Developer: Idol Minds, Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia
Tested on: PC
Life is Strange: True Colors Wavelengths DLC – Review
The Life is Strange series is a series about people with extraordinary (super)powers. It’s also a series about people just trying to be people, dealing with everyday life and everyday struggles. In the latest DLC of Life is Strange: True Colors, the latter is the case mostly. ‘Wavelengths‘, as the DLC is called, follows Steph Gringrich. People might have already recognized Steph from Before the Storm, which was a prequel chapter of the first Life is Strange game.
Story
We’ll delve into a small spoiler in this paragraph, as we’ll be referring to a choice that some of you may have made in Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Apparently, there used to be a lot of critique on the ending of Before the Storm, and if you are one of those disgruntled players, this DLC might be good news for you. Right at the beginning, the DLC asks you (aside from finishing True Colors first for some reason) if you saved Arcadia or not in the first Life is Strange. This is because the DLC anticipates two different roads following those events. The differences are small though, just like in hindsight there was actually little to choose between in True Colors. For some reason, Life is Strange seems to be reducing its stories of epic proportions and danger, and puts more focus on real-life issues such as feeling alone as an LGBTQ+ member in a small mining town. The latter is the case for Steph. While this is fine by itself and does not have to be a deal-breaker, whatever you get to experience in Wavelengths is sadly a lot duller as a result.
Throughout the duration of the DLC, you’ll follow Steph in her own little record store/studio that you got to know when playing through True Colors. This starts with Steph just getting the job and going through a new chapter in her life. She’s trying to get into dating, trying to be a good radio host, making friends in New Haven, and so on. While players will undoubtedly enjoy some of these background stories surrounding Steph, they also feel very mundane by the lack of adventure, and perhaps they even lack connections that feel real, as Steph is alone all the time.
Graphics
The graphics are (obviously) continued in the same fashion as True Colors. There are loads of 3D-modelled objects and environments, but this time they are all variations of the record store. Each of the few times the store changes, there are different objects to interact with, but there are also decorations to be found during special events, such as during pride month or Halloween. As we said in our original True Colors review, the only true remark is that the lip-syncing is sometimes just a tiny bit off, but that’s really all. Wavelengths still uses multiple camera angles and motion-captured movements to make sure the story is well brought. Even with the story being somewhat toned down for this DLC, the game still looks very appealing.
Sound
Where sound was already a bigger focal point during True Colors, mainly thanks to Steph and her music-rich influences, Wavelengths couldn’t do without. As you work as a DJ in a record store, there is plenty of music to be heard. About fifteen different songs are introduced throughout the duration of the DLC, and they are reliant on the changes within the store, as well as the seasons. Partially, you can choose these songs whenever you feel like it, putting on special records yourself, instead of letting an Auto-DJ play something. This is a cool feature, but like everything else in the game, it moves rather slow.
Aside from the music, there might be some people you recognize from the first Life is Strange game. Steph her own voice, and her memories featuring others, are constantly in the foreground. The DLC feels a bit like standing in your own bedroom, dancing to music, thinking about life. While doing the latter may put your mind at ease from time to time, this is basically all Wavelengths presents us with, dulling down the generally exciting Life is Strange experience.
Gameplay
Unlike in True Colors, where you have to do some tasks as Alex during his work shift, in Wavelengths you’re basically working all the time. While this DLC is still a story-driven exploration game that gives you some small choices, you do get a to-do list. This list will involve tasks you have to do in the record store, but also while DJing. When DJing, you get some ‘mini-games’, such as reading out ads the correct way. Sadly, these mini-games are very simplistic and just offer you two choices to pick from. Steph also portrays herself as somewhat of a ‘future predictor’ on the radio station, meaning some people will call you with their problems. Again though, there are only two choices to pick from. The game always offers you two choices, and they barely seem to matter. It’s a bit annoying because Steph is such a special character with a rich background story, yet you can barely make any impact at all on anything the game throws at you. This might have been an issue during True Colors to some extent, though this time it is a lot more noticeable.
In the end, you are just walking around, clicking everything to progress a story, without really getting fun choices. Where you already had a phone in True Colors to i.e. check your messages that provided some more background story, Steph also has a dating app installed. This dating app might be the most interesting item when it comes to the entire DLC, because it actually feels like you can flirt and connect with some ‘real’ people besides yourself. These are people who talk back and give you suggestions if you match, and they also have their own small branched choice options depending on the choices you make. Aside from this though, the game is pretty much a walk-around-to-know-Steph-simulator. The DJing and the app have some substance, the rest is pretty dull and slow.
Conclusion
The ‘Wavelengths‘ DLC of Life is Strange: True Colors might be interesting for lifelong fans of the series that want a bit more content revolving around Steph, others may be left wanting more as this addition to True Colors is found lacking in substance. Considering True Colors itself was already a bit slower and didn’t feel as epic as the original Life is Strange, Wavelengths is filled with tedious tasks while you learn more and more about Steph. While this new DLC might fill in some blanks in the story of Steph’s first endeavors in the world of Life is Strange, this DLC just has too little going on for itself to be considered a very good entry in the franchise.
Life is Strange: True Colors Wavelengths DLC - Review,
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