Life is Strange: True Colors - A slice of life, hope, and good vibrations

Embrace the quiet moments. This may not sound exciting, especially for a game. But my first entry into the Life is Strange series left me with a newfound appreciation for reflection; the space in-between the quiet moments we have with ourselves when we think about our lives and plant our next steps.   

Life is Strange: True Colors is a narrative based, slice-of-life story. You play as Alex Chen, a young woman reuniting with her brother Gabe. Alex is intelligent; introspective, yet not afraid of meeting new people and striking a conversation. Throughout the story, you'll meet community members, develop relationships, leverage them to uncover a mystery, and, dare I say, shape how Alex comes to terms with her past trauma. 

The beauty of this medium, unlike movies or books, is you are an active participant shaping the story. This is not a full fledge open world RPG, ala Red Dead Redemption or GTA. Yet your gameplay shapes the life Alex decides to live for herself. And like a good movie or novel, you'll immerse yourself in Alex's story and reflect how it pertains to your life.

Yes, life is strange. Learning through a fictitious experience, but this is one story, you should not miss.

Stay for a while

I will preference, I'm slightly cheating with this replay. Luckly, my Game Genie is on. (Insert proverbial dated generational joke. The beauty of nostalgia). 

I never finished my first playthrough, only a mere five minutes played before my attention drew elsewhere. To have missed this game would have been a huge mistake. Relieved this replay unlocked this experience for me. I expect another True Colors replay in my future along with other plays in the series.             

The game is set in the fictional town of Haven Springs, Colorado circa 2019 (game released in 2021). And what a setting it is!

Greetings from Haven Springs!

Haven Springs is stunning. A small town entrenched by surrounding mountains breathes a peaceful calm serenity that fosters a tightly bonded community.

 

Entering Haven, you sense this is a new chapter for Alex. A longing to reconnect with her brother cast with the unknown of Haven Springs. As you walk along Haven's streets, that fear slowly erodes as you see and experience Haven's small-town charms: flower shops, tavern, and a local record store.

 

Lighting is something special. Sunlight pierces a flower pedal, refracts, and creates light flares off the in-game camera. I don't recall a photo mode, may have missed it, but the game provides wonderful atmospheric moments. Is photo mode even needed? It's refreshing to get caught in the developers' lens, to appreciate the story they are showing and telling.  

Shadow may even be more impressive. It stands out more than most games I've played. Whether its new ray-tracing technology, PS5, or thicker glasses, the contrast between light and shadow is abundantly apparent.    

Shadow lines fall organically across the exterior, cast by warm setting sunset

As Alex you don't just inhabit space. You feel a seamless connection to the world around you, where light and shadow blend together with striking realism. 

Indoors, light falls equally natural as outdoors with streaking shadow stretching across furniture 

Add the 'true colors' ability and you have a dynamic tonal interplay between light, color, and game mechanic. This is Alex's secret weapon, which haunts her and her past relationships. A traumatic event pushes her to embrace it, grow, and accept her identify on her terms. 

Alex can see and feel others' emotions. Here's how it works: A character feels a strong emotion, a color aura emerges around the character, Alex senses it and understands the background of what the character is experiencing. Each color represents a different emotion, i.e., red for anger. You'll engage in conversations, interact with objects, and deploy your 'true colors' ability when a color aura appears. These dynamics drive the deeply connected narrative experience; the stakes in the story become your own and you are compelled in the outcome of Alex's decisions.

Shiny!

I can't stress the journey you go on will make you care about the relationships. There is a strong sense of community that pulls you in, skillfully developed amongst the background of Haven Springs residents. Like today, you'll even see interactions in the digital world through social media elements and text conversations on Alex's phone.

It's eerie how connected you feel to these fictional characters. I haven't had a comparable gaming experience since finishing the original Mass Effect Trilogy. Similarly, and by the end of Life is Strange True Colors, I found myself longing to stay and live with these characters even after credits rolled. 

Give developer Deck Nine their flowers, a rose perhaps (play it, you'll get this reference), for their creative effort. For a ten-to-fifteen-hour long game, the balance between quality to length is outstanding. Nothing feels frivolous or unnecessary. 

It's refreshing not having to return to the combat portion of a game. No, there isn't any here, but by no means does it make for a lesser game, far from it. I appreciate this play forcing me outside my comfort zone.  

The reflective moments surprisingly stood out the most to me. Moments alone, Alex sits and contemplates meaning and impact of story events. Immersed in her environment, the game's camera lingers at different angles while music plays in the background (an excellent music soundtrack, BTW). These 'pauses' pull you in. Letting you take a beat to recognize plot impact and ponder what's next. While you have the option to move forward, I've never felt in a game so compelled to simply sit and take it all in. 

Good vibrations

Alex's 'true colors' ability enables her to gain character insights, but a what costs? Does she reveal information to jeopardize a relationship? Will her actions have the desired effect? Does she put others aside to service her motives to solve a mystery? There isn't a distinct mortality system, ala Red Dead Redemption II, but your decisions as Alex shape major narrative points.

       

Voice acting across the board is excellent. Real lived-in characters, in a real world. The line between gaming and real-world encounters are blurred. Take away specific plot points, and conversations feel natural and nuisance.     

Alex Chen is a well written, smart protagonist, searching for her place in the world, while learning to cope with traumatic moments in her past. You'll shape her journey. No action she takes is empty; every choice is thoughtful with consequences in mind. Reflection is key. And nor did I ever feel rushed to make a decision. Dare say, I wanted to take my time? Yes, I did.