Life Is Strange: True Colors

I’ve been wanting to play the Life is Strange series for a long time now, but particularly since it was announced last summer that ports would be arriving on Switch. Following a surprise price-cut, the latest game, True Colors, appeared in my birthday stash this year and after receiving a hand-me-down 49″ TV from my parents, this past weekend I finally booted it up. Containing everything I look for in a single-player game: narrative, choices, emotion; did it live up to the hype?

Following on from similar story-driven games such as Batman: The Telltale Series and L.A. Noire, I was really hoping True Colors would deliver a similarly dramatic experience. Thankfully it didn’t disappoint, with the first chapter immediately throwing crucial choices your way, presenting you with two options that impact the dialogue and story that follows. Darkening and distorting the surrounding visuals, focus is pulled to the decision as you are free to flip back and forth, some choices far harder to make than others.

The choices wouldn’t be so impactful though if the voice-acting, setting and visuals weren’t so impressive. Sure, the resolution may be a lot lower than other consoles but, in the faces, expressions remain well-portrayed which in my view is most important for a game such as this. Not that there aren’t some stunning moments though, the sunset vista above of Haven Springs, taking in distant snowy peaks, woodland, atop a cabin rooftop is a sight to behold, all accompanied with calming acoustic instrumentals that further mellow the atmosphere.

Looking now at the story itself, you play as Alex Chen, a kid that has drifted around the care system before finally being found by her older brother Gabe. Moving to a small town in Colorado, new beginnings turn sour as her brother disappears, leaving Alex alone amidst a group of residents she hardly knows. Determined to find out what happened to her brother, she sets out to investigate and fortunately, possesses the power of empathy, allowing her to sense and relive the emotions of those around her. This power, whilst not necessarily the most fun to use, is perfect for investigation. Traveling around town, residents will appear with a coloured aura around them which can be honed in on at will: red being anger, blue for sadness and purple as fear.

After experiencing particularly intense emotions from major characters, you can view Alex’s thoughts in her journal, fleshing out the narrative further with the addition of lyrical musings, a hobby of hers. Further expanding the world and its characters, you can also access Alex’s phone. From here you can view SMS messages between Alex and the local residents, as well as posts from the town’s social media feed. Whilst not essential to the main story, this all helps make Haven Springs feel more genuine and alive.

Traversing the town, discovery plays a large part with many objects ready for interaction. Again, the level of detail in building a believable world is staggering. Approaching an item, a scribbled white line will dance around the edge, providing you with options to ‘Look’ and sometimes more. Each interaction brings up additional dialogue from Alex, all fully voice-acted and in many cases humorous and sarcastic, really allowing Alex’s personality to shine through. In some cases these interactive objects lead to fully-fledged minigames, be that foosball or the arcade.

Visuals are important in games, but the driving force of True Colors comes with the music. Alex and her brother Gabe share a common interest in music, and with a record store in town and jukebox in the bar, there are plenty of places to rock out. Bolstering this, key vistas throughout Haven Springs trigger looped cinematic moments, with mellow, acoustic songs by the likes of Radiohead and Gabrielle Aplin. Though basic in concept, these segments aid your appreciation of the surroundings and emotions of the lead.

A game I would purely describe as ‘very me’, at just two chapters in I can’t wait to see what else Haven Springs has to offer, what secrets there remain to be found, and am now hyped for the remastered Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection set to hit the Switch later this month.