Life is Strange: True Colours- Videogames As Art

About 7 years ago, the first of five episodes of Life Is Strange was released onto an unsuspecting world. The creators, Dontnod, had previously produced an okay but unremarkable game called Remember Me- it was pretty forgettable-so the episodic tale of an introverted photography student with the power to rewind time did not garner much excitement. However, it ended up being one of the most talked about games of the year, garnering strong reviews and approval from the video games community at large. Since then we have had the prequel Before the Storm, and a whole new storyline with new characters in Life is Strange 2.

What appeals with these games is the mumblecore movie like vibe; authentic sounding dialogue delivered well with only a occasional clunky pieces of dialogue. The games are usually shot with an eye for cinematography, a great central mystery that pulls you in and likeable or relatable characters.

I played the latest entry, True Colours and loved getting to know Alex Chen and see the effect her empathic powers had on her. There were the usual moments of wonder, surprise and tenderness that will stay with you long after the game is over but it's the characters portrayed with depth and personality that are the real triumph here- I like the portrayal of strong women in videogames who don't need rescuing.

The game was a great palette cleanser from the open world fatigue I've suffered from after playing Elden Ring and Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West for over 200 hours.

Life Is Strange: Before The Storm- Video Games As Art

The first Life is Strange series was a surprise hit for its creators DontNod. It explored the relationships people have with each other and the way our actions have consequences, good and bad. With a time-traveling mechanic, it definitely had some gamey tropes but at its heart was a missing person mystery that pulled you in like the very best teen drama series, police procedural or Twin Peaks even.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm, is a prequel that explores the town of Arcadia Bay again but this time we control Chloe Price, the brash antagonistic teen from the first game who does not have the power to manipulate time like her friend Max Caulfield from the first game. What we have instead is a more intimate game about relationships we have and how nothing is simply black and white, but rather more nuanced shades of grey.

The dialogue can be a little too Whedon-esque and 'edgy' but it is heartfelt, earnest and most importantly honest. The game puts its heart on its sleeve and in this day and age it is easy to sneer and be cynical but it is a brave, intelligent game with soul. For me to experience a game that left me questioning the way I interact with people, is a remarkable achievement.

Life is Strange Complete Season Review (Spoiler Free)

About a year ago the first part of Life Is Strange was releases onto an unsuspecting world. The creators, Dontnod, had previously produced an okay but unremarkable game, entitled ironically enough Remember Me. As such, an episodic tale about an introverted photography student with the power to rewind time did not garner much excitement yet it has ended up being one of the most talked about games of the year, gathering strong reviews and approval from the video games community at large. As the episodes were released over the year Word of mouth spread that Life Is Strange was a great story based games and even though the graphics were not impressive the artistic style and quality earned it unexpectedly high sales.
The games has you play as Max Caulfield, a young student who moves back to her home town of Arcadia Bay to study photography at the local academy. Max discovers that she has the power to rewind time but there are repercussions for her actions

The game is like a mumblecore movie but in the best possible sense with authentic sounding dialogue delivered well with only a few clunky pieces of dialogue. The game is shot with an eye at cinematography and despite the aged software used is composed well with great angles which add to the mystery and atmosphere.

Playing the 5 episodes over the course of the week I found that in the game there were moments of wonder, surprise and tenderness that will stay with you for a long time. Max and Chloe are wonderfully nuanced characters portrayed with depth and personality and you can understand why the game has received a lot of praise for its portrayal of strong women. Overall, this was a great experience and at the price of just over £10 for the entire season is unmissable.

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LINK- My One True Gaming Constant in Life- Nintendo