Recenze Life is Strange: True Colors » Vortex
When the episodic adventure series Life is Strange debuted in 2015, I was thrilled. But as her world grew over the years, I stopped counting among rock fans. I considered other contributions to this brand to be more of a purely business decision and I did not feel that they could offer me such an attractive topic again. In addition, the basic mechanisms began to deplete relatively quickly, which had previously become fatal for developers at Telltale Games. But that certainly doesn’t mean I’m not curious about Life is Strange: True Colors. For a few hours after the start of the game, however, I wasn’t convinced that it would turn out well.
The main heroine Alex Chen has a special talent. Or maybe a curse. It depends. She is endowed with extraordinary empathy, which allows her to feel the emotions of others. Literally empathize with other people’s feelings, but also soak up strong memories from some important subjects. Alex not only perceives the different colored auras of others, but can also manipulate them. It can help someone manage their emotions, but the emotions of others can also overcome them. The story begins with her arrival in the picturesque mountain town of Haven Springs, Colorado, where she meets her brother again after a long time. However, the family reunion and idyll are relatively soon destroyed by his death. Alex has to find out with the help of the player whether it was an accident or not.
Life is Strange is not a movie or a series, but a game. And as such, it really has a very weak beginning.
True Colors from the American studio Deck Nine, which was already responsible for the prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm from 2017, largely adheres to established formulas. It is an interactive story rather than a classic adventure, but unlike previous games, it retains an episodic format only in terms of structure. The novelty came out as a complete game for the full price. Otherwise, no big surprise awaits you in the gameplay. And, frankly, it’s more likely to hurt the start of the game. But let’s start positively. At first glance, you will be interested in the technical processing. The novelty has definitely peeked through, you will be greeted by nice graphics, in which the authors have surprisingly managed to combine earlier stylization with more details and more advanced animations and, above all, facial expressions. Thanks to this, you, like the heroine, can read the emotions of others much better, and many scenes do without words. And yet their protagonists can tell you something with their expression.
There is not only a nice view of the game, but it is also great to listen to. Dubbing is at a high level, the cast and the acting performances deserve praise. And traditionally, Life is Strange excels when it comes to musical accompaniment full of melancholic ballads that sound exactly when it suits you. The authors also prove their craftsmanship and experience in the field of editing and cameras. If it has long been said about similar games that they can often compete with television projects, this is true of True Colors without any exaggeration. Each shot has its own thoughtful composition and meaning. But Life is Strange is not a movie or a series, but a game. And as such, it really has a very weak beginning. In general, I don’t mind a slower tempo or a calmer introduction in games, but it takes a lot of time to take about two to three hours before something really starts to happen, especially in the game. I think it’s Achilles’ heel of the title and it can discourage potential applicants.
Especially when we consider that the beginning offers nothing original or interesting in terms of gameplay. Instead of trying to avoid the biggest clichés and shortcomings of this genre and series, the developers are putting together a few typical problem situations. So you watch more long minutes than you play, and when you finally get the word out, the authors allow you to just click through a few characters and click through all the objects in the room, just to start another long animation. You have the right feeling that the title is basically played alone and there is not much to spoil. There can be no real solution to some puzzles, True Colors is about emotions, relationships and dialogues. So I’ve been thinking for a long time that this probably won’t get better.
Fortunately, I am pleased to say that there will be a turnaround, even if you are waiting for it. Gradually, you will experience greater interaction and the authors will reveal some interesting ideas from an aesthetic and mechanical point of view. The little things, such as the opportunity to try out several functional arcade machines, will please you. Even more interesting is the opportunity to play table football. You can change Alex from time to time, just like the previous characters in Life is Strange. You can establish a romantic relationship with two NPCs and it is up to you whether it will be a man or a woman. By the way, Steph from Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, which also has a very important role in the story, is a potential object of your interest. But Alex’s special abilities only really started to entertain me when you connect to someone with a really strong emotion who is experiencing something big. When Alex tunes in to such a person, he sees the world through his eyes and the environment can change very dramatically.
Given the minimalist gameplay, I’m not too surprised that many people would rather play such games on YouTube than play them themselves.
I really got how the surrounding world is perceived, for example, by a woman who is struggling with a weakening memory, and this is an optional side line. You won’t find anything new here in the game room, but the scene will leave a strong impression on you. Even more interesting is the passage with LARP. Its gameplay was inspired by the classic turn-based JRPG. But when her protagonist really takes on the role and Alex tunes in to him, she suddenly sees the real fantasy world as her little friend perceives him instead of props and scenery. You will enjoy a lot of believable and real emotions in the story. The script does not lack naturalness, civilian dialogues, but also urgency and drama. Even though the plot is full of clichés and stereotypes, I must say that in the end I was very interested in what will come out of the whole mystery and how it will turn out. And at least once the story and its twist sincerely surprised me. But most of all, I probably appreciate the idea that the traumas of others are felt by someone who has experienced great trauma in his life and is struggling with his own demons. Maybe that’s why Alex understands others so well.
I basically praised the graphics and technical processing, but even here it is not without reservations. Sometimes a glitch appears in the game. The animation of walking and its control in general is a bit awkward. At least on the PS5, the framerate is below expectations for games with a similar range. Especially when we take into account that the individual locations are separated by surprisingly long loading. And if you happen to decide to turn off the game just like that, you will probably be surprised when you return to the game how awkwardly the individual checkpoints are. Although in the end I quite like True Colors, the main problem for me is the unbalanced and overcome gameplay, which is the brake of the story. It probably doesn’t even make sense to talk about any branching. The vast majority of choices have only a formal or cosmetic effect. As in other games, many things happen anyway and only the way you achieve them and the actors’ relationships with you change. Replayability suffers greatly and you don’t even feel like going on an adventure again. Given the minimalist gameplay, I’m not too surprised that many people would rather play such games on YouTube than play them themselves.
