As a franchiseLife is Strangehas never shied away from incorporating supernatural powers into the story. In fact, the inclusion of superpowers has become a signatureLife is Strangetrademark, even if not every game allows players to utilize the powers themselves. Previously, players could rewind time with Max Caulfield ofLife is Strangeor watch as Daniel uses telekinesis inLife is Strange 2.Life is Strange: True Colorsis putting players back in the position of using superpowers with Alex Chen’s powers of empathy.
Unlike the other protagonists, Alex already knows about her superpower and seems to have an understanding of what it is she can do. Max and Daniel discover their powers along with players, so this is an interesting change of pace forLife is Strange. However, asSpider-Manhas taught everyone, “with great power comes great responsibility,” and sometimes this power can backfire.Life is Strange: True Colorswill tackle the age-old question of if Alex’spowers are a gift or a curse, which will be interesting to see play out.
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Are Superpowers a Gift or a Curse?
Determining whether something is a gift or a curse, especially superpowers, depends on how the one affected views the situation. InLife is Strange: True Colors, Alex views her powers as a curse that prevents her from fitting in or “being normal” (though “normal” will always be subjective.) Odds are, players will help Alex learn that her powers might not be as cursed as she thought, but it does beg the question—are superpowers gifts or curses?
There’s no true indicator ofwhether or not a superpower is a gift or a curse. What separates the depiction of a superpower from being a curse or gift often lies with how much training the owner of the powers has had. If someone doesn’t know how to control their powers or use them correctly, they’ll be more likely to label their powers as a curse because they don’t know what to do. Their power controls them, rather than them controlling their power.
However, with proper training, someone can start to regard their powers as a gift instead of a curse. They learn to control their powers and use them with intention,rather than having bad things happenin a fit of outrage, as demonstrated with Daniel at times duringLife is Strange 2. From what’s been revealed so far, Alex regards her powers as a curse instead of a gift, but her powers may be a bit harder to overcome than other superpowers.
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Life is Strange: True Colors: Alex’s Power of Empathy
Max had time reversal inLife is Strangeand Daniel had telekinesis inLife is Strange 2. Both of their powers were fairly straightforward and needed to be used with intention, otherwise, they could lead to some bad outcomes.Life is Strange: True Colors’ Alex won’t have such a straightforward power, though.Her power is “empathy,” meaning it directly relatesto human emotions—some of the messiest, most uncontrollable concepts ever known.
Dealing with something as volatile and ever-changing as human emotions will make Alex’s journey to realizing her powers may not be a curse, after all, an incredibly difficult process. There is no taming emotion; there’s simply learning to deal with it or trying to change how someone feels, which will probably be one of Alex’s biggest obstacles inLife is Strange: True Colors. Alex will not only have to process her own emotions but take on the emotions of others as well. It’s a daunting task, andnot surprising thatLife is Strange: True Colorswill be tackling it from the “gift or curse” angle.
Contending with one’s own emotions is difficult enough, so it’s no surprise that Alex regards her superpower as a curse, as she takes on other people’s emotions in addition to her own. It will be exciting and intriguing to see howLife is Strange: True Colorshandles Alex’s journey to learning more about herself and her powers.
Life is Strange: True Colorswill be available September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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