The industry of video games grows in different ways. In addition to the genres like comedy, action, or drama, there are larger genres such as first-person shooter, role-playing game, or point-and-click adventure. The catalogue of David Cage games are so interesting because they dip their toes into so many different pools of genre. At their heart, the games would be best qualified as a complex point-and-click adventures, specifically 2009’s mystery-thriller Heavy Rain. The games thrive on important choices, flavorful dialogue options, and holding multiple buttons to complete set-piece interactions. The biggest complaint against Cage’s previous, highly-acclaimed entry was poor localization, constant button prompts ruining the immersion, and the feeling of contact quicktime sequences.
Cage’s studio Quantic Dream seemed to have fixed a lot of previous problems in Beyond: Two Souls. The poor acting that held back Cage’s script was remedied with top of the line talent in Willem Dafoe and Ellen Page. The button prompts are almost non-existent, with combat sequences being communicated through slow motion action and intuitive gameplay. Quicktime sequences have been passed up for more combat, making this more akin to standard video game fare.
Beyond: Two Souls follows twenty-some years in the life of Jodie Holmes, a girl who is connected to a spiritual entity named Aiden. Players switch between controlling Jodie and Aiden as they discover their connection to each other and other evil entities, then grow up into on-the-run criminals. The narrative jumps around–a bit nonsensically–through Jodie’s life, balancing action-packed sequences with quiet character moments. It is a nice give and take that shows a surprising maturity when compared to the breathless blitz of action games normally throw at players. The problem with the narrative is that there seems to be no goal or driving objective for Jodie. She is often ambivalent about the cards she has been dealt and is shoved from one location to the next, more-or-less wandering through the narrative. Cage’s dialogue is sound and the exchange between Jodie and the supporting cast is often insightful, but it very rarely amounts to anything.
Telling the tale of someone’s life is a monstrous task but Cage feels up to the challenge, giving Jodie interesting settings to explore her connection to Aiden and her internal struggles with being different. At times the game is surprisingly emotional and touching, especially as you watch Jodie deal with easily relatable moments, such as dating or leaving home. These subtle moments is when Cage’s story feels the most honest. The final two hours are the worst for the narrative as Cage abandons his simple storytelling for the bombastic and ridiculous. There’s a real-world espionage subplot that simmers beneath all the good will Beyond: Two Souls is building, in the last two hours it comes to a boil that spills over and makes the game little more than a joke.
While playing these “espionage” parts of the game, Quantic Dream uses cover shooting controls that feel like clunky versions of something you would get in Gears of War. Jodie peaks around corners, identifies cover, and runs to safety. There is a little bit of variety in using Aiden to take control of enemies, or creating distractions, but this is undermined because your options are so limited. When you take control of Aiden, you are often looking for the two or three things you can interact with to progress the story. Aiden can smash glass, effect electrical circuits, posses people, or kill people, but you can only do it when the game will let you. There’s no reason for these limitations, it simply feels like Quantic Dream is simply wrestling more of the game away from you, like a big brother who doesn’t want you ruining his toys.
The lack of variety become even more apparent in the game’s combat sections. Cage has been infamous for saying that he does not believe in a “game over” screen, that his games would adapt to players failure. This was exemplified amazingly in Heavy Rain’s unflinching ability to kill off characters based on player actions. As Beyond: Two Souls often doesn’t have characters to kill off, it simply accommodates players mistake by having Jodie accomplish her objective in another way. For instance, if a piece of glass is flying at Jodie and you duck the wrong way, she will only get scratched; if you miss punch, she’ll not punch an enemy as hard. The combat revolves around an intuitive system where the game will slow down and show Jodie’s attack or defense, players respond by directing the left control stick in the direction of Jodie movements. It is in a impressive way for Quantic Dream to eliminate ugly button prompts that cover up their action. While well-intentioned, these instructions are sometimes confusing, leading to Jodie taking an inadvertent pounding. The most hollow part of system is that you will quickly realize that success or failure is irrelevant, as Jodie’s victory or defeat is predetermined.
Issues with control extend to the quieter moments of the game. Beyond: Two Souls attempts to keep the wheels of the narrative turning so obsessively that it often nerfs any problem solving or puzzling so that it is idiot-proof. This simplification often makes Beyond: Two Souls feel unchallenging. The game also fails to allow for player choice in these instances, dialogue options makes players ask all available questions and there’s often only one specific way to solve a problem. Beyond: Two Souls poses as a game with many branches of gameplay and choice, but it really is a tunnel-esque experience. Whether you are escaping through the woods or discovering a haunted desert past, Quantic Dream would rather shove you down the path then allow you discover on your own.
The backdrops of desert or forest and character models that populate them are amazing, the motion capture technology used by Quantic Dream has grown by leaps and bounds since Heavy Rain. Whether in-game or watching a cutscene, the animation is jaw dropping. Page and Dafoe’s performances are subtle, emotive, and some of the best character work ever seen in video games. Often times, you can tell Page or Dafoe, not by their voice, but by their subtle acting traits, such as faces or gestures. While Beyond: Two Souls may struggle on the whole, it is a stunning tech demo that will hopefully show other creators and actors, how life-like and honest video game characters can be.
Beyond: Two Souls shows off more of its technical prowess with stunning sound design and a beautiful score. Whether it is creating the sound of the infraworld and its monstrous inhabitants, or underscoring intimate moments shared between Jodie and her loved ones, Beyond: Two Souls consistently nails its aural ambience. This attention to detail makes each of Cage’s scenes strikingly more engaging and immersive when other aspects of the game are not so.
Beyond: Two Souls is impressive in many ways. Cage’s vision of an interactive drama where players control cinematic action is closer to a reality than ever before. The ideas behind intuitive gameplay and immersive details are truly well-intentioned. It is not the concept, but the execution of Beyond: Two Souls that leaves much to be desired. As the game meanders through its vibrant settings and tells another piece of Jodie’s life, it loses its momentum through poor gameplay and an unforgivable twist in the story. For all of the impressive technical aspects to Beyond: Two Souls, the heart of the game has major chunks that are disappointing. Page’s Jodie Holmes is an amazing character, one that any player should enjoy. The problem is that Quantic Dream gets in its own way, preventing player immersion by shoving them through a tunnel with limited choice and connection to this awesome character.
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