Life Is Strange: True Colors

Last updated

Life Is Strange: True Colors
Life Is Strange - True Colors.png
Developer(s) Deck Nine [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Square Enix
Director(s) Zak Garriss [1]
Producer(s)
  • David Lawrence Hein
Designer(s)
  • Christopher Sica [2]
  • Chris Floyd
Programmer(s) Todd Bolinger
Artist(s) Andrew Weatherl
Writer(s) Jonathan Zimmerman [3]
Composer(s)
Series Life Is Strange
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release
  • 10 September 2021
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 7 December 2021
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Life Is Strange: True Colors is an adventure game developed by Deck Nine and published by Square Enix. It was released on 10 September 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia; a Nintendo Switch version released on 7 December 2021. The plot focuses on Alex Chen, a young woman who can experience the emotions of others, as she tries to solve the mystery behind a tragedy that happened in her life.

Contents

It is the third main installment in the Life Is Strange series, succeeding Life Is Strange 2 . Unlike previous entries in the series, it was released in its entirety while still being structured into chapters. It received generally favorable reviews from critics. Critics praised the game’s characters, writing, story themes, voice acting, and facial animations, but criticized its pacing, repetitive environments, and lack of impactful choices.

Gameplay

By holding a button, the player can see the emotions of a character. Life is Strange True Colors Screenshot.png
By holding a button, the player can see the emotions of a character.

Life Is Strange: True Colors is a graphic adventure played from a third-person view. The player controls the protagonist, Alex Chen, to explore various locations in the fictional setting of Haven Springs and communicate with non-playable characters through the conversation system based on dialogue trees. Alex has psychic empathy powers that allow her to read and manipulate emotions, which she perceives as colorful auras, to physically see how others feel around her at the cost of being "infected" by their emotions. [4] Some of the non-player characters will have more intense auras indicating trauma or hardship they may be going through. When Alex interacts with them, this creates a "nova" that appears to transform the world around Alex and the character to reflect elements of this trauma, giving the opportunity for the player to figure out what caused their emotions and to opt to guide Alex in helping to comfort the character. [5]

Plot

April 2019, Alexandra "Alex" Chen (Erika Mori) leaves a foster care group home after eight years to reunite with her brother Gabriel "Gabe" Chen (Han Soto) in Haven Springs, Colorado. Gabe shows Alex around Haven, with the townspeople primarily employed by a mining company, Typhon. Subsequently, Alex meets park ranger Ryan Lucan (Eric Emery), radio DJ Stephanie "Steph" Gingrich (Katy Bentz, reprising her role from Before the Storm ), local bar owner and Ryan's father Jedediah "Jed" Lucan, flower shop owner Eleanor Lethe, her granddaughter Riley, Gabe's girlfriend Charlotte Harmon and her son Ethan, the town's sheriff deputy Jason Pike, taxidermist Reginald "Duckie" McCalister III, Typhon Mining's mine safety manager Mac Loudon, and Typhon's operations director Diane Jacobs.

While Gabe shows Alex his apartment and offers it as a gift to her, they get interrupted by Mac, who wrongfully believes Gabe is having an affair with his girlfriend Riley and attacks him. The altercation causes Alex's "emotions" to snap, resulting in her beating up Mac to defend Gabe. Later, Ryan informs them that Ethan has gone missing. The three search the forest for Ethan, and Gabe calls Typhon to cancel a scheduled blast in the nearby mountain. Alex rescues Ethan, but the blast goes off anyway, and a resulting landslide knocks Gabe into a canyon, plummeting to his death.

Attempting to find answers about the circumstances around Gabe's death, Alex uses her powers on Mac, who was working the night of the explosion and claims not to have received Gabe's call. She discovers that Mac attempted to act on the call, but his superiors at Typhon overruled and let the blast go off; Typhon is now actively covering up their role in Gabe's death and pressuring him to keep quiet. After enlisting the aid of Ryan and Steph, Alex turns her attention to Diane and steals her USB drive, which contains a recording of Gabe's call and a message from Diane's superior coercing her to ignore the situation and proceed as planned. Alex is later arrested by Pike for theft and computer fraud but is released after either signing an affidavit to drop her investigation or removing Pike's fear of Typhon with her powers.

Jed takes Alex to an abandoned mineshaft and confesses that twelve years ago, he was at fault for the deaths of several miners he oversaw as a foreman, which caused him to make a deal with Typhon to cover up the tragedy to protect himself and his family. He shoots at Alex (although the gunshot narrowly misses), causing her to fall into the shaft.

Alex survives the fall, badly injured. She experiences flashbacks of her childhood showing her mother's death from cancer, her father's abandonment, and her time in foster care. Searching for a way out, she finds the site where the miners died and discovers her childhood necklace, realizing her father was one of the men killed in the accident. Escaping the mine, Alex barges into the town council meeting and reveals Jed's role in both the mining disaster and Gabe's death, and Typhon's attempts to cover it up, while Jed and Diane attempt to discredit her. After Steph, Charlotte, Duckie, Eleanor, Pike, and Ryan either support or side against Alex based on her past choices, Alex uses her powers on Jed, resulting in Jed seeing the truth of his actions and confessing to the police, ending Typhon's operations.

Following these events, Alex visualizes a conversation with a vision of Gabe and ultimately decides whether to remain in Haven Springs or leave to seek adventure as a musician, either alone or alongside Ryan or Steph.

Wavelengths

In March 2018, Steph gets a job as the DJ host of Haven Springs' KRCT radio station after having lied about her work experience and manages the record store that contains the broadcasting room. She stays in Haven after breaking up with her bandmate Izzie from Seattle, where she moved shortly after the events of the first Life Is Strange game, and is forced to take the job after losing a foosball game to Gabe, preventing her from moving to Denver as she originally planned. Over a year's time, Steph modernizes the radio program and record store and uses her time to search for a date and play a tabletop game with her former best friend Mikey North (Dillon Winfrey, also reprising his role from Before the Storm). If Chloe Price was sacrificed in the first game, Steph mourns Chloe's and Rachel Amber's death; if Arcadia Bay was sacrificed, Steph mourns her mother and Mikey's brother Drew's death due to the storm; both endings culminate in her lashing out at Mikey on the fifth anniversary of the tumultuous events. When Mikey professes how he needs her in his life as his best friend, Steph then apologizes and admits that she stops people from getting close because she is too traumatized from all the past pain. She admits she needs Mikey too and vows to become a better friend to him. On New Year's Eve, she searches for a new job as a DJ back in Seattle, follows her friends' scavenger hunt, and is asked by Gabe about contacting his sister Alex. In April 2019, Steph sees Alex arrive in the record store (as seen in the main game).

Development

Deck Nine, which had previously developed the first game's prequel Before the Storm, began work on True Colors in 2017. [6] The development team were certain of the general theme they wanted to explore, which is empathy, before they had settled on a main character or even a story for the game. [7] On 18 March 2021, Square Enix revealed the game as part of a live digital presentation, along the announcement of Life Is Strange Remastered Collection containing remastered versions of the original Life Is Strange and its prequel Before the Storm for release later that year. [8] [9] [10] With the announcement of True Colors, Eurogamer observed that Dontnod's time with the franchise was over and that the Life Is Strange series have been passed to Deck Nine. [6] A Nintendo Switch version of the game along with Life Is Strange Remastered Collection for Switch was announced during the Nintendo Direct E3 2021 presentation. [11] On 11 August, the downloadable content (DLC) prequel story Wavelengths was announced to be released on 30 September, alongside a delay of the Remastered Collection to early 2022. [12] The next day, the Switch version was said to be delayed to later in 2021. [13]

"That duality of the human condition and the supernatural is part of the Life is Strange secret sauce. It’s brilliant that Alex’s power is basically a trait that most of us possess – empathy – but on steroids, because I think it allows the power itself to be relatable to players in a way that previous powers weren’t."

— Erika Mori, "Life is Strange: True Colors interview – “diversity in art is so important". [14]

A common theme of the Life Is Strange series has been based on characters with a type of super-human ability, though not like superheroes, that the developers can then provide "meditations on real experiences that regular people go through", according to Felice Kuan, senior writer at Deck Nine. [7] For True Colors, they had determined early on they wanted their protagonist to be based on a power of empathy, not only to be able to sense what others were experiencing but to be vulnerable herself and would be able to grow past this as the story progressed, "giving her a path to greater self-acceptance and greater trust in her own abilities" according to Kuan. [7] This led to creating the story around Alex losing her brother early in the game as a driver for her to explore her empathy powers and reveal more about her past as she uses them. [7] Capturing the performances of the actors through performance capture, a first for the series, also influenced the writers' approach towards their scripting for the game's cast of characters. According to Alex's actress Erika Mori, the technology was "instrumental in successfully creating this game about empathy because it allowed us to get really high-fidelity facial expressions that were organically connected to whatever was going on with my voice and body in a particular scene." [15]

On 20 August 2021, the game's original soundtrack was revealed to be composed by Australian duo Angus & Julia Stone. [16] A crowd vote extension for Twitch was released for the game's before launch. [17] On 5 September, a partnership with Critical Role was announced for Wavelengths with references to the webseries' tabletop RPG merchandise. [18] On 29 September, Square Enix started a fundraiser for LGBT organisation OutRight Action International, with anyone donating at least $2 being entered into a draw to win a jacket designed by mxmtoon. [19] On 5 October 2021, the game was updated to include a High Performance mode in addition to the High Resolution mode on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The latter mode will allow the game to perform at 60 frames per second (fps). [20]

Music

In addition to the soundtrack by Angus & Julia Stone, Novo Amor composed the song "Haven", used as a theme in the game and the official trailer. [21] [22] The game contains covers of Radiohead's "Creep" and Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" by mxmtoon, who provided Alex's singing voice. mxmtoon also created an original song called "in the darkness", and performed song "every wave" written by the developers. [23] [24] Other featured artists include Phoebe Bridgers and Gabrielle Aplin. [25] [26] Pond, Girl in Red, Alt-J, Portugal. The Man, Foals, Kings of Leon, Hayley Kiyoko, and Maribou State contributed to Wavelengths with their music. [27] mxmtoon released an extended play of songs for the game on 6 September 2021. [24]

Life Is Strange
Soundtrack album by
Released20 August 2021
Length45:55
Label Angus and Julia Stone, BMG
Angus & Julia Stone chronology
Snow
(2017)
Life Is Strange
(2021)
Cape Forestier
(2024)

Angus & Julia Stone revealed an original soundtrack album of songs they were asked to write for the game on 15 August 2021, titled Life Is Strange and releasing 20 August. [28] [29] [30] At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, the album won Best Original Soundtrack. [31] [32] At the AIR Awards of 2022, the album was nominated for Best Independent Blues and Roots Album or EP. [33] It peaked at #16 in the Australian Albums ARIA charts in 2021. [34]

Track listing

  1. "Love Song" - 3:45
  2. "Heavy Gets Light" - 3:33
  3. "Living Underground" - 4:31
  4. "For Remembering" - 3:58
  5. "Take Me Home" - 4:08
  6. "Let Me Know" - 4:27
  7. "Blue" - 3:20
  8. "Forever for Us" - 3:46
  9. "From a Dream" - 4:30
  10. "In My Arms" - 3:03
  11. "When Was That" - 4:12
  12. "Tears" - 2:42

Release

True Colors was released on 10 September 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Google Stadia, and was released digitally on 7 December 2021 for the Nintendo Switch. A physical retail Switch version was released for 25 February 2022. [35] [36] Unlike previous mainline games in the series which have had an episodic release schedule, the game was released in its entirety at once. The game is structured in five chapters so that the player may experience the game in smaller segments. [6] The Wavelengths DLC starring Steph was released exclusively as part of the Deluxe Edition on 30 September. [26] A digital Ultimate Edition bundle, with access to the Life Is Strange Remastered Collection, was also available. [6]

Reception

Life Is Strange: True Colors received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic. [37] [38] [39] [41]

IGN praised the setting of Haven Springs, writing that the game has "arguably the best setting in any Life is Strange game to date". Game Informer liked the writing of the game, stating, "True Colors' writing is so strong that it didn't need a supernatural ability to tell this story." The reviewer put additional praise on the character of Alex Chen, calling her character "one of the best protagonists I've encountered in years". Justin Clark of GameSpot enjoyed the story's themes, feeling that some of game's interactions were "powerful" and "emotionally resonant". However he criticized what he called the "baseline niceness", describing it as "while comfortable and soothing, borders on disingenuous given the grim emotional stakes". GamesRadar+ 's Heather Wald felt "the empathy power opens up a little door into the everyday lives of the small community, which makes it feel so alive". She criticized the impact of choices in the game, feeling that no matter what the player chose, the story did not change dramatically. Tom Phillips, writing for Eurogamer , felt that the improved character animations and vocal performances contributed to a better game, saying, "the game's writing and performances lift its small-town mystery so brilliantly". [52]

Wavelengths

The PlayStation 5 version of the DLC story Wavelengths received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. [53] IGN Italia described the DLC as a warm and sweet coming-of-age story for Steph with its emphasis on Steph's DJ occupation and love of role-playing games, and a fitting narrative connection between True Colors and its predecessors in the series. [54] PLAY magazine gave a positive review, describing Steph as a "fan-favourite character", and the story of Wavelengths as an emotionally challenging one which contrasts with its soundtrack’s relaxing tone. [55]

Audience response

Chinese players review bombed the game on release in response to the presence of the flag of Tibet as part of an in-game location, on the basis of the controversy surrounding Tibet's sovereignty from China. [56] [57]

Sales

On 13 September 2021, Life Is Strange: True Colors debuted at #6 on the UK games boxed sales chart based on physical editions alone, with 54% of sales coming from the PS5, 28% from the PS4, and 18% from the Xbox Series X/S. [58] In The NPD Group September 2021 games report, Life is Strange: True Colors ranked at #10 for top selling games within the US, which is the "highest launch month dollar sales for any Life is Strange title to date." [59]

Accolades

Mori won Best Performance with Edge . [60] Gayming Magazine selected the game as the winner of the Game of the Year and Authentic Representation Award, while Alex Chen was named Best LGBTQ Character. [61]

YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2021 Golden Joystick Awards 2021Best StorytellingWon [62]
Best Performer
(Erika Mori as Alex Chen)
Nominated
The Game Awards 2021 Best NarrativeNominated [63]
Best Performer
(Erika Mori as Alex Chen)
Nominated
Games for ImpactWon
2022 Game Developers Choice Awards Social Impact AwardNominated [64] [65]
25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Character
(Alex Chen)
Nominated [66]
33rd GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Video Game Won [67]
Steam Awards Outstanding Story-Rich GameNominated [68]
18th British Academy Games Awards NarrativeNominated [69]
AnimationNominated
Performer in a Leading Role
(Erika Mori as Alex Chen)
Nominated
Performer in a Supporting Role
(Han Soto as Gabe Chen)
Nominated
NAVGTR AwardsOutstanding Camera Direction in a Game EngineWon [70]
Outstanding Game, Franchise AdventureNominated
Outstanding Original Light Mix Score, FranchiseNominated
Outstanding Performance in a Drama, Lead
(Erika Mori as Alex Chen)
Nominated
Outstanding Song, Original or AdaptedNominated
Outstanding Writing in a DramaWon
SXSW Gaming Awards Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation AwardNominated [71]
Video Game Accessibility Awards 2021Ability to BypassWon [72]
Peabody Awards Interactive & ImmersiveWon [73]

Notes

  1. Dragon's Lake Entertainment developed the Switch version.

Related Research Articles

<i>The World Ends with You</i> 2007 action role-playing game

The World Ends with You is an action role-playing game co-developed by Square Enix and Jupiter for the Nintendo DS. Set in the modern-day Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo, The World Ends with You features a distinctive art style and urban fantasy elements inspired by Shibuya and its youth culture. Development was inspired by elements of Jupiter's previous handheld game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. It was released in Japan in July 2007, and in PAL regions and North America in April 2008. Later, an enhanced port by h.a.n.d. for mobile devices was released in 2012 under the title The World Ends with You: Solo Remix, while another enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch was released worldwide in 2018 under the title The World Ends with You: Final Remix.

<i>Sonic Colors</i> 2010 video game

Sonic Colors is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior Sonic games, with players collecting rings and defeating enemies; the camera perspective often switches from third-person to side-scrolling perspectives. The game also introduces Wisps, power-ups the player can use to increase attack power and reach new areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deck Nine</span> American video game developer

Idol Minds, LLC is an American video game developer based in Westminster, Colorado. The studio was founded in April 1997 by Mark Lyons and Scott Atkins and developed games exclusively for PlayStation consoles until 2012. Subsequently, it shifted to mobile games among other things before rebranding as "Deck Nine" in May 2017 to develop narrative-driven games. Lyons serves as president and chief technology officer of the company.

<i>Life Is Strange</i> (video game) 2015 episodic video game

Life Is Strange is an episodic adventure game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix. The first installment of the Life Is Strange series, the game was released in five episodes periodically throughout 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It was ported to OS X and Linux in 2016, and iOS and Android in 2017–2018.

<i>Life Is Strange 2</i> 2018–2019 graphic adventure video game

Life Is Strange 2 is an episodic adventure game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix. Its five episodes were released between September 2018 and December 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One and later for Linux, macOS and Nintendo Switch. A main sequel in the Life Is Strange series, the game's plot features Hispanic American brothers Sean and Daniel as they travel along the US West Coast as fugitives from the police after the younger brother discovers his telekinetic abilities. In the game, which is played from a third-person perspective, Sean must make crucial decisions that will lead to different branches in the storyline, while serving as a surrogate parent for Daniel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe Price</span> Fictional character

Chloe Elizabeth Price is a fictional character from the Life Is Strange video game series published by Square Enix. Created by French developer Dontnod Entertainment, she first appears in the 2015 video game Life Is Strange and its prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm as the main protagonist. She is portrayed by actresses Ashly Burch and Rhianna DeVries.

<i>Octopath Traveler</i> 2018 video game

Octopath Traveler is a role-playing video game developed by Square Enix, in collaboration with Acquire. The game was released for the Nintendo Switch in July 2018, for Windows in June 2019, for Stadia in April 2020, and for Xbox One in March 2021. It received generally favorable reviews, with praise for its presentation, music, and battle system, while its story received more mixed responses. The game had sold over 3 million copies worldwide by September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Switch Pro Controller</span> Alternative controller for the Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is a video game controller developed by Nintendo and produced by various manufacturers for use with the Nintendo Switch console. It serves as an alternative to the Joy-Con controllers.

<i>Dragon Quest Builders 2</i> 2018 video game

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an action role-playing sandbox game developed by Square Enix and Omega Force, with Square Enix publishing it. It is the sequel to Dragon Quest Builders, and was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan in December 2018 and worldwide in July 2019, for Windows in December 2019, and for the Xbox One in May 2021. The game shipped over a million copies by August 2019 and received generally favorable reviews from critics.

mxmtoon American singer-songwriter and YouTuber (born 2000)

Maia, known professionally as mxmtoon, is an American singer-songwriter and YouTuber. Her music is characterized by emotionally transparent, confessional lyrics, and often employs the ukulele. She released her first EP, Plum Blossom, in 2018; her debut album, The Masquerade, was released in September 2019. This was followed by the twin EPs Dawn and Dusk in 2020, and second studio album Rising, which was released on May 20, 2022.

<i>Bravely Default II</i> 2021 video game

Bravely Default II is a role-playing video game developed by Claytechworks and published by Square Enix. It was released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on February 26, 2021, with Nintendo publishing the game on the platform outside of Japan, and was released for Windows on September 2, 2021. It is the third main installment in the Bravely series, following the original Bravely Default and its direct sequel Bravely Second: End Layer. It features a separate story, setting, and cast of characters.

<i>Balan Wonderworld</i> 2021 video game

Balan Wonderworld is a 2021 platform game developed by Arzest and published by Square Enix. Assuming the role of two children guided by a magical being called Balan, the player explores twelve worlds themed after the hearts of troubled individuals. They explore levels, collecting items to progress to further areas, and using a variety of powers unlocked using themed costumes.

<i>Immortals Fenyx Rising</i> 2020 video game

Immortals Fenyx Rising is a 2020 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Life Is Strange is a series of adventure games published by Square Enix's External Studios. Created by Dontnod Entertainment, the series debuted with the eponymous first installment, which was released in five episodes throughout 2015. It was followed by a prequel, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, which was developed by Deck Nine and released in three episodes throughout 2017, with a downloadable content (DLC) bonus episode released in early 2018. The sequel Life Is Strange 2 and its spin-off The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit were developed by Dontnod and released between 2018 and 2019. A third main installment, Life Is Strange: True Colors, was released in its entirety on 10 September 2021. Additionally, a remastered collection of the original game and its prequel was released in February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Caulfield</span> Video game protagonist in the Life Is Strange series

Maxine "Max" Caulfield is a fictional character from the Life Is Strange video game series published by Square Enix. Created by French developer Dontnod Entertainment, she first appears in the 2015 video game Life Is Strange as the main protagonist. She is voiced by Hannah Telle.

<i>Chocobo GP</i> 2022 video game

Chocobo GP is a 2022 kart racing game developed by Arika and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo Switch. The game is a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and is a sequel to 1999's Chocobo Racing. It was released in celebration of the series' 35th anniversary and features locales and characters from across the franchise.

<i>Triangle Strategy</i> 2022 video game

Triangle Strategy is a 2022 tactical role-playing game co-developed by Square Enix and Artdink for Nintendo Switch. The game was published by Square Enix in Japan and Nintendo internationally for the Nintendo Switch on March 4, 2022. The Windows version was published by Square Enix and was released on October 13, 2022. The development of the game was led by Tomoya Asano, producer of Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Chen</span> Video game protagonist

Alexandra "Alex" Chen is a character from the Life Is Strange video game series published by Square Enix. Created by American developer Deck Nine, she first appears in the 2021 video game Life Is Strange: True Colors as its main protagonist. Alex has the supernatural power to see, experience, and manipulate the emotions of people around her. At the outset of the game, she moves from Portland, Oregon to the fictional Colorado town of Haven Springs to live with her brother Gabe Chen, who dies in an accident soon after her arrival. She is forced to utilize her power of empathy, the volatility of which has made her life difficult up to this point, in order to discover the truth behind her brother's tragic death and find closure for herself.

<i>The Diofield Chronicle</i> 2022 video game

The Diofield Chronicle is a strategy role-playing video game co-developed by Square Enix and Lancarse. It was released in September 2022 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows platforms.

References

  1. "Deep dive into #LifeisStrange: True Colors with @deckninegames Game Director Zak Garriss, and @the_erika_mori – the actor behind Alex Chen". Twitter. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. "Life is Strange: True Colors - how powers work in gameplay | Square Enix Blog". square-enix-games.com. 15 June 2021. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  3. "Life is Strange: True Colors - Meet The Cast". Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  4. Skrebels, Joe (18 March 2021). "Life Is Strange: True Colors Coming in September, No Episodic Release". IGN. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  5. Carpenter, Nicole (13 June 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors shows the power of Alex's empathy". Polygon . Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Phillips, Tom (18 March 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors is a gorgeous new chapter which ditches the series' episodic model". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Webster, Andrew (21 April 2021). "How the team behind Life is Strange: True Colors created its empathetic new lead". The Verge . Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  8. "Square Enix will debut the next Life is Strange game on March 18th". Engadget. 11 March 2021. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  9. Wales, Matt (11 March 2021). "Square Enix showing off new Life is Strange next week as part of spring showcase". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  10. McWhertor, Michael (11 March 2021). "Square Enix to reveal new Life Is Strange and more in March 18 livestream". Polygon. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  11. Carpenter, Nicole (15 June 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors, remastered collection coming to Nintendo Switch". Polygon . Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  12. Gerblick, Jordan (11 August 2021). "Life is Strange: Remastered Collection delayed to 2022, Wavelengths DLC due in September". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  13. Lyles, Taylor (12 August 2021). "Life is Strange: Remastered Collection Delayed to 2022 [Update: True Colors on Switch Also Delayed]". IGN . Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  14. Talbot, Carrie (5 December 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors interview – "diversity in art is so important"". PCGamesN . Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  15. Talbot, Carrie (21 April 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors' mocap was "instrumental in successfully creating this game about empathy"". PCGamesN . Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  16. "Life Is Strange: True Colors Reveals Original Soundtrack By Angus & Julia Stone". press.na.square-enix.com. Square Enix, Ltd. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  17. Phillips, Tom (3 September 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors has a Twitch crowd vote plug-in". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  18. Bishop, Rollin (5 September 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors Partners With Critical Role for DLC". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  19. Kamen, Matt (29 September 2021). "'Life is Strange: True Colors' launches fundraiser for LGBTQ+ rights organisation OutRight Action". NME. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  20. Cryer, Hirun (5 October 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors gets 60FPS mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  21. Life is Strange: True Colors - Official Trailer [ESRB]. YouTube . Life is Strange. 18 March 2021. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  22. "Novo Amor Develops Bespoke New Track for Latest Instalment of 'Life Is Strange' | LBBOnline". lbbonline.com. 7 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  23. Basbas, Franchesca Judine (14 September 2021). "mxmtoon talks Twitch streaming, Life Is Strange, and her 'true colors' EP". Bandwagon Asia. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  24. 1 2 Rincon, Skyy (9 September 2021). "mxmtoon Unveils New Life Is Strange: True Colors EP Featuring Covers Of Radiohead and Violent Femmes -". mxdwn.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  25. Webb, Dan (8 September 2021). "Here's your definitive Life Is Strange: True Colors tracklist". VideoGamer. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  26. 1 2 McWhertor, Michael (18 March 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors stars an Asian American lead in an all-new adventure". Polygon. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  27. Marshall, Cass (12 August 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors' prequel DLC looks super cozy". Polygon . Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  28. "Stone-cold reality: life is a video game". The Australian . 15 August 2021.
  29. Triscari, Caleb (15 August 2021). "Angus & Julia Stone announce soundtrack album for 'Life Is Strange: True Colors'". NME . Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  30. Newstead, Al (16 August 2021). "Angus & Julia Stone's surprise new album is a videogame soundtrack". triple j . Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  31. Kelly, Vivienne (20 October 2021). "ARIA Awards nominees revealed: Amy Shark & Genesis Owusu lead the charge". The Music Network . Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  32. "Genesis Owusu, The Kid Laroi, Spacey Jane, RÜFÜS DU SOL big winners at the 2021 ARIA Awards in partnership with YouTube Music". Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 November 2021. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  33. "Nominees Announced For AIR Independent Music Awards 2022". musicfeeds. 1 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  34. "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  35. Craddock, Ryan (25 November 2021). "Life Is Strange: True Colors Secures December Switch Release, Physical Version Arrives Later". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  36. Cryer, Hirun (21 October 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors comes to Nintendo Switch in December". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  37. 1 2 "Life is Strange: True Colors for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  38. 1 2 "Life is Strange: True Colors for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  39. 1 2 "Life is Strange: True Colors for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  40. "Life is Strange: True Colors for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  41. 1 2 "Life is Strange: True Colors for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  42. Warner, Noelle (11 September 2021). "Review: Life is Strange: True Colors". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  43. "Life Is Strange: True Colors review | Aces high". Electronic Gaming Monthly . 11 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  44. Wallace, Kimberley (8 September 2021). "Life Is Strange: True Colors Review – More Powerful In Life Lessons Than Supernatural Talents". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  45. Clark, Justin (8 September 2021). "Life Is Strange: True Colors Review -- More Than A Feeling". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  46. Wald, Heather (8 September 2021). "Life Is Strange: True Colors Review – "Shows Off What the Next-Generation of the Series Can Deliver"". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  47. Lyles, Taylor (8 September 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors Review". IGN . Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  48. Reynolds, Ollie (8 December 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  49. Watts, Rachel (8 September 2021). "Life Is Strange: True Colors Review". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  50. "Life Is Strange: True Colors Review (PS5) | Aces high". Push Square . 11 September 2021. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  51. "Life Is Strange: True Colours review – an earnest drama about a psychic empath | Aces high". The Guardian . 11 September 2021. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  52. Phillips, Tom (8 September 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors review - a beautiful return to small-town mystery and young adult drama". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  53. "Life is Strange: True Colors - Wavelengths for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  54. Mancini, Davide (27 October 2021). "Life is Strange: Wavelenghts[sic] - Recensione". IGN Italia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  55. "Wavelengths review". Official UK PlayStation Magazine . No. 8. 17 November 2021. p. 95.
  56. Capel, Chris (11 September 2021). "Life is Strange: True Colors is getting review-bombed thanks to a flag". PCGamesN . Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  57. Macgregor, Jody (11 September 2021). "Chinese players start review-bombing Life is Strange: True Colors over Tibetan flag". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  58. "Wario Ware takes No.1 as seven new games enter the Top 40 | UK Boxed Charts". GamesIndustry.biz. 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  59. Makuch, Eddie. "Nintendo Switch's 33-Month Sales Record In The US Just Fell, As PS5 Takes Top Spot In September". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  60. "2021 EDGE awards and top 10 games of the year". Nintendo Everything. 1 January 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  61. Hart, Aimee (26 April 2022). "Gayming Awards 2022 Winners Revealed". Gayming Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  62. Tyrer, Ben (23 November 2021). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2021 winners". Gamesradar.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  63. Hafford, Hayden (7 December 2021). "The Game Awards 2021: Nominees, start times, and where to watch". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  64. Van Allen, Eric (11 January 2022). "Nominees for the 2022 Game Developers Choice Awards have been revealed". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  65. "Game Developers Choice Awards 2022 Winners". Game Developers Choice Awards . 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  66. Fanelli, Jason (13 January 2022). "Ratchet & Clank Leads 2022 DICE Awards With 9 Nominations". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  67. "GLAAD Announces Nominees For The 33rd Annual GLADD Media Awards" (Press release). GLAAD. 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  68. Kerr, Chris (4 January 2022). "Here are the winners from the 2021 Steam Awards". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  69. Purslow, Matt (3 March 2022). "BAFTA Games Awards 2022 Nominations Announced". IGN . Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  70. "NAVGTR Awards 2021 Winners" (Press release). 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  71. "2022 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners Announced" (Press release). GLAAD. 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  72. "Video Game Accessibility Awards 2021 - All the Winners" (Press release). ign. 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  73. "Peabody Awards Announce 42 Nominees for the Following Categories: Entertainment, Arts, Children's/Youth, Podcast/Radio, Interactive & Immersive, and Public Service". PeabodyAwards.com. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.