This review contains spoilers
Life is Strange: True Colors is a visually stunning and auditory masterpiece, and absolutely nails the vibe of a small town’s close-knit community. This game remedies a lot of the issues I had with its predecessors, where relationships between characters felt largely synthetic and impersonal save for the main character and their love interest. Here, these characters see each other every day and live in a town that they all help to maintain; therefore, so many of the relationships and attitudes felt natural and well-established. Probably my favorite part of the game was that I could not only feel but see how my choices mattered (and they mattered in the end)! It felt so rewarding watching everyone come to Alex’s defense in the end, and it was all because I took the time to interact with others and lend a shoulder where I could. Also, side note, Alex and Steph are SO cute together!
Speaking of her, Alex is also an incredible main character! Her story feels genuine, and she’s easy to empathize with. Though, on the subject of empathy, the fact that her super power is just her going “I’m an empath” is ridiculously funny. I really enjoyed the accompanying visuals whenever she tapped into an emotion, but part of me can’t help but wonder that if her “power” is just empathy, did they really need to give her a “power” in the first place? From a gameplay perspective, it’s hardly used and there are little if any puzzles attached to it (compared to something like Max’s time-rewind capabilities). I understand the game would be less aesthetically-pleasing without the emotional set-pieces, but sometimes I feel like her “power” is less of a power and more just her being a person.
Alex’s empath powers culminate in a showdown that’s unfortunately my least favorite part of the game: the confrontation with Jed. Look, I get what they were going for. I get the parallels to Alex and Gabe’s father. I get that one of the last things Gabe wanted to get right was to forgive their father. I get that this game wants us to part the clouds of emotions and embrace the human beneath it all. I get it. I do. But it does irritate me that forgiving Jed is not only an option, but is the popular option. Setting aside the fact that he’s directly responsible for the deaths of 7 people which he attempted to cover up, was hailed as a hero for the people he “saved,” got another person killed for attempting to cover up his previous murders, the fact that he LIED to Alex, attempted to KILL her, and then tried to MANIPULATE everyone to turn against her just feels unforgivable to me.
I feel like this game wants to teach you a lesson about forgiveness. That as we grow older, time moves on, and we change, and we learn, and we should forgive and move on. But honestly? Speaking from my own personal experience, I’ve spent my whole life forgiving, and forgiving, and forgiving and it has left me with so much grief. Grief for the person I could have been had I respected myself and my boundaries. Life has taught me that not everyone is deserving of forgiveness, and that’s ok. In place of forgiveness, I can offer empathy and understanding. I can take the time to understand why something was done, but it doesn’t mean I have to excuse it. So the fact that Jed’s redeemable at all well and truly baffles me.
Overall, though, this was a great game! It’s not without its flaws, but fortunately I went into this knowing it’d have its issues. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with it, and I’m excited to see what comes next in the series!
Speaking of her, Alex is also an incredible main character! Her story feels genuine, and she’s easy to empathize with. Though, on the subject of empathy, the fact that her super power is just her going “I’m an empath” is ridiculously funny. I really enjoyed the accompanying visuals whenever she tapped into an emotion, but part of me can’t help but wonder that if her “power” is just empathy, did they really need to give her a “power” in the first place? From a gameplay perspective, it’s hardly used and there are little if any puzzles attached to it (compared to something like Max’s time-rewind capabilities). I understand the game would be less aesthetically-pleasing without the emotional set-pieces, but sometimes I feel like her “power” is less of a power and more just her being a person.
Alex’s empath powers culminate in a showdown that’s unfortunately my least favorite part of the game: the confrontation with Jed. Look, I get what they were going for. I get the parallels to Alex and Gabe’s father. I get that one of the last things Gabe wanted to get right was to forgive their father. I get that this game wants us to part the clouds of emotions and embrace the human beneath it all. I get it. I do. But it does irritate me that forgiving Jed is not only an option, but is the popular option. Setting aside the fact that he’s directly responsible for the deaths of 7 people which he attempted to cover up, was hailed as a hero for the people he “saved,” got another person killed for attempting to cover up his previous murders, the fact that he LIED to Alex, attempted to KILL her, and then tried to MANIPULATE everyone to turn against her just feels unforgivable to me.
I feel like this game wants to teach you a lesson about forgiveness. That as we grow older, time moves on, and we change, and we learn, and we should forgive and move on. But honestly? Speaking from my own personal experience, I’ve spent my whole life forgiving, and forgiving, and forgiving and it has left me with so much grief. Grief for the person I could have been had I respected myself and my boundaries. Life has taught me that not everyone is deserving of forgiveness, and that’s ok. In place of forgiveness, I can offer empathy and understanding. I can take the time to understand why something was done, but it doesn’t mean I have to excuse it. So the fact that Jed’s redeemable at all well and truly baffles me.
Overall, though, this was a great game! It’s not without its flaws, but fortunately I went into this knowing it’d have its issues. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with it, and I’m excited to see what comes next in the series!