After the massive misstep of Dontnod Entertainment Life is strange 2Having traded the small-town charm of Arcadia Bay for a thoughtless road trip, Square Enix’s adventure series is finally back on track with Life is strange: true colors. Deck Nine Games, the Colorado-based team behind it Before the storm just like this fourth entry, took inspiration from his home state and created a predictable story that is, however, filled with relatable characters.
Alex Chen, the show’s newest protagonist, finds herself in a new town to catch up with her estranged older brother Gabe. Family relationships are never entirely rosy Life is strange and there is far more luggage to unpack than Alex’s lonely suitcase suggests. An early death (explicitly spoiled in the trailers) sets the tone for Real colorsthat turns into a detective story between Alex’s search for self-discovery and the hope of finally fitting in somewhere.
Part of her exclusion comes from her superpower, being able to read minds – well, kind of. Alex can sense strong emotions and can sometimes experience flashbacks or hear the thoughts of others if she chooses to read them. It’s an invasive force, and it almost makes you feel bad using the people you make friends with. However, Alex always strives to help people with their problems and tries to help others overcome their trauma in order to cope with their own. This dual purpose is not only an inventive and empathetic force, it also gives a good insight into Alex’s character.
Alex’s powers aren’t really great for solving puzzles and this change changes the formula that has been established in the last three titles. Problems are identified by reading the characters’ emotions and then looking for objects that are imbued with emotion in the vicinity. It’s more about going through the moves than testing your puzzle-solving skills like some of the time travel-related brain teasers in the first game were. It’s not bad to be a simpler adventure game, however, and it lends itself to the title’s greatest strength: its writing style.
The story goes by quite quickly and although the game is not published episodically, the game is still divided into five chapters with logical stops. But none of these points in Real colors reach the heights of one of the shocking cliffhangers of the later episodes of season one and those developments don’t have much time to breathe. Theorizing with the community used to be a lot of fun Life is strange Titles that the game will lose if everything is released at once. It is the cheek that comes at the expense of speculative excitement.
While it doesn’t include revelations as unexpected as some of the series’ earlier revelations, Real colors“The story is tightly written and thematically coherent. It closes off nicely and through to the finale, adding extra meaning to the game’s title. Because of her selfless nature, Alex is a very personable protagonist who Life is strange 2 was largely absent, and the townspeople are highlighted by the game’s two romantic options: Gabe’s best friend Ryan Lucan and Steph Gingrich, the LARPing musician returning from Before the storm. Both characters are great as friends and while the romance seems a bit rushed since you don’t have a Max and Chloe childhood backstory, they still feel pretty natural as those going through grief tend to seek support from others Looking for. While everyone benefits from the more diverse color palette and significantly improved animations, these three are the standout ones.
Real colors is a game that gives something back to more curious players. It’s easy to keep the core experience up in just a few hours, but unless you’re really looking in the town of Haven and doing your civil duty as a good neighbor, you’re going to be missing out on a lot of their heart and some of its best storylines. From a fun side story to a battered ice cream parlor to a depressing look at the weight dementia can put on family members, a lot of the best lyrics are hidden and only experienced when you make an effort to be a true resident of Haven.
With a compelling storyline, elaborate characters, and some of the best lyrics the series has seen to date, Life is strange: true colors is a triumphant success. The twist of the main story leaves much to be desired as it is a bit predictable and numerical, but it is aided by the other parts of the carefully woven narrative package. All of these strengths show that the franchise is clearly in good hands at Deck Nine as the studio is propelling the series in a great new direction.
GAME BOARD: 8/10
As explained in ComingSoon’s evaluation guideline, a score of 8 equals “Great”. While there are a couple of minor issues, this score means that the game is achieving its goal and leaving an unforgettable impression.
Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a copy of the PlayStation 5 Life is strange: true colors Review.
