Hey good people of the internet!

So it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that I haven’t been seeing many new movies lately…and by lately I mean for like a year and a half because ya know #pandemic and all–but you know what I have been doing a lot of??

Playyyyyyin VIDEO GAMES

So without further ado (and know that eventual rebranding of the blog is on the way), I will now be reviewing both movies AND games on here!! Huzzah!!

To start us off here, none other than Deck Nine’s latest and quite literally emotional adventure: Life is Strange: True Colors.

So let me preface this by saying that I am a big fan of the Life is Strange series, therefore I had been counting down the MINUTES until this one came out, and oh BOY WAS IT WORTH THE WAIT.

Deck Nine has given us a gorgeous, heartfelt, lovely story and I think whether you’re a longtime fan of the series or you’ve never even heard of it till now, I highly recommend you check it out (especially if you like crying. Or if you just like games with stunning graphics. Or if you like crying.)

LET’S DIVE IN, SHALL WE

(Spoiler alert now in effect!! If you’re even slightly on the fence about this but you’re thinking of checking it out, this is your sign to please do so! If you’re kind of like me and you don’t mind a bit of spoilers before heading in, feel free to continue, but trust me–this is absolutely something you should experience on your own accord. If you’ve already played it and you’re here to fangirl with me, WELCOME. LET US CRY TOGETHER.)

THE PLOT

As per Life is Strange tradition, we begin by following a totally normal character starting their totally normal day in their totally normal life (no really that’s it that’s the game I promise nothing funky going on here).

Haha just kidding–as per ACTUAL Life is Strange tradition, there’s more to Alex Chen than meets the eye. As she’s been struck with “Life is Strange protagonist syndrome,” she has a special ability that the player can utilize throughout the game. Alex has a sort of “super empathy” skill, where she can see emotional auras around other people if they’re feeling something strongly enough. As the player comes to discover, sometimes these auras affect Alex, especially in the beginning before she really explores what she can do with this ability.

Initially, Alex is pretty unhappy with this power of hers, and with good reason–negative emotions of others can sort of infect her and take over, making her react to situations in ways she maybe normally wouldn’t. As the player learns early on, this has gotten Alex into some unfortunate situations in the past.

Now though, she’s on her way to the quaint and idyllic Haven Springs, Colorado, to live with her older brother Gabe. It’s been years since the siblings have seen each other, so they’re still working out how to be around each other–it’s a situation that involves a lot of awkward and extremely heartfelt moments. As Gabe brings Alex on a mini tour of sorts around town, the player gets to meet some of the other key characters to the story–namely, the two potential love interests, Steph and Ryan (they’re both super pretty, send help).

There are hints dropped that someone in town by the name of Mac has been looking for Gabe, and that he’s…less than thrilled with Gabe right then, for whatever reason. Eventually Alex and Gabe end up back at Gabe’s apartment, above the Black Lantern Bar where Gabe works. After a (potential, depending on player choice) super cute air jam session with the siblings, there’s a knock at the door, and none other than the aforementioned Mac barges in. Immediately both the player and Alex are aware of a pulsing red aura around Mac, indicating his anger. In a tense scene, as Mac starts accusing Gabe of sleeping with his girlfriend and then attacking the defenseless Gabe, Mac’s anger sort of takes over Alex, and she shoves him off of Gabe and into the hallway, proceeding to beat the crap out of him. When Gabe tries to pull Alex off of Mac, she swings around and hits Gabe instead, Mac’s anger still controlling her.

As one can imagine, things are then pretty tense between the siblings, and after Alex has a chance to prove herself as a server at the Black Lantern and meet some more of Haven Springs’s delightful residents, Gabe and Alex meet up on the rooftop garden of the bar to talk. It’s a sweet little scene, and the player has the choice of having Alex tell Gabe the truth about her past in the foster care system, or the truth about her ability. Either way, the siblings deepen their bond, and just when it’s looking like things might start to be okay, Ryan announces that Ethan (Gabe’s girlfriend’s son) is missing.

The rescue squad (Gabe, Ryan, and Alex) make their way over to the old abandoned mine in the mountains near the town. Depending on player choice, the knowledge that Ethan is there could be offered up earlier in the chapter or only after Ryan acknowledges that Ethan is missing. Regardless, Alex manages to piece together Ethan’s likely location thanks to his genuinely delightful comic book, and Gabe says he’ll call the mining company, Typhon, to ask them to hold off on the evening’s scheduled blasts until they can locate Ethan and get out of there.

Once Ethan is located, Alex is able to use her ability to tap into his fear and encourage him to cross a ravine back to safety with her. Unfortunately, right as Ethan is rescued, warning sirens go off–indicating the imminent mining blast, despite Gabe’s call to the safety guard earlier. Suddenly a loud explosion can be heard, and a massive boulder from the ensuing rock slide takes Gabe out and over the cliff. In an instant, everything Alex had come to know that day is gone.

What follows is a truly heartfelt tale of a small town, brought together by Gabe’s sudden death. Alex can choose to use her ability to really get in the heads and hearts of the residents of Haven Springs, whether to try and unravel the truth behind Gabe’s death (was it really just an unfortunate accident?) or just to help them out and be kind. Along the way, the player can have Alex start to view her ability as more of a gift or a curse, use it to help (or not) the people she meets, and of course…romance Ryan or Steph.

It’s genuinely a tough decision okay, this game’s tagline should be “BI PANIC: THE GAME”

THE CHARACTERS

I’ve seen a couple reviews now mention that one of the things they love about this game in comparison to the first few entries in the series is that there is so much development put into the side characters, and I agree. I think the reasoning behind this is in part because getting to know the other characters can literally be woven into Alex’s story with her ability if the player chooses to do so, but also I think because it serves to really build up this whole “small town” setting of Haven Springs. This is further emphasized with the “MyBlock” app Alex can access on her phone–a far more pleasant version of the real app, “NextDoor.”

What I really appreciate about the characters in the game is that they felt real, and their problems felt real, and their relationship (or lack thereof) with Alex felt real. I’ll talk more about it in the section about Alex’s ability, but I loved how many times Alex could hear a character talking and then she could read their emotion and their thoughts and learn that what they were portraying on the outside was completely different from what was going on inside–I mean, how realistic is that??

As much as I adore the characters in this game and how they are presented in such a way that we as the player can really get to know them, I do think it does them a bit of disservice to compare them to the side characters in the previous games in the series. I mean, do we get to know the side characters more in this particular game? Yes, of course! But again, I think part of that is due just purely to the setting of this game and the tie-in to Alex’s ability. For example, in the first Life is Strange, sure Arcadia Bay (RIP, I definitely destroyed it and I will never live it down) was sort of presented as a small town somewhat akin to Haven Springs, but the focus of that game was Max discovering her powers AND rekindling this friendship with Chloe. Because of that, much of the gameplay time was devoted to having the player learn about Max’s power right along with her as well as fixing (or breaking, I suppose) this relationship with Chloe. While the setting was filled with different side characters in a town where everyone pretty much knew each other, there was more of a laser focus on Max’s ability and especially Max and Chloe’s relationship–it wasn’t as necessary in that story to focus on and build up all of the side characters (arguably). Then you have Before the Storm, which followed a very similar track. Though it took place in a small town and did have side characters who filled out that world, the primary focus was Chloe’s personal journey and her relationship with Rachel, so it wasn’t (arguably) necessary to fill out the details of the side characters. Life is Strange 2 feels even more appropriately episodic than the previous entries–each chapter is a brand new setting with brand new characters and interactions. There were definite snippets of side character interactions and getting to know them, but because the whole story was this grand “on the run” narrative, Sean and Daniel could never stay in one place long enough to really explore relationships with anyone they met (with some exceptions depending on player choice). There were lovely moments of that found family, small town aesthetic during different points–the campfire scene with the people on the weed farm and the morning spent exploring the mom’s desert community in particular are lovely. Again though, the primary focus of that game is Sean and Daniel’s relationship and how Daniel’s ability comes into play.

With this game, that sibling relationship is presented as key at first, and then that rug is absolutely ripped out from underneath the player at the end of the first chapter–both Alex and the player are flung into this town they barely know full of people who knew and loved Gabe but don’t know anything about Alex beyond what Gabe has told them. Establishing relationships with the other characters in the town is key in order to restore some of that relationship with Gabe that Alex was robbed of, but it’s also key just to provide some stability for Alex where there previously has been none. The other characters are absolutely woven into the very fabric of the game itself, and it just wouldn’t be the same without them, which is not an argument I think you can necessarily make for the previous entries in the series. Which is wonderful, and not a bad thing in the slightest! What I love about this series is just how many different types of stories can be told with this sort of format, and I love exploring each world presented to me and getting to meet the people who live there.

(“They’re not real people they’re digital characters–” “THE EMOTIONS ARE REAL, OKAY.”)

I could discuss the specific characters and their stories at length, and I will be thinking about them for quite a while still. Eleanor, Riley, Duckie, Jed (more on my problematic fav later), Mac, Charlotte, Ethan, Diane, Guy Friend and Gal Friend, Guy who lost his dog, Birdwatcher, that poor ice cream couple, THE WRITER BOYFRIENDS, the list goes on and on. By the end they all truly felt like a family for both Alex and me as the player, and I dreaded finishing the story because I knew I’d be saying goodbye to them all. I mean I know I can play it again and make different choices and see them all again but like…I had a good playthrough and felt like I really helped them, I don’t wanna change anything! This is the only problem I can see in designing these characters to feel so real–I don’t want to try out different choices because I don’t want to hurt or disappoint any of them! YOU’VE PLAYED YOURSELF, DECK NINE.

But wait, aren’t there a couple characters I’m forgetting about mentioning specifically…?

THE ROMANCE

hi yes I need some help I am desperately in love with both of them yes I know they’re not real leAVE ME ALONE

*ahem*

So yes there are love interests! As per Life is Strange tradition, of course! I know based on the choices in the world stats right now that Steph is the majority pick and listen, I get it, I destroyed an entire town so that Max could kiss Chloe and go on a roadtrip with her, I avoided the cute dialogue about the bracelet so that Chloe and Rachel could kiss, and yeah I went along with an absolutely harebrained scheme so that Sean and Finn could kiss and end up in Mexico together.

But Ryan started talking about bird calls and I was GONE.

In all seriousness, though, I sincerely applaud Deck Nine here for giving us two really wonderful and equally delightful love interests. Usually in a game like this it doesn’t take long for me to meet the love interests and immediately decide “ah yes I would like this one” and I really don’t regret sticking with that decision. But dang, it was actually really tough to choose between Ryan and Steph–different as they are, they’re both incredibly dynamic and well-built characters, and Alex has wonderful chemistry with both of them.

The problem I run into now is that I would like to romance Steph next time, but does that mean Ryan is gonna be sad?? Like it was hard enough learning that Steph was sad I had Alex say Ryan should be the hot distraction, how am I supposed to live with this??? THEY BOTH DESERVE ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD. Their absolute dedication to the LARP in drastically different ways?? I ADORE THEM.

I also just have to discuss the scene after the Spring Fest where, if you have Alex meet Ryan on the roof, the man plants a tree for her. And his delightfully awkward “…it’s a tree!” after he presents it?? I can’t. AND THEN THE ENTIRE TREE BLOSSOMS IF ALEX AND RYAN KISS AND THE HAPPY AURA FROM THEM BOTH I JUST.

I need a minute.

(I’ve seen gifs of the Steph and Alex kiss and GAH THAT SCENE LOOKS JUST AS AMAZING. DECK NINE PLEASE HAVE MERCY)

THE ABILITY

Ah yes and now a topic that is a STAPLE of a Life is Strange protagonist–dealing with some sort of funky magic power thing!!

Unlike previous entries, Alex is aware of her ability prior to the start of the game (it’s also implied that Dr. Lynn may know as well?? But we block her early on so like pfft get outta here with that). The player does have choices throughout the game that encourage Alex to consider her ability to be a gift or a curse, and she does learn to control it more as she explores using it to help various residents of Haven Springs.

I will admit that as excited as I was about this super empathy skill from pretty much the minute it was announced, I was a little curious about how it would translate into gameplay. The answer–SUPER WELL. The emotion auras provide a lovely visual cue to tap into throughout the game, and in such a story-driven experience, there’s something really lovely about being able to read into the emotions and thoughts of other characters and use that information to help them (or, in Diane’s case…guilt-trip them). I also think one of the major reasons the whole end confrontation at the council meeting works so well is specifically because of Alex’s ability and how it’s presented and used in the game.

It’s just…it’s so lovely. The introduction of it, presented as picking up on Gabe’s aura of fear at messing up this meeting with his estranged sister despite how confident he appears on the outside, is so simple but so powerful. It works in bigger moments, like Ethan’s fear of the ravine when Alex rescues him and Charlotte’s improbable anger at the various people in her life and their connection to Gabe’s death, and it works in smaller moments, like choosing to dance with Duckie through his sadness on the night of the Spring Fest and reading the miscommunication between the ever star-crossed Guy Friend and Gal Friend to help them get together (finally).

My favorite part, though? It really brings up some fascinating discussions, like previous entries in the series do. How far is too far when it comes to using these powers? Is there a time when you shouldn’t use them? And can we talk about how traditionally in these games the character with the power is part of a typically marginalized community, and how that affects their story?

I just…I really love these powers/abilities as a mechanic in these games and I have a lot of feelings about it (ha. HA. get it. because Alex’s ability is all about feelings.

k bye)

THE TWISTS

I adore how this game is like “you…you want plot twists? Twists are what you want?? WE’VE GOT TWISTS” but like not in a bad way!! I mean, again, in true Life is Strange tradition, there are plot twists a plenty and they work wonders…for the most part, I think.

The initial twist comes to smack you in the face at the end of the first chapter, and it shouldn’t be a surprise because it was all over the advertising for the game pre-release BUT JUST IN CASE THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO BACK OUT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BE SURPRISED

So anyway–Gabe’s death at the end of Chapter 1, even if you know it’s coming, still feels like it comes in out of nowhere and just hits you upside the head. I mean, it works though, because just as the situation would be in real life, it’s sudden and shocking and absolutely miserable. Extreme extreme EXTREME kudos to Erika Mori for her absolutely heartbreaking screams as Alex in that moment, I love sobbing, thanks Erika. Chapter 1 served to introduce both the player and Alex to the world of the game, and just when both of you start to get comfortable with that, it’s absolutely RIPPED out from under both of you. You start Chapter 2 in the exact same space Alex is, and it makes for a fantastic setup!!

Arguably there’s another plot twist in the form of “ohhhh man Gabe’s death may not have been an accident and the giant mining corporation might be behind it!!” but like…c’mon, we all saw that coming, of COURSE it’s the giant mining corporation. Corporate Sabotage the Game YES PLEASE.

I would argue as far as big plot twists go, the next one is the reveal about Jed and it’s closely tied with the reveal about Alex and Gabe’s father.

My mom and I sort of jokingly called out Jed as the villain early on, mostly because we learned from the first game that you can’t trust literally anyone apparently. I mean it was either Jed or Eleanor, so…

The reveal about Jed is heartbreaking on a number of levels, and it serves to really show off just how good the writing for this game is. Jed is this perfectly wonderful guy who sort of adopts Gabe and then sort of adopts Alex in turn. He’s kind and gracious to everyone, and is always looking out for others. Like Ryan says in a text to Alex following the council meeting, Jed was a hero in the eyes of everyone in town. I think it’s set up so that even if you can tell the twist is coming, even once you reach the point of “ohhhhh Jed…noo….” as he takes Alex out to the old mine, it’s still sad to watch.

It’s frustrating then to watch him during the council meeting denying all of Alex’s claims, because you know there’s good in him, you’ve seen it, and that can’t be a lie, right? The final moment between Jed and Alex, when she looks inside and lays down everything for him, putting words to thoughts he’d long since buried (liKE THE MINERS HE LEFT BEHIND AHAHAHHhhhhh…yikes…) is so incredibly powerful. That buildup to the decision to forgive or condemn him? MMMM. I’m not sure what the scene looks like if Alex condemns him because like…I couldn’t do it fam, but the way he just breaks down when Alex forgives him? Again, kudos to Stephen F. Austin for that breakdown from Jed, I love sobbing, I love it a lot.

The other twist that comes in around this time is the reveal that Alex and Gabe’s father, John Chen, was one of the miners Jed left behind in the mine. At the time of writing, it’s probably the only twist in the game I’m just…not sure about. It’s not that it doesn’t work–the reveal is well-written, the symbolism of the locket works well, and it does serve to connect why Gabe was in Haven Springs in the first place. Generally I’m just…not sure how necessary it was, ya know? John Chen is presented and remembered as like, kind of the Worst. So it’s already hard to feel that same gut punch about his reveal than it is about Jed–Jed has known these kids for way less time and has been fantastic to them, so the twist about his betrayal HURTS. John Chen was like, already not awesome and we only really saw him for part of a chapter, not the whole game. It’s hard to know how we’re supposed to feel about his death, or the fact that he carried that locket with pictures of his kids to work with him and, eventually, to his grave.

I get why the twist about John Chen is in there, I just think the game and the story didn’t need it. I mean, I really had no problem believing that Gabe was in Haven Springs just because he wanted to be there, not necessarily because he was searching for his dad or anything. I mean, I want to be in Haven Springs just because like, look at it, so I was totally like “yeah I see why Gabe lives here.” I didn’t need a different reason for his choosing to be there, but that’s just me! Again, I get why it’s in the story and it’s not that I don’t think it works, I just kinda…meh.

SHOULD YOU PLAY THIS GAME FOR YOURSELF?

YES YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES. This game is a heartwarming journey from start to finish–even when it hurts, it hurts GOOD.

That sounds weird. Anyway.

There’s a LARP section.

A LARP SECTION.

If that won’t convince you, I don’t know what will.

(Okay in all seriousness–genuinely the whole LARP thing is absolutely one of my favorite moments in a game like, ever. It’s so well done, it’s fun, the constant little updates from MyBlock are FANTASTIC, and that last segment where Alex taps into Ethan’s emotion and she sees the final battle of the LARP through his eyes and it’s like, high end fantasy RPG suddenly??? ICONIC. Absolutely joyous and wonderful, 15/10)

If story-driven games are your thing, this game is for you. If you’re a longtime fan of the series, this game is for you. If you tried but didn’t love the other entries in the series but you’re intrigued, I think this game could be for you. If this isn’t your genre at all and you’re not interested even after my telling you there’s an entire LARP section…I’m not sure why you read this far, but hi! I still think you should try this game out if you get the chance–I think it’ll surprise you!

All in all, I give Life is Strange: True Colors…

5/5 EMOTION AURAS!!

Listen we only got 4 in the game so I went with the only other color that was on that brain poster in the Silver Dragon okay

FAVORITE MOMENT:

Ahhhhhh I have so, so many…that first moment we see a happiness aura and it’s around Ryan and this absolutely goofball moment he had with Gabe, the entire fear sequence for Eleanor, the LARP (have I mentioned the LARP), the romance scenes of course, and absolutely hands down mxmtoon’s beautiful cover of “Creep.” This game is just full of beautiful, funny, and lovely moments and I can’t pick just one bye

MECHANIC I WISH WAS EXPLORED MORE:

A brand new section here for games!

There are a couple moments where it’s sort of implied that Alex can sort of “talk” to the dead, or at the very least, read the emotions of them and hear them. It starts when she sees Gabe again during a dream sequence when she’s blacked out from being shot into the mine shaft (#thanksJed), and then she hears the voices of the dead miners who were left behind, linked to the strong emotion of anger coming from the locket her father held onto. Then Alex gets to speak with Gabe again before she makes her final choice about staying in Haven Springs or leaving. There’s also a missable moment with Duckie near the end where Alex can hear the voice of his dead wife Tabitha linked to specific memories Duckie has of her. Nothing is set in stone about what this could mean, whether it be more hallucinatory in nature (she had to have gotten hit on the head so hard when she fell down that shaft!!) or explicitly linked to her powers. I think it’s super fascinating, and I wish it had been explored more!! What a lovely way to keep people with us, if Alex is indeed able to do that to some degree.

I’m not saying they should make an Alex sequel where she explores her powers more and potentially solves more mysteries by talking to dead people and/or piecing together what happened thanks to their memories linked to emotions in objects but uh……….I mean…………….

“OOF” MOMENT:

I don’t think the twist about John Chen qualifies exactly, so what comes to mind is having to pick between Ryan and Steph for the hotter distraction. Deck Nine please I am just a stressed-out bisexual, please don’t make me do this.

Also that entire foosball game I was stressed out and screaming.

GAMES TO LOOK OUT FOR:

I am, of course, absolutely thrilled for the remaster of Life is Strange and Before the Storm, so I’ll definitely cover those. Who knows, I may even NOT destroy Arcadia Bay this time!

(…I will definitely probably still destroy Arcadia Bay this time)

In non-LiS news, we are awaiting any sort of crumbs about Breath of the Wild 2 and Dragon Age 4. Whenever. We get those. Maybe.

Also awaiting news on the sequel to Oxenfree and Fullbright’s Open Roads!

And that about does it for this review! Again, I cannot recommend this game enough. In a world right now that’s full of just really depressing news around every corner, it’s refreshing to escape for a few hours and immerse yourself in a deeply heartfelt story about emotions, the people around us, and how the little things can end up meaning the most. Plus, couldn’t we all use some happy endings right now?

(Yes, it’s true, though I haven’t played through each ending myself, from what I can gather, every ending is basically happy and good, which is really kind of refreshing–don’t get me wrong, I love a bittersweet ending as much as the next person, but by the end of this I just really wanted Alex to get that peace she so deserves. Plus Haven Springs didn’t get destroyed, so no one can make fun of me for destroying another town–HA!)