QCF: Beyond: Two Souls

 

This review was freelanced by Kevin Lipscomb, co-host and editor of Critical Fail.

laying a Quantic Dream game is not your normal experience as seen in most games today. It's very interactive and your choices affect how the game will progress. Indigo Prophecy was one of the first games able to make you feel like you were the character, making decisions as the player  would in that situation. Granted, the story was great until it dropped off at the end but that is how I learned of David Cage's writing and ability to craft a story. Same would go for Heavy Rain, a game with stunning graphics and a solid story, at the beginning at least. Heavy Rain was plagued with plot holes that were never answered, most would speculate due to lack of DLC they had to scrap after Sony wanted Move support as a priority. I still enjoyed both Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain despite the issues they had. So when I heard that Quantic Dream was coming out with a new game called Beyond: Two Souls, I was excited but also nervous of its outcome.

Beyond: Two Souls follows 15 years of Jodie Holmes life, played by Ellen Page and her connection to the protective entity, Aiden. Her timeline jumps to different points in her life which makes it difficult to follow at times but ranges from when she was 8 years old to 24. Early in her life, she is left in the care of Nathan Dawkins, voiced by Willem Dafoe. Cole Freeman also cares for Jodie, working for a branch of the CIA that analyzes paranormal activities. Along with finding herself and understanding her powers and connection with Aiden, Jodie also comes into contact with dark entities from the Infraworld. When she became old enough, she was recruited into the CIA by agent Ryan Clayton. After being trained and taken on missions, Jodie goes AWOL and is pursued relentlessly by her handlers. I wish I could dwell more into the story but a lot ties very closely to plot points and major reveals and I don't want to spoil too much!

All throughout the game, you control Jodie and Aiden respectfully. With Jodie, you can interact with your surroundings, similar to Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain. Making a return as well are quick time events (QTEs) that everyone loves oh so much. If you thought they were annoying in Heavy Rain, they are more so now. You have to read Jodie's movement to know where you are supposed to flick the analog stick which can be quite difficult in darker scenes. At times where there is nothing more to do or when Jodie commands you, which will happen often, you can switch to Aiden. As Aiden, you can move about objects, break a variety of items and even go as far as to possess or kill people. Controlling Aiden is one of the simpler mechanics of the game but can be quite satisfying.

Visually, Beyond is absolutely stunning, so much so that recently 35 minutes of game play was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. This title was only the second game ever to be shown at the festival, the first being L.A. Noire. Both games have used motion capture and facial scans to capture the likenesses of the actors. On top of the lifelike facial animations, the physics of the environment were spot on. Few games can make rain and snow exude realism, but Quantic Dream was able to capture every last detail. But even with the greatest looking game, there are several important textures that were neglected, sticking out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, Beyond: Two Souls only falters for a few moments, the graphical fidelity overcoming any problems. For all you Ellen Page fans, you can definitely get your fix of her in this game. Of course, you can't forget Willem Defoe, he's one sexy beast.

Voicing the roles of Jodie and Nathan came naturally to the actors, since each scene was set up in a studio allowing them to act out the parts as if they were in a movie. Having that connection of performing and character interaction instead of being in a sound booth reading from the script and trying to emphasize the feeling enhanced the experience, since acting is what Page and Defoe are known for. By doing this, this allowed more emotion at parts of the game including comfort, romance, and anger that has not been portrayed in a video game before. There were many times throughout the game that I felt Jodie's pain at times of hardship and sadness.

I personally enjoyed the game even with a few small issues. It took me about 10-12 hours to beat it without hunting down all the bonus items you can find in the game. There is also a co-op feature in the game if you want to spice up the game play with a friend. Honestly, this is one of David Cage's better games with good story and solid gameplay. If you are looking for a game that will allow you to control a girl, and what she does with that stuffed bunny while your spirit dude watches over you, Beyond: Two Souls is worth a playthrough.