• News

Life is Strange: True Colors gameplay video explains empathy mechanic

Empathy will play a major role in Life is Strange: True Colors. Allow Square Enix and Deck Nine Games to explain how with some new gameplay footage.

Ozzie Mejia

June 13, 2021 12:57 PM

1

Sunday's Square Enix Presents Summer Showcase continued with a new look at Life is Strange: True Colors. While Square Enix and Deck Nine Games had previously described Alex's power of empathy and its impact on the narrative, today's showcase offered a first look at the new mechanic in action.

Alex's power comes in her psychic power of empathy. It allows her to see auras in much clearer colors, as well as feel the emotions of those around her. That can be both a blessing and a curse, as she looks to solve the mysteries of Haven Springs.

"The many residents of Haven Springs are fascinating and fully-rounded figures, each with their own strengths, desires and flaws," Narrative Director Jonathan Zimmerman explains on the Square Enix website. "Using Alex Chen's psychic power of Empathy, you won’t just get to know these people by what they say and do, but also by what they feel."

Players will ultimately need to decide how they use Alex's power and whether they should use it responsibly. One example on display has Alex uncover one of the side characters' secrets, knowing how it adversely affects his relationship with his girlfriend. Players can either decide to have Alex step in and make the truth clear or they can opt to mind their own business. With several of these scenarios in place, it stands to greatly affect True Colors' overarching narrative.

Life is Strange: True Colors is set to release soon. The game is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on September 10. This is just one of many games that are being revealed during this intense E3 2021 season. Keep it here on Shacknews for the latest updates.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?