Beyond: Two Souls
Beyond: Two Souls comes to PC, but a change of platform does not hide the game’s wider issues with its restrictive gameplay and overall narrative.
The ambition behind Quantic Dream’sBeyond : Two Soulshas never been in question . Featuring Ellen Page and Willem Defoe , the developer doubled down on the immense succeeder of fellow PlayStation exclusiveHeavy Rainwhen it free in 2013 . A PS4 re - release followed , and now all of those Sony exclusives are arrive forPC via the Epic Games Store .
Beyond : Two Soulsremains a readable attempt from Quantic Dream to pursue the cinematic . That ’s not only down to its mold , but also its framing , an ambitious tarradiddle of spirit worlds , secluded government organizations , and multi - generational conspiracy . At a macro level , Beyond : Two Soulstells a unusual and challenging narration , but recede itself in the involution .
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That ’s not to say that ingredient ofBeyond : Two Soulsaren’t hugely successful . The game is framed through a serial publication of non - linear layer , a conclusion that not only allow for Quantic Dream to lick on telling its mystery story in an interesting manner but also keeps the player guessing as they steadily ravel out its sometimes eccentric strands . Beyond : Two Soulsisn’t as unusual as previous gameFahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy , but even so it ’s a far cry from the more straightforwardHeavy Rain .
Even better , this focus on a more episodic anatomical structure helps intercept the overall narrative from becoming disjointed . Beyond : Two Soulsspans decades , and so by getting the player to bribe into the gimmick of time jumps it means that those spread never find too jarring . It eventually ties into the plot of ground in a superficial mode , but as a stylistic choice it ’s a clever one .
Although this expressive style blend in a fair manner , it does n’t cover up some of the issues with the plot ’s substance . Beyond : Two Soulsdefinitely border on the histrionic , occasionally dunk into overused tropes that do n’t do Justice Department to its grand ideas . A story about malevolent spirit let loose by strange devices needs a connection to its character through smaller moments , but that never quite happens .
Because of this , Beyond : Two Soulsmay be big and bombastic , but it loses itself in the detail . All too often element that could serve make fictional character downslope flat , even if there are some highlights such as wreaking mayhem as a specter at a teenage natal day political party or exploring Jodie ’s family as a child . At the very least , the link between Jodie and the mysterious entity Aiden feel genuine , and this is perhaps the most interesting part of the game .
Beyond : Two Soulsnever really looks at this beyond a surface level , though , and this is an issue across the plank . handsome subjects come along here and there , from homelessness through to alien intervention , and there ’s even an interlude where Jodie stays with a Navajo family and helps them with an evil curse word . There ’s a want of nuance and depth overall that does n’t help the thespian ’s engagement .
It ’s just to say that the actors are all essay their hardest , with the vainglorious names of Ellen Page and Willem Defoe redact in heartfelt piece of work , but at times it ’s clearly not easy . The hand once in a while does feel wooden , and there are some relationships that miscarry to experience literal . This is particularly dead on target with the amatory interests , which are either undercooked or filled with enough complicated component to stop the instrumentalist from really feeling that worked up attachment .
Once again , it ’s in these smaller details that Quantic Dream falls down . Beyond : Two Soulsis aiming high but forget about the more intricate elements , from a core romance that is awkwardly between a foreman and their employee ( introducing a power dynamic that is never even refer yet alone explored ) through to the game ’s core mystery story not receiving a satisfying breadcrumb trail . Users will encounter out who Aiden is by the end of the game , but it ’s not something that is particularly suggest at throughout those separate episodes - a ignominy given how well Jodie and Aiden ’s relationship is prove .
It does n’t help thatBeyond : Two Soulssuffers from quite restrictive gameplay . Much like other Quantic Dream games the main focus is quick time events , but these never carry much exercising weight , leaving the musician experience the same amount of intimacy in tasks as wide-ranging as ready a repast or infiltrating a secret military base fill with malefic spirits . On top of that , some of the QTEs chosen for interactivity are quite strange , such as angrily play guitar or completing an algebra mystifier .
It does n’t help that computer mouse and keyboard controls are n’t quite as reactive as using a controller , which might cause a number of temper for PC players . The highlight from a gameplay position are those moments master Aiden , where the loose - flowing movement and power to interact with a wide array of items commit players a bit more freedom - and works best for mouse users - but even so the plot never really feel like the role player has autonomy . And because of an excited impact that dwindles in comparison to peers likeTelltale’sThe Walking Dead , sometimes the enjoyment of the over - the - top sci - fi fib is obstruct by the gameplay itself .
When the dust settle , Beyond : Two Soulsoffers up both the good and worst of Quantic Dream , with an intoxicating desire for ambition and spectacle lost in the failure to deliver on the item . Beyond : Two Soulsacts as a bridge to create an interactive chronicle , but in the end does n’t quite deliver as either a top - level narrative or an exciting video game . Despite this , it still has its moments that are likely to stick with the player , and it ’s impossible to say that it does n’t have personality .
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Beyond : Two Soulsis out now for PC , PS3 , and PS4 . Screen Rant was provided with a microcomputer download code for the intent of this review .
