During Square Enix's E3 presentation, fans got a closer look at Life is Strange: True Colors. The basic premise is that Alex Chen, a young woman with the psychic power of empathy, must use her power to uncover secrets in her small town. Finding the answers may result in learning the truth about her brother Gabe's mysterious death. It sounds simple enough, but nothing in any Life is Strange entry is as simple as it appears. The same is true for Alex and her unique powers.
The Life is Strange: True Colors presentation gave a lot more detail about what Alex can do with her powers and fans discovered that they are a lot more powerful than previously believed. Alex can do a whole lot more than just sense what people are feeling and why they're feeling it, and it's likely that her powers go even deeper than what the new trailer revealed. The choices that players have to make regarding Alex's use of her powers are going to be intense and will have major story consequences.
Alex's Superpower is Mostly Empathy, But There's a Telepathic Element
It needs to be acknowledged that at face value, empathy can seem like a pretty lackluster superpower. Contrast that with telekinesis or the power to manipulate time, and there doesn't seem to be much competition. But fans are already starting to see how Life is Strange: True Colors is actually making empathy into something a lot more complex. That's something the world desperately needs right now, and one of the ways True Colors is accomplishing it is by making sure Alex can do more than just sense emotions.
In the first trailer, Alex explained that she can sometimes tell why people are feeling what they're feeling. That part of her power manifests in actually hearing the thoughts of the other person. Part of this is probably due to the fact that players can't actually experience Alex's powers the same way that she can; without hearing a person's thoughts, there aren't a whole lot of ways to communicate with the player why the character is feeling the way they are. Mind-reading was rumored before the game was announced, but it does usually get lost in the talk about empathy.
Even though it may have been necessitated by game design, it doesn't change the fact that Alex Chen does more than sense emotions and vaguely understand where they're coming from. She can hear what the character is thinking about and have a lot of information before even beginning the conversation, which can drastically impact how that conversation goes. At the same time, she may stumble into it and impact someone, as well as herself, unintentionally, adding a level of chaos and danger to her power.
Alex Can Enter the Minds of Others Via a Supernatural Flare Called a "Nova"
The other features of Alex's power might be best introduced by comparing them to the concept of the Phantom Thieves in Persona 5. No one would expect such different franchises to have a lot in common, but the Persona vibes present in True Colors are strong. The developers explained that when Alex senses a particularly strong emotion, she can connect to it. When that happens, a Nova occurs in the form of a flare bursting from the person's aura. When that happens, the room is transformed into a physical representation of what that person is feeling.
This state is described as an emotionally charged setting where Alex can feel the full force of someone's emotions, to the point of being able to tell whether or not their emotions might put them in danger. In the trailer, Alex is shown entering the psyche of a female character who is incredibly angry, and Alex is able to sense that her anger might kill her.
This is where Life is Strange's important choices come into play. When Alex is aware of the full power these emotions have and what they could do to that person, she can choose to act outside of the Nova state in a way that might prevent damaging consequences. Or, if the player would rather, it looks like she'll be able to make important choices inside the Nova state itself. Being able to enter the mind of someone else and use that power to make changes is a big deal, especially as Alex struggles between acknowledging her powers as a gift or a curse.
Alex Can 'Steal' Emotions From Others in the Nova State
Alex is an empath, which means that she can relate to how other people are feeling. People who are empathetic are known for being some of the most caring people in the world, and Alex fits right into that description. When she's in the Nova state, she seems to discover that she can actually take someone's emotions away.
To bring back the Persona 5 analogy, this is a lot like stealing a boss's distorted desires from a palace knowing it will affect them in the real world. If Alex is able to take away painful emotions, she might heal that person's sadness or anger, but what if it comes at the risk of a complete mental shutdown? She wants to help, but the consequences of her power could be significant. Not to mention, there's no telling how absorbing that much anger or sadness would affect Alex herself.
In deepening Alex's powers, Life is Strange: True Colors is asking a huge moral question that no one saw coming. Is it better to allow someone to suffer and let them authentically express their experience, or should happiness be artificially manufactured to prevent pain and suffering that might cause collateral damage? These are the types of choices players will have to contemplate in Life is Strange: True Colors. Alex can sense emotions, but she can also manipulate them. Alex can help intentionally or unintentionally, but she may also hurt in the same way. That makes the stakes a lot higher and makes Alex's power way more interesting than anyone thought.
Life is Strange: True Colors launches September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
