Life Is Strange True Colors Review – Strumming the Right Strings (PS5)

life is strange true colors review

Developer Deck Nine is back with the latest entry in the Life is Strange series, titled “Life Is Strange: True Colors.” Does it deliver when it comes to the narrative? And if so, how does it play? Read on for our Life is Strange: True Colors review.

Life is Strange: True Colors embodies the very chemistry that the franchise has been known for, all while catering to both old and newcomers of the series. On a story perspective, there is much to be found in this gripping tale of emotions, from light-hearted humor, to emotional tear jerker moments, True Color brings the series full strength to tell one exceptional story.

In this iteration, you play as Alex Chen, a person who posses the unique ability to feel people’s emotions ranging from happiness, sadness to even raging anger. As you can imagine, this ability allows her to understand those around her, and to help them get out of some emotional ruts that they may be in. Unfortunately this has a downside, as the closer she gets to an emotion, the more she begins to take on it, forcing her to have to act through it.

However, once she is able to overcome all these obstacles, she is able to form bonds, connecting people in ways they never knew were possible. This being a Life is Strange title, players should expect decisions to play a heavy role, as the game records every single one you make. Decisions made throughout the campaign all felt like they mattered, and by the time I had finished my first playthrough I had my desired closure, something I feel many games have trouble delivering on.

With five chapters available, and depending on your playstyle you may be looking at somewhere between 7-12 hours for completion. It’s time well spent though, as the story never felt rushed, or dragged on with its easy-to-follow pacing. I don’t want to spoil anything here,as I always feel someone should go in blind into a game, but just be prepared for some scenes that will — without question — pull on those heart strings. You may even shed a tear or two.

Of course, when you aren’t hammering your way through the main campaign, Haven Springs, the central location picked to tell the story of Strange Color, flourishes in an abundance of side activities, and exploration. As I said in my preview, Haven Springs feels like the perfect place to tell a Life is Strange story, as it loaded with beautiful sceneries. Forests with lush greens, beautiful and coloring filled with incredible lighting are amongst the highlights — along with the free-range exploration that’ll see players venture off into rocky terrains and other areas. Of course the town of Haven Springs is littered with side activities should you want to take a break from the main campaign.

I will say that the only complaint I did have, which is related to performance, is that the experience of Life is Strange Strange Color on the PS5 isn’t a solid 60 frames-per-second. Heavy scenes where Alex is showcasing her full powers would often be filled with large amounts of particles. This, along with other areas in the game had some pretty rough dips. I can’t comment on any other platforms, though I do hope that Deck Nine is working on some stability updates to bring the PS5 closer to a lock 60fps.

As for gameplay, Life is Strange True Colors is very fluid. Controls are well explained, and it takes no time to getting use to how easy they are. The only issue I really ran into was certain parts where you had to go looking for a specific character and was mostly running around until finding said person by fluke. This is a minor nitpick but True Colors does want you to go exploring looking for memories or helping out various characters in the game. Just remember throughout all the exploration that Life is Strange True Colors provides a great story that is always rewarding, even if you make some bad decision choices in the game, if you want to go down that route. Those decisions will always have consequences in True Colors.

And if you did happen to make a very bad decision that you didn’t like, or missed out on some hidden memories, you could always go back via chapter select. It’s a returning feature sure, but I love this as it enabled me to tailor my playthrough the way I wanted it to be.

Overall Life is Strange True Colors is a hit. Emotional moments that tie into the story, beautiful scenery with great music. Definitly give Life is Strange True Colors a playthrough even if you are a newcomer to the series.

Score: 9/10

Pros:

  • Great story
  • Tons of exploration
  • Music choice is perfect
  • Scenery is eyegasm

Cons:

  • Licensed Music needs fixing
  • Framerate is left to be desired on PS5
  • Can easily get lost while looking for main characters

A review code Life is Strange: True Colors was provided by the publisher and played on PS5. You can read SP1st and MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.

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