Beyond Two Souls is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by French developer Quantic Dream exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game’s main protagonist, Jodie Holmes (played by actress Ellen Page), has a mysterious connection to a supernatural entity named Aiden, who is linked to her in various ways throughout the game.
As Jodie tries to understand the nature of her connection to Aiden, she finds herself fighting against conspiracies born from this connection. The game also stars Willem Dafoe and Kadeem Hardison in undisclosed roles. David Cage, the game’s director and writer, has made a series of YouTube videos to help explain some of the key aspects of Beyond Two Souls.
The Gameplay of Beyond: Two Souls
Beyond: Two Souls is a narrative driven action-adventure game which takes place from a third person point of view. Throughout the course of the story, players control Jodie Holmes through various scenarios. During these scenarios, gamers control Jodie’s movement, actions and interactions with the environment around her.
Much of what happens in Beyond: Two Souls is determined by the choices made by players – which are often split between predetermined options rather than free-roaming or open-world style play. Quantic Dream refers to this system as “Interactive Drama.”
However, Beyond: Two Souls also features a number of action-based sequences, including stealth and combat levels. While the game’s controls vary between these two types of gameplay styles, both are controlled from a third person perspective through quick time events.
For example, the stealth level requires the player to sneak up behind guards and take them down by pressing a button at the right time. Should gamers fail to press the correct button within a certain period of time, they are spotted and must try again.
Similarly, combat levels require players to dodge enemy attacks before hitting specific buttons in order to dispatch their foes. Both types of gameplay allow for players to take control of Aiden during certain points, but the game never allows gamers to switch between controlling Jodie and Aiden at will.
The Plot of Beyond: Two Souls
Beyond: Two Souls begins with a scene taken directly from Ellen Page’s real life – representing her as an abandoned child driven to the streets by her desperate parents. From there, players are introduced to the game’s protagonist, Jodie, as she tries to find her way in life. Jodie is eventually adopted by an American family and raised as their own child alongside younger sister Kristen.
A key choice players are forced to make early on involves whether or not they will tell Kristen about Jodie’s psychic abilities. If players choose not to tell Kristen, the sisters eventually grow apart – with Jodie becoming estranged from her adoptive parents.
However, if they choose to tell Kristen about her abilities, Jodie’s life takes a different path. The game flashes forward several years later to when Jodie has grown up and become employed by American government as a secret agent.
Throughout the game, players alternate between controlling Jodie during different stages of her life. Along the way, she encounters various people – including some who help her and others who oppose her – as she tries to understand the true nature of her connection to Aiden.
How Long to Beat Beyond: Two Souls?
The average playthrough of Beyond: Two Souls is thought to be around 10 hours, though this may vary depending on the choices made by players. There are also a number of bonus features and extras which can be unlocked after the game has been completed. These include an art gallery, behind-the-scenes videos and a playable epilogue featuring Aiden.
Beyond Two Souls is an action-adventure game which takes place from a third person point of view. The game stars Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe and follows the life of Jodie Holmes – a girl with a mysterious connection to the beyond. Beyond Two Souls was released on October 8, 2013 in North America and on October 11, 2013 in Europe. The game is available for the PlayStation 3, 4 and 5 consoles.
Conclusion
Beyond: Two Souls is a game which explores some of life’s more difficult themes while providing players with the opportunity to determine how events unfold. This makes it an ideal choice for dramatic movie fans who want to see where their decisions take the story.
Many gamers will compare Beyond: Two Souls to Heavy Rain – another title developed by Quantic Dream. Although both games are quite different, many gamers enjoy seeing how their choices can affect the course of events in Beyond: Two Souls.
