Life is Strange: True Colors

About Life is Strange: True Colors

Life is Strange: True Colors arrives from Deck Nine as a narrative adventure released in September 2021. You play as Alex Chen, who moves to Haven Springs, Colorado, after her brother dies under suspicious circumstances. This title expands the franchise by placing you in a small mining town where beauty masks dark secrets. Square Enix published this single-player experience across PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Google Stadia. The story focuses on Alex using Empathy, a power that lets her absorb feelings from objects or people around her. You explore the town to uncover what really happened while navigating complex relationships with new locals. It is a character-driven mystery where your decisions ripple through the community.

Gameplay

Your day involves walking through Haven Springs and interacting with NPCs to gather clues about the accident. The core mechanic is Empathy, which allows you to touch objects or people to see their emotional residue. You might hold a broken toy to feel the grief of the owner or shake hands with a suspect to catch a spike in anger. These visions guide your investigation and sometimes unlock new dialogue options or paths forward. Outside of these psychic moments, the game relies on standard adventure controls where you move Alex around environments and select conversation responses from a menu. The pacing feels slow and deliberate, giving you time to examine every corner of the town for hidden items that reveal backstory details.

What Players Think

Critics and players have responded well to this entry in the series. The IGDB shows a solid 81.8 out of 100 score based on 224 ratings. Reviewers consistently praise the emotional weight of the story and the way Alex handles her powers. Community moods are surprisingly calm for a mystery, with one user specifically tagging the vibe as cozy despite the dark plot. Players who finish the game report an average playtime that suggests a thorough exploration of all secrets rather than rushing through. The high rating indicates that most people felt the narrative paid off without the frustration found in other adventure games. No major complaints about controls or pacing appear in the top reviews, making it a safe bet for fans of the genre.

PlayPile's Take

This title works best if you want a story-heavy game with meaningful choices rather than fast action. The price point is reasonable for the length of the campaign and the number of achievements available to track your completion. You will spend about 10 hours getting all the secrets and seeing every ending variation. It is not for players who dislike reading dialogue trees or solving simple puzzles. The emotional payoff feels earned rather than forced, which is rare in modern gaming. Deck Nine succeeded here by giving Alex a distinct voice and powers that actually change how you play. Pick this up if you enjoy character studies over combat mechanics.

Storyline

Alex Chen hides her 'curse': the supernatural ability to absorb and manipulate the strong emotions of others. When her brother dies in a so-called accident, she must embrace her volatile power to find the truth — and reveal dark secrets buried by the town.