A journey through emotions
Despite the solid dialogue writing and the oodles of sarcasm, the game True Colors does leave you a bit wanting
Hyderabad: Players of the Life is Strange franchise have grown accustomed to its unique episodic style where newer episodes are either bought separately or made available at specific intervals of time, True Colors though is complete right from day one. A successor to the franchise, it takes a matter of minutes for you to get back in the groove and begin a familiar conversation with an old friend.
The protagonist here is Alex, a girl moving from Portland to the small town of Haven Springs, Colorado to live with her older brother. Alex, failed by the foster care system views the shift as a second chance, an opportunity to become a sister again and form new relationships with people she can trust.
True Colors offers you a lot of information about Alex and her troubled past if you wish to look for it, similarly for every other character too if you have the patience and the desire. Thirty minutes in, you will either by enamored by True Colors’ simple style and execution or be racing to explore New Haven because this game is like the next episode from the previous game.
Alex like Max and Daniel has superpowers. While Max could bend time and Daniel used telekinesis, Alex can perceive others’ emotions and feelings and then experience them as her own. Alex’ empathy is off the charts and as I got used to her powers, I couldn’t help but wonder if this could be a great way for young adults to appreciate empathy and emotional intelligence.
True Colors does justice to Alex’ abilities and throughout the game you realise the more you converse with other characters, the better Alex’ ability to manipulate tricky situations. True Colors’ world is very pretty and with ray tracing this game demands a lot of graphical power. It also has a spectacular sound track and songs like Gabrielle Alpin’s Home will remain with you. The game though can get a bit stale as there is not much here but for moving Alex from one conversation to another and exploring objects. Despite the solid dialogue writing and the oodles of sarcasm, the game does leave you a bit wanting.
Lastly, the iconic choice-based decision system has begun to seem a bit two simplistic as they are often just two choices at every turn. With three iterations of games this I can’t help but wonder if this could have become more nuanced and complex. Despite a fantastic story and a beautiful soundtrack, the Life is Strange formula has begun to get stale. Even a wonderful sequence on LARPs (Live action Roleplays) can’t hide the humdrum bits of True Colors.
What Stands Out
The Soundtrack and the songs are simply fantastic, like every preceding Life is Strange game this one excels in this department too.
The story is wonderful and the characters carefully developed. A lot of twists were extremely unpredictable.
Fails to impress
The classic Life is Strange gameplay style has begun to get stale. No in-game actions but for main character navigation and triggering animated sequences seems very limiting despite the strong plot.
The game could have experimented a bit more with style and engagement options. A lot of Life is Strange continues to remain conversational and exploration based.
Sneak Peek:
Title: Life is Strange: Two Colors
Developer: Deck Nine for Square Enix
Game Type: Single player Episodic Adventure
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Series X, Series S, Switch, Stadia and Windows
Price: INR 3,499 on the PS store, INR 3,999 on the Microsoft Store, INR 2,999 on Steam
Verdict:
Innovative Gameplay: 3.5
Game Handling & Quality: 4.5
Value for Time: 4
Value for Money: 4
Overall: 4
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.
Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .
