Life Is Strange: True Colors is a short single-player story, and the third main entry in the Life Is Strange series. True Colors follows Alex Chen as she unravels the mystery surrounding the Typhon Corporation. With a new roster of characters, supernatural powers, and a story that molds with the choices you make, will you find the answers you seek?
And while we're sure you are all itching to find the answer to that question, every great story has to start somewhere. Tips and tricks can come in handy with this, making your gaming experience more memorable. Before hitting that 'new game' button, there are many things worth knowing, from hidden features, genre elements, and Easter eggs to general exploration.
10 Turning Copyrighted Music Off Makes The Game Extremely Awkward
When entering the options of True Colors, you'll have the choice of turning off copyrighted music. So say you're a YouTuber or Streamer, for example, and can't play copyrighted music in your videos — then you can switch it off. The problem with this is that it doesn't just replace the piece with something that isn't copyrighted; it removes the music altogether.
Expectedly, this is pretty awkward as there are scenes of characters dancing or singing where all players can hear is tapping feet against the wooden floor. Any emotional impact True Colors hoped to make in these scenes is completely stripped away.
9 Your Choices Also Affect Alex's Emotions
A core part of True Colors is emotions and how they impact the town, including the protagonist Alex Chen. But these emotions don't only affect Alex in the short-run (if you make certain choices.) Instead, your decisions will affect the story's direction and impact how Alex reacts to the events unfolding around her.
While your heart may have been in a good place when making one of these choices (for the good of another character), they can detrimentally affect Alex, so be careful when making your verdicts.
8 More Exploration Than Previous Life Is Strange Games
Life Is Strange 1 and 2 both take an episodic approach, with each base game having five episodes all-in-all. Life Is Strange: True Colors doesn't have singular episodes but follows a similar format, with the game split into chapters. From the beginning of the series, there have been a plethora of objects and people to interact with that don't link directly into the main quest goal.
Exploration has never been more striking than in True Colors. Deck Nine gives players the choice of simply heading to the next checkpoint with a little-to-no investigation of the area around them or examining the numerous items within the current location. Exploration extends to not only this but also to moments you'll only find when making specific choices.
7 Listening To NPC Conversations
Checking up on the world around you in any game is a sure way to give you a glimpse into the more down-to-earth aspects. Though often, players are guilty of diving headfirst into the main story. You'll miss many riveting conversations and characters when following the main quests and nothing more. And although not essential to completing the game, these scenes add a lot of fun and otherwise missable plot points.
And, hey, who knows. Maybe True Colors will be another staple of the ever-iconic video game lines. "I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee."
6 How Player Choices Impact The Ending
The beauty of choose-your-own-adventure games is being less of an observer and becoming the main contributor. Making split-second decisions is invigorating. It's the kind of adrenaline you might need after a long day of work, and while different choices will send plotlines down different routes, the choices themselves don't impact the True Colors ending as much as you think.
Minor things will separate the ending you get from the conclusion another player obtains, but overall it remains pretty much the same. I think it's fair to say you can relax a little more in these tense situations. Make the choices you feel are right, and don't worry too much if you regret what you choose. Enjoy your playthrough.
5 True Colors Takes Place In 2019
Life Is Strange: True Colors is the latest game, timeline-wise in the Life Is Strange Universe. Set after Life Is Strange 1, 2, and Before the Storm, True Colors occurs in mid-2019. It's always nice to know when the game you're playing is taking place, especially when it's part of a more extensive series.
Even if the Life Is Strange sequels don't continue the original story, the protagonists have familiar quirks to Max — the lead of the first Life Is Strange. Like, you know, superpowers. The extremely common side-effect of puberty.
4 On The Lookout For Easter Eggs
The broader scope of the story itself can make additional features fade into the background. Such as easter eggs you'll find hidden in sneaky places around the town of Haven Springs, most of which reference the first game, like the graffiti made by Chloe Price.
It's nice seeing other players discovering these easter eggs, but nowhere near as satisfying if you locate them yourself. So remember, be on the lookout for easter eggs referencing the Life Is Strange series. You never know what you might find.
3 Replaying Chapters For Missing Collectibles
Collectibles, trophies, achievements, whatever it may be that's keeping you from seeing the satisfying "100%" to fuel your completionist yearnings, there's an easier way to earn these than just replaying the entire game.
Heading to chapter select in the main menu and choosing whichever section you need to go to to find those pesky final collectibles makes it much easier to beat your friends at being the first to attain them all. And, of course, you'll get bragging rights over them.
2 Alex's Phone Is Integral To The Full Story
There's always more than one side to a story, and when it comes to video games, more to explore within the story. Main quests will provide you with the basis for uncovering the mystery; they will give you pointers on who to talk to and where to look. But making it a regular thing to check up on the messages and social media posts on Alex's phone will grant you that and more. Messages may add to the mystery, or make it that bit easier to understand, giving you a glimpse into the lives some of these characters lead - or what their intentions truly are.
Along with that, there are also lovely messages that build further upon the relationships Alex will form with the people of Haven Springs and those made while in Foster Care.
1 Surprisingly, There Are A Lot Of RPG Elements
No one expected an ounce of RPG mechanics within True Colors, but this game is more genre-bending than you first realized. Admittedly, it comes out of nowhere, sparking a new life to the game and turning it on its head in the best way possible.
Alex attacks enemies with her guitar in a fun fashion reminiscent of the Final Fantasy franchise, also developed by Square Enix. These fresh mechanics added in Chapter 3 will make you wish for a full-length Life Is Strange game that is an RPG through and through. And that's not a bad thing.