Life is Strange: True Colors will be the newest addition to Square Enix’s best-selling Life is Strange franchise. The game features an all-new protagonist, Alex Chen, who has the power of empathy. She can see people’s auras and the colors correlate to how the person is feeling. If she concentrates, she can even figure out why the person is feeling that emotion. Sometimes, though, it can become too much and overwhelm her. Life is Strange: True Colors will showcase this new power and protagonist alongside a brand-new cast of characters.
Except for one character who is a thin link between the Life is Strange games. Steph Gingrich, whose full first name is Stephanie, originally debuts in Life is Strange: Before the Storm as one of Chloe Price’s friends. Steph, Chloe, and Mikey can all play a tabletop game together at two different times during Before the Storm. Steph’s appearance in True Colors is an exciting way to give a nod to the predecessor Life is Strange games without making a direct sequel. Steph’s appearance is also important for a couple of other reasons.
Steph Had to Move Away
It’s hard to pinpoint Steph’s actual age in Before the Storm, but it’s safe to assume she’s around Chloe’s age of 16. Before the Storm is a prequel, taking place about three years prior to the events of the original Life is Strange. Somewhere between Before the Storm and Life is Strange, Steph had to move away in order to still be alive after either ending of Life is Strange. One of the hardest decisions of the original game was choosing to save Chloe or sacrifice her to save the town of Arcadia Bay.
If players save Chloe, the entire town is destroyed along with everyone in it. Chloe and Max leave and head toward a better life together. However, if players sacrifice Chloe, she dies but the town survives. In this case, Steph wouldn’t have had to move away, but it would make sacrificing Chloe the canon option. Dontnod Entertainment has already gone on record to say there is no canon ending for Life is Strange, so Steph had to move away after Before the Storm and before Life is Strange. It also explains her absence from the original game.
Steph is an LGBT Character
According to Chloe’s journal description of Steph, the beanie-wearing gamer is a lesbian. In fact, Steph has a crush on Rachel Amber in Before the Storm, though how far it goes depends on if the player wants Chloe and Rachel to have a romantic relationship. Life is Strange has always been about representation, and it’s nice to see an out and proud character make a reappearance in the franchise. It’s also good that True Colors doesn’t seem to break the canon of having Steph be an out-and-proud lesbian.
Steph is also an undeniably cool character, so it’ll be interesting to see how she fits into the plot of True Colors. She’s also been confirmed as a potential love interest for Alex, which continues Life is Strange’s reputation for having representation at the heart of its stories. Steph was well-received by the fans of Life is Strange, so it’ll be exciting to see how her character has grown and changed in the time that players saw her in Before the Storm.
Many fans are excited for Steph’s return in Life is Strange: True Colors. There’s not much known about her role in the story beyond her significance as a friend and potential romantic interest, but that hasn’t stopped fans from rejoicing at her return.
Life is Strange: True Colors will be available September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.