Life is Strange: True Colors is being review bombed on Steam over its inclusion of a Tibetan flag. The latest installment in the Life is Strange series released Friday for most modern platforms. While the game was also originally meant to launch on the Nintendo Switch alongside other platform, a Life is Strange: True Colors Switch delay was announced in August, pushing the game's release on the Nintendo console to sometime before the year's end.
The release of Life is Strange: True Colors on the Nintendo Switch will mark the series’ debut on the platform, despite it being the third mainline title in the series. Fortunately, those who want to play some of the previous releases in the franchise on the Nintendo Switch can also look forward to Life is Strange Remastered Collection, which is set for release sometime in early 2022. The collection includes remastered versions of both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Notably, the latter is connected to this latest entry, as it is where fans of the series first meet Life is Strange: True Colors' Steph Gingrich, who plays a major role in the new entry.
While the Life is Strange: True Colors Steam page shows the new release has “Very Positive” user reviews overall, a large portion of its negative reviews are written in Chinese and criticize the game's use of a Tibetan flag (via PC Gamer). True Colors features a shop called Treasures of Tibet that has the flag (which is used in the real world as a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement) hanging above its entrance. While most of these reviews are written in Chinese, some are written in English, with one stating, "The game contains elements of Tibetan independence, implying a split of China." Another claims, "Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet have been Chinese territories since ancient times. No matter how the obsolete think, they will eventually return to the mainland. I suggest that NEETs read more books, stop being stupid, and find a job to support themselves. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet is part of China forever."
Despite these review bomb attempts, Life is Strange: True Colors has received generally positive reviews from both players and critics, with many praising the game’s characters, story, and the unique powers of protagonist Alex Chen. The new game's positive reception may have also been helped by its new release strategy, as Life is Strange: True Colors isn’t episodic like its predecessors. This means players are able to experience the entirety of its story all at once rather than having to wait weeks between each episode or chapter.
This isn’t the first time Chinese actors have review bombed a game for political reasons. Back in 2019, Devotion was removed from Steam after being review bombed and censored in China because of hidden references to People's Republic of China President Xi Jinping. The Chinese government has also recently clamped down on gaming in the country as whole, passing new regulations that limit minors to only three hours of gaming a week. This and other recent interventions by the government caused Tencent's stock value to plummet and could affect the global gaming industry moving ahead.
Life is Strange: True Colors is now available on the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia, and it will launch on Nintendo Switch in 2021.