Life is Strange: True Colors – Wavelengths is a lonely and real trip into the mind of Steph

It’s no surprise that I absolutely loved Life is Strange: True Colors. I don’t think I could have given it a more favorable review if it made my PS5 literally produce hard cash. Part of what made that game so great were the characters. The game didn’t just focus on the protagonist, it focused on almost every single character the game through your way — even the background NPCs.

If you spent enough attention over the course of the story you witness some NPCs break up or deal with anger issues or figure out what they want to do with their future. Every character is fleshed out to some degree. But it also means we don’t get to spend enough time with every character we want to. I’m not saying they’re poorly fleshed out. Lord no. But the team that made this game created characters I wanted to know everything about.

One of those characters, first and foremost, is Steph. Steph is the self-proclaimed “disaster lesbian” who runs a record store, a radio station, and a LARP/D&D campaign all out of the same building and sometimes almost all at once. From the second they explained her character I wanted to know EVERYTHING. And now, with Life is Strange: True Colors’ newest add-on “Wavelengths” you actually get to spend hours with her. And, surprisingly, only her. So you get to strap in and experience Haven’s numero uno dork queen.

This prequel to Alex’s story in True Colors starts on Steph’s first day running both the record store and radio station. And, because of events, she’s left there on her own to figure most of it out.

When I first started playing, I was overwhelmed. Making sure I turned the soundboard on before I spoke into the mic, making sure I had records cued so I could avoid the station’s limited song selection on the computer and occasionally answering calls. Over time I, and in turn Steph, got more familiar with it. Learning to do an ad-read and queue up two songs while doing things around the record shop.

It’s mostly what the game is. Steph running the record shop over the course of a year. But being a Life is Strange game, she’s not going to get off easy which is why, before you begin, the game asked you two very important questions. One, did you play Life is Strange Episode 1? And two, if yes, did you destroy Arcadia Bay?

I did play Life is Strange Episode 1 and I also destroyed Arcadia Bay. I didn’t know what effects this would have on Steph until about halfway through the game when I uttered to myself “Oh noooooo.” I won’t spoil exactly how the two tie together but oof.

Over the course of the game though, you don’t see anyone else. No one comes into the store. No one leaves the store. It’s you and your audience. Occasionally you talk (via computer) to your friend with whom you run a campaign with but beyond his face on the screen you never see anyone else. Even Valkyrie, the store’s cat is mentioned and its bowl is seen, but you never see the cat itself. The game is weird and lonely but so is Steph, and that’s the point.

As the story progresses, Steph has to learn to accept where she is and realize that she’s making healthy choices about her life and gain confidence. Music becomes her world and her audience becomes her peers. She starts to get comfortable about making jokes on the air. She starts “reading fortunes” with the help of a D20 and a lot of ad-libbing. And you get to watch as she takes more ownership of the place and really makes it her own — especially when you set up for Pride season. It’s a particularly moving chapter because as you put away everything at the end of the day, you recall a memory of 14-year-old Steph coming to terms with who she is. Also, it’s just some really good Pride decor.

But memories are about your main interaction with people even though you can’t really control them. It’s just you and Steph. Even when she sits and listens to music, unlike Alex who used that as a cue to think about things, Steph is quiet. She sits and she listens to the music and just appreciates where she is at the moment.

It’s a beautiful tale that covers every moment between the first day Steph took over the shop to the very moment when Alex comes in. And it features a really touching scene where you get to see the iconic moment when Alex sees Steph for the first time only from Steph’s point of view.

All in all, the DLC is fantastic. There is zero action and you are in the record store for the entire 4-6 hours it takes you to beat this expansion. But it’s also a wonderfully written display of character progression and if you enjoyed Steph’s character, this is a must to see how she developed into what you witnessed in Life is Strange: True Colors.

Also, there’s a lot of weird tie-ins to Critical Role in the form of posters and subtle nods which I don’t fully get but still.

If you played Life is Strange: True Colors and, like me, were desperate to visit Haven once more, this is your chance and I couldn’t recommend it more.