During today’s Square Enix Presents broadcast, the publisher revealed Life is Strange: True Colours, the next entry in the choice-driven adventure series. The full game — no episodic releases this time — is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Stadia on September 10.
Life is Strange: True Colours is being developed by Deck Nine, the team behind 2017 spin-off Before the Storm. It follows protagonist Alex Chen as she adjusts to a new life in the small town of Haven Springs with her brother Gabe after they were separated for eight years. But just as the siblings are getting reacquainted, tragedy strikes, and it’s up to Alex to unravel the mystery of Gabe’s death with her own unique supernatural powers.
Like several Life is Strange characters before her, Alex possesses paranormal abilities that set her apart from the rest of the cast, although she considers them more of a curse than a gift. By tapping into the feelings of others, Alex is able to absorb and manipulate emotions, which manifest as beautiful, brightly coloured auras around the people in her life. This empathy is the key to understanding what happened to her brother and the mysteries surrounding Haven Springs.
Alex will also make two friends in potential romantic interests Ryan and Steph, the latter of whom Life is Strange fans may remember from her supporting role in Before the Storm. Every character has been brought to life by series-first motion capture technology, making animations and facial expressions particularly impressive compared to previous games. True Colours also features a much more open world, allowing players to explore Haven Springs’ main street and experience side stories and optional content.
Perhaps less importantly, Life is Strange: True Colours marks the first time I’ve actually been interested in checking out one of these games. While I generally love the genre, especially where Telltale Games is concerned, something about Life is Strange has never really gripped me until now. True Colours looks simultaneously charming and melancholy in a way few games are these days, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Alex’s story plays out later this year.
Break my heart, Deck Nine. Make me cry. I’m ready for it.
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