Drama recognized for its LGBTQ inclusive storytelling

The past weekend saw the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) organization hold its 33rd annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony. Emanating out of the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California, the event recognized positive contributions toward the LGBTQ community via?? the medium of film, print, music, TV, and other forms of entertainment.

Among the 30 categories featured on the big night was the GLAAD award for "Outstanding Video Game," which was taken home by the Deck Nine-developed, Square Enix-published interactive drama Life is Strange: True Colors, which launched on PC and console platforms in September 2021. The latest entry in the much-loved adventure series was recognized for its inclusive cast of characters and open approach to LGBTQ matters �themes that have become a core element for the LiS series as a whole.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-UU8h-iAo

The runner-up nominations included Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games), Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft), The Gardener and the Wild Vines (Finite Reflection Studios), Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab), Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios), Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan (ManaVoid Entertainment/Skybound Games), Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft), Unpacking (Witch Beam/Humble Games), and finally Unsighted (Studio Pixel Punk/Humble Games).

Other wins on the night included "Outstanding Documentary" Changing the Game (Hulu), "Outstanding New TV Series" Hacks (HBO Max), "Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series" It’s A Sin (HBO Max), "Outstanding Magazine Coverage" The Advocate, and a tie for "Outstanding Reality Program" by RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1) and We’re Here (HBO).

You can check out the full list of winners over on the official 33rd GLAAD Media Awards press release.

Life is Strange: True Colors is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia. It will also arrive on the Xbox Game Pass service next week.

The post Life is Strange: True Colors scores ‘Oustanding Video Game’ at GLAAD Media Awards appeared first on Destructoid.

A lot to look forward to from Dontnod... even if it's not Life is Strange

Over the past few years, the Life is Strange series has become one of the most recognizable in gaming. Their releases have at least intrigued me every time I see a trailer, so I always look forward to checking out Dontnod games when they drop. It looks like I'm going to have my hands full over the next few years then, because Dontnod has announced that they want to release eight new games by 2025, two of which they've already announced. They plan to publish two new titles �one from Danish studio PortaPlay called Gerda: A Flame in Winter, and one from Studio Tolima, as well as six of their own ori?ginal ?in-house projects.

There are a few rumors circulating as to what Dontnod Entertainment might be working on next. For example, the studio hasn't expanded much into the action RPG genre, so there's a chance that that's something they'd be interested in exploring soon. They also said last year that Life is Strange is not a part of their strategy at the moment, as they want to focus on new IPs, so who kn??ows what they might be cooking up.

Of course, they have really figured out their take on the narrative adventure slice of the games industry, so I think it's safe to assume that they will continue to explore launches in that genre as well, if not immediately, ??then in the future.

While Dontnod is best known for the inception of the Life is Strange series (two of the main series entries, Life is Strange: Before the Storm and Life is Strange: True Colors, were developed by their sister studio, Deck Nine), their catalogue a??lso includes some other, lesser-known title??s.

Their debut title Remember Me did moderately well when it was released back in 2013. Their 2018 title Vampyr was a breakout hit when it was the Epic Games Store's free game of the day after its release, garnering 8 million free downloads, and making it "the studio's biggest financial success to date alongside Life is Strange 1," according to Dontnod's 2021 business review.

There's no telling which direct?ion th??ey're going to take the studio in next, but whatever they do, I'm excited to give it a shot.

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Please, no objections

Well, then. 2021 is over. A series of 365 days that decided, "what if we did 2020, again?" It was the remaster we did not need. But all that said, in spite of the continued effects ?of the pandemic and other nonsense, it was a good year too—one with good times, fun stories, and a smattering of new games to call my favorites of the year.

When I ran down the list of what I've played last year, I realized how all over the place it's been. There weren't a ton of tentpole games like there have been in recent years. Maybe Halo Infinite, but Xbox's heavy hitter launched a little late in the year for me to feel like I know where I'm at with it. I got to dive back into the Mass Effect series with the Legendary Edition, an hono?rable mention for this list; I didn't include it because it was my umpteenth time playing through the whole thing, but I'm glad those ga??mes have a unified home now.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8i53TtQ6IQ

2021 was another year of stellar indies. 2021 was a year of surprises, even in the AAA space. 2021 was the year of revivals, group plays, and long, late-night visual novel reading binges. Heck, by the end of it, I was even into Final Fantasy XIV. Never say never.

It was also the first year of my words finding a home here at Destructoid, and I just want to take a brief moment to thank all of y'all. If you've been hanging around in the comments, reading our work, and supporting the cool stories, interviews, reviews, and silly blogs we did here in 2021, thanks a ton!

Well, let's get this going? Here are some of my favorite games from the year 2021, in no particular order except?? the final one.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Holy flark, I did not see this one coming. I had admittedly written off Guardians of the Galaxy after the launch of Marvel's Avengers, and the Guardians aren't exactly my usual cup of tea when it comes to Marvel content anyways. Something about its Mass Effect Andromeda-ness appealed to me though, and after hearing enough people sh?ower surprised praise on it, I gave it a shot.

What a pleasant, surprisingly heartfelt, and genuinely funny game. Honestly, Guardians of the Galaxy could still use a tune-up on the combat side. But the massive appeal of Eidos Montreal's Marvel journey is its writing and its characters. They got me to genuinely care about Drax, Gamora, and Rocket, with some genuinely fantastic writing at times. And all the barks! It was a good year for combat barks. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was the surprise I did not expect this year.

Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139...

After Nier Automata put the Nier series on my radar, I was very, very eager to see what its predecessor was like. And Nier Replicant did not disappoint. Though maybe a little bit more tedious than Automata, the modernizations of this year's Replicant remaster went a lon??g way towar??d making an old game very fun to play through again and again.

It was also great to see additional ties made to Automata with some added content. Both games serve as halves of a whole, to me; Replicant can gut-punch you about something, then hit you again in Automata, or vice versa. I'm curious to see what's next for Yoko Taro and the crew behind these games, and especially eager to see how the heck Nier plays out inside a critically acclaimed MMORPG. But Replicant felt like I was tying off a loose end of gaming, mi??ning the depths of sadness and despair as I we??nt.

The Forgotten City / Inscryption

This one's a two-parter, and I'll explain why: earlier this year, I wrote about my newfo?und joy in playing games with a group? over Discord. Since I was youn??g, I've always enjoyed the many-people, one-controller way of playing certain games. It doesn't work for everything, but it can m??ake some experiences really click.

In the driver's seat portion of this entry, The Forgotten City was a wonder to pick apart. In a year of time loop games offering all kinds of approaches to mystery and narrative, The Forgotten City stands above the pack. It's such a concise, contained loop that still finds so much space to work in. It waxes on and on about philosophy and history, with so much detail and care put in?to framing the story at hand within the world at large. And the reveals are still just incredible.

On the flip-side, Inscryption is the game I still haven't played myself, but have back-seated through multiple friends. It's a refreshing take on the deck-building genre popularized by games like Slay the Spire and Monster Train. But it's also not just a good deck-builder; it's a good mystery, a good adventure, a good puzzle game, and oh so much more. I've been a fan of developer Daniel Mullins for a few years now, and it's been great to see him get so ??much recognition for the kinds ??of games he does oh-so-well.

Before Your Eyes

Honestly, I feel like I got this take out best a little while ago. Before Your Eyes is simply the one game from this year that I think everyone, and I mean everyone, should play.

In the time it takes to watch a modern movie, Before Your Eyes takes you through a life, one blink at a time. The way that developer GoodbyeWorld Games uses the blinking mechanic is so si??mple at first and becomes so clever as the story goes on. It's really?? an experience that I think anyone and everyone should try at least once. Get a webcam, hook it up, and experience one of the most genuinely moving games of the year.

Dungeon Encounters

Sometimes a game shows up and it is exactly what you needed, despite being something you'd never think to ask for in the first place. Dungeon Encounters feels experimental. It feels fresh and new. It's like getting to see the results of an internal game jam, only it's coming from the minds behind some of Final Fantasy's best.

The minimalist approach can seem sparse at first, but it really lets you fill in the spaces as you go. The deeper into the dungeon you go, the less it feels like a barren, unfinished game world, and the more it feels like a dive into a virtual tabletop. Its batt??le system is so brilliant and twists on itself in interesting ways. And the way systems and menus intertwine creates such a compelling experience of building and managing not just a party, but a whole company of adventurers. Everyone remembers their first Petrified journeyer, or when they discovered how to recruit more members.

I truly hope Dungeon Encounters is a sign of more to come from Square Enix. More offbeat, interesting games like this from big publishers, plea?se!

Life is Strange: True Colors

I've fallen a bit behind on Life is Strange. I loved the first season but never got around to the others. I think by the time Life is Strange 2 was releasing, I was burned out on the episodic model. One of the smartest things Life is Strange: True Colors does is keep the episodic structure, but deliver t??hem all at once. You know, like what streamin??g services used to do.

The other smartest thing it does is introduce Alex Chen, the heart and soul of True Colors. Between the incredible voice acting and really spot-on motion capture, Alex just feels like a relatable, endearing protagonist that carries the weight of the small-town mystery so well. Deck Nine really found a winner in the small-town story of True Colors, and it's giving me hope that mor??e adventure games from?? the episodic era can keep it going into the future.

Gnosia

Going into 2021, Gnosia was already on my radar. Its announcement at a winter Nintendo Indie World showcase was so exciting because I'd heard whispers about this game from a small studio in Japan that was making the rounds, one of the last Vita exclusives making its mark and now finally coming to Switch. And to me, Gnosia did not disappoint.

Gnosia is what I loved about old Flash dating sims, mixed with modern rogue-lite narrative ideas. It's another looping game, only this one has you getting stronger run over?? run, able to sway debates, and discern impostors at a glance. And all the while, you get smarter too, learning more about these characters. Who they are, their preferred method of verbal warfare, and what they're hiding about the predicament you're all in.

If I had to pick the most overlooked game of the year, it's Gnosia. It's also decidedly not going to be everyone's cup of tea; I have a feeling this is one from 2021 that will have video essays made about it years from now. It's as much a game to analyze and dive deep into as it is to play in the moment. But it really did so many things that took me absolutely by surprise. And what a true ending, too. Gnosia is the little indie you shouldn't overlook.

Wildermyth

Speaking of small indie projects that up-ended my world, Wildermyth is both a game I can't yell about enough and a game I'm excited to see keep growing. Its melding of XCOM-like tactics and D&D narrative, with a hint of overworld management, might seem a bit dense. But it all works in conjunction to make a tabletop campaign come to life before your eyes, with procedurally generated engines driving? the story behind it.

Wildermyth is, to put it bluntly, an engine for building myths and legends. Every campaign is a new story, and a new opportunity to see a humble farmer called to greatness. And then turned into a part-crow wizard with a penchant for archery. Or a stealthy huntress able to set enemies ablaze with her hands. Or a warrior, warm and cheerful among friends, slowly fading away thanks to the stone that pierced her heart. These are all stories that Wildermyth served to me on a silver platter.

The team at Worldwalker Games LLC has been doing a good job at updating Wildermyth too, adding new events and options. And it has Steam Worksho??p support, where the modding scene is only growing. This game has a lot of potential to become even more in the years to come, and I can't wait to see it happen.

Tales of Arise

This was the revival the Tales series needed. Tales of Arise isn't just a show of force for Bandai Namco, putting in a significant budget and graphical upgrade compared to previous? entries. But it scales up without losing its soul in the process.

Characters still loudly declare DEMON FANG and call out long incantations in the heat of battle, a symphony of special moves and responses. The story is grand and moving, yet there are still so many wonderful skits to uncover. Cooking is still here! And the cast is a genuine all-timer lineup of Tales party members.

Tales of Arise ultimately falls prey to some of the series' known shortcomings too. Its last act sags a good deal, and there are still odd spikes in levels and one very annoying recurring villain. But despite the falters, some of my favorite moments this year were seeing the animations for Boost Strikes over and over. The Boost moves felt like the glue for Tales of Arise, bringing the party together and really making fights feel like an all-out brawl. The horizon is very, very bright for the Tales series, and that's a good feeling.

The Backlog of Shame, 2021 Edition: Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Lost Judgement, Unsighted, Shin Megami Tensei V, Death's Door

The Honorable Mentions, 2021 Edition: Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Dyson Sphere Program, Scarlet Nexus, Loop Hero, New Pokémon Snap, Operation: Tango

And my favorite game of the year goes to...

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

When I finished the final case in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, I knew ??two things. One, I needed a moment to just breathe and take it all in. And two, there was no way this game wouldn't be o?n my end-of-the-year list.

I've been a fan of Phoenix Wright for a while, from the original trilogy up through the newer games. And as much as I love Phoenix, Apollo, Athena, and the crew, Great Ace Attorney is a breath of fresh air. No high-tech mechanisms or spirit channeling—the focus is solely on so??me basic forensics and deductions. And oh, the deductions. Herlock Sholmes and Ryunosuke Naruhodo doing the dance of deduction is such a treat.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles benefits greatly from being two games packed into one. And where I can see how fans wouldn't like the cliffhanger and obviously unanswered threads of the first game leading into the second, as a duo they are nigh-unstoppable. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a ten-case powerhouse that weav?es threads and stories throughout its entire run, building up to huge showdowns in court with honor, reputation, legacy, and even lives on the line.

This is the game I'd hand to anyone looking to get into the Ace Attorney series. It's a lengthy o?ne, but so, so worth your time. And there's no?? doubt it's my favorite game I've played this year.

The post Eric’s favorite games of 2021 appeared first on Destructoid.

Stock up on the year's heaviest hitters for PlayStation

We're finally here, at the tail end of the year ??2021. It's been a year with a lot of stories, and quite a lot of games. So the PlayStation Holiday Sale is here to offer one more opportunity to nab s??ome of the year's best for a discounted price.

The Holiday Sale kicks off today and runs through Jan. 19, putting discounts on games both new and old. The list runs a pretty good gamut; you'll find some of our own GOTY contenders from this year on the lineup, including Deathloop, Resident Evil Village, and It Takes Two.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-UU8h-iAo

Of course, a few surprises are on the list too. Life is Strange: True Colors is still one that's sitting with me, months after seeing the credits roll. And if you're eager to learn what the deal with Alan Wake is, the new remaster is on sale.

It's a pretty similar list to the PlayStation Store's Game Awards sale, but if you missed out on any of the year's biggest games, it's a nice way to catch up without breaking the bank. And honestly, if you haven't played Fallen Order yet, picking that up for a measly $12 is a??? no-brainer.

A few highlights from the PlayStation Holiday Sale list:

• Alan Wake Remastered ($23.99)
• Assassin's Creed Odyssey Ultimate Edition ($29.99)
• Back 4 Blood Standard Edition PS4 and PS5 ($35.99)
• Cyberpunk 2077 ($24.99)
• Far Cry 6 Standard Edition PS4 and PS5 ($35.99)
• Deathloop ($29.99)
• Madden NFL 22 PS5 ($34.99)
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy PS4 and PS5 ($38.99)
• It Takes Two ($19.99)
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits PS4 and PS5 ($27.99)
• Resident Evil Village PS4 and PS5 ($29.99)
• Tales of Arise PS4 and PS5 ($41.99)
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade ($39.19)
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order ($11.99)
• Mass Effect: Legendary Edition ($29.99)
• Life is Strange: True Colors PS4 and PS5 ($38.99)
• Hitman 3 - Deluxe Edition ($31.99)

Find the full list over here on the PlayStation Store. And enjoy the holidays!

The post The PlayS??tation Holiday Sale kicks off today with deals on Deathloop, Village, True Color??s, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

Finding family in unlikely places

Video games have always been a way to escape, but recently, they've become my favorite way to leave everything behind fo?r a while. That interactivity is pretty strong stuff, because of late I find myself much more immersed in game narratives than those of other media. I'm thankful for the distraction �these days, I really seem to need it.

Like everyone else, I've had a rough go of it the last year or so. Every part of my life went through some reall??y significant changes, and many of them for the worse. It's kind of ironic that games were both the catalyst for that change �my desire to work in the gam?es industry got me to move across the country and confront my own rose-colored ideals �and now what I use to help me cope with it.

This Thanksgiving is causing me to get a bit more introspective than usual, I find, because I'm spending it away from my family. My family has always prioritized spending the holidays together, but recently?, things have shifted, and circumstances have changed. I find myself feeling somewhat alone, because well, I am. My house is not bustling with familiar voices and the sme??lls of delicious food cooking. It's just me, my cats, and my delivered meal from a restaurant I've eaten from twice already this week, and I can't help but acknowledge the contrast.

So how do video games fall into this depressing mix? Well, they've actually helped me remember what I'm most thankful for �the people in my lif??e who may not be my biological family, but make up almost the entirety of my support system.

I think back to games that I've played that are special to me because of the relationships they depict �The Last of Us, Tales from the Borderlands, Life is Strange: True Colors, and Stardew Valley come to mind most immediately. These games all depict a version of characters finding solace in the relationships th?ey create with people who were once strangers over the course of their respective runtimes. Not only are their storylines so moving and comforting to me, bu??t the act of playing these games versus reading or watching them made me feel all the more endeared to these characters.

For a long time, I used these fictional relationships to make up for something I felt I lacked in my real life. I'm such a suc??ker for found family stories, and now I'm re??alizing it's because my found family is one of the things I value most in my life.

I also appreciate games because my relationship to them in the real world is what helped me craft those relationships with others. The people who are now closest to me are the ??people I met at my various jobs within the industry, or even the people I met while playing multiplayer games online. I even went to one of my online friends' weddings a few years ago, with that day being the first time (and as of now the only time) we ever saw each other in real person. It's a silly thing, but I can't help but be grateful for games that I have loved and played in the past for existing, because without them I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have these people.

So I may not be back home with my family, but I have my Friendsgiving to go to this weekend. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to be jumping online to wish my Call of Duty friends a happy Thanksgiving.

For me, the most difficult part of becoming an adult was how much everything changed, but if I can find happiness in these fictional stori??es, I can find them without a controller in my hand, too. And at least I know that no matter how tough things get, my favorite games will be there waiting for me, just as I remember them.

Story Beat is a weekly column discussing anything and everything to do with storytelling in video games.

The post Video games remind me of the people I’m most thankful for appeared first on Destructoid.

Do they have Twizzlers in Hyrule?

Trick-or-trea??ting: a time-honored tradition of showing up to strangers' houses and demanding candy. Of course when I do it as an adult, it's weird at best and trespassing at worst, but double standards aside, some of my fondest childhood memories are from running around my suburban neighborhood after dark on Halloween.

So, if I can't go trick-or-treating in real life, it got me thinking about all of the ?video game worlds I'd want to spend the holiday in. From the quaint cul-de-sacs to the bustling metropolises, from the wholesome to the horrifying, here's my list of the video-game-bound neighborhoods I want to trick-or-treat in.

7) Haven from Life is Strange: True Colors

They say you always want what you don't have, and after growing up in the bizarre in-between that is suburbia, I envied the coziness of small towns. Life is Strange: True Colors' setting of Haven is so idyllic, it almost feels like hyperbole, so the id??ea of spending my favorite time of year there makes me weak at the knees.

We got a brief glimpse of Haven at Halloween time in Steph's spin-off DLC Wavelengths, as she decorated the record shop for the season. Now imagine the whole entire town like that, but then w?ith the backdrop of red, orange, and yellow trees on the mountains, far as the eye can see. Slap on the festivities and general atmosphere of the town, and it's a dream come true. The one downside is that the town does have its deep, dark secrets, but I imagine I won't really have to engage with that considering I'd just be a tourist, right?

6) Maple Bay from Dream Daddy

Okay so?? this one seems like it might be more of what I'm used to with the whole suburban neighborhood situation, but we all get nostalgic sometimes, right? Besides, there's a whole bunch of hunky, single dad?s running around, so that's a big plus, and from my experience, suburbs always have the best decoration setups.

You know that the residents ?of Maple Bay are going to go all-out for the festivities, too, especially someone like Damien. Joseph woul??d totally make some bangin' food, and Matt would curate the best Halloween playlist ever. I just know that I personally dig some wholesome dad vibes, and having a multitude of dad energy on my favorite holiday sounds like a pretty good time to me.

5) Hateno Village from Breath of the Wild

[caption id="attachment_291282" align="alignnone" width="1920"] [Image Source: Zeldapedia][/caption]Okay, so I'm no Zelda expert, but I'm pretty sure they don't celebrate Halloween in Hyrule. Maybe they have some kind of fantasy versi??on, I'm not sure. Either way, I want to trick-or-treat in this game for a few reasons.

For one, the food in Breath of the Wild looks so insanely good, I'd love to gobble down some treats from the game. The world is also just so beautiful, I think Hateno Village would look great with some festive decorating. There's something really weird to me when I think about the people of Hyrule celebrating our normal, non-fantastical holidays, but I kind of love it. From what I can tell, Hateno is also the village in the game with the most kids in it, and there's?? nothing better than seeing kids experience the magic of Halloween for the first time.

4) New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey

Remember how I said we always want what we don't have? This is the other side of that coin. Sure, I live in a city now that I'm an adult, but that's the pro??blem �I'm an adult, so I can't exactly see what it feels like to trick-or-treat in a more urban area.

Hence the New Donk City fantasy. Because it's not just a regular city; it's colorful, whimsical, and has a hot mayor who sings a city-wide musical number! Seems to me like the perfect place to celebrate my all-time favorite holiday. Whereas the slower pace of the towns on this list might give me the cozy, ??homey feeling I've been missing, I know New Donk City is where I could go to get down for Halloween, and man, does tha?t sound fun.

3) Central Yharnam from Bloodborne

[caption id="attachment_291284" align="alignnone" width="1920"] [Image Source: Reddit user u/Quirkless0_0][/caption]Okay, I know this one is a little bit crazy. The obvious caveat here is that everything and everyone is going to try to kill me if I ste??p foot in this place, but let's pretend for a second that that's not the case. Let's?? pretend instead that it's like a theme park replica, where things are scary but can't touch you.

Central Yharnam has the perfect Halloween atmosphere �the decrepit Victorian city, the strange voices coming from the windows, the horrible creatures walking around. It gives that little bit of horror that I'm looking for to spice up my life. Plus, the people in the houses seem pretty nice, and I'd love to see what weird, disgusting stuff they'd put in my bag. Is Yharnam the most Instagrammable Halloween setting? No. But it?'s probably one of the spookier neighborhoods you could choose, and what's more in the spirit of the holiday than that?

2) Rapture from BioShock

This one also needs a caveat, but it's my list and I'll do what I want. I'm talking pre-fall Rapture on this one, mostly because I know the parties do??wn there had to be wild. I'm all about the extravagance of an experience, which is som?ething I find to be severely lacking above sea level these days. All I know is that if Sander Cohen threw a Halloween party, it would go down in history.

I get the feeling I'd have a few doors slammed in my face when I actually tried to trick-or-treat in this game, but if there's a small chance that I'm going to get a plasmid in my bag, I'm going to take it. Plus, I'd get to wander around ??Rapture in a Halloween costume �just think of how insanely cool the pictures would turn out.

1) Pelican Town from Stardew Valley

[caption id="attachment_291286" align="alignnone" width="1280"] [Image Source: Reddit user u/kateisakitty][/caption]If you've read anything I've written for this website in the past few months, this one shouldn't come as a surprise at all. Pelican Town technically calls its Halloween celebration Spirit's Eve, but the intent is still there. Maybe I just love the idea of unattainable video game food, because eating the spread they set out at the center of town is also a factor in my considerations here. Plus, the haunted maze seems so cool, it's one of my favorite seasonal events in Stardew Valley.

The biggest reason this game is on my lis??t, though, is that I just love the idea of going around to everyone's houses in a classic trick-or-treating situation. I don't even know if they do that in Pelican Town, but if they don't I'm starting a new tradition. I've played the game enough that I'm so endeared to all of the characters, and as someone who doesn't really know their neighbors as an adult, having the kind of community where I could go knock on my friends' doors to get candy sounds really nice.

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DJ simulator, but make it emotional

After the pleasant surprise that was Life is Strange: True Colors, I was interested to see what the DLC might be like. After hearing it was going to focus on the fan-favorite character Steph, I was extra doubly excited. I am pleased to report that even though my expectations were higher than ever, Wavelengths still managed to exceed them.

Along with being one of True Colors protagonist Alex Chen's new best friends (and possible love interest), Steph is the town of Haven's resident DJ and record store manager, and she's damn good at her job. The Wavelengths DLC lets us in on a little bit of Steph's life from the time she moves to Hav?en to the time Alex arrives on the scene, all taking place within the record shop itself.

From rewinding time to reading people's emotions, one of the selling points of the main series is the superpower aspect. Steph, however, does not have any supernatural tendencies, so I was wondering how the game was going to fare without them. I have to admit, I did have to shift my mindset a little bit in the first hour or so, because the cadence of Wavelengths' pacing and gameplay is definitely different than the mai??n series. I wouldn't say that that's a negative, though �I actually found it to be a refreshing change from the half-sleuthing-half-community simulator feeling of the base game.

Most of the gameplay is centered around doing chores at the shop, and maybe it's just that I like completing checklists, but they somehow found a way to make the chores feel fun. It's a lot of w??hat you would expect from a retail job, like restocking, filling orders, and putting away decorations. You even get a shot at using a dating app, w?hich proved to be equally awkward and hilarious, which is absolutely on-brand for Steph.

The strongest part of Wavelengths for me, though, was when Steph was in the DJ booth. Right away, you really get a sense of what this job would actually feel like �it's a bit isolating, but the booth feels so cozy. You get to select mus?ic, read off ads, and take calls on air, which is especially fun because Steph starts taking up fortune-telling using her twenty-sided die. The calls ranged from serious to silly, and how Steph reacted to each one gave us a different insig?ht into her character.

We also get to see plenty of her favorite hobby, tabletop RPGs, which was a blast for me because I'm a long-time D&D fan. Steph's character especially feels like such a love letter to gamers, music lovers, and queer people alike, while still feeling like her own person. She's caring, kind, and sensitive, while also being sarcastic and taking no shit. A ??single personality trait never takes over everything else, so we get to see a full, well-rounded portrait of who she is, whic??h I appreciate more than anything.

Another one of my favorite parts of Wavelengths was its music. For being set in a record shop with you playing as a DJ, Deck Nine really had to deliver on this, and that they certainly did. You get to choose which tracks to play at any given time on the radio and blast them in the store as you go about your day, which I found especially fun when I found a couple of my favorite songs to play. There's even a little side quest where you get to build your own song over?? the course of the game.

Apparently the soundtrack is a mixture of original music by fictional bands and licensed music, which I think is a good combo. It all flows well together and serves as a perfect backdrop to the game itself. There's even a Spotify playlist of the music from Wavelengths, which I will be jamming to in the ca??r for the next few weeks.

I also don't want to give too much of it away, but if you were wondering how True Colors connects to the rest of the Life is Strange series, you'll get an answer with Steph's story.

Just like the base game, Wavelengths has something to say about grief, and how to process it with the people you care about. It's a fairly brief moment in an otherwise lighthearted game, but that makes it all the more effective. I wouldn't expect anything less after how well I thought those topics were handled in True Colors.

All in all, this is DLC I would go out of my way to play. Sure, it's a departure from the usual Life is Strange formula, but it maintains the charm and earnestness that made True Colors such an enjoyable experience. If you already have the base game and had a good time with it, I definitely recommend that you spring for Wavelengths as well.

_{[These impressions are based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Life is Strange: True Colors – Wavelengths delivers on tunes and heartwarming backstory appeared first on Destructoid.

It's easier this way

When I was in college, I was playing an obscene amount of games, often in four-hour sessions between classes or after dinner. Then I graduated and had to become a real adult, and I have to spend my time doing insanely boring things like going to the DMV. Now gamin??g is more something I have to set aside part of my schedule to do, as is the case with pretty much anyone else over a certain age. And I can't even imagine what it must be like for people with kids.

I've wanted to play The Witcher 3 for quite a while now, but the biggest thing keeping me from it is knowing what a huge commitment it's going to be, both in terms of time and my emotions. When I only have an hour to play, I don't want to boot up a game like that because I know I'll barely be scratching the surface of a quest, and there won't be a good stopping point anywhere in sight. This feels like the case for most games coming out these days, especially since MMOs are on the rise again.

I did however recently play Life is Strange: True Colors, which is the first episodic game I've played in a while. I had completely forgotten how convenient that format is, because I could play for a tight hour and a half, and have a perfect stopping point that the game itself had intended for me to hit. The anxiety of starting a new section of the game was gone, because I knew going in about the time I would be done, and that I wouldn't be right in the middle of something when I did. Missions usually serve as that stopping point in larger games, but? the crux of my problem is that you never know just how long that mission is going to take you, at least on a first playthrough.

I could go on and on throwing my hat in the ring for the "are games too long?" conversation (they are, IMHO), but my biggest problem comes from a storytelling standpoint. Narratives naturally have a sort of ebb and flow, giving us a story that has peaks and valleys. W??hen you have a story that's long enough, it's good to have places to stop that don't break up the natural flow of the narrative too much.

We've already perfected this "breaking up" in the form of TV episodes or book chapters, and it's how we get the torturous fun of cliffhangers. Telltale really had this formula down, and I would wager to say that to this day, they're the most popular episodic games out there. Now that they're gone, someone el??se needs to take up that mantle, because we can obviously see how well it worked out the first time.

Basically what it comes down to is that I just don't want to have to cut off my own gaming experience in narratively unnatural ways because I need to go to bed, for example. I recently had to do this on a Mass Effect level, and coming back into a mi??ssion at the height of its narrative tension was pretty jarring, let me tell you.

HowLongToBeat is a website I visit often, but unfortunately, it only tells you how long a whole game is �not jus??t each section. I might be mistaken, but I thought I saw somewhere recently that there was a game that listed how long its missions were in the selection menu. Although my Google search for the origin of that idea was fruitless (if anyone knows please post it in the comments), I think that's something that should be a standard across all games, or at least an option that we can turn on.

I don't want a game to hold my hand too much, but when I only have so much time to play, I don't want the storytelling experience to be ruined because I have something else to do. Issues in modern gaming require modern soluti??ons, and I think the episodic formula is a pretty damn good one.

Story Beat is a weekly column discussing anything and everything to do with storytelling in video games.

The post I need more episodic games in my life appeared first on Destructoid.

Like a dream within a dream

Games have come a long way over the past few decades, and now we've reached a point the earliest game devs probably couldn't have even dreamed of �there are video games inside of video games. There was a time when Zork was at the cutting edge of gaming technology in 1979. Today, you can access it as an Easter egg on an in-game computer terminal in Call of Duty: Black Ops (and Cold War) and play it in its entirety.

Some developers even take it a step further by creating their own original game to play within their already original game, because if you're already making one, why not throw in another as a little treat, right? Take the recently released Life is Strange: True Colors, which features a few different fully-functional ??and original arcade games, which actually reflect the themes and events of the game itself. Very clever, Deck Nine.

There have been a ton of these over the years, so here are just a fe??w of our favo??rites here at Destructoid.

Journey of the Prairie King (Stardew Valley)

I've been playing a ton of Stardew Valley recently, and while I usually leave the arcade cabinets in the Stardrop Saloon untouched, this time around I wanted to challenge myself to beat Journey of the Prairie King, a Smash TV-inspired dual-stick shooter. When I've already dropped a few hundred hours into Stardew on various saves, it's nice to have something? to vary my gameplay a bit.

There's a bit of a weird tonal whiplash from losing another tense, white-knuckled run in Prairie King and just going back to fishing quietly in the rain, but it's definitely spiced up my playthrough, if nothing else. In a cruel twist of irony, I find myself putting off my in-game chores around the farm to play yet another video game. How many layers deep does my procrastination go? �em>Noelle Warner

Gnat Attack (Mario Paint, WarioWare series, Super Mario Maker)

My pick came to me out of nowhere, but as soon as the bug-squishing thought crossed my mind, I could see it �or should I say, hear it �vividly. As much as I enjoyed the creative side of Mario Paint, whether it was making freaky sheet music, stamping down Mario sprites, or having a blast erasing my scribbles with over-the-top animations, my favorite part of the game is Gnat Attack, an unforgettable fly-swatting minigame.

Gnat Attack is so much fun not just for its iconic screams, but also for how physical it is. It's enjoyable to smack even the lowliest gnats (to say nothing of the recurring boss), and the ever-rising arcade-like tension of having to fling your flyswatter from one end of the screen to the other to take out deadlier bomb bugs and dragonflies before it's too l?ate makes for such a frantic, yet rarely frustrating, challenge. It's so replayable.

The newer iterations of Gnat Attack found in WarioWare and Super Mario Maker are enjoyable in their own right, but I think I'll always prefer the original Mario Paint iteration with the chunky, clunky, stocky, old-school Super NES mouse. �em>Jordan Devore

Gwent (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)

Even though I sunk about 80 hours into The Witcher 3, I never managed to actually finish it, let alone the DLC. I really enjoyed it, but I kept getting distracted from the main quest by this dumb card game called Gwent. In fact, I’d drop everything I was doing anytime I saw the chance t??o play against some new challenger.

The crazy thing is that I don’t even particularly like card games. I actively avoid pretty much every video game with card-based gameplay, so why the hell was Gwent different? I legitimately have no idea. Maybe I actually do like card games, and I just needed a different ?genre of video game to trick me into realizing it. Or, maybe I am just so dang prone to procrastinate that my brain will force me to do things I don’t even enjoy just to delay finishing something.

A strong argument for this last hypothesis is that I haven’t even played the standalone Gwent game yet. I loved the in-game version from The Witcher 3, so shouldn’t I have been super excited to dive into that? Brains are weird, and this is starting to veer into territory that I should reserve for professional therapy, so I’m going to cut myself off here. The important takeaway is that the in-game version of Gwent from The Witcher 3 kicks ass. I don’t know why. It just does. �em>Kevin Mersereau

Triple Triad (Final Fantasy VIII/XIV)

If there was ever a game within a game I sank countless hours into, it's been Triple Triad from Final Fantasy VIII. It's like if Othello and Tic-Tac-Toe had a weird math baby obsessed with deck-building. The game consists ?of playing cards with a number assigned to each side of the card featuring some character or creature within the game. Under Normal rules, if I place m??y card next to an opponent's card and the value on my card is higher than the adjacent value, I flip that card to my color. Whoever ends with the most cards at the end wins. Easy, right?

But the secret sauce is there are more rulesets out there than Normal, like Same or Plus, which makes the game more lively as you explore the world and challenge NPCs you meet in the game. It just makes sense people in different parts of the world would play the game differently and I feel like that just helps worldbuilding much like Gwent does in The Witcher III.

Final Fantasy XIV has brought this card game into the present while adding new rules of its own. Cards can still be obtained by challenging NPCs, but you can also get them by fighting big bosses, doing raids, and all sorts of activities. There's even a mount that is a card you can ride and it plays "Shuffle or Boogie" while you do. I want that mount, but I need all 312 FFXIV-specific cards from A Realm Reborn to Shadowbring??ers to obtain it.

That's a daunting and long-term task. There are also cards stashed behind crafting content where I have to help moogles rebuild a monument, save ca??tfish people from impending doom by supporting their festival, and helping dwarves build tanks.

??But there are also mounts stashed behind those things, too. And I want a tank. Lal??i-ho, I do.

In the meantime, to fill the card-shaped hole in my heart, I've turned to learning Magic The Gathering and I don't know if that was a good idea.  �em>Whispering Willow

Anaconda (TimeSplitters 2)

People who were playing games on phones before smartphones were a thing probably remember Snake, a simple game that suited the awkward phone button control and tiny monochromatic screens of the time. Players control an ever-moving, ever-growing snake, trying to eat as many apples as possible without crashing into walls or their own tails. Anaconda was the leveled up version of that.

It could only be accessed after finding a secret collectible in TimeSplitters 2, one of the? most intense multiplayer console first-person shooters at the time. After picking it up and starting it, players were transported from the 3D world into an older vector graphic plane reminiscent of the games from 20 years prior. But despite the retro look, it actually played like a dream. The snake's movement was so fluid; no longer constrained to move in only the four cardinal directions, it could move with full 360 degree rotation, and speed up or slow dow?n at will.

That alone would be fine as a little distraction before getting back to throwing bricks through windows, but what really made Anaconda shine was the addition of multiplayer. Not only could single players go for a high score with a screen-filling snake on their own, but friends could get together and try to sabotage each other's snakes. Not joking, my buddy in college bought a PlayStation 2 multitap just so we could play Anaconda with four players. It was this quirky little party game that unexpectedly took over our lives when we weren'??t smashing brothers or bringing rocket launchers to Chiron TL 34.

It also had the catchiest little tune that still gets stuck in my head today, nearly 20 years later. �em>Darren Nakamura

The post What is your favorite game within a game? appeared first on Destructoid.

My most pleasant surprise of the year

I'm gonna level with you �I really didn't enjoy the first Life is Strange game. It's obviously a favorite of critics and fans alike, but the characters just d?idn't w?ork for me, which kind of made the whole thing fall apart.

When I heard there was going to be a new entry in the? series, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was especially apprehensive after hearing that the player character's power was going to be "the power of empathy," because to me that sounds like a recipe for some cheesy, preachy storytelling. Despite myself, I knew I wanted to give the series another chance, if for n?o other reason than to play the newest choice-based narrative game out there, which is one of my favorite genres.

Life is Strange: True Colors (Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4 [reviewed], PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Deck Nine
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: September 10, 2021
MSRP: $59.99

Let me tell you, I have never been happier to be proven wrong. I really liked Life is Strange: True Colors ??pretty much all the way through, and it ?even made me cry a few times (in a good way).

You play as Alex Chen, who arrives in the idyllic?? Colorado town of Haven Springs to reunite with her brother Gabe. After he dies in a mysterious accident, Alex uses her powers to search for the truth, as these types of stories usually ??go.

I'm personally a big fan of the "small town with a dark secret" trope, and True Colors did it justice. For starters, it really made me care about Haven and its citizens, and that setup wo?rk is necessary to pull off an emotional story like this. Sure, it still had that Tumblr-blog-come-to-life feeling that the rest of the series is known for, but because it backed its aesthetics up with earnestness, I felt myself leaning into it rather than pulling away.

Maybe it's just because I grew up in some mountain towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains that reminded me a lot of Haven, but it feels like its own character in a way, wit?h each citizen feeling like an important piece of its personality. Plus, the visuals are stellar, and my entire playthrough was basically bug-free. Good on you, Deck Nine QA.

As far as mechanics go, I don't want to give anything away, but the "empathy" powers were used to much greater effect than I expected. When another character is feeling a strong emotion, Alex can see a brightly colored aura around them, and use that as an insight into their inner thoughts. It comes really handy when a lot o?f the gam?eplay is, well, talking to people. Like I said before, I was waiting for this to be really cheesy, but I found that it actually gave me some interesting and nuanced insights, often surprising me and making me rethink situations I thought I already had a handle on.

Moment to moment, it felt like they were constantly changing it up �and I have to admit that it really worked for me. It's hard to believe, bu?t this game is technically still a part of the point-and-click genre; with all of the little surprises the developers included, it's amazing to see just how far that genre has come. I was constantly surprised, not only by the larger plot points, but by the little gameplay moments too, and that's a huge part of what made it a joy to play.

Of course, the real star of the show with these types of games is the big choices they ask you to make. All too often, I find that games give me a choice accompanied by tons of fanfare, only for me to know exactly what to do because it just ends up feeling one-sided. That was not the case with True Colors. Every time it presented me with one of those big choices, I was thankful there wasn't a timer because I ??seriously had to think about it. Each side was well thought out in terms of having distinct pros and cons, and unpredictability in terms of what?? the consequences could be.

I think what I was most impressed with was how this game handled really tough, emotional topics, like grief for example. Losing someone you care about is a tough thing, and True Colors takes a breath to let you feel the effects of that loss, and all of the emotions that come along with them, good, bad, and in between. When the protagonist of your game has superpowers that have to do with emotions, that's something you really have to nail, and they ??did it all the ??way through.

My critiques are pretty few and far between, but they are there. ??I thought the plot lost a little bit of steam in its latter half, but it didn't ruin the experience by any means. My biggest issue is that I sometimes felt that too much time was devoted to sequences that didn't further the plot or characters for the sake of a gimmick, but they were honestly so charming I didn't mind most of the time. I also felt that the end was a tad rushed, but again, it felt small in the grand scheme of things.

Regardless o?f whether you're a fan of this series, this one is a must-play if you like story-centric games. It's honestly my favo??rite thing I've played all year so far.

Sure, parts of Life is Strange: True Colors are really bleak, but ultimately it's an uplifting, heartfelt story about what it means to find your own version of home. It tells that story in a way that feels perfectly sincere, which is something that is hard to come by in games nowadays. True Colors has officially redeemed the Life is Strange series in my eyes.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Life is Strange: True Colors appeared first on Destructoid.

Are Smash Mouth cover bands really a thing?

Here it is: the first and only "gameplay" video I really want to see for Life is Strange: True Colors �enough to establish the slice-of-life coziness, the dialogue, and the production quality. The latter, in particular, seems like a leap from the humble beginnings of 2015's Life is Strange, back before the small-town adventure game ?became, well, a series.

Anything after this point, for me anyway, is just spoiler icing on top that I'll polit??ely decline.

//youtu.be/sCx-j4hrwpA

It's an early sequence in True Colors �early enough that the protagonist, Alex, is still able to hang out with her older brother Gabe (whose fate is... established), ?and also still getting introductions from Haven S?prings locals like Ryan, another main character.

Chatting about "Smash Mouth cover bands," taking in the sights at a decorated record store, and keeping your eyes peeled for potential doodads to interact with nearby �yep, this sure is a new Life is Strange. I like this format quite a bit when the mood stri??kes.

If you're wondering about Steph (from Before the Storm) suddenly glowing with a fiery rage, that's just Alex's empathetic powers kicking in. I've seen a lot of admittedly funny comments about the "power of Empath?y" and its ability to "change fate and change lives," which is a tougher sell than Max Caulfield's flashy time-rewinding ability, but I'm curious to see how Deck Nine makes it feel meaningful in the context of the full game.

With gamescom next week, I'm sure we'll see more footage soon; like I said, I'm good. The September 10 launch day is suddenly starting to feel uncomfortably close, so True Colors will be here before I know it. I hope this game meets fans' (and p??ublisher) expectations, because it feels like this series can keep blossoming if it's allowed to take its ti??me.

I fully intend to dig into Road 96 before True Colors, by the way. Bring on the whiplash.

The post Life is Strange: True Colors got a breezy gameplay video, and that’s enough until launch, I’m good appeared first on Destructoid.

Curate your own playlist of hits

The next installment of Life is Strange arrives next month, but there's a little extra True Colors content coming after that. Today, we got our first look at the Wavelengths DLC, an extra episode of sorts for Life is Strange: True Colors.

The story is a prequel, set in the small town of Haven Springs where True Colors will take place. Rather than True Colors protagonist Alex Chen, you play as Steph Gingrich, the Before the Storm character who's also appearing in the upcoming True Colors.

As Steph, you get to star?t out your first day on the job at KRCT and play through the seasons, following her growth in managing the only local radio station and record store. Just pick your playlist, talk to callers, and jam out. It looks like some of Steph's penchant for tabletop role-playing is back too, if the D20 and backroom setup are any indication.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQgP6oo8OdU

Of course, running the cool local radio station also means playing good music. And it looks like the Wavelengths DLC has some hits lined up. T??he lineup shown in the trailer in??cludes:

• Girl in Red
• Foals
• Alt J
• Portugal, The Man
• Local Natives
• Sigur Ros
• Hayley Kiyoko

There's a note that there's "many more" in store, but honestly, I'm already happy with some Sigur Ros getting a spot. While Life is Strange has a penchant for tackling the supernatural, I'm really interested in what looks like a chill experience about running your own radio station, and also the ambient life atmosphere I enjoy from Life is Strange. It's like a small-town story and college radio s?im mashed-up into one game.

Wavelengths DLC will arrive on Sept. 30, and you will need Life is Strange: True Colors to play it, according to the trailer. The dev team also announced yesterday that the Life is Strange: Remastered Collection has been delayed to early next year, so the studio can alleviate some pressure b??rought on by development amid the pandemic.

Life is Strange: True Colors will launch on Sept. 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia. The team also announced that the Switch version of True Colors won't launch on that date, but they are aiming to release it this year.

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The date is moving to alleviate some pressure on the team

The next entry in the Life is Strange series is set to arrive next month, and today the development team reaffirmed that's the case. The accompanying remasters, though, wi??ll be taking a little extra time.

Today, the Life is Strange team confirmed that it's delaying Life is Strange: Remastered Collection into early 2022. This shift is due to the ongoing challenges of the worldwide pandemic. They're hoping this will alleviate some pressure on development by providing more time between the launch of Life is Strange: True Colors and Life is Strange: Remastered Collection.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCYMDKtiTHM

Life is Strange: True Colors, meanwhile, is still on track for a Sept. 10 launch. The team also confirmed that the Life is Strange: Wavelengths DLC, starring Before the Storm's Steph Gingrich, will launch on Sept. 30, 2021.

They also confirm that anyone who buys the Life is Strange: True Colors Ultimate Edition will still get dual entitlement to the two Life is Strange: Remastered Collection games when they launch in 2022.

As much as I'd love to revisit the original Life is Strange and get around to playing Before the Storm, this sounds like it's the right move for the team. Launching one game is already one task, but adding on a remastered collection and DLC later in the month is a tall order.

I'm eager to see what Deck Nine does with its own new installment in the Life is Strange series, and so I'm happy they're taking a little extra time to make sure it all comes together well. Besides, the summer and fall are starting to fill up ??with games fast. Locking in a neat remaster for sometime in 2022 sounds good to me.

Life is Strange: True Colors will launch f??or PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia on Sept. 10, 2021.

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Stranger Things

Square Enix has released a short teaser for its upcoming graphic adventure Life is Strange: True Colors. The?? new game, the latest entry in the award-winning series, will launch on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Stadia platforms on September 10.

The short clip introduces us to new protagonist Alex Chen, as she discusses her hopes for a be??tter life, living alongside her brother, in her new home of Haven Springs.?? Sadly for Alex, fate has more complex plans in store, and her arrival at the sleepy locale will be an eventful one, bringing new personalities, challenges, and hazards into her mysterious world.

Square Enix likely chose this particular scene not only for its emotional and foreboding impact, but also to showcase developer Deck Nine Game's technical prowess in giving Alex character and personality through her facial animation. Life is Strange: True Colors is expected to be another charged dramatic adventure, with underlying themes of powers beyond that of regular mortals. Unlike previous series entries, True Colors will be a s?ingular release, eschewing the episodic format. At least you won't? have to wait on any nail-biting cliffhangers.

And if you can't wait until September, then don't forget that a special issue of the Life is Strange comic book is being released for Free Comic Book Day. Among other stories, this issue will feature a prologue to True Colors, so be sure?? to grab it from your local retailer on August 14.

The post Meet Alex Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors’ opening scene appeared first on Destructoid.

Meet the new lead and her supernatural 'empathy'

During this morning's Square Enix Presents spring showcase, we got our first (official) look at Life is Strange: True Colors, a new adventure-with-a-twist from Life is Strange: Before the Storm developer Deck Nine. It's launching ??on September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia.

Unlike past games, this is an al?l-at-??once dealio. It's not an episodic format.

The new lead, Alex Chen, has psychic empathy: she can "experience, absorb, and manipulate the st??rong emotions of others, which she sees as blazing, colored auras." Alex will need to use her supernatural power to figure out what really happ??ened to her brother, Gabe, during his "accidental" death.

The setting, the mountain town of Haven Springs, looks cozy. And the soundtrack for True Colors is a focal point, as you'd hope and expect. The game wil?l feature "extensive" licen??sed tracks from the likes of Radiohead, Phoebe Bridgers, and other acts, as well as new music from Novo Amor and mxmtoon.

Square Enix is juggling a lot of properties to varying degrees of success, but when it comes to Life is Strange, I'm just generally happy to see?? the series continue to branch out. It's a special one. That said, for some fans who ??were enamored with Chloe and Max, the original game is still a tough act to follow.

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