On October 8th, David Cage and Quantic Dream released Beyond: Two Souls in America. As someone who’d seen multiple videos on their last critically acclaimed project Heavy Rain, I strapped myself in for the action-packed, nonlinear rollercoaster that I’d been sold at E3. Some of the major selling points for me were the fast-paced hand-to-hand combat, Ellen Page’s voice acting and what appeared to be fantastic presentation. In short, I didn’t buy this game and expect to play it like a typical video game with fidgety movements, exploits, aimless wandering and screwing around for stupid laughs. I expected a guided narrative and a piece of art that was made to be played a certain way, and to an extent I could respect that – given that it was still a thrilling experience done right.
But in a lot of aspects it wasn't. The enigmatic start of the game did well in setting the pace for the rest of the story. You play the main character Jodie Holmes (Ellen Page) as a child, and she’s being experimented with in what appears to be a small laboratory. These scientists realize that she’s connected to an invisible, floating entity named Aiden that can traverse through solid objects and do multiple things. Given that she can see through his perspective, they start off with a simple experiment of having her choose cards in another room that's behind a solid wall, then having her move things inside of it with Aiden. I like the fact that you have the option of listening to them when they say the experiment is over or having Aiden basically go crazy. You get a different reaction either way.
As Aiden can be a mischievous entity, you’re allowed to wander around and pry, which may allow for some shits and giggles, but ultimately always comes with something new that can be achieved in the story. Aiden can be used for eavesdropping, moving things, healing people – he enables the player to do all sorts of crazy things. However, after you pass the first level, that’s when Beyond starts to go downhill. Their first mistake was creating this jumbled narrative; the idea was too experimental and, to be honest, it befuddled the story for me because the timeline was convoluted. They try to drop hints of where you are in Jodie’s life through dialogue and changing her appearance, but for me the story left a lot of loose ends and inexplicable changes of heart. (WARNING: Spoilers in the next paragraph. Skip if you don’t want to see loopholes in the story.)
The times we’re introduced to Ryan, a CIA agent, he’s portrayed as being this tough, insensitive, no-nonsense douchebag who only looks out for himself and the mission. There are distinctly three instances of him having hostile confrontations with Jodie or outright lying to her, yet for some reason she develops a crush on him. We’re never given any instance of his desirable qualities yet somehow we’re expected to go along with his role as a love interest in the story. The same with the taller Native American guy at the Navajo ranch. When Jodie first visits, he's rude, distrustful and acts reserved around her, yet when it’s time to leave you’re given the option to only embrace the shorter, less attractive brother who initially gave you a chance to fit in and make out with the taller one who only opened up to Jodie once. Wtf?
The gameplay of Beyond: Two Souls proves what David Cage has said all along: He really doesn’t like game mechanics. For one, the movements of the characters in the game are extremely rigid, stiff and artificial. There have been times where I’ve had trouble fitting Jodie through doorways, and with nearby objects that can be picked up with the flicks of the R3 stick, moving the camera is hardly ever a viable option. The hand-to-hand combat is tarnished by this weird “direction-fu” bulls***, which basically requires you to flick the stick in the direction that Jodie moves her body. The problem is that there are multiple interpretations to the movements of Jodie’s body; sometimes her foot will go up and you’ll be expected to move the stick to the right, sometimes Jodie will throw her hands down and flicking the stick down won't be the right option. It’s a majorly flawed method of gameplay and, like the rest of the game, it relies on your ability to generate assumptions and “shots in the dark” beyond anything else.
If I had to describe Beyond, I’d do so by comparing its voice actors. At times, the game was simply exquisite. Ellen Page, William Dafoe and Kareem Hardison brought this game to life through passion and realistic expression. There were ‘tearjerker’ moments that this game executed with an unquestionable excellence, but they were blighted but a prevailing feeling of things being artificial and manufactured. The voice actors of the kids at the party (more specifically the blonde-haired guy) and the black high school teacher who suddenly became uneducated and illiterate upon becoming homeless were sloppily done. Things like this perpetuated the artificial feeling of the game. If nothing else, this game’s entrancing soundtrack, beautiful graphics and wonderful eye for the abstract (the artwork of the entities, “black sun,” etc.) saved it from being an abysmal mess. Whoever designed the gameplay and the story has mostly earned my ire, and that’s why (for what it was supposed to be) this game is a hit and miss for me.
7/10.
BY GRANT TAYLOR: If there’s one thing I appreciate in gaming, it’s a strong female character. In recent years, we’ve seen countless women in games, ranging from fierce warriors to masters of the supernatural. These days, if a game doesn’t have a female lead, you at least have the choice to select one.
I’ve played so many games with brilliant female protagonists in the last decade. It was honestly difficult getting this list down to just five!
So, which of these characters rank the highest?
BY THE GROWNGAMING TEAM: Soundtracks are as important as graphics and gameplay for video games. A good soundtrack can set the tone for a game. It helps with immersion, it can build (and relieve) tension, and can get the adrenaline pumping whether the player is down to a slither of health against the final boss or neck-and-neck with their rival rounding the last corner of the final lap.
Whether exploring the long-abandoned burial ruins of a long-forgotten civilization or emptying the magazine of a machine gun the size of an average adult human, the right music and the right time can have a profound effect on a player’s experience.
I think the soundtrack to The last of us was awesome. Still listen to it on Spotify. Failing the wipeout on PS1 is still tops
Phil Campbell discusses his work on numerous projects, from Tomb Raider to Beyond: Two Souls, and working with Brando and Bowie on The Godfather and Omikron: The Nomad Soul respectively.
Here's a bit more on Brando from Campbell that was left out due to lack of time:
"I had been sitting just letting him get on with performing," Campbell said, "and maybe I should have stepped in sooner. It wasn't until he actually encouraged me to step in, with something like, 'If it's s*!t, say "Marlon, that was s*!t - do it again!",' that I did. I never told him his reading was s*!t, though!
"By the end of the session we we getting on famously!" he added. "He told me what a 'nice fella' I was and we talked casually about a few things, including playing the Bongo drums!
"Early on, I had asked him about the legend of pushing Kleenex into his cheeks to get the voice and he told me to not believe everything I read. Later on, of course, he actually did that during our recording - he pushed Kleenex into his cheeks to try to once again achieve 'the voice'! Unfortunately, it tended to actually make the sound of the lines more muddy and incomprehensible.
"Based on what he said on the tapes, Marlon Brando really enjoyed the process, and performed the script without any disputes or opinion!!!
"Ultimately, I feel proud and humbled to have written Marlon Brando's final script - and to have been sole witness to his final performance."
He told me what a 'nice fella' I was and we talked casually about a few things https://www.yourtexasbenefi...
Now that is writing. And just as my hope that there ever could be any real journalism in games media was dwindling away. Recommended read to everyone. The piece itself is interesting and entertaining. But at the very least this should be reference for People as to how good a gaming related article can be.
Well written review. My only counter-argument would be your comment on the confusing story structure; it was confusing just because the narrative didn't proceed chronologically? I can name several movies that had similar progression. It worked in Beyond's fashion as we're given experiences in different parts of Jodie's life before everything comes together harmoniously.
Regarding the choices not directly affecting the ending; none of the choices you'd make in the game have any relevance on how the game ends, that's why. With most of the choices you make within the narrative, there's so much that happens later that the choices end up not having long term effects. That's natural and understandable. The choices you make toward the conclusion, however, obviously affect the ending, as those choices are more severe.
Like I said though, you've given a well written review; those were just two points that I didn't agree with. :)
If you play the game with a phone or tablet, it helps with the fighting.
nice review man. Nice to see well spoken people on this site. I wish my English were better to be able to write reviews this good.
Although I agree with everything you say I'm more forgiving toward these kind of games because I know and understand what they are trying to do. So I enjoyed this game greatly.
I really loved this game and like what they are doing maybe this type of game is for older players who are tired of running in circles and jumping in cod. But I believe this game would have gotten better scores if it had longer action sequences . I still gotta give these cats props for making these type of games the next gen is perfect for this type of game
Great review. I really loved this game but to be fair, I went into it mentally prepared to ignore potential David Cage plot holes and cliches when it came to the script, having played Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy. And to be very very honest, I kinda put a lot of faith in Ellen Page. If she took to the script then maybe David Cage wrote a better story this time round, right? Ah well.
Still, it was a very emotional experience and it's the first game since the Uncharted series that I experienced that blockbuster feel.
Anyway, anyone feel the Jodie Holmes character similar to April Ryan towards the end? It really took me back, especially that very last cutscene.