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    Home Unlabelled Life Is Strange | [TC E3] I did a little fanart of a Steph and Alex interaction that absolutely positively killed me

    Life Is Strange | [TC E3] I did a little fanart of a Steph and Alex interaction that absolutely positively killed me

    September 13, 2021

    Life Is Strange | [TC E3] I did a little fanart of a Steph and Alex interaction that absolutely positively killed me

    [TC E3] I did a little fanart of a Steph and Alex interaction that absolutely positively killed me

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 08:00 AM PDT

    [NO SPOILERS] my life is strange collection. Can’t wait to get a true colors collectors edition

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 05:03 AM PDT

    [All] Excited to start

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT

    [No spoilers] [self] Alex Chen cosplay

    Posted: 12 Sep 2021 04:20 PM PDT

    [NO SPOILERS] The LiS mothership did a True Colors lo-fi study mix complete with anime Alex and Valkyrie.

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 11:45 AM PDT

    [No Spoilers] Chasemarsh Monday: Happy birthday, Kate (by keiths3dart)

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 08:55 AM PDT

    [NO SPOILERS] First Chloe, then Cassidy, now Alex. Why do I always fall in love with crazy alternative chicks ��

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 04:40 AM PDT

    [TC] Can't get over how tragic Alex's life is

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 12:00 PM PDT

    Mom died of cancer, Dad abandoned the family when Alex was only 13, then died in a tragic accident, with Alex never knowing what happened. Brother lands in juvie then leaves Alex behind. Alex never adopted, left in group homes and foster care through the entirety of her teenage years. Then, her brother is murdered only a day after reuniting with him after 8 years. Finally, almost killed and left to die in a dark hole, with nobody caring except for Steph and/or Ryan. She deserves a happy ending, and I'm glad deck nine gave it to her.

    submitted by /u/Icycold157
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    [NO SPOILERS] She was REALLY excited to see that bird

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 09:05 AM PDT

    [NO SPOILERS] Post game depression is hitting me like a freight train again.

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 12:44 AM PDT

    Just finished True Colors. After not really feeling LiS2, i absolutely loved this one, up there with LiS1 and BTS. But man do I feel like shit ever since finishing it lol. Not many games have done this to me before, actually just the first Life is Strange, Persona 5 and now True Colors. But what a fucking great game. Loved every minute of it.

    submitted by /u/herrbauer96
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    [No Spoilers] 100,000 subscribers! Wowser!

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 01:27 PM PDT

    We've officially passed the 100k sub milestone!!

    Of course, a big thanks goes to our mods who are sacrificing their time to keep the sub clean. So, give it up for them. Cheers!

    Everyone else, keep posting awesome fanart, cosplays, fan fics, fan theories, easter eggs and just your personal thoughts and experiences on this franchise we all love so much. And whether you find yourself in Arcadia Bay, Beaver Creek, Haven Springs or on the road... Keep being awesome and have a great day!

    submitted by /u/RayOhWells
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    [ALL] Petition: Let's update this subreddit's banner!

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 11:02 AM PDT

    We know it's Alex Chen at this point! Let's turn the sweet girl around and get some True Colors color up there! Can't go wrong with the promo art!

    submitted by /u/TheInsaneDump
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    [NO SPOILERS] Me anytime I have to call any company for any reason whatsoever.

    Posted: 12 Sep 2021 07:57 PM PDT

    [TC] I really wanted to pour my feelings out regarding True Colors

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 09:05 AM PDT

    For context, The original Life is Strange is my third favorite game of all time, and something heavily worried me with each new release. It has nothing to do with the game quality itself, although I enjoyed some less than others. But it was the sad realization that I had to come to. The time of my life that I was playing Life is Strange 1 combined with the things I was going through at that time gave me a level of emotional connection to that game that I accepted that no matter how good, no game in the series would truly ever be able to top the first for me. This is exactly how I felt with LiS: True colors, the beginning left me completely floored, from the graphics to the characters to the simple idea of belonging to a community like Haven Springs. Very early on, I 100% thought that True colors was the best game in the series, but I just couldn't put it over the bond I had with the first game, which made me pretty sad as I just can't suppress my feelings for Life is Strange 1 and it has inherently made all subsequent ones somewhat worse for me

    And then the second half of the game happened…..

    The rise in quality from the first to the second half of the game was just astonishing and so much effort from so many different parts of me was needed to stop myself from crying at so many moments. The relationship between Alex, Ryan, and Steph was so incredibly natural and real that I felt so immersed.they grow to lookout for eachother from the second they begin interacting, and it's not because the developers are forcing it, but because they just…. Build off of eachother in such a moving way. And even on the SO side of things (I chose Steph ofc), the characters have such an intense love for each other and they shape each other's lives for the better. Steph is spontaneous and constantly seeking change in her life, only to be stopped by the ones who love her most, as we see the cycle break through Gabe and Alex. Alex has never even had enough time to grow old of her surroundings, and the one time she does, everything is threatened to fall again. This is only prevented by the ones she holds close to her, Steph (in my play through) being the absolute biggest factor. Simple interactions such as Alex giving Steph the rose are so perfect. Steph is apprehensive initially, almost in disbelief, but she immediately transitions into genuine love and happiness from this, only to be struck with an intense fear right after, wondering if she can be good enough for Alex, which is such an incredible reflection on her perspective of her last relationship. When Steph and Alex kissed on the rooftop, I just broke down in a way I can't really explain, I haven't felt that way in such a long time even though I would consider myself a very emotional person. I fell in love with this game so early, and at no point did that feeling diminish. The aspirations and realized dialogue of every single character was inspiring. The ending to this game made it all the much better. Recently, in my stage of transitioning into an adult, the idea of staying where my roots are vs. discovering what I don't know and seeking adventure outside of what I know has been very difficult for me to come to terms with. The ladder truly haunts me as there are so many unknowns that I have no control over whereas the former gives me a great fear of missing out on a potential world of life changing experiences. Making that final decision to stay or leave Haven Springs took me such a long time, as it felt as if I was truly making that choice. In the end, I decided to seek adventure, and what I saw didn't disappoint. Seeing Alex travel and perform with the one she loves filled with such joy that no game has made me experience before. Even the idea of finding "the one" and having as much love for each other as these characters do is constantly on my mind. I truly fear never having even a fraction of what Alex and Steph have. This game has reshaped so many things I value and changed me significantly for the better and I will forever treasure that. To wrap it up, Life is Strange 1 was extremely important to me during the time of my life that I played it, and True colors is extremely important to me in this current time of my life. Making this choice has been extremely difficult, but I have finally let LiS1 go, and true colors has taken its place. Going through my top ten games list and simply adding ":True Colors" to my third spot overwhelmed me, as I have quite literally grown up with max and Chloe, and this decision is almost symbolic of my growth as a person, which I am just too grateful for. I tried to hold it back but simply writing this has made me cry again. Thank you so much if you have read this far, I really appreciate my words and emotions being consumed by others.

    submitted by /u/Lucalemonlord1
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    [NO SPOILERS] You spin me right 'round, baby right 'round

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 01:37 AM PDT

    [TC] I genuinely feel bad for you if you missed this scene.

    Posted: 12 Sep 2021 06:38 PM PDT

    [TC] Unpopular Opinion: True Colors was a fun experience, but does not justify a $60 price tag.

    Posted: 12 Sep 2021 10:59 PM PDT

    Honestly, the story itself was decent, the characters were good, but in my opinion there just wasn't enough substance to justify such a high price tag. The game is fairly short, and is compounded by the fact that lots of sequences were drawn out to be much longer (and more tedious) than they needed to be. This caused the good parts to feel as though they were few and far in between.

    If the game was half the price, I'd say it was a fun little experience. But at $60, I'm having serious buyers remorse.

    submitted by /u/Fiveby21
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    [NO SPOILERS] Who hopes for a vinyl version of the soundtrack.

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 12:49 PM PDT

    It makes sense with the record being the games kinda thing. And the soundtrack was spectacular. Square Enix Please make it happen!

    submitted by /u/LilBigJP
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    [NO SPOILERS] It's dominance, Ryan. Pure dominance.

    Posted: 12 Sep 2021 09:07 PM PDT

    [NO SPOILERS] just got platinum... not sure what to do with my life now, im not ready to say goodbye to the characters :((

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 05:52 AM PDT

    [TC] I wish there was more variety to ending

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 07:06 AM PDT

    When only the old lady trusted me I really thought I was about to get the worst ending, but then Alex does the same thing to Jed in every playthrough. This game doesn't have multiple endings, it has multiple epilogues.

    submitted by /u/Ayy-lmao213
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    [ALL] The structure of the story in True Colors is really similar to the first game

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 10:59 AM PDT

    Ever since it was announced that the Life is Stranger franchise was going to be lead by Deck 9 I had a feeling the next game was going to take the "The Force Awakens" approach of trying to be more like the most popular entry in the franchise because the last entry wasn't as popular. And I feel like in the end I was right because the general story beats of True Colors is very, very similar to LiS. In both games:

    We play as a socially awkward girl moving to a small town and reconnecting from an important person from her past.

    By reconnecting to them, the protagonist gets involved in a mystery that is deeply connected to said person.

    The first suspect is an asshole who ends up being just someone manipulated by the true villain, but still not innocent.

    In the end of episode 4, we find out the villain was someone we trusted, and they attack us.

    In episode 5 the protagonist has some kind of visions.

    In the end the protagonist has two basic endings, one that has her staying in town and another where she leaves.

    I still liked the game a lot, but I find this kinda of a bummer. Even though my favorite game is LiS2, I totally get why fans wanted something more similar to the first, but Deck 9 didn't need to go this far.

    Worst part is, months before the game was announced there was a leak that correctly stated there was a new LiS game in the works called True Colors which feature a bissexual protagonist with empathy powers. Said leak also said a game with Max and Chloe was in the works, which if there also right about this, it means Deck 9 will keep milking the first game because it's really popular instead of trying something new.

    submitted by /u/BrotherhoodVeronica
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    [TC] True Colors first episode - why can we open this door in the backyard?

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 12:37 PM PDT

    Hey everyone,

    I finished the game today (no spoilors don't worry) and I am wondering why we can open this one door in the backyard near the flower shop. There is nothing in there and till the end of the game I couldn't find a purpose for it. Removed feature, forgotten during development? Any ideas?

    submitted by /u/JaloOfficial
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    [ALL] Life is Strange...ly Unbalanced? (A rant about TC and its endings)

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 03:48 AM PDT

    (I wanted to say the word "gentle" instead of "unbalanced" but didn't want to spoil it for people who may not have played the game yet.)

    I've seen a few people comment on this, but I felt like it needed its own thread. This is long, so I'm sorry.

    The TL;DR is this: Call me a curmudgeon, but anyone else feel a let down by how damn happy the endings this time around are? Set in 2019 with nary an allusion to Covid-19? I get that the game was probably scripted as early as 2017-18, but to not try to work in something so real when you're in active development and releasing in 2021? Couple that with how the game's storyline involves the protagonists essentially taking down a town's main source of income with zero apparent repercussions? Seriously?

    Section 1 - But As Far As I Can Remember (The Previous Games and Their Themes/Endings)

    The LiS series' central thesis, true to its title, has always been the general messiness of life itself. For all the moody indie music, teen angst and magical dust particles everywhere, it's always felt like a stylized distillation of reality. The first game's core appeal is largely how it gives the player a chance to witness an immediate outcome and actively FIX it should they feel they screwed up - how many times, especially as a cocksure teen, have we wished to turn back the clock on stupid shit we did? This is made all the more satisfying by how oftentimes there are results that you never saw coming down the line and made all more devastating when the game takes it all away and says you have to cast aside anything you've done.

    No matter what you choose, you have a bittersweet outcome - an abused and troubled girl gets shot and killed by some preppy douchebag; or an entire town of people, with their own dreams and ambitions, gets ripped apart by a storm - all so you can stay with your estranged waifu.

    Before the Storm largely kept to this tradition: You can reunite Rachel with her lost mother for a few sweet moments or not; you can have a whirlwind romance with her; but no matter what, she's going to be ripped away from you and everyone. She becomes an eternal "What If?" as it were.

    LiS2 took away the player's choice to turn back time to allow for an even more bold statement to be made: your choices DO matter but you'll never know until long after it's been said and done. It wasn't always the big moments that defined those results either, but often the little things said or unsaid.

    And yet, the big things happen to you regardless of what you do. Try to follow the most just path available to you? Too bad, 15 years behind bars. Too bad, a grade-schooler gets an ankle collar on him and you can't go over to see him grow even IF you have a waifu/husbando. Give the finger to the rules and go your way? Too bad, you're gonna wind up working shady jobs and deal with gangbangers. Too bad, you're gonna get shot and your baby brother's gonna wind up a shady gangbanger himself.

    Tell Me Why and Twin Mirror, while not technically LiS games, follow the formula of aggressively nostalgic Americana trappings closely enough I'm going to put them together, similarly deal with bittersweet triumphs. I'm not going to spoil to talk about them too here as this isn't a subreddit about those games. Suffice to say, both games deal with the subjectivity of truth and how rarely people get clean answers in life.

    All throughout, a running theme is how reality doesn't lend itself to Hollywood endings.

    Section 2 - Fifteen Kids in the Backyard Drinking Wine (Characterization)

    Another point, the games, including BTS, took great pains to show how rarely life has clear-cut good guys and bad guys. Nathan Prescott is a douchebag able to kill a former classmate in cold blood but he's also dealing with feelings of neglect and abuse while being actively manipulated by a mentor. The school principal tries to create a decent environment for their classes but is also an alcoholic. Cult leaders take in children to put on a dog and pony show while medicating their own anxieties and helping a junky get a second chance in life. The bisexual chill dudebro who's done some shit is genuinely trying to get better to reunite with his family and is willing to endanger a child to get back his money.

    Messy.

    True Colors, on the other hand, seems to eschew almost any of this messiness for most of its characters. Mac and Charlotte are the closest they come to giving someone any sense of genuine duality with all of their negative traits coming out of a very human place. Mac's petty and spiteful but he's also a scared little boy behind all the bluster - I can get that. Charlotte's dealing with a metric fuckload of stress of a single mom running a business she can't openly show her son AND a potential future from her - I can really get that.

    They almost get there with Diane and Jed, but they come off as almost cartoonishly evil by the end of it. A less kind game would make a stronger case for why they do what they do - Jed may have sacrificed 8 innocent men, but how many more did he save? The game never says. John Chen may not have had anyone to mourn him the day he died, but what about the seven others? Nobody ever brings it up. Diane's genuinely distraught her actions directly lead to the death of an innocent man. They do show she has family outside, but they never push this angle very hard beyond a single scene.

    Everyone else just comes off as so fucking idyllic. Gabe and Alex, and to a lesser extent Duckie, are implied to have some serious skeletons in their closet yet the game doesn't really show it besides alluding to it, almost as if they're scared that showing their depths would keep us from appreciating their highs.

    And everyone else? My god, it is like their worst trait is saving too many puppies.

    All the townsfolk have totally benign wholesome dramas - does she like me; man our ice cream shop isn't doing well; I wanna help my boyfriend write his novel; FUCK THIS FUCKING GODDAMN FUCKING BOOT FUCKING FUCK YOU AND FUCK THIS SHIT. (Can you tell what my favorite side character was?)

    Pike's the buddy-cop who you can't really blame for being in the pocket of Big Uranium given how you see them treat those who get into their crosshairs.

    Riley's Ms. Perfect - I don't think she game showed a single nuanced about her.

    Eleanor's worst trait is that she's scared of her dementia being found out and that might her prone to becoming petty.

    Ethan's an impulsive kid, but that's about it.

    Ryan's worst trait might be that he's inclined to side with his dad but I didn't even get to find out that was even a thing in my playthrough.

    Steph? I guess she might be too much of a wild child with no clear direction in life, but the game doesn't frame any downside to this - she seems to be in a pretty good spot all things considered. Maybe she smokes too much weed? I don't know.

    By the way - anyone notice that for how much they talk about it, I never see anyone light up? Spring Festival comes, a legal weed store is literally right down the frickin' street, you got Eleanor talking about how it's a low-key fuckfest, booze is being poured and yet you see absolutely NOBODY toking a J?

    Section 3 - This Action Will (Not) Have Consequences (The Endings of True Colors)

    This is what got into my craw the most. The game makes it 100% clear that Typhon, for all intents and purposes, is the lifeblood of this town. Per Mac, they cut the most checks and it seems clear that a good chunk of the townsfolk have some connection with the mine. This is where my biggest gripe lies - you essentially take down the lifeblood of the city and the town goes on as normal!? I think the game's writers are being very naive or talking down to the players with this.

    It would've been so much smarter and I would've spared us all a wall of text had they at least acknowledged the material consequences of hitting a town's lifeline as your actions do. Maybe Typhon's not entirely going away, but people are losing their jobs which, per the game's own canon, provide not only payment but also a robust benefits package to their employees. Twin Mirror, and no end of real-life examples, shows what happens to a town when the cash cow gets turned to mincemeat and it's not pretty.

    Instead, it's "yay time will do its thing and you get to shack up with Ryan or Steph for the rest of your implied days;" or "yay you get to travel the world with absolutely no hang-ups on your way to super stardom for the rest of your implied days." As I said before, the fact that a 2021 game, one whose brand is centered entirely around how grounded it is, no less, glosses over any mention of the upcoming pandemic, feels like it nips any would-be happiness in the bud.

    I don't think a BtS post-credits faceslap would be appropriate, but something would've gone a long way to bring the Strange back into the Life. The closest thing we get to feeling an overreaching consequence to our actions is a glimpse of Ryan looking devastated that you left town or a brief mention how Steph leaving will hurt. When Twin Mirror does a better job of making you feel the downsides of even your best-intended action, you missed the mark.

    Another thing I found wanting is that they don't play too heavily with the downside of Alex taking emotions outside of a handful of scripted moments. It would've been interesting had the mechanic lead to unintended consequences during conversations, emotional "burps" from poking around people's brains. It would've lead to the player putting more thought into how they play the game instead of feeling like the interactive movie that it does currently, lending better replayability. Imagine like you're confessing your love to Ryan/Steph but then someone's anger you tapped into earlier makes you flip out and go into a stream of cursing? Alex is about to denounce Jed for his bullshit but she senses fear which triggers a PTSD reaction and make her really look nuts?

    To be fair, this kind railroading is far from unique for the series but can't help but be miffed about it. Unlike the previous games, this was designed from the ground up as a continuous self-contained experience and it didn't have the same time constraints as BtS, LiS2 or the production troubles of Twin Mirror. I feel like the part I was doing the most active thinking and had the most freedom to explore was in fact the (dead-easy but super fun) LARP. I don't expect Nintendo Hard difficulty from any story-based game, but would've been nice to see them experiment with the format and make you earn the happy ending.

    Section 4 - Forget the Horror, Forget the Horror (What I Actually Liked)

    For making me spend longer than I ever have writing about any single video game short of Death Stranding, I don't mean to mindlessly bash True Colors. I think Deck Nine did a fine job writing thoughtful characters and making a wonderfully realized world. My biggest fear was that they would lean really hard on the Arcadia Bay fanservice and, to their credit, they didn't and made a cast that manages to stand apart from the previous entries in a good way.

    Also, for how short it was, I was invested in Alex's story. I liked the way the superpower was used to craft different psychological realities for these characters and bring a feeling of magic to the story. Something I missed in LiS2 was a look into the internal realities of the characters outside of a car flashback and it was brought back here in full force.

    For the time I was playing, I found myself grokking the various subplots, however wholesome they were. I laughed more than once throughout for all the right reasons. Loved the addition of MyBlock and how you played a mini-guessing game as to which names corresponded to which NPCs. As I write in the throes of an extended lockdown here, I can see the need for a little painless comfort food.

    Yet, ironically, for all the complaints about LiS2 being a SJW-fest, True Colors is the one that feels tapped into a very modern mentality of being overly mindful of people's potential triggers to the point where it can't help but feel blunted. LiS never failed to provide some comforting aesthetics but were never afraid to trust the player to deal with pain.

    I just wish the writers would've had more trust and respect for their audience to let them deal with the Strange.

    Thanks to all of you who read this far. Cheers guys.

    submitted by /u/mr__outside
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    [NO SPOILERS] Life is Strange Meets Metal - Through the Cellar Door

    Posted: 13 Sep 2021 11:37 AM PDT
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