Life Is Strange has quickly become a core series for Square Enix, with a passionate fan following to boot. During its first Square Enix presents of 2021 the company unveiled Life Is Strange: True Colors, a brand new original entry in the franchise.
Like with Life Is Strange 2, True Colors is mostly unrelated to past games in the series, featuring a new setting, protagonist, and power. The new game isn't actually developed by Dontnod, with Deck Nine, the developers of Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, taking the reins this time.
While Square Enix is obviously keeping some things close to the chest, the presentation had a surprising amount of details to share. Here's everything we know about Life Is Strange: True Colors.
Life is Strange: True Colors Release Date
Life Is Strange: True Colors launches on September 10 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Google Stadia. Along with a firm release date, Square Enix also shared the news that True Colors won't release episodically, but rather the whole game will release on September 10. There will still be chapter breaks in True Colors that separate the story, but it marks a big change for the Life Is Strange series. Additionally, there will be three different versions of the game at launch; the Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Ultimate Edition. Below you can see what each version entails.
- Standard Edition - Comes with the base game and any pre-order bonuses based on the retailer.
- Deluxe Edition - Comes with the base game and a bonus DLC episode called Wavelengths that stars Steph, from Before the Storm. Also includes the Life Is Strange Hero Pack which changes the main character's outfit to past protagonists look.
- Ultimate Edition - Comes with the base game, Wavelengths DLC, the Life Is Strange Hero Pack, and the Life Is Strange Remastered Collection, including remastered versions of the first Life Is Strange and Before the Storm.
Life is Strange: True Colors Story and Characters
True Colors takes place in the small fictional mining town of Haven Springs, Colorado. The protagonist, Alex Chen, moves to Haven Springs to live with her brother, but things take a turn when he dies in a mysterious accident. There seems to be more to the story, however, and the small town hides a secret.
Alex's power is that of the empath, meaning she can see auras around people that note their feelings and emotions. Past just feeling emotions, Alex can even absorb and alter them. From the reveal trailer, it's clear Alex sees her power as a "curse" at the start of the game, but it's the only way she'll find the truth of her brother's death. Haven Springs is made up of personable people, as you'd expect from a quaint mountain town, and it appears that Alex will have two potential romantic interests, like in past games. Fans will be excited to hear that True Colors also maintains the series standard for the soundtrack, featuring songs from Radiohead, Phoebe Bridgers, Gabrielle Aplin, and mxmtoon.
Life Is Strange: True Colors Gameplay Details
The reveal trailer for True Colors focused pretty exclusively on story and setup, but there are still some indications as to what players can expect from gameplay. Like the rest of the series, True Colors is a narrative-adventure that will take players through Haven Springs and the surrounding area. Conversations and choice will still play a vital part in the experience, perhaps even more so now with Alex's empath powers.
Deck Nine hasn't revealed exactly how the empath powers will work in True Colors, but Alex can see the different hues on NPCs depending on their emotion. This will likely play into conversations and how to get the truth from different characters. Graphically, True Colors is a step-up from Life Is Strange 2 and features better character and facial animations. One of the more interesting aspects of the game is how emotions can "infect" Alex, but it remains to be seen how that might factor into actual gameplay.