True Colors

I have been really excited about True Colors, until seeing the 13 minute gameplay video that released yesterday. While I'm still very interested overall, I'm a bit concerned about the tone of the game. There was a good 10 minutes of mostly wasted dialogue and chatter until the girl came out of the sound booth with anger, then it felt really engaging for the final 3 minutes of the video. I am hoping that the gameplay of the first 10 minutes of the video is very early on (as it appears) in the story and that it's not a common theme throughout the entire game. It sort've reminded me why I got bored with the first LiS game and never finished it, but I'm hopeful the depiction of empathy and intuition that Alex has makes the game deeply engaging. I feel I may be expecting too much out of this title, and this video was a much needed reminder that it is a Life Is Strange game after all. My initial reaction was moderate interest that then turned into very excited and I think it'll serve me best to turn down my expectations a bit. If I can get a 7.5/10 or 8/10 experience out of this game, I'll be satisfied with the purchase. Only a few weeks to find out!
 

I am liking this first 15 minutes of the game video quite a bit. I didn't know how accurately they were going to portray the emoting of Alex's intuition/empathy/sensitivity/psychic ability to how it works energetically/scientifically in real life, and so far this exceeds what I was expecting and shows a bit more depth to it than the previews did. I'm still expecting mild fantasy elements mixed in to help the presentation and perhaps story a bit, which hopefully will deliver as well, but first impressions of this looks really good, and this looks a lot more promising than the 13 minute clip in the record store. Haven Springs looks beautiful and reminds me of a place I lived 10 years ago for a summer, as well as countless small towns I've visited in the last 15 years.

I'm feeling the opening scene of Shenmue 2 vibes as well with that green backpack ;)
 
The opening 15 minutes clip is definitely selling me more on the game than the record store video & all of the other previous videos did. I wonder what the review score will be? I'm expecting a 8 score range which is great. Who is planning on buying it?
 
This is only the third time in my life where I finished a game this fast. The first was Uncharted 3 and the second was around 3 am on valentine's day 2014 for Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc. So suffice to say I had a fantastic time with True Colors.

True Colors is such a wonderful experience I don't know if it tops one for me but it's definitely second. Alex is such a great flawed human character. The scene where Alex is talking to Gabe about her past on the rooftop was tremendous. Also the bridge lantern speech was really good too. The nightmare scene in chapter 5 was very real and terrific. One of the funniest scenes was during the LARPP and Ethan going "oh this just got REAL!" when I had Alex propose marriage to Steph. It had me laughing for such a long time. Steph just plain rocks BTW. I enjoyed the town residents, it was a nice change to have people be genuinely nice to you for the most part.

There was a couple times during chapter 3 that it felt like it dragged abit and lost some of its pacing and energy. I didn't like the corporation stuff I get why it was in there story wise but man I think you could have easily taken that stuff out and not change anything at all. The twist of who the bad person is wasn't surprising to me. Maybe because I kept expecting it to happen throughout my playthrough.

Overall what a truly incredible job Deck Nine did putting their own stamp on the series.

I would love to talk more about spoilers, favorite scenes, what you like and disklike about TC when more people finish it.
 
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I also looking forward playing it. My copy is on the way and should arrive on monday.
 
The game is fantastic in the story telling. Alex is a really lovable character. They did her "super powers" justice by keeping it very energetic/scientific and as much like real life empathy and intuition as possible which I liked, not too heavy on the fantasy element which seems to be a departure from the rest of the LiS universe games. The game is exactly what I was expecting it to be, beat it in one sitting basing the choices on what I would do in each situation, now going back and doing the choices opposite of what I would do and see how that turns out. I don't feel it has any replay value after seeing the multiple paths, but the story is really solid and they did an amazing job with the last chapter. I could have done without the RPG elements as I loathe that style of video game, but admittedly they made it fit in with the plot and it didn't feel too intrusive but perhaps a bit too long, my only real complaint.

True Colors 8.5/10 for me.
 
I would also give it a solid 8 and my second favorite in the series without a doubt. Even if I could never shake the feeling that the studio played it too safe with how hard it seemed like a course correction from Life Is Strange 2.

I don't know if I'll go back and replay it. For sure I'll go back and play some of my favorite individual scenes but it definitely felt like there was a clear right and wrong choice to everything. At least to me it did so I don't feel the need to go back and replay the game to see different outcomes because I'm extremely happy and satisfied with the ending I got. I was smiling the whole way through the ending and for the majority of the game for that matter.

Some of the things that bugged me and I would love to more was I would have loved to see more about her past with Gabe integrated into previous episodes other than the fantastic nightmare sequence. It felt too important to just shove in at the end like that.

At certain points when I was playing it felt like the best game in the series. The acting, mocap, animations are leaps and bounds the best in the series. Then, as I was approaching the end, I started to feel Like something was missing. All of the pieces are there, but it feels a bit...empty?
there just seemed to be a critical emotional anchor missing.

Typhon wasn't quite as imposing or ruthless a threat as it could have been. And aside from one or two characters and a few NPCs saying they worked there, it felt like a strangely disconnected entity. I didn't feel it like a shadow lingering over the town the way I suspect D9 intended.

I romanced Steph, and their tender moment following their performance at the Spring Festival felt fairly meek when compared to Chloe and Rachel's performance of the tempest and subsequent (optional) kiss under the streetlights in a flurry of ash.

The mystery didn't feel quite as deep or as urgent, and the relationships didn't quite feel as concrete. The NPCs were wonderful, especially during the full-town LARP, but at a point it felt like I was only passing through Haven Springs.
I felt like a tourist, hitting the important stops and observing what the town had to offer, but it never quite felt as deep as it could have. Something I don't think the series has really accomplished since Arcadia Bay: diners, truckers, school, politics, the economy, the higher ups and the lowlifes.

safe is the word I'd use to describe the whole game. The cutscene when talking with Gabe about the future was tremendously well done, but once you make your choice it's a quick shot of Alex either on a dock or on a stage and then it's roll credits. A bizarre choice if you ask me. When the credits hit the screen I was a bit confused, thinking I'd get at least a little more time to tell Steph of my decision, to decompress with several of the other characters. Idk even though I loved my ending that I got I just wanted a bit more out of it.

I'm not saying it would have worked pacing wise, but if there had been more time to explore the town, visit the shops more than once or twice, witness the real day to day, and give us some more breathing room between important story beats, I think it would've really helped.


Flower delivers, jam session mini games in the record store, kayaking, hiking. Like, have a location-based "side quest" pertaining to each character or something. Really do something the series hasn't done before, you have a "free roam" environment, use it.

I also want to add on about the time jumps, nothing makes me feel more disconnected from the story than jumping forward a week and reading about what everyone has been up to. I play narrative driven story games to be immersed in the story, nothing pulls me out of that more than constantly time jumping long periods. I think the reason the first game worked so well for me is everything was set over the course of a week, everything max had been through we had also been through it, when you take that away everything is a lot less impactful.

Have some real time pass. Let me see the sun set on the lake, walk the town at night with Steph or Ryan. Let me experience some of the wacky and fun moments that you read about in the text messages. Let me live in this apartment, this town, just a little bit before I hit the major plot beats and boom, the game is over. Let the town rub off on me like Alex rubbed off on it.
It seemed we'd get some stuff like that in the first three chapters, but with chapter 4 basically being one quick stroll through the town, a performance, a smooch, and getting shot in the face, then chapter five being one long cutscene, I was left feeling a bit...underwhelmed.

ALL THAT SAID

I loved Alex. They absolutely nailed a compelling and sympathetic protagonist. Far more than an empty shell for the player to inhabit. Steph and Ryan were sooooo well done, even if there's a bit more that could've been done romance wise. I feel like TC could definitely be even more phenomenal but It's great to be left wanting more, instead of glad we got it over with. A truly fantastic game.

I'm so happy Alex got closure after all the hell she's been put through and is living a happy life with Steph in Haven Springs.
 
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So, I've played through True Colors 3 times now. The first time was picking the choices I would have made in real life if I were Alex, and I was very satisfied with the outcome all around. The second time I played the polar opposite choices of what I would have done in real life, and while I didn't enjoy the outcome, since it wasn't my true colors of what I would have done, I loved the variety in the story telling and how every person who plays this game can come away with a satisfactory series of choices for themselves. The third time I played through with my partner and she made all of the choices on her own, and hers were very similar to mine with exception to the romance partner and the final decision of what Alex does at the very end. Her ending was also very satisfying for me personally as well. I'm torn on leaving this game at a solid 8.5/10 because any game that moves me deeply on a spiritual level usually gets a 9 or higher, but can still get something in the 8 range whereas a game that is pure entertainment but doesn't touch me deeply can never get anything higher than an 8.75/10. (Example: GTA 5 which is amazing on an entertainment level, but doesn't move me on a personal level). Since I prefer spiritual experiences in every capacity of my life over just pure entertainment ones, I'm having a hard time leaving this game in the 8.5 range, but I'd say from a technical standpoint its about an 8.5, I'm also not a big fan of some of the Colorado lifestyle archetypes that it promotes in its message in regards to being stoned or intoxicated all the time as being something healthy or normal, but I'm able to overlook that since that is exactly how Colorado is culturally and it stays true to the experience I had while living there in the past. The game play aspects are a bit on the 'not often enough' side but I do prefer narrative over action, though I would have liked a little more action mixed in and a lot less on the LARP segment which was the only real weak point in the game, though they did handle its conclusion very well and made it worth while. After playing it the first time, that section felt like a chore though the rest of the game stayed in tact. I'd give the story telling aspect a 9 or 9.25 though, and thats the most important part.

So, I'm inclined to bump up my original score taking everything into consideration and getting to experience Chapter 5 alone multiple times making the game worth playing through 3 times in less than a week. True Colors for me sits in the upper 8's/lowers 9's but if I force myself to cement a review score I'd have to give True Colors a 9/10 overall.
 
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I've recently finished True Colors and I loved it; from the story, to the characters, the graphics, the town, the environment, the music, the gameplay; it all felt great to me.
I believe this is the kind of game that every Shenmue fan will appreciate, and I certainly felt that the original Shenmue may have been a source of inspiration in its development.
At least from my part a lot of things reminded me about it.
The Cosy small town reminded me of Sakuragaoka and Dobuita.
The small community vibe with all its residents knowing each other.
The attention to detail, the world building, the flower shop, the bar, etc...
It all felt very Shenmue to me.
The colorfull and beautifull environments also looked very similar to Shenmue 3.
The scene with Alex arriving to town in the Bus with that green backpack instantly reminded me of Ryo in Shenmue 1 & 2.
Also loved those scenes where we could stop and listen to the music while watching those gorgeous panoramic shots of the surrounding environment.
They reminded me of those day to nigth transition sequences in Shenmue.
Like Shenmue, in True Colors the music is great and very relaxing.
The characters facial expressions are really good in this game and I believe they would fit very well the ones in Shenmue 4.
"The game also reminded of a Netflix series I've watched recently called Virgin River."
The only downside is that it felt kind of short. It took me about 14 hours to complete the game.
Considering that the game cost me almost 60 Euros; I believe that they priced the game a little bit high; but I really don't mind because I want to support this type of game.

I really loved playing True Colors even if in the end it felt a little bit short; but I believe there is a lot to like in this game; specially for a Shenmue fan.
 
I've recently finished True Colors and I loved it; from the story, to the characters, the graphics, the town, the environment, the music, the gameplay; it all felt great to me.
I believe this is the kind of game that every Shenmue fan will appreciate, and I certainly felt that the original Shenmue may have been a source of inspiration in its development.
At least from my part a lot of things reminded me about it.
The Cosy small town reminded me of Sakuragaoka and Dobuita.
The small community vibe with all its residents knowing each other.
The attention to detail, the world building, the flower shop, the bar, etc...
It all felt very Shenmue to me.
The colorfull and beautifull environments also looked very similar to Shenmue 3.
The scene with Alex arriving to town in the Bus with that green backpack instantly reminded me of Ryo in Shenmue 1 & 2.
Also loved those scenes where we could stop and listen to the music while watching those gorgeous panoramic shots of the surrounding environment.
They reminded me of those day to nigth transition sequences in Shenmue.
Like Shenmue, in True Colors the music is great and very relaxing.
The characters facial expressions are really good in this game and I believe they would fit very well the ones in Shenmue 4.
"The game also reminded of a Netflix series I've watched recently called Virgin River."
The only downside is that it felt kind of short. It took me about 14 hours to complete the game.
Considering that the game cost me almost 60 Euros; I believe that they priced the game a little bit high; but I really don't mind because I want to support this type of game.

I really loved playing True Colors even if in the end it felt a little bit short; but I believe there is a lot to like in this game; specially for a Shenmue fan.
I agree with everything you said. When you posted the green backpack photo before it really hit me too. Something that I find interesting (and really really insulting/annoying) is how people always compare Shenmue to Yakuza and say that those games are similar, when in reality the only thing Yakuza has in common with Shenmue is Japanese people. Yet here we are with True Colors, a game that entirely feels like a cousin to Shenmue, or a spiritual successor to Shenmue. There's no question of the inspiration found in the gameplay style and story telling style. True Colors has just as deep a spiritual message as Shenmue does, which Yakuza is just an egoic worldly message. Shenmue started the open world exploration genre remember when that was called F.R.E.E or Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment? True Colors is as much based on the foundation of Shenmue as Yakuza is more or less a 3D version of Streets of Rage or Final Fight, not that I want to insult SoR or FF, but they are brawler genre with no real message or morale to tell. True Colors is amazing and I love the Shenmue feel of it too.
 
I've been looking into purchasing the game as I loved the original. However I see the game has DLC which now makes me cautious. The DLC is called Wavelenghts and is a prequel to the main game featuring Steph a character from the previous LiS games. Knowing this contetn is now set before the main True Colours game I am wondering if this will need to be experienced before or after the main game... I see the DLC is released after the release of the main game on the 30th so that would indicate it wouldn't matter playing it after but as the DLC is set chronologically prior to the events of the main game I have my doubts.

I get really uppity about DLC in general, I always want Complete Editions of my games when I can get them. I'm usually happy to wait 6+ months/ 1 year down the line to get all content on a disc but I can't see them doing that... Which puts me in the horrible position when it comes to buying this game. I want the physical Edition of the main game but the DLC won't be on disc....Arrrgh.

But yes, when people experience the DLC I'd like to know thoughts without spoilers on whether it is best suited playiing the DLC prior or after the main game.
 
I've been looking into purchasing the game as I loved the original. However I see the game has DLC which now makes me cautious. The DLC is called Wavelenghts and is a prequel to the main game featuring Steph a character from the previous LiS games. Knowing this contetn is now set before the main True Colours game I am wondering if this will need to be experienced before or after the main game... I see the DLC is released after the release of the main game on the 30th so that would indicate it wouldn't matter playing it after but as the DLC is set chronologically prior to the events of the main game I have my doubts.

I get really uppity about DLC in general, I always want Complete Editions of my games when I can get them. I'm usually happy to wait 6+ months/ 1 year down the line to get all content on a disc but I can't see them doing that... Which puts me in the horrible position when it comes to buying this game. I want the physical Edition of the main game but the DLC won't be on disc....Arrrgh.

But yes, when people experience the DLC I'd like to know thoughts without spoilers on whether it is best suited playiing the DLC prior or after the main game.
I wasn't going to play Wavelengths originally since I'm not a LiS fan outside of True Colors, but I loved True Colors so much that I decided I'll be playing Wavelengths and even if it's not story heavy and even with Steph not being quite as lovable as Alex, I just like being in the atmosphere of the game. In other words I'll update after Wavelengths as to whether or not it's better played before or after TC.
 
I've been looking into purchasing the game as I loved the original. However I see the game has DLC which now makes me cautious. The DLC is called Wavelenghts and is a prequel to the main game featuring Steph a character from the previous LiS games. Knowing this contetn is now set before the main True Colours game I am wondering if this will need to be experienced before or after the main game... I see the DLC is released after the release of the main game on the 30th so that would indicate it wouldn't matter playing it after but as the DLC is set chronologically prior to the events of the main game I have my doubts.

I get really uppity about DLC in general, I always want Complete Editions of my games when I can get them. I'm usually happy to wait 6+ months/ 1 year down the line to get all content on a disc but I can't see them doing that... Which puts me in the horrible position when it comes to buying this game. I want the physical Edition of the main game but the DLC won't be on disc....Arrrgh.

But yes, when people experience the DLC I'd like to know thoughts without spoilers on whether it is best suited playiing the DLC prior or after the main game.
The dlc has you play as Steph from Before The Storm & True Colors. It's set a year before the events of TC. You'll experience all 4 seasons at the record store being a radio DJ. There will be cameos and flashbacks from characters from BTS. From the trailer it looks like you'll be doing nothing major story wise aside from spinning records and playing D n D. There shouldn't be any major spoilers from the main game because it takes place a full year before. So you are all good to nab it though I would wait til a price drop for both the full game and dlc.

As much as I thoroughly enjoyed TC I gave it a 8 & my second favorite out of the franchise. As the weeks have gone on I definitely feel more and more like it could've been so much more and feels a bit like potential was definitely wasted.

I'm really looking forward to see how TC does sales wise I'm expecting a million copies when all is said and done. I am hoping against hope but I fear that the rumors of Deck Nine making a Max & Chloe LIS1 sequel set decades later in their lives definitely is true. It just seems like such a easy layup for Square and a cash cow.
 
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I've been looking into purchasing the game as I loved the original. However I see the game has DLC which now makes me cautious. The DLC is called Wavelenghts and is a prequel to the main game featuring Steph a character from the previous LiS games. Knowing this contetn is now set before the main True Colours game I am wondering if this will need to be experienced before or after the main game... I see the DLC is released after the release of the main game on the 30th so that would indicate it wouldn't matter playing it after but as the DLC is set chronologically prior to the events of the main game I have my doubts.

I get really uppity about DLC in general, I always want Complete Editions of my games when I can get them. I'm usually happy to wait 6+ months/ 1 year down the line to get all content on a disc but I can't see them doing that... Which puts me in the horrible position when it comes to buying this game. I want the physical Edition of the main game but the DLC won't be on disc....Arrrgh.

But yes, when people experience the DLC I'd like to know thoughts without spoilers on whether it is best suited playiing the DLC prior or after the main game.
The game requires you to play True Colors before you can play the Wavelengths DLC. After completing it, I'd skip Wavelengths personally in retrospect.
 
An update on the DLC for those that are curious about it:

Even though True Colors is a home run and worth every penny, the Wavelengths DLC isn't worth the time or money. It doesn't really do anything special regarding the main story of True Colors and in many ways feels completely seperate. In regards to other LiS games it has some references but nothing noteworthy or essential. It cost $10 extra for this DLC or $13 if you buy it on its own like I did. I wasn't expecting much at all but thought it would be a little better than it was, maybe a 6/10 but it's 'Above Average' 5.5/10 at best. The gameplay is less than 3 hours. If you enjoy playing LiS games and are looking for a 2 hour DLC download the free game they released 'Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit'. It's more enjoyable than Wavelengths and its completely free.

The thing I liked the most about Wavelengths was actually the Tinder app conversations Steph had with potential dates. I've never used Tinder in real life, but some of the conversation pieces were laughable. Nothing else stood out in the DLC other than this.

The thing I liked the least about Wavelengths was
the entire DLC experience takes place in the record store, Steph never leaves the building

True Colors is a must play and so far Game of the Year for 2021 for me. Wavelengths though is a hard pass.
 
Season 2 was better. Still gotta check play through the DLC, but I'm already on another game at thots point
 
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