Life is Strange True Colors: Is Alex Chen the best character in the series?

Life is Strange True Colors released a couple of weeks ago, marking the fifth game released in the now nearly seven-year-old series. The Wavelengths DLC starring fan favorite character, Steph will provide a sixth-ish installment.

But, one of the major discussions leading up to Life is Strange: True Colors releasing was its protagonist, Alex Chen, and how she’d stack up with the other main characters in the series. In particular, her power was in question, with some stating that it seemed kind of boring.

Personally, I found Alex’s power of empathy to be terrific. From the colors, to the reading of minds to actually diving into someone else’s world based on how they feel was very cool. And the fact that something as real as empathy becomes a “superpower” here was a great idea by the folks at Deck Nine Games.

But Life is Strange has presented us with many very interesting protagonists. The first game, of course, featured the artistic and laid-back Max Caufield who has become more and more symbolic with the series and story-driven games over time, especially since she was the first lead character.

Then, you have the highly expressive, graffiti artist extraordinaire in Chloe Price, Max’s best friend who got her protag opportunity in Life is Strange: Before The Storm after being more of a co-protagonist of sorts in the original game. In this game, she’s a bit more bare in style before becoming the blue-haired, beanie rocking, bullet necklace wearing character we all know and love from the OG game. She has no power, although the memes about her “powers” are pretty funny.

Sean Diaz from Life is Strange 2 is the next protagonist after Chloe’s adventures in BTS. Similarly to the latter, Sean doesn’t have powers. However, his little brother, Daniel, does and it’s pretty epic too. Sean’s role is essentially to be not only a big brother, but a father figure of sorts to Daniel, and make sure he’s responsible with the power that he has.

We can certainly throw Steph in the mix as well, playing an integral part of Life is Strange: True Colors and having her own game in the form of the aforementioned Wavelengths DLC. Steph also doesn’t have any powers, but has become a very likable character in the series. A mixture of nerdy and swaggy, she was fairly popular as a teenager in Before The Storm but we see her personality on full display as an adult in True Colors.

It’s really interesting in that, this group of main characters is a mix of easy going and electrifying when you think about it. Max and Sean for example are a bit on the chill side while Chloe and Steph are more outgoing. The difference between Chloe and Steph is that, the former carries many emotions on her sleeve while the latter is happy and in good spirits most of the time.

One thing that each character has in common is that they all had pretty happy lives before the events of their games. In Steph’s case, her story should be pretty much drama-free anyway with Wavelengths dropping.

What’s fascinating about Alex is that, she kind of carries the personality and emotions of many of the past characters in a way. When she was at the Helping Hands Group Home and other places like it, she seemed to have had a ton of fire within her because of all of the things she and Gabe went through.

On different occasions, she had to beat up other kids in the home in order to protect some of the few friends she had. Compared to the other great characters in the Life is Strange series, Alex by far has the roughest background, growing up with not a lot of money, losing her mother, and then being sent to the foster homes after her and Gabe’s father left them, albeit reluctantly.

Now an adult at the start of the game, our empathy reading friend is ready to move on, and she seems to have put her past behind her. When in beautiful Haven Springs, she’s about as good of a citizen as they come and she’s quite laid-back and shy, similarly to Max. This strong will is inspiring that Alex has and is something I think many players have to appreciate.

A defining moment of her personality comes out really early in Life is Strange: True Colors when she lets out her inner anger to unleash a flurry of blows to Mac after he began beating up Gabe. This was a significant moment because this was her past self coming back to her for a moment in time while she was in the middle of settling in, trying to live a peaceful life (thanks a lot, Mac).

Another fascinating thing of note is how she carries herself after Gabe’s tragic death. Sure, she had a phase where she essentially locked herself in her room dealing with depression (and rightfully so). However, after she recovered, she remained strong while most in the town were still in pain. She had to cheer up other characters over her own brother’s death and her attempts are beautiful and sometimes quite successful. This is a powerful trait of Alex’s.

Overall, Life is Strange: True Colors is not only about mystery, but how others handle grief and the game paints this perfectly through Alex’s power. It also indicates her dream of finding a place to call home after everything she’s been through. The final choice of the game lets you decide if she stays and settles in Haven or she goes back out into the world again, kind of starting over. It’s an interesting change of pace from focusing on emotion to deciding your next adventure in the end.

Alex checks a ton of boxes in terms of her personality as well as her relatability. And how she handles certain situations is also highly memorable as well. She’s a highly likable character from the jump who just wants to find some peace.

Without a doubt, Max still hits home for many of us who are fans of the series. She was the first, and firsts will also resonate with us the most at times, depending on which game you started your adventures with. Not to mention, her rewind power is pretty iconic (and comes in the clutch if you want to change your choices) and she’s a really nice person.

Chloe is a unique ball of energy and emotion like we talked about. Her personality stands out as well as the way she dresses. Her camaraderie with Max is one of a kind, even with their uniquely different personalities, they still are extremely tight and it’s beautiful.

Sean too is also pretty easy going and enjoys skateboarding and drawing. His bond with his little brother Daniel, who carries a Force-like power is quite adorable. You can tell during their long, tiring adventure that they really love each other and Sean does what he can to make sure Daniel is being responsible.

Steph has the distinction of being one of two protagonists who has appeared in three (!) Life is Strange games. She was in Before The Storm, True Colors and now stars in Wavelengths as her first lead role, although it’s a shorter experience. Chloe is the other. Her personality is similar to Chloe’s but she handles her emotions better (not a knock on the legend that is Chloe Price).  She also might be the most talented of the bunch. She’s good at nerd culture activities such as gaming and also hosts a radio show while also being a good drummer.

Chris, the adorable little boy who was the lead character in the Adventures of Captain Spirit would’ve been included here (well, I guess he has been now) but his appearances were just too brief. That said, we want to give the little dude his roses too.

It’s really tough to know who takes the throne of best Life is Strange protagonist. With the addition of Alex and a more experienced Steph, the list just got bigger a greater. One thing’s for certain though, once the recency hype dies down, I still believe Alex will go down as an iconic and unforgettable character. If she’s not the best protagonist in the game’s history, the throne in the Life is Strange Kingdom is certainly within arm’s lengths for the normal girl in the normal town.

Max, Chloe, Sean, Alex or Steph? Which Life is Strange protagonist is the best in your opinion? Feel free to let me know on Twitter @GhostPandaStorm and keep it here at App Trigger for more gaming stories!