DLC REVIEW: ‘Life is Strange: True Colors – Wavelength’ Is an Excellent Setup to True Colors (PS5)

Life is Strange: True Colors is an absolutely incredible game by itself, so the “Wavelength” DLC has a very high bar to reach to feel worthy of being included in the True Colors story. While “Wavelength” doesn’t go as far or as deep as True Colors, the experience is still worth every second.

“Wavelength” follows Steph, one of True Colors‘ more interesting characters, in the year before Alex Chen arrives in Haven Springs. It is a direct prequel to True Colors and contains references to Life is Strange: Before the Storm, where Steph first appeared in the series. “Wavelength” takes you through spring, summer, fall, and winter as Steph finds herself making Haven Springs her new home. Steph is the only character from True Colors seen in person, but there are several interactions with characters like Gabe Chen that take place over the phone or the air.

The gameplay throughout all four seasons of “Wavelength” is fairly straightforward. There are a certain amount of tasks that Steph is responsible for, both with the KRCT radio station and the record store. While the jobs can feel like a chore after a bit, the story beats that they tend to uncover help break up the monotony. I would have preferred a bit more variety of things to do, but I understand that the location restraints severely limit the number of options. It is really neat to see the record store evolve over the seasons to really portray Steph’s personality, and the tasks you have to complete to help serve that purpose so I was never too bothered by their tedious nature.

The highlight of any Life is Strange game is not the gameplay, though. The story is where any game in this series really needs to shine, and that applies just as well to the DLC that tie into the larger stories. “Wavelength” does an excellent job of fleshing out Steph as a character, tying in her experiences in Before the Storm with what happens in True Colors. Without getting into any spoilers, there are character interactions with other Life is Strange characters that help reaffirm my belief that Steph is the most interesting character in True Colors. There is more to her than just being a side character and intentional love interest, and “Wavelength” really puts that on display.

The ambiance of the record store and DJ booth also helped set the mood for the excellent storytelling. The soundtrack includes all-new songs not included in the base game, which I was delighted to hear. I actually found myself spending some time sitting on the couch in the DJ booth just listening to the songs playing in the background. I already loved the soundtrack in True Colors, and the one for “Wavelength” continues to deliver.

My only real major complaint about my experience with “Wavelength” was that the visuals in the radio booth were rather jarring. There was a noticeable jitter whenever I would rotate around to find something, and I never was able to get used to it. It didn’t stop me from wanting to play, but it is something I hope Deck Nine Games can polish up with a future update.

If you enjoyed True Colors, “Wavelength” is an absolute must-play. It doesn’t do anything groundbreaking, but the extra time with Steph and her character development is very well done. While I wish there were a bit more to do, I still enjoyed my time playing through “Wavelength” and feel like it added to my overall experience with True Colors.

Life is Strange: True Colors – Wavelength is out now on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, GeForce NOW, and Stadia. It will also be available on Nintendo Switch later this year.