Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue

X
E3 2021

New Life Is Strange: True Colors Trailer Shows Off The Terrifying Side Of Empathy

by Liana Ruppert on Jun 13, 2021 at 02:56 PM

Life is Strange: True Colors is a game about empathy, but don't mistake the feeling-driven narrative for being something soft or "weak." With empathy comes a strength that is often buried. To feel so fully is a blessing and a curse, and Deck Nine is taking that complexity and transforming it into a new adventure for Life is Strange fans to enjoy, endure, and to overcome. 

With E3 2021 in full swing, Square Enix revealed another new look at Alex Chen's story in Life is Strange: True Colors. Before, the team at Deck Nine showed off the next step for the franchise, a tale of Alex desperately trying to solve the mystery of her brother's death. Just like Max in the first game, there is a supernatural element at play. Instead of the power to rewind time, however, Alex has the power of empathy. Sometimes, that power is too much, too overwhelming. Flowing from a mindless rage into a bottomless pit of grief, only to mosey on over to ecstatic happiness - people everywhere are going through something, so when empathy comes into play, especially in a powerful form like in True Colors, the impact can be immense and overwhelming. 

In the latest trailer, as seen above, we see the varying degrees of her power. She can harness human emotion, she can amplify human emotion. It's a lot to handle and even more to master. Especially with the emotions we try to ignore, the uglier side of humanity: anger, despair, jealousy. This look also gives us a glimpse into her own personal journey. Going from realizing her power and thinking it a burden, to mastering it and learning what a gift it can truly be with enough control and enough personal introspection. It's honestly beautiful. Is it an adrenaline-driven adventure coming off the heels of a reveal like Battlefield 2042? Absolutely not, it's a tale, a beautiful one, about an aspect of human connection that we as a people continue to stray further and further from. 

The Nova revealed is an emotionally charged state that will help Alex uncover the answers she seeks, but as seen - this is a double-edged sword. You can't unlearn what you know, and that feeling? Alex absorbs it into herself, feeling it as if it is her own. 

I think what Deck Nine is doing with Alex's tale is incredibly important and I can't wait to learn more before the game arrives later this year. Life is Strange: True Colors will be available in three editions: the Standard, the Deluxe, and the Ultimate. You can learn more about the different versions right here through the game's official website. The adventure begins on September 10, 2021, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia. 

Products In This Article

Life is Strange: True Colorscover

Life is Strange: True Colors

Platform:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC
Release Date:
September 10, 2021 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC), 
December 7, 2021 (Switch)