Square Enix announces Life is Strange: True Colors, Life is Strange: Remastered Collection

Square Enix has revealed its next game in the Life is Strange series, Life is Strange: True Colors, as well as Life is Strange: Remastered Collection, which will include the first game in the franchise and its prequel, Before the Storm.

In development at Before the Storm studio Deck Nine, Life is Strange: True Colors is launching on September 10th for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and PC.

Life is Strange: True Colors follows the story of Alex Chen (played by relative newcomer Erika Mori), a young Asian-American woman who reunites with her brother Gabe after eight years apart. Gabe is living in the idyllic, fictional, mountainside town of Haven Springs, Colorado, and Alex seems to immediately take to the place, meeting its friendly residents and taking in the sights.

Unfortunately, soon after the siblings reunite, Gabe is killed in what the other residents of Haven Springs call an accident, though Alex isn’t so sure. To uncover the truth, she’ll have to rely on a long-suppressed psychic ability called Empathy to “experience, absorb and manipulate” other people’s emotions, which she perceives as vibrant, colored auras—an ability she sees as a “curse.”

Alex will also rely on the help from her new friends and possible romantic interests, Ryan and Steph, who players might remember from Before the Storm. And, like the series’ other protagonists, Alex has an artistic streak. She’s a musician, and her singing voice is provided by singer-songwriter and YouTuber mxmtoon.

While the basics of the franchise seem to remain in tact after Deck Nine took over production on the series from Dontnod Entertainment, True Colors marks several changes for the series, not least of which is that it’s doing away with an episodic release schedule and launching in full. However, the game is still structured as five distinct chapters.

Another big change is that True Colors uses full body and facial motion-capture technology for its animation, as well as Deck Nine’s proprietary “Storyteller” toolkit. Haven Springs will also be more explorable than the settings in previous titles, and players can “affect and interact with the people of the town and the state of Haven” with Alex’s power.

As for the Remastered Collection, in addition to being included with the True Colors Ultimate Edition, it will also be a standalone title and features engine and lighting upgrades as well as full facial motion capture performances to enhance the animations. The standalone digital release will launch later in fall 2021 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and PC via Steam.