For six years, the Life Is Strange sequence has persistently informed tales in regards to the ties that bind us, between mates, households, and communities. The newest entry, True Colors, represents the primary time subtext turns into not simply textual content, however the recreation’s core mechanic. The power of Life Is Strange as a sequence is the way it at all times seeks to solutions the deeper questions on why persons are the best way they’re, however even in comparison with the unique Life is Strange protagonist Max Caulfield in search of to untangle her finest buddy’s life, or Sean and Daniel Diaz of Life is Strange 2 being on the mercy of an more and more cruel America, True Colors drills deeper. It incorporates a new hero who can delve into peoples’ lives on a degree past the capabilities of the sequence’ different protagonists. That capacity lets the sport traverse some new, fascinating territory for this sequence, but it surely’s nonetheless a bit too bashful about staying there for too lengthy..You play as Alex Chen, a toddler of the foster care system who was separated from her huge brother Gabe when she was 10. She bounced from household to facility and again once more for over a decade earlier than, lastly, Gabe tracked her down and invited her to his new house of Haven Springs, an idyllic little village in Colorado. While it is seemingly a peaceful-enough place to start out a life, Alex is helpless relating to her huge secret and the sport’s supernatural hook: Alex is a superpowered empath who just isn’t solely in a position to see and skim peoples’ feelings as big bursts of psychedelic colours, but when the emotion is powerful sufficient, she is going to really inherit it. Unfortunately, the foster care system not precisely being the happiest place on earth means Alex finds herself consumed by crippling depressive episodes and excessive suits of rage past her management.And so, as Alex begins her new life, Haven Springs begins to rub off on her, in additional methods than one. When a serious tragedy strikes the city, protecting the peace turns into an crucial, and it’s about defending herself simply as a lot as it’s about defending the city. For probably the most half, True Colors operates the identical means as each different Life Is Strange title: As Alex, you stroll round and work together with all the things and everybody the sport will let you, often making essential, life-changing selections via dialogue that have an effect on the world and the course of the story. On the technical degree, there are a number of marked enhancements over previous video games within the sequence, particularly by way of visuals. This is probably the most attractive and luxurious Life is Strange recreation, with an enormous, spectacular enchancment to the character performances, although it comes at a value. The PS5 port we examined took some heavy hits in body price when wandering across the city and stuttered elsewhere. The PC port dealt with significantly better, however even there, maintaining with the workload is not simple on the pc.Mechanically, although, there’s one main addition: There will incessantly be the choice for Alex to make use of her powers and skim the true feelings from an individual’s thoughts, or really feel the emotional attachments and recollections related to an object within the setting. At its most benign and hilarious, Alex can see somebody having an outwardly civil telephone dialog with a customer support rep, solely to make use of her energy to listen to them internally having an absolute toddler tantrum. At its most harrowing, Alex can learn a scared little one, solely to see the worry bodily manifest as a fire-breathing abyssal maw, able to swallow the kid complete at any second. It permits True Colors to mess around with visuals in a means we’ve not seen, and on PS5, there is a considerate use of the DualSense’s haptics that provides one other good layer of immersion to how a lot of an impact Alex’s powers are having on her.It can be all too simple to make Alex’s life a screaming hellscape, together with her unable to cover from humanity’s worst and most primal instincts, however fortunately, True Colors exhibits extra restraint than that. The vibe is extra of a “life comes at you fast” strategy the place heartache and disappointment creep up and sideswipe Alex moderately than flooding over her always. The restraint makes the moments the place darkness and negativity do pervade land significantly better. But, for lengthy stretches, the pendulum nearly swings too far within the different route. True Colors is sort of too variety as a story. Every single character and NPC has a baseline niceness that, whereas snug and soothing, borders on disingenuous given the grim emotional stakes. There’s a Gilmore Girls-y vibe to the entire thing; even a lot of the bastards have their charms, and there aren’t numerous bastards to start with. The different Life Is Strange games–even Dontnod’s Tell Me Why–were extra balanced in that regard.There continues to be, nonetheless, a pitch-black undercurrent to the sport, asking huge questions on illness, loss of life, grief, parenting, relationships, and what it prices to empathize with or forgive the monsters who threaten us. Where the sport is most spectacular is in asking questions that do not have simple solutions, and it does acknowledge that within the spots the place it counts probably the most. One of probably the most harrowing moments within the recreation includes Alex comforting a mom who’s misplaced the love of her life, a person who eagerly needed to be stepfather to her little one. The decision results in an surprising place, with Alex studying the girl’s feelings and discovering she secretly resents her little one for robbing her of her company. Even extra spectacular is the truth that this isn’t a situation with a simple resolution. Alex utilizing her powers to affect the state of affairs finally ends up backfiring in an enormous means later. This is an issue that Alex can not clear up, and she or he has to determine one of the best ways to supply herself and her assist to the mom. There are a number of conditions within the recreation that keep that degree of maturity, and its last chapter is absolute perfection in that regard: an unbelievable, formidable sequence of summary storytelling, flashbacks, flash-forwards, creepy hallucinations, and delightful catharsis. But by and huge, the sport settles for being syrupy candy and heartfelt. It’s a city the place the native Nextdoor equal is a unusual place populated by residents telling good-natured in-jokes, the native bar is stuffed with awkward {couples} who’re all good to their servers, landlords willingly defer lease whereas a tenant is bereaved, and the native cop is a kindly schlub.Haven Springs is a stunning place to go to, particularly these days. These are individuals who should have an empath of their midst, serving to them course of their negativity and worry into one thing more healthy, and it is an ideal place for Alex to really come into her personal as an individual. But the suggestions loop is just a little stilted. With few exceptions, Alex’s immense kindness solely comes again to her towards the tip of the sport. She is basically the catalyst for something occurring on the town. But Alex’s personal actualization comes from trauma, when she is totally alone. The typical online game construction of you, the participant, being the one one shouldering the burden for a whole neighborhood feels extra unfair than traditional right here, and for a recreation that so desires us to purchase into the concept of Haven Springs as a neighborhood, that lopsided generosity comes off as just a little awkward. The major criticism actually is that earlier video games on this sequence had cynicism that our protagonists needed to rise above, and the journey to take action felt like extra of a wrestle, which is one thing that Life is Strange: True Colors lacks. Until the climax, Alex’s journey feels low-stakes throughout the board, even when it arrives at tough options to issues. It’s by no means doubtful that Alex may persevere and go away Haven Springs higher than how she discovered it.Gallery
There’s benefit in that strategy, particularly given how the opposite video games have ended on such emotionally devastating notes. Alex with the ability to simply purely assist, with out compromise, feels good within the second. This is a recreation filled with well-drawn locations and characters with depth and tales price telling, a recreation of diners and ice cream retailers, flower-covered homes, golden sunsets, and blissful spring festivals. It’s a city that places collectively a whole town-wide LARP session only for the sake of constructing one little boy really feel higher about his life.There is gentle that developer Deck Nine simply by no means permits darkness to the touch, and there’s pleasure available in with the ability to play some small half in ensuring all of them do higher. But the disconnect between that vibe and the turmoil that introduced Alex right here to start with is tangible, and the sport would obtain brilliance if these two issues may join. Dropping by Haven Springs continues to be time well-spent–but it is merely a pleasing go to, moderately than a strong, emotionally resonant one.