Watch Life is Strange: True Colors demonstrate the magical power of empathy

In the ultimate realisation of the series' themes, Life is Strange: True Colors is a game where fraught teen feelings are literally the superpower. But how does a heightened sense of empathy work in practice?

Deck Nine Games gave us a demonstration during Square Enix' E3 showcase. At times, during your sleuthing through Haven Springs, locals feeling particularly heightened emotions will glow with a bright aura—resulting in a "nova" of feelings. In this state, the world is utterly transformed, leaving Alex hints at what may be causing the flare up of emotions.

In a particularly charged moment, however, Alex can also remove an emotion from a person outright. We see a scene where an artist is so filled with rage that she expresses suicidal ideation, as Alex weighs up the risks of bringing this anger into herself to save this stranger the trouble.

Life is Strange: True Colours is coming to Steam and Stadia on September 10th. As a tidy bonus, the Ultimate edition of True Colors arrives with a full remaster of the first Life Is Strange and LIS: Before the Storm, with Square's stream giving us our first look at the visual upgrades coming to those games.

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.

Read more
A young woman's face bathed in light
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 review
New RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's team of protagonists, including Gustave, Lune, and Maelle
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the surreal debut RPG from Sandfall Interactive, is out this April and I can't wait to hang out with my inscrutable balloon comrade
A man in a leather jacket with a crystal dragon on his shoulder
Lost Soul Aside, a spectacle fighter where your dragon pal turns into a hoverboard, is coming out in May
Two people talking in the street
Inzoi's 'Smart Zoi' AI system sounds great on paper but seeing it in a live demo didn't exactly wow me
Hell Is Us release date trailer still - close up of some dude with like 13 chins
The sci-fi adventure game from Deus Ex's art director now has Adam Jensen's voice actor, a September release date, and more techno-freak horror vibes than you can shake an augment at
Rue Valley key art
The creators of Disco Elysium unofficially consulted on fascinating upcoming RPG Rue Valley during a brutalist architectural tour of Belgrade: 'It was completely unexpected'
Latest in Adventure
An image of a corpse with the text "You've been re-educated."
I played the lost videogame sequel to 1984, and came away more nostalgic than ever for gaming's awkward adolescence in 1999
Rosella encounters a satyr in a forest in King's Quest 4
Eagle-eyed streamer spots that Roberta Williams' portrait in King's Quest 4 is based on her author photo on the back of the game box: 'I never noticed it before.'
Myst puzzle game
'You’ve been asking, and we’ve been listening': Myst remake adds a whole new world to the classic adventure, one originally introduced in another overhaul from 25 years ago
The character takes a test in a school room.
Expelled! review
Max, protagonist of Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Double Exposure, stares with trepidation at something off-screen with her friend.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure reportedly a 'large loss' for Square Enix, says analyst, who adds: 'The company's IP fundamentally varies too much between good and bad'
Inside
Limbo and Inside studio demands compensation from co-founder Dino Patti for alleged 'unauthorized use of Playdead's trademarks and copyrighted works'
Latest in News
Gabe Newell in a Valve promotional video, on a yacht.
Gabe Newell had his eyes on a social network in the '90s that 'was not in a games context at all'—meaning Valve-owned social media could've been a very real thing
Dune Awakening
Dune: Awakening system requirements are here, complete with Razer Sensa HD haptic support to 'feel the rumble of your ornithopter's seat'
An image of a MSI power supply unit against a circular gradient blue background
MSI has gone so heavy with 12V-2x6 power sockets in its latest high-end PSUs that many AMD and Intel graphics cards have no way of being powered
A dried ghast, a ghastling, and a friendly ghast all smiling
The latest Minecraft Live uncovered the tragic truth of the Nether's most bothersome mob, which has unlocked new levels of guilt
An image of Hornet from Silksong engulfed with rage.
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets SteamDB updates, and at this point I can't tell if the end is nigh or if I'm just hope-poisoned
A man with purple hair and face tattoos poses for a mugshot in the GTA 6 trailer.
Playable GTA 6 map nuked without warning by Take-Two lawyers: 'My guess is that the map was probably a little too accurate'