Dan Geeks Out: Video Game Review #441: Life is Strange: True Colors

Life is Strange: True Colors

PlayStation 4

Nostalgia Factor:

Mop Up Duty reaches the penultimate year of 2021. I couldn't have asked for a better franchise to mark this milestone than Life Is Strange. I've been a fan of the series since I first played it back in 2018. In the ensuing years, I have played through and reviewed each game in the series - with the exception of this one.

What would the heavy-hitting series hold for me this time around? Let's dive in, shall we?

Story:

Life is Strange games are known for focusing on their narrative as opposed to their gameplay, and this title is no exception. True Colors focuses on Alex, a young woman who comes to stay with her brother Gabe in an idyllic Colorado town. Beards, plaid shirts, craft beer, novelty storefronts, dispensaries, an NPR radio station. The place is hipster heaven. Just play the game and you'll see what I mean.

It isn't long before Gabe dies in an accident, leaving Alex in this comfortable but strange town all by herself. Alex finds out that Gabe's death might not have been accidental after all, and goes on an investigation to dig up this small town's secrets and find out what is going on.

In true Life Is Strange fashion, super powers come into play. Alex has the ability to read people's thoughts and to pick up items and dive into the memories of the last person to touch them. Of course, mastering these skills becomes key to discovering the truth of what happened to your brother. Over the course of your investigation, you'll make friends and forge relationships with the people of this small town, who are intrigued by Gabe's mysterious sister but cautious of her at the same time. Expect to form emotional bonds with some of the characters and experience some heavy hitting emotional moments along the way. It wouldn't be a Life is Strange game without emotional moments! And romances. Of course, those are an option as well.

Gameplay:

As I said, Life Is Strange games aren't known for their gameplay. You walk around, you look at stuff, you talk to people. Don't expect to be floored by anything groundbreaking. The ability to read minds does add a nice wrinkle to things, but it isn't long before it becomes a normal and routine thing.

All the action of the game is limited to this small town, which you'll become acquainted with very quickly. The people, the locations, everything. One of my favorite parts of the game is when the town comes together to throw a "larping" party for a young kid who is down on his luck. The whole game suddenly turns into a turn-based JRPG for an entire chapter. You solve quests, you collect items, you go into random battles, and you fight a boss character at the end of it all. It is a very fun change of pace from the rest of the game.

The rest of the game is just a lot of walking and a lot of talking. Not that I'm complaining too much. You're constantly stopping to examine things, read minds, and take on tasks to advance the story. The game moves along at a fairly rapid pace. There were a few occasions where I didn't know what to do next, and I had to wander around looking for the right person to talk to in order to trigger the next event. But those moments of getting stuck are few and far between.

Graphics:

This game looks great. It is impressive to see how far Life Is Strange has come since its inception in 2015. The game looks lifelike. Maybe not photo realistic, but lifelike in a Pixar kind of way. If you go back to the first game, the characters had a very "graphic novel" look and feel to them. Not this time.

What's most impressive about the game are its environments. This small town in Colorado is brought to life in a truly amazing and realistic way. All of the interiors are bursting with small details. It's not hard to believe that all of this could be a real place that actually exists somewhere.

There are a lot of visually dazzling scenes as well. The one that stands out to me is the park, late at night, with all the white Christmas lights up - and the sense of wonder that I felt walking around and checking stuff out. Pretty cool.

Sound:

Voice acting once again proves to be a strength of the Life is Strange series. I really can't say anything bad about it. In addition to the great voice acting, the ambient music and sound effects fit the tone of the game perfectly, and really bring the world of the game to life.

Overall:

I don't know why, but I had very low expectations for this game coming in. I'm glad to say that this game easily surpassed those expectations.

From beginning to end, I was very "into" the game. I loved exploring the town, meeting its citizens, and attempting to unravel the mystery of Gabe's death. There are sad moments. There are romantic moments. There are tense moments. Everything you'd look for in a Life Is Strange game.

True, this game may not have the deepest gameplay in the world. It involves a lot of talking and a lot of walking. But if that's your thing, you'll probably enjoy this. If I had to rank this among the other titles in the series, I'd put it above II for sure. Probably even above the original game. It's between this and Before the Storm for me.

If you are a fan of the Life is Strange series, you should love this game. If you are not a fan, save yourself the time and don't bother with this one. If you've never played a game in the series before, I can easily recommend that you check this one out. It's not tied to the other games in any way at all, so no knowledge of them is needed whatsoever.

THE GRADE:

40th Birthday Mop Up Duty Celebration Tour:

1982 reviews:

1983:

1984:

Frogger II: Threedeep!