Alexandra "Alex" Chen is a character from the Life Is Strange video game series published by Square Enix.
16 Facts About Alex Chen
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At the outset of the game, she moves from Portland, Oregon to the fictional Colorado town of Haven Springs to live with her brother Gabe Alex Chen, who dies in an accident soon after her arrival.
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Several different versions of Alex Chen were originally workshopped during the concept phase, before the developmental team decided to finalize her backstory as an Asian-American character who grew up in the foster care system.
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Alex Chen is portrayed by actress Erika Mori through full performance motion capture.
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The death of her brother Gabe Chen serves as the inciting incident for Alex to confront her inner demons and fears, setting her on a journey to gradually accept who she is, including her power, and how she chooses to navigate her life moving forward despite the burdens of her past.
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The writers noted that Alex Chen came into focus through their work and through working with her actress, and ultimately decided that she is a morally good person at her core.
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Kuan explained that as a result, writing Alex Chen required a lot of care and nuance because she is not supposed to lose her own identity in the moments where she is reacting to the intensity of another person's emotional state while simultaneously feeling it herself.
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Mori drew from her personal experiences for Alex Chen: she described them as her own "personal failures, triumphs, and joys", brought forth in a "healthy way" to help provide shape and nuance to Alex.
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Alex Chen felt that these experiences helped make some moments "real and authentic" in their "deep, intense, emotional, empathic" aspects.
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Alex Chen described a "DIY" or trial-and-error approach to the process, but would defer to Mori's perspective if necessary as she is considered to be the "heart" of the character: she would listen to audio clips to learn more about how Mori would present Alex's mannerisms and way of speaking.
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Alex Chen was prominently featured in Microsoft's promotional efforts for the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2022, particularly on banner advertisements for the Xbox Game Pass service that featured Asian video game characters and developers.
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Alex Chen was met with an enthusiastic reception from players following the official reveal of True Colors in early 2021.
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Alex Chen was met with critical acclaim following the release of True Colors.
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Erika Mori's work as Alex Chen was named Best Performance by EDGE Magazine for their 2021 awards.
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Alex Chen is named among Destructoid staff's favorite new video game characters of 2021, with staff member Noelle Warner praising the character as an exemplary player character in a story-driven game who feels complex, realized, and likeable.
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Kimberley Wallace from Game Informer considered Alex Chen to be one of the best video game characters in recent memory.