn't too bad, it didn't break the immersion of the story so it was fine, but nonetheless I thought it necessary to mention. Overall everything in this game surpassed my expectations the music, the sound perfect for the vibe of the game, and also a few new gameplay additions never before seen in the franchise which I hope they expand on down the line in the next instalment.