Life Is Strange Review: True Colors. The power of empathy and emotions

The Story of Life is Strange: True Colors

The adventures of our heroine, Alex Chen, take place more precisely six years after the first opus. The story will take place between April and May 2019, in the mountains of the fictional town of Haven Springs located in the United States. Alex’s goal is to find his brother Gabe and reconnect with him after living in a foster home.

From the first moments, we immerse ourselves in the universe of our protagonist. Alex drops off his luggage at his brother’s home, upstairs from a bar outside of town. The atmosphere will also focus on a village life with warm tones. As for the other series, we will have to venture into this setting and solve puzzles to find out the end of the story.
Between his mysterious past and the enigma about his brother, Alex will have to explore, solve puzzles, but also manage his moral choices to evolve in his universe.

Ben-J’s review
The development of the story recalls the first episode with a very slow rhythm, but very pleasant to follow, thanks to a successful staging. I got attached to Alex Chen and the other characters of the title, benefit from a solid writing and a more than convincing dubbing, whether in English or in French.
Unfortunately, I still have doubts about the impact my choices really have on them and I found that the investigation part is quickly dispatched.

Game System

In the same spirit as its predecessors

The gameplay is part of the series of Life Is Strange. In the majority of the situation, we move or chat with the other characters in the game, with response choices available depending on the situation. The other game phases therefore offer a new and interesting experience. Between an extract with an RPG approach or the interaction with objects such as arcade terminals are therefore refreshing.

The game remains very scripted, but with a feeling of freedom to accentuate the immersion of the player. It is therefore possible to miss secondary stories depending on your answers and choices during interactions. This becomes a plus point in case seeing the whole storyline will require exploration.
The relationships between the characters also remain fairly easy to read. This feels quite good in the case of Alex, Gabe and Steph who meet quite often. As in life, feelings arise from these regular exchanges.

The management of emotions

Alex has a power she calls the “curse”. She can indeed read the emotions of those around her. It concerns anger, fear, worry and joy. The pressure on the associated buttons makes it possible to detect these feelings. This part has a minor importance in the development of our heroine.

Ben-J’s review
The Life is Strange series has always been bathed in fantasy and True Colors is no exception to this rule. Besides, this notion of “true colors” (True Colors in English), relates directly to the colors of the auras that emerge from the people that Alex probes with his power (joy, fear, sadness and anger).

Graphics

The graphics of the village sport a warm tone with the composition of the places. We find small shops and flowery spaces. Shimmering colors are good at hiding texture details.

Ben-J’s review
Life is Strange is typically the kind of game you relaunch to enjoy the atmosphere of Heaven Springs. Too bad the player does not take advantage of this city in a completely open world.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack stays true to the Life is Strange series; music has always aroused emotions and feelings. Sounds of benevolent atmospheres and melodies with soft, pop and folk tones fill the game well. The voice of mxmtoon through Alex and his guitar sessions enhance the feeling of a living world.

Lifetime

The life of the game varies between 10 hours and 12 hours. Obviously, finishing at 100% will take a little longer, a little less than 14 hours.

Life is Strange: True Colors game trailer