Coming in scorching on the heels of TellTale Games’ award-winning Walking Dead recreation, Square Enix and developer Dontnod launched their very own narrative-driven journey title within the type of Life is Strange. This recreation had just a few mechanical similarities to different new journey titles however utilized a recent story, trendy setting and soundtrack, relatable and life like characters, nice voice performing, and incredible sense of thriller to match one of the best of the style. It was a vital and industrial success, which meant sequels have been all however assured.
Rather than go the normal sequel route, the Life is Strange sequence cut up into two branches. We bought a prequel sequence by a special developer, Deck Nine, whereas Dontnod made Life is Strange 2, which was on no account tied to the primary, except the existence of extraordinary talents. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the following entry on this beloved sequence, and we lastly bought our first official take a look at the brand new Life is Strange: True Colors on the Square Enix Presents occasion. Here’s every part we all know concerning the upcoming narrative journey.
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Release date
With the official announcement, Square Enix additionally gave us a agency launch date for Life is Strange: True Colors — September 10, 2021. But the necessary distinction to make between this recreation’s launch and all of the earlier entries is that True Colors will launch as one full product. Every different Life is Strange recreation has had an episodic launch, with 5 episodes popping out over the course of a number of months. While this recreation will nonetheless have an episodic construction, being damaged up into chapters identical to the earlier video games, you gained’t have to attend for the following episode to launch if you wish to dive proper into the following chapter of the story.
Platforms
Thanks to the trailer, we additionally know that Life is Strange: True Colors will launch concurrently on the PS5, PS4, Steam, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. That covers all the most important platforms, with the one exception being the Nintendo Switch. As of now, no video games within the Life is Strange sequence have been ported to the hybrid console regardless of the builders expressing that they want to see them there. In a 2019 interview, Michael Koch, the inventive director of Life is Strange 2, mentioned: “We would love to, to be honest. And I think it’s something that needs to be decided by Square Enix, but definitely, I love playing games on my Switch so I would love to see some Life is Strange on Switch for sure.”
Considering we nonetheless haven’t seen these video games make it over this lengthy after launch, it seems that Square Enix has no intention, at the least in the meanwhile, of bringing this sequence to Nintendo platforms.
Trailer
Deck Nine, developer of the prequel sequence Life is Strange: Before the Storm, is helming this new entry within the sequence. Unlike its first recreation, nonetheless, this time it will likely be creating a completely new story slightly than utilizing the present world of both numbered Life is Strange recreation. Set within the fictional city of Haven Springs, Colorado, the story incorporates a new principal character, Alex Chen, who has moved into city to be close to her brother Gabe after years of being aside. Things seem idyllic at first, nevertheless it isn’t lengthy earlier than her brother dies underneath mysterious circumstances. With a particular capability to see different folks’s feelings as colourful auras and hints from Gabe’s buddy Ryan that Gabe’s demise was no accident, Alex should attempt to determine the circumstances of her brother’s demise.
The colours Alex can see forming across the folks of Haven Springs all corollate to no matter emotion they’re presently feeling. A couple of examples we’ve seen are blue regarding disappointment, yellow for pleasure, pink for anger, and purple for concern. Just like Max and Daniel from Life is Strange and Life is Strange 2, respectively, Alex’s powers do include some drawbacks. If she makes use of them an excessive amount of, or if somebody’s emotions are notably sturdy, she will be able to grow to be overwhelmed by different folks’s feelings and lose management of her personal. This energy additionally isn’t new to her prefer it was to previous protagonists, so she has a greater understanding of the way it works.
In the narration, Alex additionally mentions that she will be able to go so far as to grasp why somebody is feeling the best way they’re, not simply what they’re feeling, if she tries arduous sufficient. We don’t see how this may work within the recreation by means of the trailer, nonetheless.
Aside from Alex’s distinctive powers placing a spin on the components, we are able to count on a considerably related expertise to the opposite video games within the franchise. There will likely be a brand new solid of characters, plus Steph coming back from Life is Strange: Before the Storm, for Alex to speak to utilizing numerous dialogue choices that can drive the narrative and have an effect on future decisions. True Colors can even develop on how a lot selection the participant has and the way deep the adjustments can run, with Ryan and Steph each reported as potential romantic companions for Alex.
We count on this recreation to be bigger than the earlier video games as nicely. Bucking the pattern of the sequence as soon as once more, Life is Strange: True Colors can even be considerably open world in its design slightly than linear. Taking place fully — at the least so far as we all know — within the city of Haven Springs, you’ll have extra alternatives to discover elective areas and work together with characters that may additionally change how they, or others, really feel about Alex.
Multiplayer
The solely slight multiplayer part the sequence ever has, which we count on to return right here, is the end-of-episode comparability charts. These confirmed you what proportion of all gamers selected which choices throughout necessary dialogue or occasions. These have been all the time neat little statistics to see the place you fell by way of what most gamers did, they usually incentivized replays to see what different folks have been experiencing. Because the sport nonetheless has that episodic construction despite the fact that it’s being launched as a single package deal, this function would nonetheless slot in very nicely, and we hope it makes it in as soon as once more.
Other than that, no different multiplayer part feels applicable for such a narrative-based, single-player targeted recreation, so leaving it at that’s completely high quality.
DLC
With the change from the previous episodic construction, Life is Strange: True Colors gained’t have any postgame downloadable content material that we all know of. No different season of the sequence has had any DLC past the promised episodes, with the potential exception of the free stand-alone Captain Spirit launched previous to Life is Strange 2. But we do know that one prequel chapter — a bonus story referred to as Wavelengths — and some units of beauty outfits that include numerous variations of the sport (extra on that beneath) will likely be bought as DLC.
Pre-order
Pre-orders are dwell proper now for Life is Strange: True Colors and are available three totally different tiers. As talked about earlier than, pre-ordering the Standard Edition of the sport will get you just a few cosmetics within the Alex Outfit Pack. This comes with 4 new outfits for Alex that each one function cat designs. This Standard Edition will price the normal worth of $60.
For $70, you may improve to the Deluxe Edition that comes with the Wavelengths bonus story, the place you play as Steph previous to the occasions of the primary recreation. This model additionally has the Hero Outfit Pack, with 4 new clothes choices that pay homage to previous sequence protagonists. That consists of Chloe’s Misfit Skull, Sean’s Wolf Squad, Daniel’s Space Mission, and Max’s Jane Doe outfits.
Finally, for $80, the Ultimate Edition consists of every part you get with the Deluxe Edition plus the also-announced Remastered Collection of the unique Life is Strange and Before the Storm seasons. These have been upgraded with higher visuals and all new animations, however the assortment doesn’t embrace Life is Strange 2.
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