Life is Strange: True Colors isn’t due for another few months, but players are already excited about what’s to come. This will be the most graphically advanced Life is Strange game to date and will feature an Asian-American woman as the protagonist. Life is Strange has always had a core foundation of representation, so it’s nice to see the game stick to its roots in that regard. While players don’t necessarily know what Life is Strange: True Colors has in store for its protagonist, Alex Chen, there are a few things players already know or can infer.
Yesterday, April 21, the Life is Strange YouTube channel debuted Alex’s opening scene for the upcoming game. While the clip is only a little under 2 minutes long, there’s quite a bit that players can already understand about Alex’s character. This clip coupled with the information already revealed from the trailer can lead players to have a pretty good understanding of Alex Chen. Fans of the series are incredibly excited for Life is Strange: True Colors and some of this excitement is definitely due to Alex Chen being the playable character.
Alex’s Background
From the moment players meet Alex, they know she’s not had an easy life. Her parents died when she was young and she got separated from her older brother, Gabe. Life is Strange: True Colors opens with Alex talking to her social worker about the move to Haven Springs, Colorado. It’s revealed that she’s lived at the Helping Hands Group Home for 8 years and that the move to Colorado will be a big one, insinuating that Alex will be far away from the group home.
It’s apparent that Alex doesn’t have a relationship with her brother by their awkward but familial reunion in the reveal trailer. However, it’s also clear that she wants to get to know him and is looking forward to living in Haven Springs with him. In unfortunate (yet typical) Life is Strange fashion, tragedy strikes before Alex can even get to know Gabe, who dies under mysterious circumstances. It’s unknown if her brother knows of Alex’s empathic powers before his death, but the opening scene confirms that Alex hasn’t told her brother about what the social worker calls her “issues.”
Alex’s Personality
Alex has an awkward yet sincere demeanor, which is probably natural for someone who has empathetic powers. Alex’s social worker is concerned when Alex tells her that she’s going to pick up shifts at the bar Gabe works at, asking if the teen will be dealing with people. Alex shrugs it off, but her demeanor is clearly very twitchy and a bit uncomfortable, most likely due to the line of questioning she’s navigating at that moment.
Her social worker says that she deeply cares for Alex and only worries about her well-being, but Alex’s discomfort is still palpable. For Alex, moving to Haven Springs is about starting over while getting to know her brother. She’s also got a few hobbies, like playing guitar and singing, that players will get to experience in-game. As for Alex’s powers, different colors represent different emotions, but when someone is feeling something too strongly, it can take over Alex and make her lose control.
Alex Chen already strikes fans as a character with a lot of depth to be uncovered as the game progresses. Players will get to see how she mourns her brother and tries to solve his death, as well as navigating potential romances with Ryan Lucan or Life is Strange: Before the Storm’s Steph Gingrich. Alex is deeply complex and will certainly be a joy to get to know as players delve further into Life is Strange: True Colors and all the mystery it still holds.
Life is Strange: True Colors will release September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
