if mister cage makes a game again after this one i'm walking to france and [redacted threats of bodily harm] - aurel "paranoodle", 2013

(i have unfortunately since been informed that mister cage has made new games.)

disclaimer: i'm the first person to be a sucker for interactive stories with essentially no gameplay.

but the first issue with that format is that the only element you're left with is, as the name would indicate, the story. this game (as with any others quantic dream has made) does not have a story that would hold up to even the average game, much less one that positions it as its focus.

that said, the main issue with this game in my opinion, other than how its story falls apart under the slightest scrutiny, is its constant blatant racism, and its relentless dedication to misogyny and hating its main character. there's a not-so-fine line between "make a female protagonist go through shit because that's what protagonists do" and "try to see how much torture porn we can fit in an M-rated game", and Beyond runs right past it into "let's make one of the two romance options a man who abused the protagonist when she was a child and he was 15 years her elder" (spoiler: the other romance option is a racist caricature)

i would've hoped quantic dream had learned anything from making heavy rain, but the only difference i can see is that they're more convinced they're doing everything perfectly than every before. you'd think ellen page wanting to sue them over breaking contract would have made them maybe reconsider anything they do but apparently not.

I've been playing a lot of these games I like to call "TellTale-like," where the gameplay boils down to making choices and some QTEs. Beyond: Two Souls is a solid entry into the genre, although one with a stronger focus on QTE's.

QTEs are a weird thing. I mostly dislike them, owing to my general inability remember which buttons are which without looking down, but a few games have made good use of them. Here, the use is rampant, popping up in all sorts of sequences: fighting, running, climbing, ie, anything involving action. And rather than stick with a few well-worn buttons, be prepared to get full use of X, square, triangle, O, L1, L2, R1, R2, not to mention use of the controller's motion (flick it down to jump down, flick it up to jump up).Oh, and throw in random LS/RS stuff, too. This seriously taxed my controller skills in a way that serious video games like Witcher 3 never did.

Part of the problem with QTEs was me. But I also think a part of the problem was how they're utilized within the game. I didn't get the sense that there was much consistency in which button(s) would be needed. Thus, every time a QTE popped, I had to interpret what was needed by what the screen displayed, not by what was happening. That feels counter-intuitive to me. And that was hampered by the visual symbol being the same circle, regardless of what button needed pressed. Often when a game uses QTEs (or is otherwise talking about buttons) they use different shapes to match the buttons. Circles for X, square, triangle, O. Something that looks like a slightly curved rectangle for L1/R1. Something that looks like a trigger for L2/R2. Etc. Helps to ID what button(s) need to be pressed. Less thought = quicker press time and more accuracy. Nothing like that here. It was all a circle, all needing to squint to see what button was expected.

Realizing midway through the game that the QTEs are mostly filler and don't really make a huge difference is both a bummer and a relief. It idiot-proofs the game from people like me who would die over, and over. But it also makes it feel like a lot of the game can be played on rails. I mean, there are some scenes where you have to pass the QTE sequence to advance (rock climbing comes to mind) because you'll fall if you don't succeed. But while the storyline has tension written into that moment, it's not really timed, so you can fall as often as you must before finally figuring out the switches between X, R2, L1, or whatever. (Controls in general are a bit of a mess--even the intuitive controls feel sluggish and in desperate need of some honing.)

While the QTEs were a source of frustration, the game itself is pretty fun. Intense, mind... but fun. We follow a girl--Jodie--who has another soul attached to her body. The soul is free-roaming (though tethered), and kind of has a mind of its own, but they have a connection. So much of the game features you guiding Jodie until she can't do something, then popping over to spirit-mode to roam around until you can interact with something. It, uh, reminds me a bit of the old Gamecube game Geist. (Except I never played more than an hour or two of Geist, so my memory might be drawing a comparison where none is deserved.)

The story is split into chapters, are told out of order (there is a chronological playthrough option, though that's not recommended until you've played the intended order at least once), and can broadly be split into three categories: Jodie as a child in an institute, Jodie working with/for the CIA, Jodie experiencing the world apart from the institute or CIA. This gives the story many environments to experience--a blessing since much of the puzzle-solving gameplay is pretty basic. But going a mansion to steal papers out of a safe? Trekking about a Navajo farm while on the lam? Dodging dogs in a rain forest? Skiing through a wintry town hiding a secret underwater lab? I mean, it's James Bond meets fucking Life is Strange. It doesn't always make sense, but it is fun.

For those who like the interactive storytelling, TellTale-like games, Beyond: Two Souls is a good experience. It comes with its share of frustrations, which drags it down from 4 stars to 3, but that's still solid. Makes it more of a "find it on sale" game rather than a "buy it when you can" game, though.

Quantic Dream really develops great interactive drama action-adventure video games! It's also a plus for involving renowned actors Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe, it made the acting more appreciable.

GAME PLOT

The way the story has been told was very unique, as it was narrated in a remix order (although you can play it chronologically, but I think it was better to play it in this order). You're going to wonder how and what has had happened, or what could be happening in the next chapters. That feeling was great! It made me not want to stop playing because of curiosity. It's nice of Quantic Dream to also show a percentage of the path the gamers have chosen throughout the end of the chapter. It gives me the impression if I have played the game the same way as the others, or if I have made a unique game plot for myself.

Overall, the story and script were very well written that I was able to sympathize with the main characters. This allowed me to play the game with regards to their perspective. It was like "If I were in Jodie/Aiden's position, this is what I would do". Great experience and it's definitely worth replaying with friends. :)

GAMEPLAY

Just like Heavy Rain, your game progress depends on the choices and the actions you make. But unlike Heavy Rain though, the choices weren't that hard and I think some would have even less effect on the game plot. It's more of the actions you take that would really affect the game. There are a lot of things you could do within the game that would allow you to discover paths (thanks to Aiden's existence) unlike Heavy Rain where the possible actions are very linear. So there's really a lot to miss in Beyond: Two Souls if you're not very attentive or imaginative in some situations. ;)

RATING

5 stars! If you enjoy interactive video games, this is a must play! Quantic Dream really did a great job developing this game. Looking forward to their new title Detroit: Become Human releasing this 2018! :)