after like, 5 games with this title, you start to get used to how strange life is, can't believe a video game title would lie to me again.
I've had mixed experience with the Life is Strange series. I enjoyed the first game but I think it has aged rather poorly (especially with me long after high school / college age) and 2 didn't keep my attention for me to get through to the end.
This one is probably my favorite of the bunch! With gorgeous visuals that really does a fantastic mix of realistic and stylized graphics, well written and memorable characters and a really interesting mechanic involving empathy it had me binging through the whole game in a couple days.
Unfortunately, I do think the game flubs quite a bit towards the end...with an unsatisfying twist and a final chapter that is very guard-railed. In addition, towards the middle the game spend some time trading character development for spectacles and while they're cool and it made me squeal with delight, it did drop the ball on the thing that was drawing me in...the characters.
With that being said, I still highly recommend this game. With the current state of things, I really come to love and cherish Alex's witty but selfless personality and felt like it was exactly what I needed. Also, kick-ass soundtrack to boot as always!
This one is probably my favorite of the bunch! With gorgeous visuals that really does a fantastic mix of realistic and stylized graphics, well written and memorable characters and a really interesting mechanic involving empathy it had me binging through the whole game in a couple days.
Unfortunately, I do think the game flubs quite a bit towards the end...with an unsatisfying twist and a final chapter that is very guard-railed. In addition, towards the middle the game spend some time trading character development for spectacles and while they're cool and it made me squeal with delight, it did drop the ball on the thing that was drawing me in...the characters.
With that being said, I still highly recommend this game. With the current state of things, I really come to love and cherish Alex's witty but selfless personality and felt like it was exactly what I needed. Also, kick-ass soundtrack to boot as always!
I will be perfectly honest, this entry of lis is the best one so far, possibly the peak of the series. It blows the pervious game out of the water by a long shot. There’s still some areas of the game that was underwhelming or just poor writing, but it doesn’t diminish the overall product and how amazing this game honestly is
This review contains spoilers
I loved it...but it fell apart a bit in the end (as Life is Strange games tend to do). Some shocking twists that maaaaaybe could've been earned with more time, but as presented were not. The whole things feels rushed - it takes place over the course of only a few weeks, but is trying to go for meaningful, deep, life-changing relationships. Even just stretching out the same events over 3-6 months instead would help a lot.
Still, I love the tone, I love the characters, and I'm looking forward to the DLC.
Still, I love the tone, I love the characters, and I'm looking forward to the DLC.
This review contains spoilers
gostei de algumas partes, mas é muito foda gostar do ryan KKKKK porra, o cara é muito sem graça em contrapartida de que as cenas da steph são muito mais bem planejadas que as do ryan. o cara é pau mole demais :(
This had such a boring intro that I couldn't bring myself to pick it back up. Maybe I'll watch a Let's Play
Good music! Very fun (and holy wow, emotional). I'm not sure if it just feels so short or if I just plowed through this because the episodes/chapters were released all at once.
Also, the choices are so much clearer and closer to the actual dialogue than other choice-driven games. Previous games (can't quite recall if this was the case with my LiS 1 playthrough) gave me trust issues to the point where I doubt my every choice, but they were pretty good here.
Also, the choices are so much clearer and closer to the actual dialogue than other choice-driven games. Previous games (can't quite recall if this was the case with my LiS 1 playthrough) gave me trust issues to the point where I doubt my every choice, but they were pretty good here.
Life Is Strange consegue fazer coisas comigo, que nenhum outro jogo consegue. Novamente um excelente jogo, com uma historia ótima, bons personagens e ótimas musicas.
Maravilhoso.
Maravilhoso.
Yes, it's aggressively uncool and geeky beyond compare, but this series is a cosy blanket of idyllic exploration and bingeworthy melodrama, and this game is no exception. Alex is perhaps the most likeable protagonist to date, the empathy powers are straightforward but allow for some targeted commentary on agency and interactive narratives plus the setting is gorgeous to explore. Setting this in largely one location helped not only deliver the best visuals of the series, but also to give the player a real feeling of belonging, a far cry from the (also excellent) road trip structure of LIS2. Not sure where I'd ultimately place it against the others, but it's the most consistent entry in the series at least and a marked improvement from Deck Nine.
Formidable atmospheric scenarios, interesting characters with an ok'ish development and an interesting power that might be the best one from the whole series. However, the mystery plot is quite mediocre, constantly had the feeling that it was just being left off to focus on other things (which was not that bad honestly) and at the end the things you did have very, very little impact in the outcome.
Overall it's extremely expensive for what it has to offer, you can easily do a 100% in less than 10 hours. The more i think about it, the more i dislike it.
Just wait for a sale.
Overall it's extremely expensive for what it has to offer, you can easily do a 100% in less than 10 hours. The more i think about it, the more i dislike it.
Just wait for a sale.
Best Life is Strange game
After almost two years, one of my favorite gaming franchises is back with its third major installment, and I couldn’t have been more excited. Life is Strange: True Colors returns with another story that combines drama, beauty, and supernatural elements in a unique and new way. Both for the game's benefit and detriment.
▶️ Watch my full review on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNDfYtK5TfM
I'll try to compare this game with the previous ones as least as possible, as those were some of the most impactful gaming experiences I've ever had. I want this one to stand out on its own, and even though it offered many things that made True Colors unique, it was hard to ignore a lot of its downfalls despite its enjoyable moments.
First, I’ll focus on the positives: the game is beautiful. Haven was a perfect location to set the game in, with its history and scenery. It made me wish there was a photo mode implemented as there were so many things to explore and look at. The characters were all likeable and interesting, but there were times where the writing fell short with them.
Alex Chen as our new protagonist is interesting, likeable and a great addition to this franchise. However, we don’t really get to know much about her until the last episode, which focuses a lot on her past with Gabe. Other than that, I think that she was well written and had a couple of memorable moments, especially with her interactions with the other characters.
A key aspect of the Life is Strange games is the main character's power. The way it is implemented as both a gameplay mechanic and story element is crucial to the game’s identity. Which is why I think Alex’s power to feel what others are feeling was downright disappointing, with the exception of one single scene where it was used in an interesting way (Diane at the Bridge).
The game’s story is underwhelming, confusing, and lacking any conflict. While I enjoyed some of the social commentary on corporate control, a lot of the plot’s direction felt like it was going nowhere. I honestly didn't care that much about the end goal of discovering Typhon’s secrets. Compared to the serial killer / disappearance story or the intense western journey of the other two titles, this one felt very tame, watered-down, and boring. It has more of a chill setting that focuses on everyday problems, which can be enjoyable for some, but for me it was a letdown.
The previous games were released in an episodic format, with several months of wait between releases. This is in contrast with True Colors, which was released all at once. I think it was better before, as it gives one more time to process the last episode, but that is just a matter of personal preference.
The endings and their variety were extremely disappointing, to say the least. Again, I hate comparing True Colors to the previous LiS games, but I wish there was more at stake than who you romance in the end. It actually seemed like every single choice you made didn’t actually matter or had any impact, even in the end. Even though the original was similar in this regard, the final choice was massive. And in LiS 2, this was taken to the next level leaving you with drastically different endings depending on the brothers’ relationship.
Overall, I think the game is a decent, relaxing experience. New-comers to the franchise will probably enjoy it. But personally, if you are a hardcore fan of the franchise as I am, you will not like it. As with Tell Me Why last year, I don’t think this will age as well as the previous Life is Strange games, and frankly it didn’t leave me with any desire to replay it.
Final Score: 72/100
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▶️ Watch my full review on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNDfYtK5TfM
I'll try to compare this game with the previous ones as least as possible, as those were some of the most impactful gaming experiences I've ever had. I want this one to stand out on its own, and even though it offered many things that made True Colors unique, it was hard to ignore a lot of its downfalls despite its enjoyable moments.
First, I’ll focus on the positives: the game is beautiful. Haven was a perfect location to set the game in, with its history and scenery. It made me wish there was a photo mode implemented as there were so many things to explore and look at. The characters were all likeable and interesting, but there were times where the writing fell short with them.
Alex Chen as our new protagonist is interesting, likeable and a great addition to this franchise. However, we don’t really get to know much about her until the last episode, which focuses a lot on her past with Gabe. Other than that, I think that she was well written and had a couple of memorable moments, especially with her interactions with the other characters.
A key aspect of the Life is Strange games is the main character's power. The way it is implemented as both a gameplay mechanic and story element is crucial to the game’s identity. Which is why I think Alex’s power to feel what others are feeling was downright disappointing, with the exception of one single scene where it was used in an interesting way (Diane at the Bridge).
The game’s story is underwhelming, confusing, and lacking any conflict. While I enjoyed some of the social commentary on corporate control, a lot of the plot’s direction felt like it was going nowhere. I honestly didn't care that much about the end goal of discovering Typhon’s secrets. Compared to the serial killer / disappearance story or the intense western journey of the other two titles, this one felt very tame, watered-down, and boring. It has more of a chill setting that focuses on everyday problems, which can be enjoyable for some, but for me it was a letdown.
The previous games were released in an episodic format, with several months of wait between releases. This is in contrast with True Colors, which was released all at once. I think it was better before, as it gives one more time to process the last episode, but that is just a matter of personal preference.
The endings and their variety were extremely disappointing, to say the least. Again, I hate comparing True Colors to the previous LiS games, but I wish there was more at stake than who you romance in the end. It actually seemed like every single choice you made didn’t actually matter or had any impact, even in the end. Even though the original was similar in this regard, the final choice was massive. And in LiS 2, this was taken to the next level leaving you with drastically different endings depending on the brothers’ relationship.
Overall, I think the game is a decent, relaxing experience. New-comers to the franchise will probably enjoy it. But personally, if you are a hardcore fan of the franchise as I am, you will not like it. As with Tell Me Why last year, I don’t think this will age as well as the previous Life is Strange games, and frankly it didn’t leave me with any desire to replay it.
Final Score: 72/100
For more reviews and cool content follow me on:
📚 My Official Blog - https://grantkeegan.com
▶️ YouTube - https://youtube.com/channel/UCpWCw5dVvb4QUGYHRrx4kmw
👨💻 Twitch - https://twitch.tv/grantkeeganofficial
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Relatable characters, a beautiful, heartfelt story, which is really rare in games these days, great voice acting, and overall nice graphics. Unfortunately, there are a few bugs here and there, and it's not very long, even with the extra chapter. There's lots of replay value, though.
Full video review: https://youtu.be/MPuMCUXladQ
I liked Tell Me Why when I reviewed it last year and, although I may not have played any of the previous Life is Strange games, I was excited to give this one a look.
Gameplay:
True Colors plays as a third-person graphic adventure. You walk around this town, talk with its citizens, and interact with a bunch of different objects – most of which are not related to the story, but provide some nice detail to the game world. This is something the game does well, sprinkling about these objects, letters, pictures, and such that all work to further your understanding of the environment our protagonist finds herself in.
Setting:
The protagonist – Alex Chen – has recently moved from Portland all the way to Haven Springs, a mining town right in the middle of Colorado. It’s quite the shift and again, this is something the game does well. The town is this small little thing, but the buildings, the environment, the people – they all really sell the setting and it was very cool to see them change over the course of the story. Even characters that have no real role in that story have something to add to it.
For example, at the start of the game, there is an unoccupied building with a realtor out front working to sell it. As the story progresses, you’ll notice a man interacting with this realtor, purchasing the building, and by the end of it – inviting the rest of the town in for his restaurant’s grand opening. This little mini story arc is told almost entirely through background dialogue you hear simply by walking by, and this is just one example of many.
Story:
The main story starts off with the protagonist adjusting to her new environment and then quickly becomes this bigger thing: a mystery with a touch of corporate conspiracy, romance, and wrapped up in this larger coming-of-age theme. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but I will say – I liked how grounded the story felt. It doesn’t go overboard, doesn’t add a bunch of unnecessary layers – it just sticks with its simple premise and builds on it little by little with some very well-balanced pacing and just enough suspense to keep you interested.
How satisfied you are with the ending will depend entirely on what ending you get – there are six total – but it really isn’t that hard to get one of the good ones, the game kinda guides you along a path in a way. I have mixed feelings on this aspect. I enjoy games where choices matter, but a lot of them tend to feel on-rails and I had that same feeling with True Colors. There were a lot of situations where I was presented with a choice and the buildup before it so obviously favored one of them that you kinda have to go out of your way to go against what the game wants you to do.
Still, that doesn’t make the main story any less interesting and a large reason why are the characters that drive it. Not just the protagonist (who is nicely written in her own right), but the side characters too. The two romance interests, the local bar owner, the elderly flower shop lady – it’s a nice, closely knit community and the game spends a good amount of time letting you get to know each of these characters.
Also worth noting is the dialogue, because yes, it can definitely be a bit cheesy and even outright cringy at times. Some of this can be explained by the age of the characters partaking in it, but some of it felt like an adult writing what he/she THINKS young adults talk like, rather than how they actually do. I had the same issue with Tell Me Why, so I can’t say this was unexpected – you gotta have a bit of tolerance for such dialogue if you want to make it through a game like this.
Graphics/Music:
Graphically, I would say the game is just okay. It doesn’t really have that “next-gen” look, but it’s not entirely bad either. The selection of music though is way better. Some great variety there and the studio did a good job weaving these tracks into the story, both as background tunes and as a way to develop a character or move the plot forward.
Performance:
The game is a bit more demanding than what I would expect given the graphics, but I was able to run it at 1440p and around 60-80 fps on high settings on my 1070 Ti. It did dip below 60 occasionally, but never enough to warrant changing any of the settings even lower. I did not run into any major bugs, but I did have one outright crash towards the end of the game.
Overall:
Life is Strange: True Colors offers up a tightly written mystery story with likeable characters and some solid music to back. It may be a bit cheesy and melodramatic at times, but it’s a lot of fun in spite of that and I really liked the small mining town setting. An easy recommendation if you like story-driven games like this.
I liked Tell Me Why when I reviewed it last year and, although I may not have played any of the previous Life is Strange games, I was excited to give this one a look.
Gameplay:
True Colors plays as a third-person graphic adventure. You walk around this town, talk with its citizens, and interact with a bunch of different objects – most of which are not related to the story, but provide some nice detail to the game world. This is something the game does well, sprinkling about these objects, letters, pictures, and such that all work to further your understanding of the environment our protagonist finds herself in.
Setting:
The protagonist – Alex Chen – has recently moved from Portland all the way to Haven Springs, a mining town right in the middle of Colorado. It’s quite the shift and again, this is something the game does well. The town is this small little thing, but the buildings, the environment, the people – they all really sell the setting and it was very cool to see them change over the course of the story. Even characters that have no real role in that story have something to add to it.
For example, at the start of the game, there is an unoccupied building with a realtor out front working to sell it. As the story progresses, you’ll notice a man interacting with this realtor, purchasing the building, and by the end of it – inviting the rest of the town in for his restaurant’s grand opening. This little mini story arc is told almost entirely through background dialogue you hear simply by walking by, and this is just one example of many.
Story:
The main story starts off with the protagonist adjusting to her new environment and then quickly becomes this bigger thing: a mystery with a touch of corporate conspiracy, romance, and wrapped up in this larger coming-of-age theme. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but I will say – I liked how grounded the story felt. It doesn’t go overboard, doesn’t add a bunch of unnecessary layers – it just sticks with its simple premise and builds on it little by little with some very well-balanced pacing and just enough suspense to keep you interested.
How satisfied you are with the ending will depend entirely on what ending you get – there are six total – but it really isn’t that hard to get one of the good ones, the game kinda guides you along a path in a way. I have mixed feelings on this aspect. I enjoy games where choices matter, but a lot of them tend to feel on-rails and I had that same feeling with True Colors. There were a lot of situations where I was presented with a choice and the buildup before it so obviously favored one of them that you kinda have to go out of your way to go against what the game wants you to do.
Still, that doesn’t make the main story any less interesting and a large reason why are the characters that drive it. Not just the protagonist (who is nicely written in her own right), but the side characters too. The two romance interests, the local bar owner, the elderly flower shop lady – it’s a nice, closely knit community and the game spends a good amount of time letting you get to know each of these characters.
Also worth noting is the dialogue, because yes, it can definitely be a bit cheesy and even outright cringy at times. Some of this can be explained by the age of the characters partaking in it, but some of it felt like an adult writing what he/she THINKS young adults talk like, rather than how they actually do. I had the same issue with Tell Me Why, so I can’t say this was unexpected – you gotta have a bit of tolerance for such dialogue if you want to make it through a game like this.
Graphics/Music:
Graphically, I would say the game is just okay. It doesn’t really have that “next-gen” look, but it’s not entirely bad either. The selection of music though is way better. Some great variety there and the studio did a good job weaving these tracks into the story, both as background tunes and as a way to develop a character or move the plot forward.
Performance:
The game is a bit more demanding than what I would expect given the graphics, but I was able to run it at 1440p and around 60-80 fps on high settings on my 1070 Ti. It did dip below 60 occasionally, but never enough to warrant changing any of the settings even lower. I did not run into any major bugs, but I did have one outright crash towards the end of the game.
Overall:
Life is Strange: True Colors offers up a tightly written mystery story with likeable characters and some solid music to back. It may be a bit cheesy and melodramatic at times, but it’s a lot of fun in spite of that and I really liked the small mining town setting. An easy recommendation if you like story-driven games like this.
I'm in love with Alex
Life is Strange: True Colors, is a game, for all intents and purposes, I want to love. The first has had a massive impact on my life, helped me get a taste of actual games journalism and critical analysis of media, learn more about narrative design, and has a character who I've seen a lot of myself in and I love dearly.
The second is a game that, honestly, though I ended up finishing it a fair bit after it came out, I adore. Though it doesn't hold the same place in my heart as the first one does, I firmly believe its writing is without a doubt some of the best in gaming.
Life is Strange: True Colors, doesn't offer me that. I don't know what it offers me, really. In a way it feels like someone read about what makes Life is Strange special to a lot of people, captures some of those ideas, but misses a lot and paints over a wide swathe of the game with stuff that just, at least to me, didn't feel like the core of why I liked Life is Strange. There are points where the writing is sweet, hokey, sincere, earnest, cheesy, and those are the best times. There are points where the game has some really gripping moments that are built up, making you wait until they finally rip into you, and they work super well. The former are sprinkled about here and there throughout the game, the latter come way, way too late.
Alex's design, I will say, as well as many other characters, have great designs, I think Alex, as a main character, is very distinct, and I adore her look. But there are also inconsistent moments and just, it all feels a bit messy-- a bit slapdash.
That's a lot of this game: core moments feel messy and slapdash, and the way they try to drop big moments on you without much emotional buildup absolutely fizzle out, or why certain 11th hour writing choices absolutely fall flat because of the sheer fact of what they present and are, just is evident of that.
The journal is very neat, similar to the past main Life is Strange games, and as always, the text messages are fascinating to go through (so is the MySpace derivative MyBlock, which I did enjoy reading), but that isn't enough to save it, nor are the few shining moments of fantastic writing enough to save it down from major parts that truly bog it down.
It feels like Life is Strange in name only, or maybe Life is Strange that's seen what the past games have done, has looked at various cult classics for inspiration, and then looked at something like a Riverdale to build something they thought would be big for the story, but it just feels too much for me-- and yes, that is taking into account the core ending to the first game (which is a whole other matter entirely I won't get into).
It's a game I really wish I could love, but between the mess of tying in the narrative ideas of empathy powers to gameplay, big choices sometimes being absolutely nonsensical, a story bogged down by the macro as opposed to the micro, rough patches of not-so-great writing, and confusing choices, as well as the way the "indie aesthetic" is applied in certain ways, and an ending where it was very clear one option was meant to be the focus, I just feel absolutely bummed.
I hope that there are others who can find something to love in this game, a main character to love in Alex Chen the way I love Max Caulfield, but I can't find it.
The second is a game that, honestly, though I ended up finishing it a fair bit after it came out, I adore. Though it doesn't hold the same place in my heart as the first one does, I firmly believe its writing is without a doubt some of the best in gaming.
Life is Strange: True Colors, doesn't offer me that. I don't know what it offers me, really. In a way it feels like someone read about what makes Life is Strange special to a lot of people, captures some of those ideas, but misses a lot and paints over a wide swathe of the game with stuff that just, at least to me, didn't feel like the core of why I liked Life is Strange. There are points where the writing is sweet, hokey, sincere, earnest, cheesy, and those are the best times. There are points where the game has some really gripping moments that are built up, making you wait until they finally rip into you, and they work super well. The former are sprinkled about here and there throughout the game, the latter come way, way too late.
Alex's design, I will say, as well as many other characters, have great designs, I think Alex, as a main character, is very distinct, and I adore her look. But there are also inconsistent moments and just, it all feels a bit messy-- a bit slapdash.
That's a lot of this game: core moments feel messy and slapdash, and the way they try to drop big moments on you without much emotional buildup absolutely fizzle out, or why certain 11th hour writing choices absolutely fall flat because of the sheer fact of what they present and are, just is evident of that.
The journal is very neat, similar to the past main Life is Strange games, and as always, the text messages are fascinating to go through (so is the MySpace derivative MyBlock, which I did enjoy reading), but that isn't enough to save it, nor are the few shining moments of fantastic writing enough to save it down from major parts that truly bog it down.
It feels like Life is Strange in name only, or maybe Life is Strange that's seen what the past games have done, has looked at various cult classics for inspiration, and then looked at something like a Riverdale to build something they thought would be big for the story, but it just feels too much for me-- and yes, that is taking into account the core ending to the first game (which is a whole other matter entirely I won't get into).
It's a game I really wish I could love, but between the mess of tying in the narrative ideas of empathy powers to gameplay, big choices sometimes being absolutely nonsensical, a story bogged down by the macro as opposed to the micro, rough patches of not-so-great writing, and confusing choices, as well as the way the "indie aesthetic" is applied in certain ways, and an ending where it was very clear one option was meant to be the focus, I just feel absolutely bummed.
I hope that there are others who can find something to love in this game, a main character to love in Alex Chen the way I love Max Caulfield, but I can't find it.
I don't think this game recaptures the magic of Life is Strange (or even Before the Storm), but I had a much better time with it than Life is Strange 2. It's a quintessential Life is Strange game as well! Great atmosphere (Haven Springs is no Arcadia Bay, but it's great), good characters (Again, Alex, Steph, and Ryan are no Max and Chloe, but they're great), spotty writing and voice acting that come off as incredibly endearing, a strong third chapter/episode, and a rushed ending! It has it all! Well, it has it all except for one thing.
In the opening minutes of the first episode of Life is Strange, Max puts in her earbuds after leaving class. Everything goes silent for a few seconds, Square Enix's and Dontnod's logos pop up on the left side of the screen, and Syd Matters' "To All of You" starts playing. You regain control of Max and start roaming the halls of Blackwell Academy as the rest of the song plays in the background. This is still one of my favorite moments in video games ever. It instantly transports you into that world through the use of music, and the rest of the game's (and the franchise's) usage of licensed music is just as masterful.
These moments are few and far between in True Colors, and they don't hit nearly as hard. At times, the game makes it so you have to go out of your way to hear some licensed music. Out of all my issues with the game, this is the most crushing, disappointing one.
Other than that, it's pretty good. I'm glad these games are still being made.
In the opening minutes of the first episode of Life is Strange, Max puts in her earbuds after leaving class. Everything goes silent for a few seconds, Square Enix's and Dontnod's logos pop up on the left side of the screen, and Syd Matters' "To All of You" starts playing. You regain control of Max and start roaming the halls of Blackwell Academy as the rest of the song plays in the background. This is still one of my favorite moments in video games ever. It instantly transports you into that world through the use of music, and the rest of the game's (and the franchise's) usage of licensed music is just as masterful.
These moments are few and far between in True Colors, and they don't hit nearly as hard. At times, the game makes it so you have to go out of your way to hear some licensed music. Out of all my issues with the game, this is the most crushing, disappointing one.
Other than that, it's pretty good. I'm glad these games are still being made.
eu te amo steph
Os dois últimos capítulos destroem o jogo. Impressionante.
Another very good entry to a franchise that is very near and dear to me.
Alex and Haven are incredibly memorable. A step of but the series in terms of both voice acting and visual fidelity.
Alex and Haven are incredibly memorable. A step of but the series in terms of both voice acting and visual fidelity.
Life is Strange is a series that has meant a lot to me ever since I played the first game back in 2015, and since then my love for the series only grew. With it's memorable and relatable characters, it's gripping stories, beautiful soundtracks, and tough choices, these games continue to be underrated in my eyes. Life is Strange: True Colors was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and after blowing through it in only a few days, I can confidently say that it's easily one of the best in the series, if not the best.
True Colors stylistically isn't too far off from previous games in the series. It focuses on a new character, new powers, a new story to experience, and a new area to explore. This time we're taking to Haven Springs, Colorado, the beautiful fictional town where Alex Chen moves to for a fresh start with her brother. However, when tragedy strikes the small town, Alex must use her unique powers to solve the mystery.
Special powers has been a central theme for the games, this time Alex has the ability to read into and even experience the emotions of others. Throughout the game you can interact with characters who could, in one way or another, be dealing with some sort of issue. You can use their thoughts to solve whatever their problem is to help them out. Sometimes it's just a random side activity that you can find, sometimes it can offer potential consequences. And that's where the themes of the game really take hold.
The key theme of True Colors is emotions, and the importance of feeling something, whether it's happiness, sadness, or anger. The importance of helping others, as well as yourself, but also the possibility of helping in the wrong way. This leads to some of the toughest and most thought provoking decisions ever in the series. More than ever did I really think about the consequences of my actions before I made a choice. And I loved that.
Overall True Colors is also the most mature in the series as well, maybe it has to do with Alex being the first adult main character in the series, it could be the very relevant themes of mental health, but I also think the writing is Life is Strange at it's best. Everything from the story, and the mental health themes I talked about felt like a new and groundbreaking moment for the series. It wasn't as quirky (borderline cringy) as Life is Strange, it wasn't as over-the-top as Life is Strange 2, it fell into a nice pocket of having everything important in a Life is Strange game, but with a new mature take.
I did feel that the story was fairly short though compared to previous games in the series. Sure I was putting some series hours in during my few days of playing, but even with exploring the map, you'll probably put in maybe 11 to 12 hours. It's not a bad thing though when you think about the replay value the game has. There's plenty of new choices and dialogue options to make, as well as collectables you can go back and find later on.
Aside from the story and themes it has other staples of a good Life is Strange game. I loved the characters, I thought all of them were very well written and realistically portrayed, not to mention Alex might be my new favorite Life is Strange protagonist. I also loved the return of Steph from Before the Storm, but every other character was great and well written as well.
True Colors also has one of the strongest soundtracks in the game. I thought the score composed by Angus & Julia Stone was beautiful and fitting with the themes and setting of the game, and the selected licensed music was very fitting as well. In typical Life is Strange fashion True Colors is an emotional experience, and especially with the key themes of emotion within this particular game, a gripping soundtrack was more important than ever, and I think they nailed the song selection. Being a big Phoebe Bridgers fan I absolutely loved vibin' to Scott Street in the record store during chapter 1.
Life is Strange has always been known for it's stylistic art style, and it's never been what I would consider "good" in terms of graphics, though Life is Strange 2 was pretty close to achieving that balance. True Colors does a beautiful job at combining the stylistic charm of the series with beautiful graphics, lighting, and facial animation. The game was beautiful to look at from start to finish, but that's also where my only issues with the game come in... the performance.
The main distraction for me was the frame rate, which was never that good, but the moment you go outside and explore the beautiful city of Haven Spring with the mountains and the sunset in the background, the frame rate plummets. Maybe it's just because I was blessed with a smooth 60fps lately, but it was so distracting the whole time. There were a few minor glitches and constant repeats of lines throughout, but nothing nearly as bad. Of course I only heard of this issue being on consoles, so if you're playing on a PC I'm sure it'll play just fine.
I didn't want to leave on a sour note, because all in all this is my favorite Life is Strange game. As someone who finds mental health to be a very important topic of conversation, this game meant a lot to me. I loved the characters, the story, and the themes that Alex's power brought attention to.
Rating: 8.5/10
True Colors stylistically isn't too far off from previous games in the series. It focuses on a new character, new powers, a new story to experience, and a new area to explore. This time we're taking to Haven Springs, Colorado, the beautiful fictional town where Alex Chen moves to for a fresh start with her brother. However, when tragedy strikes the small town, Alex must use her unique powers to solve the mystery.
Special powers has been a central theme for the games, this time Alex has the ability to read into and even experience the emotions of others. Throughout the game you can interact with characters who could, in one way or another, be dealing with some sort of issue. You can use their thoughts to solve whatever their problem is to help them out. Sometimes it's just a random side activity that you can find, sometimes it can offer potential consequences. And that's where the themes of the game really take hold.
The key theme of True Colors is emotions, and the importance of feeling something, whether it's happiness, sadness, or anger. The importance of helping others, as well as yourself, but also the possibility of helping in the wrong way. This leads to some of the toughest and most thought provoking decisions ever in the series. More than ever did I really think about the consequences of my actions before I made a choice. And I loved that.
Overall True Colors is also the most mature in the series as well, maybe it has to do with Alex being the first adult main character in the series, it could be the very relevant themes of mental health, but I also think the writing is Life is Strange at it's best. Everything from the story, and the mental health themes I talked about felt like a new and groundbreaking moment for the series. It wasn't as quirky (borderline cringy) as Life is Strange, it wasn't as over-the-top as Life is Strange 2, it fell into a nice pocket of having everything important in a Life is Strange game, but with a new mature take.
I did feel that the story was fairly short though compared to previous games in the series. Sure I was putting some series hours in during my few days of playing, but even with exploring the map, you'll probably put in maybe 11 to 12 hours. It's not a bad thing though when you think about the replay value the game has. There's plenty of new choices and dialogue options to make, as well as collectables you can go back and find later on.
Aside from the story and themes it has other staples of a good Life is Strange game. I loved the characters, I thought all of them were very well written and realistically portrayed, not to mention Alex might be my new favorite Life is Strange protagonist. I also loved the return of Steph from Before the Storm, but every other character was great and well written as well.
True Colors also has one of the strongest soundtracks in the game. I thought the score composed by Angus & Julia Stone was beautiful and fitting with the themes and setting of the game, and the selected licensed music was very fitting as well. In typical Life is Strange fashion True Colors is an emotional experience, and especially with the key themes of emotion within this particular game, a gripping soundtrack was more important than ever, and I think they nailed the song selection. Being a big Phoebe Bridgers fan I absolutely loved vibin' to Scott Street in the record store during chapter 1.
Life is Strange has always been known for it's stylistic art style, and it's never been what I would consider "good" in terms of graphics, though Life is Strange 2 was pretty close to achieving that balance. True Colors does a beautiful job at combining the stylistic charm of the series with beautiful graphics, lighting, and facial animation. The game was beautiful to look at from start to finish, but that's also where my only issues with the game come in... the performance.
The main distraction for me was the frame rate, which was never that good, but the moment you go outside and explore the beautiful city of Haven Spring with the mountains and the sunset in the background, the frame rate plummets. Maybe it's just because I was blessed with a smooth 60fps lately, but it was so distracting the whole time. There were a few minor glitches and constant repeats of lines throughout, but nothing nearly as bad. Of course I only heard of this issue being on consoles, so if you're playing on a PC I'm sure it'll play just fine.
I didn't want to leave on a sour note, because all in all this is my favorite Life is Strange game. As someone who finds mental health to be a very important topic of conversation, this game meant a lot to me. I loved the characters, the story, and the themes that Alex's power brought attention to.
Rating: 8.5/10
This review contains spoilers
The first two episodes make a very strong impression, but the last 3 don't live up in my opinion. Very few of the choices felt very monumental to me in the way previous games did (though it's gonna be hard for any LiS game to live up to Bay vs Bae).
I also found the choices of whether or not to take the emotions of Charlotte and Pike a little off-putting. It was obvious to me that taking Charlotte's anger was a bad idea, but not using it felt so much less interesting, narratively. A Superman game wouldn't say "you've unlocked heat vision" and then ask you not to use it.
All in all it was really good, but definitely ranks last in the series.
I also found the choices of whether or not to take the emotions of Charlotte and Pike a little off-putting. It was obvious to me that taking Charlotte's anger was a bad idea, but not using it felt so much less interesting, narratively. A Superman game wouldn't say "you've unlocked heat vision" and then ask you not to use it.
All in all it was really good, but definitely ranks last in the series.
This review contains spoilers
Oh boy, where to begin? How about: This game's identity is as empty and superficial as its writing.
Actually, let me start with the positives. Chapter 1 is good. It's not amazing, it's not groundbreaking, but it's good. It has a lot of potential, begins introducing you to characters that seem fleshed out, allows you to explore a small town, and has some great music choices including a cover of Radiohead's Creep. So far so good. The protagonist's brother then dies in an avoidable accident at the end of chapter 1, and it all goes downhill from there.
Alex's power of empathy (chortle) is wildly inconsistent, and mutates with no explanation or foundation, but rather simply based on what the story needs at the time. In Chapter 1 she's afraid to get too close to anyone that feels strongly, else she absorbs the power and goes ballistic. Other times, she willingly absorbs the power and walks around making observations as if she weren't consumed by the emotion. Then she suddenly can "take" that person's emotion away from them. There's also her in Chapter 1 telling Gabe "it doesn't work like that" when he asks her what he's thinking, but in Chapter 3 she reads Steph's mind on the spot to prove her power. In fact she goes around town reading everyone's mind even when they're not feeling a strong emotion. A fact, by the way, that I take offense at, as it's incredibly invasive and questionable, and I'd argue that it contradicts the "empathy" these writers claim that Alex has.
The relationship between Steph and Ryan is incredibly rushed, and is clearly shoehorned in just to be inclusive and have a bisexual protagonist and give you the choice of whom to romance. I was on board with the idea, but the execution was terrible. After choosing Steph she just casually announces that she's leaving town in a "Finally I'm leaving this shithole" way without meaningfully addressing the fact that Alex just professed her love for her. After their first kiss, she just awkwardly leaves Alex alone on the rooftop. After ripping up the bus ticket in Chapter 5, she also just casually leaves Alex alone in her apartment. Wow, talk about chemistry.
The main mystery of the evil corporation taking over a small town went absolutely nowhere. It was completely generic and the fact that they went to such elaborate measures to cover up the death of a few miners is laughable. If Typhon can invent a story where these people are forgotten by residents of a small town, they can certainly make up a story where their death was caused by an accident and not by negligence. The latter certainly sounds like an easier and more feasible set up. 12 years after the fact, before an investigation, they need to bury the bodies of miners. Was this seriously not done before? Was arranging two explosions the only way to dispose of these bodies? Considering that investigations and audits are scheduled months in advance, did they really have to schedule these explosions last minute with no contingency plan? Given that Haven has hiking trails and people spend time in the mountains, wouldn't there be security guarding the premises/blast radius to ensure that there are no people in the area? This isn't an evil corporation, it's a badly managed one.
Speaking of Typhon and the mines, chapter 5 is just a complete clusterfuck. Alex fell, what, one-hundred feet deep into a mine and she's walking? Let's say that Jed's bullet just grazed her, okay, but that fall would have concussed her and twisted her body beyond recognition. How in the Hell did the writers expect us to believe that she could walk all the way back to Haven, and have a 10 minute monologue in the bar while standing upright. The members of the council were just sulking in their chairs while she was covered in blood and confronting Jed. I was insulted when I realized that the townspeople either defended me or defended Jed, just based on previous decisions I made that were completely irrelevant to the current situation. Is no-one really going to question why Alex is injured? Why the fuck was no-one genuinely alarmed at Alex's life-threatening injuries?
There is no message or moral to the story. In an attempt to give you some minor decisions to make, the game acts like your choices matter at the end with having Alex choose between "I learned that I want a home" or "I learned that I'm comfortable with my emotions" as if that had any bearing on the story. Even major decisions are complete bullshit. If you keep Ethan's secret in Chapter 1 about going to the mines, Alex ends up telling Gabe later anyways. The chapter 4 decision of signing the cease & desist or not goes nowhere since you end up getting shot by Jed 2 hours later anyways. The overall lack of decisions in the game is more evidence of a lack of budget, and of the highway robbery Square Enix committed by charging full price for this incomplete game.
Speaking of, how about that performance? Nothing like loading screens between every scene change on the PS5's SSD, and sub-30 FPS even in indoor settings. This game is so poorly optimized, and the bugs are inexcusable, ranging from hard crashes to T-posing in pivotal scenes. The ending montage had a loading screen between each new location for Christ's sake, with the quicksave icon in the bottom left corner to boot. 100% inexcusable in a narrative-driven game in 2021.
I could keep ranting about the characters, writing, exploration, gameplay, ending... but this game isn't worth any more of my time. I enjoyed all previous LIS games including the Captain Spirit prequel and Decknine's own Before the Storm, but this game dropped the ball entirely.
Actually, let me start with the positives. Chapter 1 is good. It's not amazing, it's not groundbreaking, but it's good. It has a lot of potential, begins introducing you to characters that seem fleshed out, allows you to explore a small town, and has some great music choices including a cover of Radiohead's Creep. So far so good. The protagonist's brother then dies in an avoidable accident at the end of chapter 1, and it all goes downhill from there.
Alex's power of empathy (chortle) is wildly inconsistent, and mutates with no explanation or foundation, but rather simply based on what the story needs at the time. In Chapter 1 she's afraid to get too close to anyone that feels strongly, else she absorbs the power and goes ballistic. Other times, she willingly absorbs the power and walks around making observations as if she weren't consumed by the emotion. Then she suddenly can "take" that person's emotion away from them. There's also her in Chapter 1 telling Gabe "it doesn't work like that" when he asks her what he's thinking, but in Chapter 3 she reads Steph's mind on the spot to prove her power. In fact she goes around town reading everyone's mind even when they're not feeling a strong emotion. A fact, by the way, that I take offense at, as it's incredibly invasive and questionable, and I'd argue that it contradicts the "empathy" these writers claim that Alex has.
The relationship between Steph and Ryan is incredibly rushed, and is clearly shoehorned in just to be inclusive and have a bisexual protagonist and give you the choice of whom to romance. I was on board with the idea, but the execution was terrible. After choosing Steph she just casually announces that she's leaving town in a "Finally I'm leaving this shithole" way without meaningfully addressing the fact that Alex just professed her love for her. After their first kiss, she just awkwardly leaves Alex alone on the rooftop. After ripping up the bus ticket in Chapter 5, she also just casually leaves Alex alone in her apartment. Wow, talk about chemistry.
The main mystery of the evil corporation taking over a small town went absolutely nowhere. It was completely generic and the fact that they went to such elaborate measures to cover up the death of a few miners is laughable. If Typhon can invent a story where these people are forgotten by residents of a small town, they can certainly make up a story where their death was caused by an accident and not by negligence. The latter certainly sounds like an easier and more feasible set up. 12 years after the fact, before an investigation, they need to bury the bodies of miners. Was this seriously not done before? Was arranging two explosions the only way to dispose of these bodies? Considering that investigations and audits are scheduled months in advance, did they really have to schedule these explosions last minute with no contingency plan? Given that Haven has hiking trails and people spend time in the mountains, wouldn't there be security guarding the premises/blast radius to ensure that there are no people in the area? This isn't an evil corporation, it's a badly managed one.
Speaking of Typhon and the mines, chapter 5 is just a complete clusterfuck. Alex fell, what, one-hundred feet deep into a mine and she's walking? Let's say that Jed's bullet just grazed her, okay, but that fall would have concussed her and twisted her body beyond recognition. How in the Hell did the writers expect us to believe that she could walk all the way back to Haven, and have a 10 minute monologue in the bar while standing upright. The members of the council were just sulking in their chairs while she was covered in blood and confronting Jed. I was insulted when I realized that the townspeople either defended me or defended Jed, just based on previous decisions I made that were completely irrelevant to the current situation. Is no-one really going to question why Alex is injured? Why the fuck was no-one genuinely alarmed at Alex's life-threatening injuries?
There is no message or moral to the story. In an attempt to give you some minor decisions to make, the game acts like your choices matter at the end with having Alex choose between "I learned that I want a home" or "I learned that I'm comfortable with my emotions" as if that had any bearing on the story. Even major decisions are complete bullshit. If you keep Ethan's secret in Chapter 1 about going to the mines, Alex ends up telling Gabe later anyways. The chapter 4 decision of signing the cease & desist or not goes nowhere since you end up getting shot by Jed 2 hours later anyways. The overall lack of decisions in the game is more evidence of a lack of budget, and of the highway robbery Square Enix committed by charging full price for this incomplete game.
Speaking of, how about that performance? Nothing like loading screens between every scene change on the PS5's SSD, and sub-30 FPS even in indoor settings. This game is so poorly optimized, and the bugs are inexcusable, ranging from hard crashes to T-posing in pivotal scenes. The ending montage had a loading screen between each new location for Christ's sake, with the quicksave icon in the bottom left corner to boot. 100% inexcusable in a narrative-driven game in 2021.
I could keep ranting about the characters, writing, exploration, gameplay, ending... but this game isn't worth any more of my time. I enjoyed all previous LIS games including the Captain Spirit prequel and Decknine's own Before the Storm, but this game dropped the ball entirely.
This is a bitter review to make. I really wanted to love this game, but there are just so many glaring problems with it that the process of playing it was tedious and disappointing at every turn.
First and foremost, there is a serious problem with the SCOPE of the game. Other Life is Strange games are also limited, but this is taken to an extreme. Environments are limited to one main street, and a few shops on it: a bar, an apartment above it, a record shop, a weed dispensary, and a flower shop. That's it. There is one other environment seen at the end of Act 1 (an entrance to a mine), and a couple small rooms in flashback-type scenarios. In order to move the story along, then, the game relies almost exclusively on updating the social media posts on your phone, and between chapters, the flyers you can read in each shop change. You can imagine the tedium of exploration being reading the flyers in the same rooms over and over again. NPCs and interactions with them are nearly absent. There's a cast of about ten secondary characters, but most of the interactions are limited to visiting them in their shops or talking to them in the bar. As soon as you exit the room you were in together, you get a chain of SMS dropped into your phone where a couple followup pleasantries are exchanged such as "Thanks for talking with me today!" or other such nonsense. Many of these characters only show up in the first two acts and are then forgotten, even though they should have a role to play.
The story that is told through the narrative itself is barebones. The first chapter is great, and shows promise in the way all other Life is Strange games do, setting up the characters, the town, the conflict--it's really fantastic, especially if you know nothing going in. Afterwards, however, the game plops you into Chapter 2... which is just conversations in the same environments as before. If you look at the SMS messages, you'll realize a month has passed, but there is otherwise very little in the narrative to indicate the passage of time. Characters now talk as if they have been lifelong friends and nothing is really earned. It ends after a bit over an hour, without progressing anything. Chapter 3 then sidetracks you into an event that the game thinks it's being clever with (a LARP taking place in the town), but which is detached from the narrative and just filling in space. The chapter ends abruptly. Then Chapter 4 throws you into a festival. You talk to a few NPC about how nice the night is, spend ten minutes on a few scripted scenes to progress the story, and it's over.
And now you're in Chapter 5, where the game brings the big finale. The chapter is standout Life is Strange, and it makes you forget that the game had gone literally nowhere previously. But if you stop to think for a moment, you realize you were hoodwinked into a climax that was not earned by the narrative or by the characters. This is a story that started with a beginning and an ending that the writer had in mind, and it didn't matter to them how you arrived from one point to the other. Or maybe it did matter, and they had no idea what to do. Or maybe they knew what to do, but because of the constraints of having to deliver a game while adjusting to remote work due to Covid, they chose to keep the scope limited so they could deliver in a timely way by reusing assets, instead of taking chances with technical and narrative challenges... whatever the reason, the result is a game and a narrative that is superficial and a shadow of what other Life is Strange games have been.
I also have to say that I took a bit of offense to the character's special powers. The Life is Strange series is a series that is focused on women, minorities, loving who you want regardless of gender... It is inclusive and carries messages of support, acceptance, and hope. This is a series where characters will be aware of the feelings of others, and apologize for hurting them or overstepping boundaries. Your main ability on this new installment is supposed to be "the power of empathy," but at some point in time this turns into reading minds like Charles Xavier. It is intrusive and an invasion of privacy. In many instances the NPCs will be pensive or distant, and you will pry into their minds to take and use information for your own gain. This will further upset the NPCs, who ask you to stop, and yet you will keep pushing selfishly on the matter, and extract more information to try to see how you can get more info and make them feel better. The main character believes she is everyone's self-appointed savior. It's disgusting and at odds with the core message that the game is trying to give. The game ignores this, instead of using it as an opportunity to use this duplicity to add nuance to the narrative, or maybe show some character growth.
From a technical/presentation perspective, the game is a disaster. The engine struggles to load and maintain what it's showing you. Half the time when the camera changes, textures will load in a split second after when the camera cuts back to the same asset. This is constant and happens with everything in the game, all game long--facial hair, t-shirts, building decorations. The ending scene, the only montage in the game, struggles with textures loading and characters animating in slow-motion until the loading is complete. Hopefully these can be fixed. More glaring is the fact that any time a new environment has to load after a segment, the game cuts away abruptly to a black loading screen, cutting off the audio and showing a loading logo. Instead of doing a graceful fadeout, with a black screen and music softly playing, you get these abrupt loading screen transitions that make the game feel unfinished. For a game that is almost exclusively narrative-based, for this to be designed this way is absolutely inexcusable.
Summary: Chapters 1 and 5 were fantastic. 2-4 were miserable. The game had obvious development and technical challenges, which translated to an experience that pales in comparison to the other entries in the series. 60 dollars is too much money to ask for, for a game that plays itself and is over in under 8 hours. Buy on sale, and only if you have played the previous entries. Otherwise, play those.
First and foremost, there is a serious problem with the SCOPE of the game. Other Life is Strange games are also limited, but this is taken to an extreme. Environments are limited to one main street, and a few shops on it: a bar, an apartment above it, a record shop, a weed dispensary, and a flower shop. That's it. There is one other environment seen at the end of Act 1 (an entrance to a mine), and a couple small rooms in flashback-type scenarios. In order to move the story along, then, the game relies almost exclusively on updating the social media posts on your phone, and between chapters, the flyers you can read in each shop change. You can imagine the tedium of exploration being reading the flyers in the same rooms over and over again. NPCs and interactions with them are nearly absent. There's a cast of about ten secondary characters, but most of the interactions are limited to visiting them in their shops or talking to them in the bar. As soon as you exit the room you were in together, you get a chain of SMS dropped into your phone where a couple followup pleasantries are exchanged such as "Thanks for talking with me today!" or other such nonsense. Many of these characters only show up in the first two acts and are then forgotten, even though they should have a role to play.
The story that is told through the narrative itself is barebones. The first chapter is great, and shows promise in the way all other Life is Strange games do, setting up the characters, the town, the conflict--it's really fantastic, especially if you know nothing going in. Afterwards, however, the game plops you into Chapter 2... which is just conversations in the same environments as before. If you look at the SMS messages, you'll realize a month has passed, but there is otherwise very little in the narrative to indicate the passage of time. Characters now talk as if they have been lifelong friends and nothing is really earned. It ends after a bit over an hour, without progressing anything. Chapter 3 then sidetracks you into an event that the game thinks it's being clever with (a LARP taking place in the town), but which is detached from the narrative and just filling in space. The chapter ends abruptly. Then Chapter 4 throws you into a festival. You talk to a few NPC about how nice the night is, spend ten minutes on a few scripted scenes to progress the story, and it's over.
And now you're in Chapter 5, where the game brings the big finale. The chapter is standout Life is Strange, and it makes you forget that the game had gone literally nowhere previously. But if you stop to think for a moment, you realize you were hoodwinked into a climax that was not earned by the narrative or by the characters. This is a story that started with a beginning and an ending that the writer had in mind, and it didn't matter to them how you arrived from one point to the other. Or maybe it did matter, and they had no idea what to do. Or maybe they knew what to do, but because of the constraints of having to deliver a game while adjusting to remote work due to Covid, they chose to keep the scope limited so they could deliver in a timely way by reusing assets, instead of taking chances with technical and narrative challenges... whatever the reason, the result is a game and a narrative that is superficial and a shadow of what other Life is Strange games have been.
I also have to say that I took a bit of offense to the character's special powers. The Life is Strange series is a series that is focused on women, minorities, loving who you want regardless of gender... It is inclusive and carries messages of support, acceptance, and hope. This is a series where characters will be aware of the feelings of others, and apologize for hurting them or overstepping boundaries. Your main ability on this new installment is supposed to be "the power of empathy," but at some point in time this turns into reading minds like Charles Xavier. It is intrusive and an invasion of privacy. In many instances the NPCs will be pensive or distant, and you will pry into their minds to take and use information for your own gain. This will further upset the NPCs, who ask you to stop, and yet you will keep pushing selfishly on the matter, and extract more information to try to see how you can get more info and make them feel better. The main character believes she is everyone's self-appointed savior. It's disgusting and at odds with the core message that the game is trying to give. The game ignores this, instead of using it as an opportunity to use this duplicity to add nuance to the narrative, or maybe show some character growth.
From a technical/presentation perspective, the game is a disaster. The engine struggles to load and maintain what it's showing you. Half the time when the camera changes, textures will load in a split second after when the camera cuts back to the same asset. This is constant and happens with everything in the game, all game long--facial hair, t-shirts, building decorations. The ending scene, the only montage in the game, struggles with textures loading and characters animating in slow-motion until the loading is complete. Hopefully these can be fixed. More glaring is the fact that any time a new environment has to load after a segment, the game cuts away abruptly to a black loading screen, cutting off the audio and showing a loading logo. Instead of doing a graceful fadeout, with a black screen and music softly playing, you get these abrupt loading screen transitions that make the game feel unfinished. For a game that is almost exclusively narrative-based, for this to be designed this way is absolutely inexcusable.
Summary: Chapters 1 and 5 were fantastic. 2-4 were miserable. The game had obvious development and technical challenges, which translated to an experience that pales in comparison to the other entries in the series. 60 dollars is too much money to ask for, for a game that plays itself and is over in under 8 hours. Buy on sale, and only if you have played the previous entries. Otherwise, play those.
Twin Peaks
I was surprised when I got to the end of this. It's a bit shorter than the others, but I loved every moment of it and nothing felt like filler. I get the feeling that there actually might be some interesting plot branches based on choices which makes it probably worth replaying.
I expected not to like this. But I did, a lot! First, some minor things. I was positively suprised by how well this game is staged and directed! There are a lot of cleverly done moments in this, where the storytelling is elevated by the presentation and sound design. The "meditation spots" were also a really nice thing to have in this one. In the games before I didn't really notice them that much, but in True Colors I appreciated them a lot (I actually wish more games would give you the ability to take a breather in-game).
The entire game is about empathy - a fact that it makes VERY obvious from the very beginning and in literally all the marketing materials. But I think it found a clever way to contrast Alex' messy, human empathy with the clean corporate empathy, motivated by self interest, that is represented by Typhon in the story. This opposition allows the game to talk about the topic in a more nuanced way. In that same vein, I found way this game handles the major and even minor decisions offered to the player quite interesting? The answer isn't always that obvious, and allowing yóu to retroactively see the emotions and thougthts their decision has lead to in the other characters adds additional weight to them without needing to make complicated branching paths. The impacts of the players decisions are mostly seen in the thoughts and feelings of the people around you - which is in my opinion the best way to handle this. In general, Alex' superpower is the one best suited for the type of game Life is Strange wants to be. Where Max' power resulted in seeing the two possible paths and rewinding to lock in your final decision, here you actually get to understand the consequences of them in more detail. As a consequence, there are a lot of small moments in True Colors that have impact. Even the cheesy moments can carry a lot of emotional honesty through this choice of superpower.
Another thing I loved was the way romanced was handled. It's, essentially, completely optional - you can always "just" stay friends with the two romancable characters - and the game as well as the characters respect that and value it the same way as the other options. There is a lot of agency that is rarely awarded to the player or the main character in these constellations (I can't think of another game that does this, actually). Also, vidyas are maybe the best medium to have a bisexual protagonist, because well, everybody should just understand the concept after playing this.
True Colors, does however, fall into the trap of making a lot of the systemic failings it talks about a problem of individuals or created by an individual. That is somehow to be expected, given it revolves around emotions, but there are some moments where it feels like it overreaches a bit. Most of the failings here are individual failings, sure, but the way they're made possible and worse by the surrounding system(s) and institutions is rarely talked about. It's kinda just brushed off in the end? There probably would've needed to be an entire new chapter to make the ending not feel rushed in that regard.
ALSO: I don't get the people saying this game looks bad??? It's literally one of the prettiest games I played this year? The artstyle is very beautiful!
The entire game is about empathy - a fact that it makes VERY obvious from the very beginning and in literally all the marketing materials. But I think it found a clever way to contrast Alex' messy, human empathy with the clean corporate empathy, motivated by self interest, that is represented by Typhon in the story. This opposition allows the game to talk about the topic in a more nuanced way. In that same vein, I found way this game handles the major and even minor decisions offered to the player quite interesting? The answer isn't always that obvious, and allowing yóu to retroactively see the emotions and thougthts their decision has lead to in the other characters adds additional weight to them without needing to make complicated branching paths. The impacts of the players decisions are mostly seen in the thoughts and feelings of the people around you - which is in my opinion the best way to handle this. In general, Alex' superpower is the one best suited for the type of game Life is Strange wants to be. Where Max' power resulted in seeing the two possible paths and rewinding to lock in your final decision, here you actually get to understand the consequences of them in more detail. As a consequence, there are a lot of small moments in True Colors that have impact. Even the cheesy moments can carry a lot of emotional honesty through this choice of superpower.
Another thing I loved was the way romanced was handled. It's, essentially, completely optional - you can always "just" stay friends with the two romancable characters - and the game as well as the characters respect that and value it the same way as the other options. There is a lot of agency that is rarely awarded to the player or the main character in these constellations (I can't think of another game that does this, actually). Also, vidyas are maybe the best medium to have a bisexual protagonist, because well, everybody should just understand the concept after playing this.
True Colors, does however, fall into the trap of making a lot of the systemic failings it talks about a problem of individuals or created by an individual. That is somehow to be expected, given it revolves around emotions, but there are some moments where it feels like it overreaches a bit. Most of the failings here are individual failings, sure, but the way they're made possible and worse by the surrounding system(s) and institutions is rarely talked about. It's kinda just brushed off in the end? There probably would've needed to be an entire new chapter to make the ending not feel rushed in that regard.
ALSO: I don't get the people saying this game looks bad??? It's literally one of the prettiest games I played this year? The artstyle is very beautiful!
Arguably the best Life is Strange game to date, the writing is a LOT better than the rest of the series (though the bar was pretty low) and motion capture really adds a lot. The power ties into the game and works well (I was weary that it'd be kind of lame).
Also the Steph DLC is really nice :>
Biggest complain is that it's maybe a little bit short? It's great they released it all at once, but there's a lot of time jumping between chapters that I feel worked a little bit better when you had that jump in real life too - I would've LOVED more filler and downtime to build relationships between characters!!
Also the Steph DLC is really nice :>
Biggest complain is that it's maybe a little bit short? It's great they released it all at once, but there's a lot of time jumping between chapters that I feel worked a little bit better when you had that jump in real life too - I would've LOVED more filler and downtime to build relationships between characters!!
This game is such a vibe but like also the characters are really sexy so I’m a bit confused
i like life is strange because i am a certified things enjoyer
i enjoyed playing this game - but it could've done better.
the main issue is that it's short. the first chapter is the one I enjoyed (and suffered) the most.
the reveal of the plot twist shocked me briefly, but i was mostly concerned by how little could've even hinted at it, or how more development would've made it insanely better.
i'm not sure if it was a development thing or what - but the story itself happens in a very, very small period of time, yet treats it as if aged had gone by.
the artstyle and music are absolutely on point, this is the best life is strange in that regard and i'm excited for what may come next.
this might be a pet peeve but the male love interests in both 1 and this one were not interesting at all and i'm not sure if it's because lis is a designated gay game. either way i believe in steph supremacy
basically this game is very pretty it has great music and is enjoyable to play but the story didn't quite do it for me. excited to see more games with this quality!
i enjoyed playing this game - but it could've done better.
the main issue is that it's short. the first chapter is the one I enjoyed (and suffered) the most.
the reveal of the plot twist shocked me briefly, but i was mostly concerned by how little could've even hinted at it, or how more development would've made it insanely better.
i'm not sure if it was a development thing or what - but the story itself happens in a very, very small period of time, yet treats it as if aged had gone by.
the artstyle and music are absolutely on point, this is the best life is strange in that regard and i'm excited for what may come next.
this might be a pet peeve but the male love interests in both 1 and this one were not interesting at all and i'm not sure if it's because lis is a designated gay game. either way i believe in steph supremacy
basically this game is very pretty it has great music and is enjoyable to play but the story didn't quite do it for me. excited to see more games with this quality!